US693855A - Apparatus for preventing collisions at sea. - Google Patents

Description

N0. 693,855. Patented Feb. 25, I902.

' N. GHEBASSIMUFF.

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.

' (Apnlication filed June 20, 1899.)

5 Sheets-Sheet I.

No Model.)

Z 0 m 5H 2 b e F d e n 6 TL 3 P. F 0 M S S A on E H. G N no 5 3 9 6 0 N APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING GOLLISIUNS AT SEA.

(Application filed June 20, 1899.)

5 Sheets-Sheei 2.

(No Model.)

Z 0 H 5 2 .0 e F d n e t a P F F 0 M S S A R E H G N APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING GOLLISIONS AT SEA.

(Application filed June 20, 1899.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

No. 693,855. Patented Feb. 25, i902.

. N. GHERASSIMUFF.

APPARATUS FOB PREVENTING GOLLISIDNS AT SEA.

(Application filed Jun 20, 1899.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 No. 693,855. I Patented Feb. 25, I902.

' N. GHEBASSIMDFF..'

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING COLLISIUNSAT SEA. A ucapiou filed .nm 20, 1899.)

(Nq lllode lJ- 5 Sheets-Sheet .5,

UNiTs ATENT Fries.

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING CO LLiSIO-NS AT SEA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,855, dated February 25, 1902.

1 Application filed June 20, 1899. Serial N0. 721,253. (llomodeh) T (old whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICOLAS GHERASSIM OFF, military engineer, a subject of HisMajesty the Czar of Russia, residing at 16 Rue des 5 Officie'rS, St. Petersbu rg,'Ru-ssia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Apparatus for Preventing Collisions at Sea, (for which I have made ap lications for Letters Patent'in France under date of Decemro ber 30, 1898; in Great Britain under detect January 10, 1899; in Germany under date of January 30,1890, andin Russia under date of February 2, 1899, [new style] and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact specification of the same.

A disaster at sea is almost always the result of a collision between the ship and some moving or stationary body which issituated in the path of the said ship, ither at the sun :0 face or at a depth less 'than the draft of the ship and which is not perceived in time, or it is due to-an error made in estimating the position of the said body and the course. of its deviation.

My invention has for its object the provision of means whereby the collisions referred to can be effectually avoided, and I attain this object through the medium of appliances the organization of which is such as to en- I 0 able them to perform their function at all 40 course he should take to avoid collision. Furthermore, the construction and operation of said appliances are such as to apprise th'e officer in command of the ship liable to come into collision with the one'equipped with said appliances of the presence and position and course of ,the last-named ship. 1

One of the essential featu-res' of my invention lies in the use of contact deviceswhich practically perform the function of feelers and will hereinafter be referred to as such.

These feelers move in advance of and at substantially the same rate of speed as the ship they protect and at such a depth under water as not to be materially interfered with by the waves andv so as to come in contact with any obstruction at a depth less than the draft of the ship. The feelers are so disposed and connected as to contact with or indicate an obstruction, stationary or floating beneath the surface or in motion, whether in the direct course of the'ship or on one or the other side thereof or moving toward the ship in its direct course or at an angle thereto. The deviation of the feelers from a straight course, due to their collision with an'obstruction in their path or to the action of such obstruction on theirconnecting devices, is made use of to indicate the course the vessel is to take to avoid'the obstruction and, in case the latter is a ship, to apprise the oflicer in command, through the blow or impact and through the medium of a suitable signal,-of the presence of another ship and the position and course of the same.

Other features of my invention lie in means for determining at all times the position of the feelers relatively to the ship and to vary their cchirs'e in accordance with variations in the ran gement,bu tinprofile, the vertical distances being increased ten times. Figs. 3, 4, and5 illustrate the general construction of the middle feeler, of which Fig. 3 is a vertical section corresponding to the line 3.3 of Fig. 4; Fig.4, a horizontal section corresponding to the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a vertical section cor-' I responding to the line 5 5 of Fig.4; and Figs.

tions, drawn to.a larger scale, of the same feeler and corresponding, respectively,.to the lines 6 6 and 7 7. Fig. 8 illustrates the ar-' rangement of the apparatus for indicating the deviations of the middle feeler. Fig. 9 is a vertical section corresponding to the line 9 9 of Fig! 10, illustrating the construction of a side feeler; and Fig. 10 is a horizontal section ofthe same feeler on the line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 illustrates, to a larger scale, the an ,6 and '7 are two vertical and horizontal sec:

rangement of the apparatus for indicating the deviations of the side fe'eler. Fig. 12 is a plan of the arrangement on the ship of a graduated scale with a telescope for verifying or ascertaining the position of the conducting-cable, and Fig. 13 is a diagram of the electric circuits.

'It will of course be understood that the feel- . ers 1, 2, and 3, Fig. 1, will be connected with the ship, as'hereinafter described, so as to move at a sufficient distance ahead to give the commander ample time to change his course ihe moment the danger-signal is given apprising him of thepresence of a shoal, rock, orderelict or of another ship either in his course or moving toward him at an angle thereto. The said feelers are not only connected together by electric cables 21 Z Z, which are united at a suitable point W, and thence carried together or as a single cable tothe ship, but they are also connected together by ordinary cables 0 c in such manner as that said cables will form togethera square, two of the angles of which will lie in the plane of the longitudinal axis or" the ship, or, in other words, in the course thereof, and the other two in planes diverging from said longitudinal axis of the ship or its cdnrse. Inasmuch as the depth-indicators are also connected bylike cables M M M H', it is obvious that should a ship V cross the course of the ship A at a point intermediate of the feelers 1 2, Figvl or intermediate of the feelers 2 3, or intermediate of the latter feelers and the point W, or intermediateof the pointW and the feeler 1, such vessel will strike one set of cables, as c M, Fig. l, deflect the same, as shown in dotted lines, and thereby cause an audible signal to be given on board ship, this being also the case should any one of the feelers l 2 3 or the complementary feelcr ordepth-indicator Q thereof collide with an obstruction, as hereinafter described. Thus, for instance, if a vessel V,

Fig. 1, were to cross the path of vessel Abe tween feelers-1 and 2 such vessel would coilide with and deflect the cables cN, connect ing said 'feelers'and their depth-indicators, thereby producing asignal on board vessel A, which indicates to'the commander that the obstruction is on his left, and he will then change his course to the right, as along the dotted arc 30430. At the saxnetime the commander of vessel V will he advised of the obstrnction' ahead, not only by the impact or collision with the feeler-cables c N, but also by visible signal, which will indicate to him the position of and course taken' byvessel A, so that he, too, may change his course in an opposite direction, or to the left. 05 course should the collisionof a vessel take place betweenfeelers 2,1, or 3 and point W or between the latter point and feeler l the commanders of the two vessels would then change their courses accordingly, so as to avoid a collision. I 7

As shown in Figs. 3 to land ,9 and 18, each feeler comprises a casing hagzihgthe shape that;

I willoffer the least resistance to movement in water. In this casing there are situated electric motors E, which transmit motion to a screw-propeller H. These electric motors must be suflicientl y powerful to enable them to overcome not only the resistance to the motion of the feeler with its accessories, but also to drag their conducting cable along, and consequently to exert a the ship. Consequently the conducting-cables Z Z Fig. 1, in addition to being designed to conduct the electric current to the electric motors E from the dynamo placed on the ship, have also to act as tow-ropes stretched from the feelers. The middle feeler 2, Figs. 3 to. 8, is provided with a fixed rudder'G, which is arranged in the vertical plane passing. through its axis and which will maintain the feeler always in the direction of the ment of the entire apparatus-i. e., in the position in which it will meet with the mini mum resistance from the water. I The feeler is connected to its framingb by means of vertical trunnions t and't', which pass through itscenpull of a givenfo'rce upon moveter and which can rotate freely in hearings of the framing b. Aspecial apparatus, hereinaf ter described, enables the feeler to be alfixed or rendered immovable at the desired moment in relation to its framing in order to cause them i'oturn together. The conducting-cable Z is permanently connected to the fran1- the power of the screw-pro} ing 1), so that if I feeler alone comes into operpeller H ot' the ation the condnctorZ will lie in a plane parallel with thelongitudinai axis of the feeler and the framing b will be at right angles to it. it the conductor 5:? changes its direction from any cause, it will cause theframingtc turn without affecting the position otthe feeler. Consequently when'the' accidental force ceases to act the conductor will resume its original position. p

in order to change the position of the feelers, the middle feeler is provided with an apparatns that enables it to be rendered im movable in its framing and bringing it back into a position perpendicular to the latter, and the propellingforce of the side feelers is capable of being varied. As shown in Figs. 4: and 7, the framing b has two side pieccsf andf', which limit the oscillations of the ieeler to about ten degrees each side and upon whichbear the heads of the screws '11 and h when their extreme positions. nuts Z and Z by means of their The. screws work in these screws are moved into central screw- I threadedportiom; At their inner ends the.

frictional contact with the surted lines inFig. 7

ceases hesion between the magnetized wheel F and. the rollersg and g'ibecomesso great that the screws band 12' and their heads are turned until both the screws have reached their ex-, treme positions, which are indicated bydot- When the current of the coil is interrupted, the springs y and y cause the Screws to revolve and return to their original positions. It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the feelers 1 and 3 have in relation to the feeler 2 oblique positions, in which they are maintained by the rudders G, the simple cables o c, and the conducting-cables Z Z, which connect them to the feeler 2 and to the ship A p In consequence of the oblique position of the feelers there exist normal components R and R which are equal to the propelling force F and Fl -multiplied by the cosine of the angle and between the direction of prophlsion and the line normal to the movement of the entireapparatus. In normal conditions F F a a3, and B 3,; but when theineeting with any object increases a, as in Fig. 1, then equilibrium no longer exists, R becomes less than 3,, and consequently the feelers will receive a movement in the direction opposed, to the obstacle. The ship must follow them. When, on the contrary, it is desired to change the direction of the entire apparatus, the desired movement can always be given by making F greater or smaller than F while rendering the middle feeler immovable. v

In order to give the desired position to the entire apparatus, to measure the angle of inclination, and to ascertain or verify the po- 40 sel, I arrange on the vessel at the point of atsitionof the apparatus in relation to the vestachment of the condncting'cable Z of the middle feeler 2 a graduated scale P, Fig. 12, of which the zero-mark coincides with the point of attachment of the cable, which is situated in the center line of the ship. Upon the scale I and perpendicular thereto there ..is arranged a telescope S, which is capable of being moved, while always retaining its respective or relative position or its perpendicularity to the scale P.

Upon the conducting-cable Z there is arranged a small electric lamp q, Fig. 12, situated at adetermined'distance from the scale I. It is obvious that the angle of inclination of the conducting-cable Z-that is to say, of

the entire apparatus--can be measured with the aid of this appliance.

lides with any obstacle.

the left and the contact of its bow against the obstacle. in order to render the movement of the feelers more steady, they are entirely immersed in the water at about onehalf of the draft of water of the ship, and the point of attachment of the conducting-cables Z Z Z and of the simple cables 0 and c mustcorrespond with the conditions of equilibrium of the forces that come into operation. In order that the feeler may indicate to the vessel met'with the position of the ship that is following and for the purpose of balancing the excess of the weight, each feeler is provided For the purpose of offering the least resistance during motion the buoy u is made capable of turning on an upright arm K, rigidly connected to the framing 19. Cables (of which MM" are shown in Figs. 3 and 9) connect the arms K together in order that the apparatus may give warning of floating bodies that are situated at a depth such as will render their meeting dangerous for the ship.

For the purpose of indicating shoals the feelers are provided with pendent levers D D, Figs. 3, 6, and 9, each carrying at its end a weight Q,which is situated at the depth of the draft of the vessel, with the'usual clearance, and the inclination of which in its universal joint J moves the contact-piece T toward one too of the springs 1', as'will he seen from Figs. 6

and .7. Then the current of a bell, as B or B, Fig. 13, which are situated on board ship, will be closed and the sound will give an indication of the obstacle. vers D D" are connected together by cables, of which M M' are shown, any intermediate obstacles will also be indicated, but in this case by two bells.

As to the middle feeler 2, a bell B Fig.13, r10

for indicating depth will also be set into operation or when thebow of the said feeler'colin the latter case the bent bar?) will move the spring 1* toward the contact T, and the electric circuit will be .1 15

closed. Springs 3 and 9', Figs. 9, 3, and .6, are designed to retain the bar i and pendent leversD' D" in their original normal positions, respectively.

in order to indicate the-inclination or de-i'zo viation of the framing of the feeler 2 in rela-' tion to the latter, the rudder G of the ieeler is provided with a lever Z, Figs. 4 and 8, which is bent into the form of an arc of a circle and the ends of which are provided with pistons :2 5

p and P, that work in tubes, which are rigidly connected to the framing and which contain conductors 'm. and m, that act as weak springs. The deviation of the training displaces the pistons 19 and p and closes the cir- 15 0 cuit at one side orthe other and causes'one of two bells B or B ,-Fig. 13, to ring on board ship, according as the deviation or inclination of the frame is'to'the left or right.

As the pendent lo.-

The side feelers l and 3 aredifferent from the feeler 2 in that the position of the rudder G, Fig. 10, that produces the oblique mot-ion,

is inclined. Further, the framing is in one possible displacements of the pistons q and q" in relation to the tubes 8 are very small.

The conducting-cables Z Z Z are supported in the middle by a buoy W, Fig. 1, in order to prevent them from dipping so much as they would without such a support and in order to enable the'conducting-cables Z and Z to be inclined according to requirement.

The conducting-cables must comprise conductors for the electric motors, with branches for the lamps of the buoys, and conductors for the depth-indicating bells; also, the conducting-cable Z must comprise the conductors of two bells-and of the immobilizing device ff g 9 'v o 3 y, Fig. 7, and the conducting-cables Z and Z must each comprise a conductor for one bell. There are thus on board ship three depth-indicator bells B B 13*, one for each feeler 1, 2, andb, respectively, the bell B also indicating collisions of feeler 2 with an obstruction in its path. Fur thermore, there is a deviation-indicator bell B and B for the feelers l and 3 and, as aforesaid, two deviation or inclination indicater bells B and B for the middle feeler 2. (See Fig. 13.) This is quite sufiicient for the purpose of indicating the location of any obstaclein the path of the ship A, as well as the direction of deviation of the feelers.

I will now briefly describe the electric circuits, reference being had to said Fig. 13, wherein the feelers 1, 2, and 3 and the fore part of the ship A are shown in dotted lines, D indicating the source of electricity on board said ship, as adynamo 4-, being the main return-lead, the positive pole of said dynamo being connected with rheostats 5' 5 5 by leads 6 0 6 the rheostat 5" being connected with the pistons q q of the feeler 2 through lead 2, and'branch e 5 being the return-lead connected with the deviation-indicator bell B on board ship and the latter with the main return-lead through wire a The feeder or lead .2" also supplies power to the dynamo E of said feeler l, the pole of said dynamo being connected with the main return-lead 4 through 1e id z". A branch circuit c of feeder a su' lies current to the lamp of buoy u of feeler L, and said feeler is connected through wire z with the contact device T for the depth-indicator bell B of said feeler, .2 being the return-lead connected with depth-indicator bell B on board ship, which bell islconnected with the main returnieadthrough wire-e the wires .2, c c and z7-being united into the cable Z. The same arrapgernent'of conductors prevails as regards feeler 3, the rheostat 5 being connected by feeder or lead 2 with the feeler-motor E, a being the return-lead connected with main return-lead 4a, the lamp of buoy u being in a branch circuit e from said feeder 2 which also supplies current to the contact device T through lead 2 while the return-lead a of said contact device is connected to the depth-indicator bell B on board ship, said bell being connected with main return-lead 4 throughlead .2 Finally feeder z supplies current to the deviation contact devices q q s s, 2 being the return-lead through deviation-indicator hell 8, said bell being connected with the main return-lead 4 through wire 2, the leads 5, .2 a, and .2 being united into the cable Z. The feeler 2 has the same electrical connections as the feelers'l and 3, with this exception that there are two deviation-indicator bells B B. The pole of the dynamo D is connected by lead 6 with rheostat 5 as stated above, and the latter with-the pole of the motor Eof said feeler 2 through feeder or lead a in a branch 2 of which is included the lamp of the buoy u, and a branch 2' supplies current to the contact device T of the depth and collision appliances D t', the return-lead of which is connected with the depth and collision indicator bell B on board ship, said bell being connected with the main return-lead 4 through wire a. The main feeder 6 is also connected with the rheostat 5 and the latter with the pole of the coil 13 of immobilizing-wheel F through lead a, the return-lead 2 being connected with the main returnlead 4. Finally, the feeder v2' supplies current to the deviation-pistons or their connecting-rod I through branch lead The return-leads e a, respectively connected with the contact springs or conductors m and m, as hereinbefore described, are connected with the left and right hand deviation-indicator bells 13 B" and the latter with the main return-lead a through leads a and c respectively. In leads 5 2' 2 2 5, and a are united into the cable Z, while said cable and the cables Z and Z are united into a common cable ata point some distance from ship A, at or near which point is attached the buoy W.

The manipulation and operation of the electrically-actuated appliances will be fully understood from the aim; e description and fromthe preceding detailed description and @11816? fore-does not need further amplification, the flow of the currents being indicated in Fig. 13 by arrow-heads.

, If required, it would not be difiicult to pro.- duce also an automatic deviation of the rudder of the shipin accordance with the position of the feelers; but the apparatus would be more complicated. The apparatus can, on the other hand, he simplified in the case of ships that do not travel fast and whose turning circle is small by connecting the mid die feeler rigidly to its framing, and consequently dispensingwith the immobilizing apparatus and the left and right hand bells. It will still be possible to check or ascertain the position of the apparatus with the aid of the telescope. There is no certainty that such an apparatus will always indicate the path to be followed; but it will always be useful for warning the vessels that are met with.

I shallnot enterinto the details of the warn ing devices on the ship, because this depends very much on local conditions and will also not offer any difliculty, and for the same reason I shall not give any calculations. I may also state that it should be possible to regulate within wide limits the intensity of the current that is sent to the electric motors for the purpose of varying the speed of the latter, and a Windlass should be provided for the 'purpose of drawingback or taking up the feelerswhen their services are no longer required.

It is obvious that the condition of the atmosphere cannot have any influence and that the condition of the sea can only have an insignificant influence upon the mode of operation of the apparatus, because although large waves may interfere to a slight extent with the traveling oi the feelers the respective position of the feelers cannot be changed either by these waves or by rolling or pitch-' I have thus attempted to show in thisspecification that the proper working of the here iii-described apparatus will give alone to the ship fitted therewith a complete guarantee against collisions with stationary obstacles and also with vessels fitted with feelers or traveling at the speed limited by the international convention. My apparatus thus complies with all the conditions mentioned at the commencement of the present specification, and everything tends to the belief that with antennae of sufficient length, which can be guided at will, and are, so to speak, intelligent, a ship will have a safety in traveling that has been hitherto unknown.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination with a ship, of a feeler, consisting of an electrically-propelled buoyant body connected with said ship, collision and depth indicating appliances connected with said body, an electrically-operated collision and shoal- Water indicator on board ship, controlled by the aforesaid collision and depth indicating appliances, an electric circuit including said appliances and indicator and means for supplying current to the feelerpropeller from aboard ship, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a ship, of a feeler, consisting of an electrically-propelled submerged buoyant body a float connected with said body, an electrically-operated visible signal carried by said float, collision and depth indicatin g appliances likewise connected with signal, the collision and depth indicating appliances and the collision and shoal-water indicator, and means for supplying current to the feeler-propeller, for the purpose set forth.

The combination with a ship, of a feeler, consisting of an electrically-propelled submerged buoyant body a float connected with said body, an electrically-operated visible signal carried by said float, collision and depth indicating appliances likewise connected with the body, a collision and shoal-water indicator on board ship controlled by said appliances, an electric circuit including said signal, the collision and depth indicating appliances and the collision and shoal-water indicator, and means for supplying current to the feeler-propeller, the circuit-leads being united into a cable serving to connect the feeler with the ship, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with a ship, of a submerged feeler flexibly connected with and moving in advance of said ship, a depth-indicator flexibly connected with and depending from said feeler, a float likewise connected with said feeler, a signaling device connected with the float, a like device on board ship, and means actuating the last-named signaling device when the feeler or depth-indicator collides with an obstruction, for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination with a ship, of a submerged feeler flexibly connected with and moving in advance of said ship, means for steering the feeler, a depth-indicator flexibly connected therewith and depending t rcfrom, a float-rod rigidly secured to the fegier, a float mounted to revolve on said rod, a signaling device connected with said float, a like device on board ship, and means actuating the last-named signaling device when the feeler or the depth-indicator collides with an obstruction, for the purpose set forth.

.6. The combination with a self-propelling feeler serving the purposes specified and comprising a buoyant body of a frame in which said feeler is mounted to rotate on vertical journals, and means for limiting the amplitude of rotation, for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination with a self-propelling feeler serving the purposes specified and comprising a buoyant body, of a frame in which said feeler is mounted to revolve on vertical journals, and means for locking the feeler against rotation, for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination with a ship, a feeler serving the purposes specified, and a frame in which said feeler is mounted to revolve on vertical journals; of means indicating on board ship the angle of displacement of the feeler on its journals,for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination with a ship, a feeler serving the purposes specified, a frame in which said feeler is mounted to revolve on vertical journals, and a rudder for said fcelcr;

of appliances controlledv by said rudder and indicating on board ship the inclination of the feeler relatively to its frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination with a ship, a feeler serving the purposes specified, a frame in which said feeler is mounted to revolve on vertical journals, and a rudder for the feeler;

of electrically-operated appliances controlled by said rudder, indicating on board ship the inclination of the feeler relatively to its frame, for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination with a ship, a feeler serving the purposes specified, and a frame in which said feeler is mounted to revolve on vertical journals; of electrically-operatedappliances for moving the feeler ,backinto a normal position when displaced on its jour-' nals, and for locking said feeler against such displacement, and means an board ship for controlling the operation of said appliances, for the purpose set forth,

12. The combination with a ship, a feeler, a rudder rigidly secured thereto, a frame in which'said feeler is mounted to revolve on vertical journals, and means controlled by the rudder indicating 'on board ship the displacement of the feeler on its I journals relatively to its frame or vice versa; of electrically-operated appliances for moving the feeler back into its normal position when displaced, and a device on board ship for controlling the operation of said appliances, for the purpose set forth.

13. The combination with a ship, three self-v propelling feelers, a parallelogram of flexible connections with the feelers at three of the angles and a flexible connection connecting the fourth angle with the. ship at the bow, of means for indicating on board ship the deviation in one direction of two of'the feelers and the deviation in either direction of the third or leading feeler, and means controllable from aboard ship for correcting such deviations, for the purpose set forth.

1}. The combination with a ship, three su bmerged self-propelling feelers, a luminous floating signal for each feeler, a parallelogram the fourth angle with the ship at the bow; of

means controllable from on board ship, maintaining the feeler at the forward angle in the ships course, the other two feelers connected to take courses diverging from said ships course controllable from on board ship and controlling the speed of the feelers, and appliances causing a signal to be given on board when one of the feelers or a connection between two of them meets with an obstruction, for the purpose set forth.

16. The combination with a ship,-three selfvble connections between the depth-indicators;

of meanscofitrollable from aboard ship maintaining the feeler at the forward angle in the ships course,means for maintaining the other two feelers in courses diverging from the ships course, means controllable from aboard ship controlling the speed of the feelers, and means causing a signal or signals to be given on board when a feeler or depth-indicator or a connection between them meets with an obstruction, for the purpose set forth.

17. The combination with a ship, three selfpropelling. feelers, a depth-indicator flexibly connected with and depending from each feeler, a float-rod rigidly secured to each of said feelers, a float mounted to revolve on the respective rods a signaling device connected With each float,a parallelogram of flexibl e connections with the feelers at three of the angles thereof, a like connection connecting the fourth angle with the ship at the bow, and similar connections between the depthindicators; of means controllable from aboard ship for maintaining .the feeler at the forward angle of theparallelogram in the ships course, I I

means maintaining the'other two feelers in courses diverging from the ships course, means controllable-from aboard ship controlling the speed of the feelers, means causing a signal or signals to be given aboard ship when a feeler or depth-indicator'or a connection between two feelers or depth-indicators meets with an obstruction, and means simultaneously operating the float signaling device, for the purpose set forth.

18. The combination with a ship, three self- I propelling feelers a parallelogram of flexible connections with the feelers at three of the angles thereof, a like connection connecting the fourth angle with the ship at the bow, means maintaining the feeler at the forward angle in the ships course, and the other two feelers in courses diverging from said ships course, appliances controlled by deviations of the feelers from their respective courses causing a signal or signals to be givep aboard ship, and appliances controllable from aboard ship causing the feelers to resume their normal courses, for the purpose set forth.

19. The-combination with a ship, three selfpropelling feelers,aparallelogram of flexible connections with the-feelers at three of the angles thereof, a like connection connecting the-fourth angle with the ship at the bow, means maintaining'the feeler at the forward angle in" the ships course, and the other two anees substantially such as described,-oom

feelers in courses diverging from'said ships with the ship as set forth; of means on board course, appliances controlled by deviationslship for determining the proper position .of of the feelers from their respective courses causing a signal or signals to be given-aboard I trollable from aboard ship and controlling the ship, and appliancescontrollable-fromaboard advance feeler for bringing the latterand ship acting on the feeler at the said forward. therethrongh the other feelers into their angle to bringthe same'intoitsnormaleourse proper operative positions relatively to the and therethrong'h the other t vo feelers, for ship, for the purposes set forth. the purpose set forth.

. NICOLAS GHERASSIMOFF. 20. The combination with a ship, of appli-- Witnesses:

D. VRUNnpIAnFF, prising three feelers connected together and M. BREITFUSS.

the feelers relatively to said ship, means con- 15

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