Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1895 — Signaling in a Fog. [ARTICLE]

Signaling in a Fog.

A novel arrangement for signaling at sea during fogs has been placed in position on Winter Quarter Lightship, No. 45, now repairing and refitting at Wilmington, Del. It consists of two safety oil engines, supplying compressed air to two upright boilers, which in turn are automatically acted upon by timelocks placed above. These open and close the whistle valves alternately every 55 seconds. No steam power is used, the power being derived from explosions of oil vapor. The pressure of air is regulated at forty pounds, and gives a 3hrill blast at each explosion. The new appliance is expected to prove effective in maintaining and operating the fog whistle when coal might not be obtainable for fuel, and in transmitting a clear tone for many miles.