@Ave ya got a loyt buoy

[Magic_Sailor]

I've read in a number of places that Maurice Griffiths book "Magic of the Swatchways" is excellent; so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Not that good I thought.

Anyway...in it he mentions "gas buoys", which I assume had something to do with light; and it set me thinking on a rather obvious point but I realised I didn't kinow the answer.

How did they loyt bouys before there was 'lectric? When did they first light bouys? etc etc etc.

Anybody know?

Cheers

Magic

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[pvb]

Good question...

Think electrically-lit buoys actually came first, around New York in the 1890s, powered by cable from the land. The first independently-lit buoys were run on compressed gas stored in a tank.

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[Mirelle]

Coming from Bursledon...

yew would'nt be in a persition tew apprecoite it!

I recall he is rather scathing about the Solent!

Light bouys were originally lit by acetylene gas, generated by a regulated water drip onto a block of calcium carbide.

Conor O'Brien lit his yacht that way, too.

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[Magic_Sailor]

It weren\'t the place

Which sounds excellent.

I just found the style confusing.

Ooooh Arrghh.

Magic

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[Mirelle]

Re: Good question...

The "gas float" "Whitton", in the River Humber, was the subject of a salvage case which reached the Court of Appeal in 1896. It's one of the leading cases on "when is a ship not a ship" (when it's a gas buoy, a rowing eight, etc.)

Not a very scientific way of finding out when gas buoys began, but anyway before 1896!

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[Peppermint]

Re: It\'s a top book and I\'m a Solent sailor

My old grandad had a bike/car lamp that worked the same way.

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[ccscott49]

Re: It\'s a top book and I\'m a Solent sailor

when I was potholing some years ago, we used carbide lamps, for the bigger passages and electric for the tighter, wetter ones. If we had to go underwater, we'd put them in a plastic bag, or tupperware container. You wouldn't get me down one these days, too frit! I even used to dive the sumps with scuba gear, what a pillock, brave, but still a pillock!

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[pvb]

When was carbide readily available?

Seems that the first electric buoys were introduced, a bit earlier than I thought, in 1888 in Gedney's Channel, New York Harbour, powered by an underwater cable to a generator at Sandy Hook.

I didn't think calcium carbide was readily available in any quantity until Willson discovered the manufacturing process accidentally in 1892. Acetylene lamps certainly weren't introduced in mining until about 1896. Do you know whether the Whitton gas float ran on compressed gas or was it powered by acetylene generated from carbide?



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[mikewilkes]

Re: It\'s a top book and I\'m a Solent sailor

Colin I dont think either of us would get down a sump these days with our respective girths. Obviously too much good living down here in the meddy. )

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[ccscott49]

Re: It\'s a top book and I\'m a Solent sailor

Aint that the truth!
I've modified the passerelle by the way, you no longer need crampons and a sherpa to carry the shopping! Just moved it down the aft boarding ladder two feet, made an amazing difference! Medical bills much lower now aswell. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[Mirelle]

Don\'t know

I will have to try and catch Richard Woodman, who as an historian of Trinity House is likely to know.

Suspect you are probably right.

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