CHAPTER IX.
PRIZES.
The great feature of the original plan of the Exposition was to give large prizes. One, at least, was to have been 5,000_l._, and the whole amount of them 20,000_l._
The anticipation of these prizes gave hope and industry to thousands: means were examined and measures taken by many a workman, at the expense of great personal sacrifices, to enable him to complete a model of some favourite scheme, by which he might hope to win one amongst the many pecuniary prizes, and thus be repaid at least for a portion of his efforts.
The announcement on the Continent of these liberal arrangements was received with unbounded astonishment and admiration. The magnitude of the great prize seemed to foreigners incredible, and the liberality of offering it to the competing world, was altogether beyond their conception of the character assigned to us as a nation.
It was certainly very unfortunate that such an announcement should have been made and then withdrawn. But as the question will probably arise again, it may be useful for some future occasion to inquire now into the principles on which pecuniary prizes should be awarded.
Science, literature, and industrial art are in some measure subject to the same laws in the distribution of pecuniary rewards. It is desirable that such prizes should be given to those objects only which, possessing very considerable merit and utility, are of such a nature as not to repay the first inventors.
§ One effect of such rewards would be to increase very much the number of minds engaged in making inventions. This itself is a matter of more importance than might at first be thought, as will be shown on some future occasion in examining the question of monopoly.
The inventor, the capitalist, and the manufacturer of articles are usually distinct persons. Of these the inventor is generally the least rewarded. The capitalist and the manufacturer can almost always make their own way to wealth, and if successful their reward is usually large, and almost always greater even than the highest prize which could be offered by the managers of such an Exhibition as is now contemplated.
If it were a condition for obtaining a prize that no patent should be taken out, then the prize may be considered as the purchase money of the patent for the use of the public. If a patent is desired by the inventor, a medal or an honorary prize might be given, with the addition in certain cases of a reward in money.
Perhaps an enumeration of some objects which might become fit subjects for prizes, may best illustrate these views.
§ One of the inventions most important to a class of highly skilled workmen (engineers) would be a small motive power,—ranging perhaps from the force of half a man, to that of two horses, which might commence as well as cease its action at a moment’s notice, require no expense of time for its management, and be of moderate price both in original cost and in daily expense. A small steam-engine does not fulfil these conditions. In a town where water is supplied at high-pressure, a cylinder and a portion of apparatus similar to that of a high-pressure engine, would fully answer the conditions, if the water could be supplied at a moderate price. Such a source of power would in many cases be invaluable to men just rising from the class of journeyman to that of master. It might also be of great use to many small masters in various trades. If the cost per day were even somewhat greater than that of steam for an equal extent of power, it would yet be on the whole much cheaper, because it would _never consume power without doing_ _work_. It might be applied to small planing and drilling machines, to lathes, to grindstones, grinding mills, mangling, and to a great variety of other purposes.
§ In all large workshops a separate tool, or rather machine, is used for each process, and this contributes to the economy of the produce. But many masters in a small way are unable to afford such an expense, not having sufficient work for the full employment of any one machine.
Of this class are many jobbing masters who live by repairing machines. Such also are that class of masters who make models of the inventions of others and carry out for them their mechanical speculations. To these two classes, that of amateur engineers may be added.
The lathe with its sliding rest is the basis of their stock. With this they can drill, and with the addition of a few wheels can cut screws. The further addition of a vertical slide will enable them to plane small pieces of metal by means of facing cutters on the mandril. By other additions the teeth of wheels may also be cut, and in some rare cases, a lathe may be converted into a small planing machine. The loss of time in making the changes necessary to enable the lathe to fulfil all these different functions, necessarily confines its use to the peculiar classes alluded to above, but to make these changes is often less expensive than to be obliged continually to send to larger workshops where the heavier portion of their work can be executed. It would certainly be desirable, if some good plan cannot be devised for bringing the whole of such operations within the reach of _one_ machine of moderate price, that at least a system should be devised for combining them in _two_ separate machines.
Some readers may possibly think such combinations as have been mentioned, too minute and special for the subject of a prize: but when it is considered that they bear upon the interests of one of the best classes of workmen, and how important it is for the welfare of the community that skill, industry, and intelligence should be assisted in their efforts to rise in the social scale, these details will be excused.
§ The improvements which have been made in the economy of working voltaic batteries, lead to the expectation that they may be employed as sources of artificial light. Although the light thus obtained is not yet sufficiently steady for general use, it may possibly become available for light-houses.
Galvanic light offers some advantages for this purpose on account of its intensity and of the facility it affords for darkening and restoring the light, by breaking and renewing the galvanic circuit.
But it would be possible to adapt the same principle of occultations to ordinary lighthouses. It would only be necessary to apply mechanism which should periodically pull down an opaque shade over the glass cylinders of the argand burners. This should be instantaneously thrown back by a spring. A series of obscurations corresponding to the digits of any number, and separated by any intervals, might thus be continually repeated.
Ready means might thus be supplied of clearly distinguishing one light-house from another. For this purpose it would be necessary to denote the light-houses on any coast by different numbers.
Any digit might be expressed by an equivalent number of occultations and restorations of the light: thus—
1 2 3 9 0.0 0.0.0 0.0.0.0, &c., 0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0
Again, the character of the digit might be indicated by occultations preceded and followed, by shorter or longer intervals of light.
At the commencement, the first digit of any number, might be distinguished by a previous uniform continuance of the light during ten or twenty seconds, whilst the separation of each digit from the next in order might be denoted by a short pause of two or three or more seconds.
Thus, if the number of a light-house were 253: after a cessation of any obscuration during ten seconds, two occultations should follow each other at intervals of about a second. A pause should then occur during three seconds, after which five occultations should occur, at intervals of one second, as before. Another pause of three seconds must then happen, and be succeeded by three other occultations occurring at intervals of one second each; after which ten seconds must elapse before the cycle thus described is repeated.
These might be thus represented:—
2 hundreds. 5 tens. 3 units. 0000000000·0·000·0·0·0·0·000·0·0·0000000000 \-------------------------------/
Thus, at about every half minute the number of the lighthouse would be repeated.
In this manner any number under 1,000 may be expressed in less than one minute; since the largest, 999, would require
Seconds. For each digit 9, or in all 27 Two short pauses between the digits 6 One long long pause at end of the number 10 --- 43
Every light-house, therefore, would be continually repeating its own number.
It would contribute still more to prevent mistakes, if the light-houses on a coast were not numbered in succession; for should any mistake be made in counting the obscurations, it would most probably be detected if the digits of the numbers of the light-houses on the same part of the coast were as different as possible.
Lighthouse numbered in succession— 234 235 236 237 238 Ditto irregularly— 142 324 581 787 612
If a mistake of a single obscuration were made in the units of the number 237, and it had been counted 236, this observation might, until repeated, mislead the sailor, and induce him to suppose himself opposite the preceding light-house. On the contrary, if the irregular mode of numbering were adopted, the mistake of 786 for 787 could not mislead, because the seven in the hundreds place would point out the error. It would, however, be better to have the figure in the tens’ place also different in any two light-houses so near that a possibility of mistake is likely to occur. The general benefit which would result to all maritime nations, renders the practical application of these principles a peculiarly fit subject for a prize.
Since the first edition of this work was published, an occulting light has been exhibited for about three weeks, representing during each night the constant repetition of one of the following numbers, 136, 227, 354, 432.
As might easily have been anticipated, its effect was quite satisfactory in determining those numbers. At about a distance of a quarter of a mile, its occultations were even more distinct than at shorter distances.
Successive improvements have occurred, until it now seems desirable to revise and simplify the light-houses of the world, by making them speak one universal language, intelligible even to the commonest capacity. No time could be more favourable than the present for establishing an international system of signals, founded on numbers, and adapted to the wants and convenience of all nations. The following brief outline of such a plan requires, therefore, no apology.
The present modes of identifying lighthouses are by
1. The _colour_ of the lights.
2. The _number_, _distance_, and _relative position_ of the lights exhibited.
3. The _variations_ in colour or intensity, or in the time during which the lights are partially or totally obscured, compared with that during which they are visible.
4. By striking bells or gongs in foggy weather.
There are around the coasts of Great Britain about 290 light-houses and light-ships. They exhibit nearly 390 lights. Of these, about one hundred lights are coloured, chiefly red. Fifty-five are revolving lights, varying in their periods from five seconds to four minutes. In foggy weather fifteen of these toll bells, and thirty-three strike gongs. It is proposed to abolish all the revolving lights, and to retain white light, to distinguish by its occupations the number of the light-house which it is destined to indicate.
With respect to those lighthouses which indicate ports, next to the information as to the name of the port, the most important question is the depth of water at its entrance. This may be given by allowing the occupations of the white light to indicate the number of the port, after which a glass of green or of any other colour being interposed, the number of occultations mark the number of feet of the depth of water at the time.
A float in a well, to which the tide has access by a small aperture, will serve the double purpose of raising the weight that drives the mechanism for occulting, and of prescribing, according to the height of the tide in feet, the corresponding number of occultations of the green light.
Thus a constant alternation will go on during the whole night of repetitions of the _number_ of the port, by occultations of white light, and of the number of feet which indicate the depth of water at its entrance, by green light.
There are certain cases of obscuration of lights by fog in which bells and gongs are continually sounded. These convey information of danger, but do not identify its position. The same principle which gives numerical accuracy to light-houses, and even the same mechanism, may be made to operate during fogs with equal effect on sounds. Thus, by striking the gong the requisite number of times to indicate the hundreds, the tens, and the units denoting the light, allowing, of course, the usual pauses and the same long intervals, the number of the light-house or light-ship may be known as quickly and as certainly by means of bells, or gongs, or other sounds, as by the occultations of its light.
It may be worth examining what musical notes are heard at the greatest distances through fogs, and the sounds of what instruments penetrate farthest amidst the roar of winds and waves. The shrill whistle of the steam carriage should be tried against the deep tones of the organ and the loud noise of the trumpet. The most powerful sounds produced by air require but little physical force for their generation; and whenever the directions in which it is necessary to give warning are known, the sounds employed may be concentrated by reflectors, in the same manner as light.
The depth of water at the entrance of harbours may easily be indicated in the day-time by a tide-telegraph governed by the same float which produces the occultations during the night. Its form may be as below,
[Illustration: The tide-telegraph.]
in which the arms projecting on the left side indicate the tens; those on the right side the units. The long arm for the fifth saves trouble in counting. These arms must be movable on centres within the mast, and must be governed by cams connected with the float, so as to indicate at any time the state of the tide. If it were found necessary to distinguish light-houses during the day, then signs expressing their permanent numbers might be painted upon them, or fixed to masts rising out of each. The right side of the telegraph might, if required, be used as a day telegraph for communicating with vessels.
By means of such light-houses it would be easy to convey telegraphic messages either to vessels in distress, or for other purposes. It would simply be required to use the light itself or a subsidiary one to indicate a series of numbers corresponding to those in some known Telegraphic Dictionary. No danger of any mistake could arise during the few minutes thus employed, because any other vessel on counting the succession of obscurations would not only perceive that the light-house was telegraphing, but would also know the object of the message. A small apparatus might easily be contrived for the use of vessels, by which they might ask any questions necessary for their safety. Such means for ships sailing in company, or even for fleets, might enable them to proceed on their voyage during the night, and to communicate any orders even with greater facility than in the day.
Sir David Brewster proposed in the _Edinburgh Philosophical Transactions_ a plan for distinguishing light-houses by optical means. The light transmitted through a thin film, when analysed by a prism, appears either single, or subdivided into two, three, four or more parts. Light-houses, therefore, might thus be distinguished from one another numerically.