1802. J { 8 
ol a 
NEW PATENTS LATELY ENROLLED. 
——a ee 
MR.’ JOSEPH SMITH’S (RED-LION- 
STREET, HOLBORN) for a method of 
FIXINC aud SETTING Gn ALARUM, or 
ALARUM-BELL, fo contrived as to 
ALARM FAMILIES, iz café of FIRES, &c. 
T is known to every body that alarums, 
on the old conftruétion, are aéted upon 
‘by means of wires, connected with doors, 
window-fhutters, &c. and that no perfon 
can force thefe parts of the houfe without 
breaking, or difengaging the wire, which 
inftantly fets the alarum off. This, of 
courfe, could be of no ufe in the cale of 
fire, as tt would be a confiderable time be- 
fore the flames would make fufficient im- 
preffion on it as to caufe a feparation of 
its parts. Initead, therefore, of wire, the 
patentee makes ule of a fine, but ftrong, 
ftring, which flames will f{peedily burn in 
two, Asapreventative againt burglaries, 
the little bolts, that confine the ftring, are 
made fo fharp, that a very fmail preffure 
may cut it afunder, which inftantly difen- 
gages the alarum. 
Obferwvation.—We have only to obferve 
that inventions which tend to the fecurity 
of lives and property merit every attention, 
The great obje&tion to.alarums, is, that 
from a variety of accidents the wires in 
¢the old conftruction, and the cord in the 
new, are apt to fnap, at times when there 
is no danger, by which perfons and families 
may be terrified without any real caufe. 
It is obvious that for Mr. Smith’s inven- 
tion to ferve as a perfect alarum againft 
the effects of fire, the cord fliould be car- 
ried to every door and window, and thofe | 
be previoufly fhut ; and then afire.could not 
extend beyond a fingle room, without 
awakening the family. 
— 
MR. THOMAS PRITTY’s (STOWMAR- 
KET) for a method or invention of affix- 
ing or hanging certain SPRINGS, JOANTS 
and APPARATUS to DooRS, by means 
ewhereof, fuch DOORS may be opened from 
either jamb. 
In the door made according to Mr. Prit- 
ty’s plan, there are two projcéting balls or 
handles inftead of one, and according as 
it is intended to open the door on one fide 
or the other, muft the correfponding ball 
be turned towards the edge. This ball, 
or handle, is conneéted with a latch that 
aéts as alever, by means of which a cer- 
tain wire, aud two pins, are raifed out of 
that part of the hinge which is faft on the 
door, and immediately it is free to open 
with the fame eafe as a door hung in the 
common way. It appears then that there 
are in this contrivance two fets of hinges, 
and that the projeéting balls or handles, 
ferve, by the act of turning, to extricate 
the pin from one hinge, and giving liberty, 
at the fame time, to the door to play on 
the other. 
Doors formed on this confiruétion, are 
made, where there are no obltacles to pre- 
vent them, to open completely back, or one 
hundred and eighty degrees. And for 
chambers, é&c. where fecurity is required, 
there is a contrivance for dropping in two 
fmall pins into the balls or handles, which 
effectually prevents them from being turned 
on the outfide of the room. 
——S : 
MESSRS. HENRY PENNECK and ROBERT 
DUNKIN’S (OF PENZANCE) for methods 
of IMPROVING the SAILING and NAVI~ 
GATING certaiz SHIPS. 
Several improvements in the methods of 
navigating veflels are mentioned in this 
fpecification: The attion of the fquare- 
fails is increafed by forming the leeches 
of fuch convexity, that the bolt-ropes may 
not be drawn tighter than neceflary to pre- 
ferve the fail, and to allow it to praduce 
the required effe&. Two new and im- 
proved fore-and aft fails, are next defcrib- 
ed, which may be readily managed with- 
out dipring. Befides full directions for 
the confirugtion and management of thefe 
and other fa:ls, defcribed, with their vari- 
ous tackle,&c. We have in the fame [pe- 
cification a claim for a new-invented com- 
pals, called a tranfparent or luminous com- 
pafs, whofe inner- box, or ring, asit has no 
bottom, is balanced round its lower cir- 
cumference, acrofs which are fixed wires 
that fupport the pedeftal. The card is 
painted on both fides: its lettersand points, 
as well as a point for the fhip’s head, are 
rendered tran{parent ; a mirror is placed 
below it, which turns ona hinge by nighr, 
and the Jamp light is admitted either be- 
low or above the card, according as it is 
defirable to fteer, by the fimple or reflected 
tranfparency ; in the tormer cafe, the mir- 
ror is turned to throw the Jight on the 
card, and the eye ts admitted above: in 
the latter, the mirror is turned to meet the 
eye, which is admitted below. The light 
is of courfe admitted or excluded by the 
proper application of fhutters, and by raif- 
ing or lowering the lamp. It may be 
likewile ufed as a common compafs. 
Obfervations by the Patentees—It muk 
be remarked that although, on the common 
Uuz compaffes, 
