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"NIGHT SIGNALS"
[Coston Flares]

~ BY ~

MADAME MARTHA J. COSTON

This is a very ingenious and effective semaphore, which commends itself from its simplicity. Three lights of different colors, white, red, and green, are so flashed or burned in combinations representing the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, and also two letters A and P —in all twelve combinations. The light is produced by the combustion of a peculiar pyrotechnic composition for each of the desired colors. A handle or holder is all that is necessary, ordinarily, to hold the selected color:

A flash of white indicates the numeral        1 A flash of white followed by red 2 A flash of white followed by green 3 A flash of red 4 A flash of red followed by white 5 A flash of red followed by green 6 A flash of green 7 A flash of green followed by white 8 A flash of green followed by red 9 A flash of white, red, and green 0 A flash of white, red, and white P A flash of red, white;, and red A

CODE EXAMPLE P . 2 . 9 . 3 . A

When a communication is to be made, the white, red, and white are, quickly and successively flashed, indicating the letter P, (prepare, [or preparatory]) and, when answered by red, white, and red, indicating the letter A [assent]; the correspondence commences by flashing the respective colors of the numbers desired to be sent. Experience has demonstrated the usefulness of the "Coston Fire Signals," and they have passed the practical test with success."

~ S.F.B. Morse

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Martha Coston was born in Baltimore, in 1826. She was widowed at age twenty one and was left with four children to take care of. Even though her husband had died, she was determined to work and earn money. In 1859, she came up with an idea of a signal flare, based upon on her deceased husband's notebook. Since the plans of her husband's didn't work, she was determined to find a successful way to make the signal flare to work. Signal flares were very hard to make, they had to be both durable and simple. They also needed to last long enough to be viewed from ship to ship or ship to land communications. The flare also had to be simple enough to use and in colored combinations. Martha soon discovered that she could use pyrotechnics to make her flare. The green, red, and white flares worked so well that the navy bought them from her for $20,000.

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COMPOSITION FIRES

Composition Fires are pyrotechnic compositions which burn with great intensity of light and color. The colors, red, white, and green, are found to be best suited for signalling. A very convenient arrangement is as follows:

These signals prepared in the form of cartridges, are burned from a holder. The signals while burning will show the colors and correspond with the numbers above indicated. P or White~Red~White, is the challenge or preparatory signal; if answered by the A or Red~White~Red, it shows that the preparatory signal was seen. If it is then desired to send the message indicated by 2-9-3, the cartridges are discharged corresponding with those numbers (as illistrated in the code example above). A signalist should be careful not to look at the brilliant flame of the signal burning near him, as thereby the eye is not fitted to discern accurately the colors of distant lights.

The signal cartridges are made to be fired by the explosion of the percussion cap upon the signal-pistol. The colors of the cartridges are indicated by the colors painted on the outside of the cases or shells.

If the signalist be provided with only three kinds of lights, as red, white, and green, he can indicate nine different messages by burning one or two cartridges. By burning three or less than three at one time, tewnty-seven messages can be sent; by burning four or less, eighty-one messages. If four lights are furnished, as a red, a white, a green and a red-white, the same number of cartridges will furnish sixteen, sixty-four, and two hundred and fifty-six messages, respectively. If five are used the number is increased to one thousand and twenty-four!

EXAMPLE CODE (Let the colors used be Red, White, Green, indicating the numbers 1,2,3 respectively) 1 Are you ready 23 Fire over our heads 21 I am ready 31 Cease Firing 3 Repeat 32 Shell to our right 11 Enemy to our front 33 Shell to our left 12 Enemy to our left 111 Shells fire over enemy 13 Enemy to our right 112 Shells fire to short 21 Send troops to our left 113 Gunboats cover our retreat 22 Send troops to our right etc. etc., etc.

G.A. Lilliendahl:

In the 1860's, G.A. Lilliendahl was the owner of a fireworks manufacturing company in New York City that held production rights to make the small signaling flares called "Coston's Composition Night Signals", a.k.a. the Coston's Telegraphic Night Signal System.

Despite their popularity in Europe and other parts of the world, fireworks did not become became popular in the United States until the mid 19thcentury. In the 1860's, G.A. Lilliendahl was the owner of a fireworks manufacturing company in New York City. Lilliendahl was considered the first skilled pyrotechnic in the United States. He also held the production rights to make the first small signaling flares to be used by the U.S. Government, called “Coston's Composition Night Signals.” Lilliendahl was also a co-inventor and manufacturer of rocket harpoons used to hunt and kill whales.