IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR ASCER- TAINING THE RISE AND FALL OF TEMPERATURES, ALSO FOR INDICATING THE PRESENCE AND FOR ÅRRESTING THE SPREAD OF FIRES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR ASCER-
TAINING THE RISE AND FALL OF TEMPERATURES, ALSO FOR INDICATING THE
PRESENCE AND FOR ÅRRESTING THE SPREAD OF FIRES."-A communication
from abroad by Professor Cavalier Carlo Grechi, of Siena, Tuscany,
in the Kingdom of Italy.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th March 1873.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR

page_text: ASCERTAINING THE RISE AND FALL OF TEMPERATURES, ALSO FOR INDICATING THE
PRESENCE AND FOR ARRESTING THE SPREAD OF FIRES," to be as follows:-
The chief object of this Invention is to provide a means of detecting the
existence at an early stage of fire in factories or other large buildings,
at the same time indicating the locality so as to permit of immediate
extinction.
The apparatus designed for this purpose consists essentially of two
parts, one of which may be termed the thermic and the other the
indicating or alarm apparatus, the former of which, being sensitive to
heat, will operate to bring the indicating apparatus within the circuit of
a galvanic battery.
The thermic apparatus has a wooden base carrying standards which
serve to support a metal axle having a metal disc secured thereto by solder.
A coiled spring formed of ribbons of zinc and platinum soldered together
surrounds this axle, the platinum face being inside the coil, and has one
end made fast to the disc. The other end of this coiled spring is secured
by a second disc, which is loose upon the axle. This second disc carries
a quadrant plate divided into degrees, and on the adjacent standard is
secured a pointer or index hand. By turning the axle in its bearings by
means of a knob with which it is provided the coiled spring and loose disc
may be set so that the pointer will stand at any required degree. Pendant
from the loose disc is a strip of metal tipped with platinum, which is
intended to make contact with a similar strip fixed to the wooden base of
the apparatus. This strip is connected by a clamping screw with a wire
leading from a battery, and when the apparatus is subjected to a given
degree of heat corresponding to that at which the apparatus is set the
coiled spring will by its expansion cause the loose disc to turn sufficiently
to bring the platinum tips into contact, and thus complete the circuit, a
wire from an indicating apparatus to be presently described being in
permanent connection with the thermic apparatus. The whole of this
apparatus is placed in a box of sheet metal open at the bottom, and
provided with a short chimney at the top; openings are also provided
at the sides, and over these openings are projecting ledges for deflecting
the heated air (as it rises) on to the sensitive part of the apparatus to set
the same in action. The box thus arranged is placed in the upper part
of the room or building it is desired to protect, and the indicator or
alarum with which it is in connection may be placed in any accessible
portion of the building.

page_text: The alarum employed may be of any of the well-known forms of
electric alarums or bells, and it may either be operated by the electric
current or by clockwork set in motion by the current. When, however,
a number of the thermic apparatuses just described are used fixed in
various parts of a building it is desirable to have an alarm which while
giving an audible signal will at the same time indicate in what quarter
the danger has arisen. For this purpose a box is provided containing as
many electro-magnets as there are thermic apparatuses, each electro-
magnet being attached to the back of the box and projecting horizontally
from it. These magnets are each provided with an armature pivotted
just above the poles of the magnet, and attached to the armature is a
thin plate of metal bearing a number. The front of the box is provided
with a cover furnished with a transparent cover. When the apparatus
is not in action the armature will be turned up and the plates bearing
the numbers will lie along the upper side of the magnets; when, how-
ever, a current of electricity is passed through any one of the magnets
its armature will be drawn down and the number will be tipped up, and
the number indicating the thermic instrument in action will be exposed
to view. At the same time a bell fixed to the top of the box will be
struck calling attention to the signal.
In order to provide for the continuous ringing of a bell each armature
is furnished with a pendent or tail tipped with platinum. To make
contact with an insulated rod running longitudinally up the box and
connected by a wire with a bell apparatus, another wire leads from the
bell apparatus to one pole of the battery, the other pole being connected
with the armature of the magnet, thus on contact being made
between the armature and the rod the bell apparatus will be set in
action causing a continuous alarm to be sounded.
By a modification of the above-described apparatus there may be shewn
with great accuracy the changes from a mean temperature in theatres,
churches, and such like cases where an even temperature is required to
be maintained. For this purpose the loose disc of the thermic apparatus
is provided with a pair of calliper shaped arms, instead of the platinum
tipped pendent, which arms dip into mercury cups placed one on each
side of the coiled spring; these cups can be raised and lowered by means
of regulating screws and are connected one cup with the apparatus for
indicating a rise in temperature, the other cup with the apparatus for
indicating a fall in the temperature. The calliper arms are connected

page_text: through the central axle of the coiled spring with one pole of the battery,
the other pole of the battery being connected with the indicating
apparatus.
It will now be understood that should a rise take place in the temper-
ature of the room in which the thermic apparatus is placed the coiled
spring will uncoil, and one of the calliper arms dipping into its mercury
cup will complete the circuit including the apparatus for indicating
a rise in temperature; should however a fall in the temperature occur
the spring would coil up tighter, thereby causing the other arm of the
calliper to dip into its mercury cup and thereby close up the circuit
including the apparatus for indicating a fall. A graduated quadrant
and index is provided, as in the former instance, to allow of the
instrument being set to any required temperature. In order to damp
or retard the progress of a fire until such time as assistance may arrive
a fire annihilator provided with a cock may be placed in a suitable
position in the apartment, a weighted lever attached to the cock is held
up by a balance lever pivotted on the side of the fire annihilator, the
other end of this lever carries the armature of an electro-magnet; upon
a current of electricity being passed through this electro-magnet by
means of the thermic apparatus just described the armature will be
drawn down and the weighted lever will be released and falling will turn
on the cock of the annihilator, and thus check or subdue the fire.
Or instead of the annihilator a water tank may be placed upon the
roof of the building, and pipes led therefrom to the several rooms, each
pipe being provided with a rose for spreading the water and a cock
-which may be operated as in the former instance.
A similar arrangement may be used to cause a hammer to fall upon
an explosive material applied to the wick of a signal lamp, and thereby
to ignite it. Either of the thermic apparatuses just described may be
made with a water-tight case and used for immersion in baths or mash
tuns, or they may be enclosed in a cage of wire or perforated metal and
buried in hay ricks, heaps of grain, cotton waste, or other matters liable
to heat or to become spontaneously ignited.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Alfred
Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th October
1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
license that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE RISE AND FALL OF TEMPERATURES,
ALSO FOR INDICATING THE PRESENCE AND FOR ARRESTING THE SPREAD OF FIRES,"
being a communication to me from abroad by Professor Cavalier Carlo
Grechi, of Siena, Tuscany, in the Kingdom of Italy, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office on or before the Fourteenth day of October One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.
66
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
The chief object of this Invention is to provide a means of detecting
the existence at an early stage of fire in factories and other large build-

page_text: ings, at the same time indicating the locality so as to facilitate its
immediate extinction.
The apparatus designed for this purpose consists essentially of two
parts, one of which may be termed the thermal and the other the indi.
cating or alarum apparatus, the former of which being sensitive to heat
will operate to bring the indicating apparatus within the circuit of a
galvanic battery, and thereby set it in action.
In the accompanying Drawing the apparatus forming the subject of
this Invention is shewn in several views. Fig. 1. is an end view, Fig. 2
a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a transverse section of the thermal
apparatus.
For the purpose of explaining more clearly the action of the combined
thermal and indicating apparatus I have supposed each of these views
to represent three distinct instruments, which instruments are severally
connected with a triplicated indicating instrument, Fig. 4, as will be here-
after more particularly explained.
which
The thermal apparatus has a metal base a carrying standards a¹,
serve to support a metal axle b. This axle carries a metal disc c, which
is secured thereto by solder. Surrounding the axle 6 is a helix or coil
spring.d composed of ribbons of zinc and platinum soldered together,
the platinum face forming the inside of the coil. One end of this coil
is secured to the disc c, while the other end of the coil is attached to a
second disc e, which is loose upon the axle b. This second disc e carries
a quadrant plate of divided into-degrees, and on the adjacent standard is
fixed a pointer or index hand g. By turning the axle b in its bearings
(by means of a knob with which it is provided) the coiled spring and
loose disc may be set so that any required degree of the quadrant plate
may be brought opposite the fixed pointer, or, in other words, the range
of motion allowed to the instrument before it comes into efficient action
may be limited as desired. Pendent from the loose disce is a strip of
metal e¹ tipped with platinum, which is intended to make contact with
a similar strip / insulated from but carried by the base of the apparatus.
This strip is connected by a wire with a clamping screw i, which screw
clips a wire leading from a battery in connection with the indicating
apparatus. When the thermal apparatus is subjected to a given degree
of heat corresponding to that at which the apparatus is set for action
the coiled spring will by its expansion cause the loose disc to turn suffi-
ciently to bring the platinum tips into contact, and thus complete the

page_text: circuit, a wire from an indicating apparatus to be presently described
being in permanent connection with the thermal apparatus. The
thermal instrument is placed in a box of sheet metal k, open at the
bottom and provided with a short chimney at the top. Openings are
also provided at the sides, and over these openings are projecting ledges
for deflecting the heated air (as it rises) on to the sensitive part of the
instrument to set the same in action. The box thus arranged and fitted
is placed in the upper part of the room or building it is desired to pro-
tect, and the indicator or alarum with which it is in connection may be
placed in any easily accessible portion of the building.
The alarum employed to call attention to the action of the thermal
instrument or to signal "danger" may be of any of the well-known
forms of electric alarums or bells, and it may be either operated by the
electric current or by clockwork set in motion by the current. When
however a number of the thermal instruments just described is used, the
same being distributed over various parts of a building, it is desirable
to have an indicator which while giving an audible signal will at the
same time shew in what quarter the danger has arisen; an indicator
of this kind is shewn in front elevation (partly in section) at Fig. 4,
and Fig. 5 is a transfer section of the same. This indicator is arranged
for signalling the action of three thermal instruments. It consists of
a box A which contains three electro-magnets B, B, B, corresponding
in number with the thermal instruments connected therewith. Each
electro-magnet is attached to the back of the box A, and projects
horizontally therefrom; these magnets B are severally permanently con-
nected with their respective thermal instruments by insulated wires
1, 1, 1, and by an extension of their coils the armatures all connect with
a common wire tube which is in permanent connection with one of the
poles of the battery. In like manner by a wire 3 common to all the
thermal instruments these instruments are permanently connected to
the other pole of the battery. Each electro-magnet is provided with
an armature C pivotted just above the poles of the magnet, and attached
to the armature is a thin plate of metal bearing a number which
indicates the floor or other portion of the building where the thermal
instrument connected with the corresponding magnet is situated. The front
of the box is furnished with a transparent cover. When the apparatus
is not in action the armatures will be turned up and the plates bearing
the numbers will lie along the upper side of the magnets, as shewn at C*,

page_text: Figures 4 and 5, when however a current of electricity is passed through
any one of the magnets its armature will be drawn down and the number
indicating the thermal instrument in action will be tipped up and will
be exposed to view, at the same time a bell apparatus of any ordinary
construction situate at the top of the box as at D will be set in action to
call attention to the signal.
In order to provide for the ringing of the bell each armature is
furnished with a tail piece 4 tipped with platinum to make contact with
an insulated rod 5 running longitudinally of the box and connected by
a wire 6 with the bell apparatus, another wire 7 leads from the bell
apparatus to one pole of the battery, the other pole being connected
through wires 8 and 9 and the metal pillars 10 with the armature of the
magnet, thus on contact being made between the armature and the rod
5 through the thermal instrument which brings the electro-magnet into
circuit the bell apparatus will be set in action, causing an alarm to be
sounded, and thereby drawing the attention of the attendant to the
indicating figure brought to view.
By a modification of the above-described apparatus there may be
shewn with great accuracy the changes from a mean temperature in
theatres, churches, and other places where an even temperature is
required to be maintained. For this purpose the loose disc of the
thermal apparatus is provided with a pair of calliper shaped arms (as
shewn at Fig. 6) instead of the platinum tipped pendant of Fig. 3; 1, 1,
are the arms dipping into mercury cups m, m, placed one on each side
of the thermal coil. These cups can be raised and lowered by means of
regulating screws and are connected one cup with the apparatus for
indicating a rise in temperature, the other cup with the apparatus for
indicating a fall in the temperature. The calliper arms are connected
through the central axle of the coiled spring with one pole of the battery
the other pole of the battery being connected with the indicating
apparatuses.
It will now be understood that should a rise take place in the tempera-
ture of the room in which the thermal apparatus is placed the metallic coil
will expand and cause one of the calliper arms to dip into the mercury
of its cup, and thereby complete the circuit, which includes the apparatus
for indicating a rise in temperature. Should however a fall in the
temperature occur the metallic coil would contract and thereby cause

page_text: the other arm 1 to dip into the mercury of its cup, and thereby close up the
circuit including the apparatus for indicating a fall. A graduated quadrant
and index are provided as in the former instance to allow of the
instrument being set to any required temperature. In order to damp
or retard the progress of fire until such time as assistance may arrive a
fire annihilator provided with a cock may be placed in a suitable position
in the apartment. This is illustrated in elevation at Fig. 7 and plan
view at Fig. 8. A weighted lever n attached to the spindle of the cock
o is held up by a balance lever p pivotted on the side of the case of the fire
annihilator. The other end of this lever forms. the armature of an
electro-magnet q. Upon a current of electricity being passed through
this electro-magnet by means of the thermal apparatus described with
reference to Fig. 3 the armature will be drawn down and the weighted
lever will be released, and falling will turn on the cock of the fire
annihilator and leave it free to check or subdue the fire. Or instead of
the fire annihilator a water tank may be placed upon the roof of the
building, and pipes led therefrom to the several rooms, each pipe being
provided with a rose for spreading the water and a cock which may be
operated as in the former instance.
A similar arrangement may be used to cause a hammer to fall upon
an explosive material applied to the wick of a signal lamp and thereby
to ignite it. A diagram of this instrument is given at Fig. 9 where the
hammer is shewn as suspended above the wick of the lamp (prepared
in any approved manner) by means of a cord 8 attached to a roller t, and
capable of being disengaged therefrom when an axial motion is imparted
in the direction of the arrow to the roller by an electro-magnet brought
into action by the thermal instrument.
The thermal apparatus above described may be made with a water-
tight case and used for immersion in baths or mash tuns, or it may be
enclosed in a cage of wire or perforated metal and buried in hay-ricks
heaps of grain, cotton waste, or other matters liable to heat or to become
spontaneously ignited in order to determine when a dangerous rise of
temperature occurs.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of " Improved
Apparatus for Ascertaining the Rise and Fall of Temperatures, also for
Indicating the Presence and for Arresting the Spread of Fires, as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner
"

page_text: of carrying the same into effect I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The improved thermal instruments as above described and their
application to the various uses above set forth.
Secondly. The combination of thermal and indicating apparatus as
described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and Fig. 6 of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.