IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS."-A com-
munication from abroad by William Richards, of Barcelona, in the King-
dom of Spain.
Sealed the 12th August 1859, and dated the 8th June 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th June 1859.
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to means for preventing the surreptitious
abstraction of gas from water meters; and, secondly, to means for ensuring
the more accurate admeasurement of gas than is ordinarily attained by the
use of wet meters. In order to prevent the passage of unregistered gas
through the meter when the meter is designedly set on an inclination, the
ordinary "spout" is placed in front of the float of the meter, or without
changing its place, the spout may be bent over, and its inverted mouth brought
into an advanced position in the meter case. When, therefore, the meter is
tilted so as to change the level of the water line, the mouth of the spout will
be sealed, and the supply of gas to the meter will be cut off. To ensure
comparative accuracy of admeasurement, it is proposed to render the effect of
the change of level in the water line (caused by evaporation or otherwise)
inappreciable by forming the drum so that the measuring chambers, instead of

page_text: extending from the periphery of the drum to the axle or near it, as heretofore,
shall terminate so far short of the axle as to leave a cylindrical open space in
the centre of the drum, above which space the water line cannot rise.
Extending along the bottom of each measuring chamber, and reaching from
the gas entrance to the gas exit passage, is a narrow opening for facilitating
the admission of water to replace the escaping gas. These openings are
surrounded by projecting lips, which never leave the water, but when the
chambers are at their highest elevation, ensure the sealing of the chambers.
Any depression, therefore, of the water line which may occur can only effect
the measurement of the additional quantity of gas received into the narrow
water channels attached to the chambers, which addition will be so small as
to be inappreciable.
To maintain the water in the meter at a uniform height, it is proposed to
apply to the float generally employed in meters a lever of suitable length,
attached to a rod passing through a stuffing box, which opens or shuts a valve
placed in a reservoir destined to supply the meter with water when by
evaporation or otherwise it should require it. Or, in place of this, so to
arrange a float and valve or cock, that when the proper water line is attained,
the float will act upon the valve or cock to prevent a further supply from the
reservoir destined to supply the meter with water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th December 1859.
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 Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second 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, administrators, 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

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS," being a communication from
William Richards, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention, as communicated to me from abroad, relates to certain
means of ensuring the more accurate admeasurement of gas than is ordinarily
attained by the use of wet meters. To ensure comparative accuracy of
admeasurement, it is proposed to render the effect of the change of .level in
the water line (caused by evaporation or otherwise) inappreciable by forming
the drum so that the measuring chambers, instead of extending from the
periphery of the drum to the axle or near it, as heretofore, shall terminate so
far short of the axle as to form a chamber in the centre of the drum, into
which chamber curved plates or lips project for the purpose of sealing long
narrow passages, through which the water enters the measuring chambers in
succession, in order to expel the gas therefrom.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn two arrangements for carrying
out this part of the Invention, but the same principle will be found to pervade
both, viz., the material reduction of the measuring capacity of that part of the
measuring chambers which an undue depression of the water line allows the
gas flowing through the meter to occupy.
In Sheet I., Fig. 1 shews, in vertical section, a wet gas meter constructed
according to this Invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the same;
and Fig. 3 is a view of the measuring wheel, detached, the "hollow cover"
being removed the better to shew the construction of the parts.
a, a, is the
outer case of the meter, constructed and fitted as usual; and b is the spindle,
carrying the improved construction of measuring wheel or drum. The wheel,
which is divided into four measuring chambers by cross partitions c, c, is made
with a cylindrical periphery d, without openings, and it is enclosed by side
plates e, e, set a little on the incline, their raised edges overlapping respectively

page_text: the plates forming the sides of the chamber adjacent thereto; by the
inclination of these plates e, the entrance and exit passages for the gas are
formed at the opposite sides of the wheel, as is well understood. In the
centre of the wheel is a circular chamber, the periphery f of which forms the
bottom of the measuring chambers. For the purpose of admitting water to
the several chambers in succession, to displace the measured gas, and after-
wards of discharging the water to admit of a further supply of gas thereto,
the inlet and outlet gas passages are not relied upon, but an independent
entrance and exit passage for the water is provided in the bottom of each
chamber by the formation of a long narrow opening in the metal, which forms
the periphery of the central chamber of the wheel, the said opening extending
diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner of the chamber. The
highest water level is so adjusted that the water will never rise to the crown
of the central chamber, but will be considerably below it, as shewn by the
line 1, 1, in the Figures. In order to seal these diagonal passages with water,
they are severally surrounded by lips g, g, which form broad tubular channels
of sufficient depth to dip in the water even when their respective chambers
arrive at their highest position; and to ensure the smooth working of the
wheel in the water, the tubular channels are made like the segments of the
thread of a hollow screw.
From the above description it will be understood that the capacity of the
measuring chamber proper is in no respect affected by the height of the water
line in the case, but that the excess of measuring capacity due to a low water
line, as, for example, that indicated by the line 2, 2, will be limited to the
portion of the tubular channel unduly deprived of water, or, in other words, to
the space in the channel contained between the lines 1 and 2, which will
amount to an inconsiderable quantity.
In Sheet II., I have shewn the Invention applied in a slightly modified
form, Fig. 1 being a cross section through the middle of the measuring wheel
or drum, Fig. 2 a side section through the middle of the wheel, and Fig. 3
being a view of the gas receiving side of the wheel, the "hollow. cover" being
removed. In this wheel, instead of making the passages for the entrance and
exit of the water to and from the measuring chambers extend diagonally from
one corner to the other, it is made parallel to the sides or nearly so, and the
lips for sealing the chambers, instead of being parallel to each other, are
caused to diverge, as shewn best at Fig. 1, and are secured to the open
collars h, h, carried by the wheel spindle. The cross partitions c, which divide
the wheel into chambers, in this instance extend within the central chamber,
as at c, and thus divide the enclosed space within the central chamber into

page_text: In this
instance the water entering the chambers to expel the gas has first to pass
through the open collars h, h, and then up the passages formed by the
diverging lips g, g. The action of this wheel being precisely similar to that
just described, no further explanation will be required.
water ways corresponding in number to the measuring chambers.
In order to ensure in wet meters not provided with my improved wheel as
little deviation as possible in the water level, the arrangement of ball-cock,
shewn in side view at Fig. 4, Sheet I., and in front view at Fig. 5, is proposed
to be adopted. This ball-cock is mounted in a reservoir, attached to the outer
case of the meter, which reservoir is divided into two chambers or compart-
ments i, . A pipe from the upper chamber leads to the lower, and this pipe
is commanded by a cock k, worked by a ball float 7. The lower chamber is
connected with the water space of the meter by an opening m, and with the
gas space by an opening n, this opening being to equalize (by the admission
of gas to the reservoir) the pressure on the water in the reservoir and in the
When the water
meter, and the opening m to equalize the level of the water.
level becomes depressed in the meter, the ball will fall and open the cock k,
and thereby admit water from the upper chamber i to the lower chamber.
o is a screw plug (pierced with an air hole) for supplying the reservoir with
water.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in Gas
Meters," as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, constructing the measuring wheels or drums of wet meters as herein-
before described.
And, secondly, the application of the ball-cock to wet gas meters, as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)