IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
63 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM."-A com-
munication from abroad by John Mason Carr, of New York, in the
United States of America.
Sealed the 21st February 1860, and dated the 4th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th October 1859.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM," to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention of improved apparatus for generating steam
is to generate steam with a very small consumption of fuel, by means of a
portable apparatus and intermittingly in such quantities as are required for
immediate use, thereby dispensing with the use of large reservoirs either for
steam or water, and preventing accidents resulting from the explosion of
steam generators.
The apparatus consists of a combination of parts comprising a fire chamber,
which is divided horizontally into two parts. The lower part of this chamber,
in which the walls are made of metal or masonry, forms the fire-place. In
the upper part of this chamber there is a steam chest, and directly over the
steam chest there is a water chamber, and, again, above this water chamber

page_text: there is an air chamber. The steam chest and water and air chambers may
be of cast or wrought metal. A coil pipe is placed within the fire chamber
and the upper end of this coil communicates with the water chamber, and its
lower end is attached to a force pump; a vertical tube passes through the ai
chamber into the water chamber, and it is provided with a loaded valve at its
upper end.
In the bottom of the steam chest there are inserted a series of
inverted cone-shaped tubes, which extend down over the fire, in the steam chest
there are placed a series of perforated vertical tubes, which extend down within
the cone-shaped tubes. The upper ends of the perforated tubes pass through the
top plate of the steam chest, and are made flush with it, the tubes being open at
theirupperends, and perforated at theirlowerparts. An eduction pipeleads from
the steam chest, and is provided with a safety valve. Within the water chamber
is placed a circular disc, which is directly over the top of the steam chest, and
it is attached to the lower end of a vertical shaft, which passes up through the
water and air chambers, and is connected in any suitable way to the engine,so
as to cause the disc to be partially rotated in a reciprocating way. The said
disc is perforated with holes, the diameter of which is equal to that of the
perforated vertical tubes, the said holes being also in circles concentric with
those in which the vertical tubes are placed. The air chamber is supplied
with air through a pipe, and is provided with a loaded valve. A tube leads
from the air chamber through the steam chest into the space between the
reciprocating disc and the top of the steam chest. This tube is provided with
a valve, which is operated automatically with the disc. A damper is placed
directly over the fire to regulate the heat in the upper part of the fire chamber.
The operation is as follows:-Water is ejected through the coil pipe into the
water chamber. This water is heated during its passage through the fire
chamber. The disc having a reciprocating partially rotating movement is so
arranged that its holes will register with the orifices of the perforated vertical
tubes at the termination of each stroke or movement, and when the holes in
the disc and the open ends of the tubes register or coincide, water will be
forced down the tubes with a force or pressure due to the pressure of the
water in the water chamber. The water issues in fine jets through the per-
forations in the lower parts of the tubes, and is forced in spray form against
the hot cone-shaped tubes, and is immediately converted into steam, which
fills the steam chest, and is conveyed by the pipe to the engine or place
designed for its use. Air is forced into the air chamber, and the pressure of
air therein is regulated by adjusting the weight of the valve. A reciprocating
valve is opened and closed automatically by the engine the same as the disc,
and each time the holes in the disc register or coincide with the tubes, the

page_text: valve may be opened, so as to allow a certain quantity of air to infuse itself
with the water as it passes down into the perforated tubes; this air, however,
may be admitted at the same time before or after the water feed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, myexecutors, administrators,
and assigns, should at anytime 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, au
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM," being a communi-
cation from abroad by John Mason Carr, of New York, in the United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that [, the said William
Edward 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 tlie date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward 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):-
The object of this Invention of "Improved Apparatus for Generating
Steam," is to generate steam with a very small consumption of fuel by means
of a portable apparatus; and intermittingly, in such quantities as are required'

page_text: for immediate use, thereby dispensing with the use of large reser voirs
either for steam or water, and preventing accidents resulting from the
explosion of steam generators.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation; Fig. 2,
a horizontal section taken in the line x, x, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a
horizontal section taken in the line y, y, of Fig. 1.
A is a fire chamber which forms the lower part of a chamber, which is
divided horizontally into two parts; the lower part A of this chamber, the
walls of which may be of metal or masonry, forms the fire-place where the
grate is situated. In the upper part of this chamber, marked B, there is a
steam chest C, and directly over the steam chest, above the chamber B, there
is a water chamber D, and again, above this water chanıber there is an air
chamber E. The steam chest and water and air chambers may be of cast or
wrought metal. A coil pipe F is placed within the fire chamber, and the
upper end of this coil communicates with the water chamber 1), and its lower
end is attached to a force pump. A vertical tube G passes down through the
air chamber E into the water chamber D, and it is provided with a loaded
valve a at its upper end. To the bottom of the steam chest C there are bolted
a series of inverted cone-shaped tubes H, which extend down over the fire.
Inside the steam chest C there are placed a series of perforated vertical
tubes b, which extend down within the cone-shaped tubes H.
The upper
ends of the perforated tubes pass through the top plate of the steam chest,
and are made flush with it, the tubes being open at their upper ends, and
perforated at their lower parts, as shewn clearly in Fig. 1. An eduction
pipe leads from the steam chest C, and is provided with a safety valve c.
Within the water chamber D is placed a circular disc J, which is directly
over the top of the steam chest C, and it is attached to the lower end of a
vertical shaft K, which passes up through the water and air chambers D, E,
and is connected in any suitable way to the engine, so as to cause the disc J
to be partially rotated in a reciprocating way. The said disc J is perforated
with holes d, the diameter of which is equal to that of the perforated vertical
tubes b, the said holes being also in circles concentric with those in which the
vertical tubes are placed. The air chamber E is supplied with air through
a pipe L; a vertical tube which communicates with the top of the chamber E
has a loaded valve e at its upper end. A tube N leads from the air chamber E
through the steam chest C into the space between the. reciprocating disc J
and the top of the steam chest; this tube N is provided with a valve, which
is operated automatically by the same mechanism which works the disc J.
O is a damper which is placed in the fire chamber directly over the fire for

page_text: the purpose of regulating the heat in the upper part B of the fire chamber.
This damper may be constructed in any proper way; in Fig. 3 it is shewn as
being formed of three horizontal plates or slides g, h, i. P is a door in the
chamber B, and Q is a damper in a pipe R that communicates with the
chamber B, and leads into the smoke stack; S is a damper in a pipe T, that
communicates with the fire chamber, and also leads into the smoke stack.
The operation is as follows:-Water is ejected through the coil pipe Finto
the water chamber D, and is heated during its passage through the fire
chamber. The disc J, having a reciprocating partially rotating movement, is
so arranged that its holes d will register with the orifices of the perforated
vertical tubes bat the termination of each stroke or movement, and when the
holes d in the disc and the open ends of the tubes b register or coincide, water
will be forced down the tubes b with a force or pressure due to the pressure of
the water in the water chamber 1). This pressure is regulated by adjusting
the weight on the lever of the valve a. The water issues in fine jets through
the perforations in the lower parts of the tubes 6, and is forced in spray form
against the hot cone-shaped tubes Hand is immediately converted into steam,
which fills the steam chest C, and is conveyed by the pipe I to the engine or
place designed for its use. The volume of steam generated at each stroke or
movement of the disc J will of course depend upon the amount of water that
is forced out of the tubes 6 during the time the holes d and tubes / are in
register, and this amount is governed by the pressure in the water chamber D,
which may be regulated, as before stated, by adjusting the weight of the
valve a, the surplus water being ejected through. the valve.
Air is forced into the air chamber E through the pipe L, and the pressure
of air in the chamber E is regulated by adjusting the weight of the valve e.
A reciprocating valve f is opened and closed automatically by the engine the
same as the disc J, and each time the holes d in the disc register or coincide
with the tubes b, the valve f may be opened so as to allow a certain quantity
of air to infuse itself with the water as it pa ses down into the perforated
tubes b. This air, however, may be admitted at the same time before or after
the water feed; and the supply of water and air may be controlled in equal or
unequal proportions as experience may dictate, in order to facilitate or expedite
the conversion of the water into steam.
When the apparatus is not in use the damper O is closed, in order to
prevent the burning of the tubes H. When the damper O is closed, the
heat passes through the pipe T, the damper S being opened, and when the
damper O is opened, an excess of temperature in the upper part of the
chamber B may be remedied by opening the door P and damper Q.

page_text: Having now described this Invention of "Improved Apparatus for Gene.
rating Steam," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I would observe,
that I do not intend to claim broadly the generating of steam by forcing water
in the form of spray against a heated surface, nor do I claim the heating and
mixing atmospheric air with the water previous to, or at the time of, and for
the purpose of expediting its conversion into steam; but what I consider to
be new in the above described process and apparatus, and therefore wish to
claim, as the Invention. secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, is,-
First, the employment or use of the steam chest C, provided with the
tubes H, and placed directly over the fire chamber A, and provided with
the perforated water tubes b, communicating intermittingly with water,
under pressure in the chamber D, for the purpose set forth.
Second, in connection with the steam chest C and tubes H, b, I claim
the use of the air chamber E, provided with a pipe N, and valve or any
equivalent means for mixing atmospheric air with water as the latter is
converted into steam.
Third, I claim the employment or use of the reciprocating perforated disc J,
or any equivalent contrivance for regulating the admission of water from
the water chamber D into the steam chest C, as set forth.
Fourth, I claim the use of the damper O in the chamber B, and the door P
in connection with the dampers Q, S, in the pipes R, T; in combination
with the steam chest C, the cone-shaped tubes H, the water tubes 6 and
water chamber D, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFfatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)