Improvements in and relating to Street Gas Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 12th day of May 1897.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Street Gas Lamps.
I, CHARLES REVILL BELLAMY, of the Corporation Gas Department, Hood Street,
Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to street gas lamps, and, more particularly to that class of
lamps provided with burners which require chimneys, such for example as Argand
burners and incandescent burners: the invention is specially applicable to lamps
provided with the last mentioned type of burner, and I will therefore describe my
invention with reference to such lamps, although it will be seen that it is equally
applicable to all lamps whose burners require chimneys.
Street lamps, as at present constructed, are lighted from below by means of a
torch which the lamp-lighter carries and which is also used to turn on the cock;
I have found, however, in actual practice, that this method is most unsatisfactory
when the burners are of the incandescent type, and therefore surrounded by
chimneys. The usual trap door opening in the bottom of the lamp cannot be made
use of in such cases as the light has of course to be applied across the top of
the chimney, and the side of the lamp is therefore made to open and admit the
torch; this method of lighting is very objectionable inasmuch as the opening of
the side of the lamp results, in boisterous weather, in the destruction of the
incandescent mantle, and there is at all times a very serious loss from broken
chimneys, and the object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by
providing a lamp adapted to be lighted from above.
According to my invention I construct such lamp as follows;-
The lower portion of the lamp, which may be of any suitable shape, is absolutely
closed in when the light is burning: it is, of course, provided with a door for
cleaning, repair, etc., but 1 prefer to have the door locked when the lamp is in
use. The air for combustion is led into the lamp at the central part of the top.
and is led, by suitable deflectors, to the sides of the lamp. Above the portion of
the lamp at which the air enters I form a box which I will refer to as the lighting
box, provided with a suitable door, and with which the interior of the chimney
surrounding the burner communicates by means of a metal chimney which forms
a prolongation of the glass chimney. It will be seen therefore that the air for
combustion is led into the lamp at the upper portion thereof, is deflected to the
sides and then passes up to the burner, and that the products of combustion pass
up the glass chimney, through the metal prolongation thereof, and into the
lighting box from which they escape by a suitable outlet or chimney.

page_text: It will also be seen that if the gas be turned on it. will escape up the chimney
and into the lighting box; and that when the torch is inserted into the box, after
the gas has been turned on, the lamp will be lighted from above without any
liability of injury either to the mantle or the chimney.
Where there are more burners than one, the chimney of each burner communi-
cates with the lighting box by a separate metal chimney, but the metal chimneys
may be connected together in the lighting box by a funnel shaped cover to ensure
that each of the burners will be lighted when the torch is applied.
The door of the lighting box is provided with a suitable latch and is adapted to
be opened and closed by the torch.
I attach considerable importance to the fact that in the construction described
the lower portion of the lamp is quite closed in so that the mantles and fittings
cannot in any way be interfered with except by those duly authorised.
Dated this 10th day of January 1896.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant
I, CHARLES REVILL BELLAMY, of the Corporation Gas Department, Hood
Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to street gas lamps, and more particularly to that class of
lamps provided with burners which require chimneys, such for example as Argand
burners and incandescent burners; the invention is especially applicable to lamps
provided with the last mentioned type of burner, and I will therefore describe my
invention with reference to such lamps, although it will be seen that it is equally
applicable to all lamps whose burners require chimneys.
Street lamps fitted with incandescent burners are at present lighted either by
the use of a small flash light kept continuously burning, or by hand through a side
door which must be opened for the purpose.
Both methods are objectionable; the use of a flash light kept continuously
burning necessarily involves considerable expenditure of gas, and in the case
where a side door is opened, there is great risk of injury to the glass chimneys and
mantles especially during windy weather; the object of my invention is to
overcome these difficulties by providing a lamp adapted to be lighted from
above.
According to my present invention I construct such lamps as follows, reference
being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of the
lamp, and Figs. II, III, and IV are fragmentary detail views to larger scale;
Fig. II being a sectional elevation of the upper part of the lamp on the plane A. A.
. of Fig. 1; Fig. III being a similar sectional elevation, on a plane at right-angles
to the latter; and Fig. IV being a sectional plan on the plane B. B. of Fig. III.
Throughout the drawings the same parts are indicated by the same reference
figures.
i
The lower portion 1 of the lamp, which may be of any suitable shape, is
absolutely closed in when the lamp is burning; it is, of course, provided with a

page_text: door for cleaning, repair etc., but I prefer to have the door locked when the lamp is
in use.
The air for combustion enters the air inlet chamber 2 through the holes 3 pierced
in its four sides, and then passes down into the lamp through a number of holes 4
pierced in the bottom 5 of the chamber 2, being deflected towards the sides of the
lamp by the deflector 6.
Above the air inlet 'chamber 2 is a chamber 7, which I shall refer to as the
lighting box; this box communicates with the interiors of the glass chimneys 8 of
the burners by means of the metal chimneys 9 which pass down through tho
chamber 2 and the deflector 6, and form prolongations of the glass chimneys.
Access is given to the lighting box by the doors 10 which preferably open inwards
and are hinged, as shown, at their lower sides, each being provided with a spring to
keep. it normally closed.
It will be seen that the air for combustion enters through the air inlet chamber
as indicated by the arrows, is deflected to the sides of the lamp and passes to the
burners, and that the products of combustion pass up through the glass chimneys
and through the metal prolongations thereof into the lighting box, from which
they escape by the outlets 11 and 12.
It will further be seen that if the gas be turned on, it will escape up the
chimneys and into the lighting box, and that when the torch is inserted into the
box through either of the doors 10, (which assumes the dotted position shown in
Fig. II), the lamp will be lighted from above without any liability of injury either
to the mantles or the glass chimneys.
In order to ensure the lighting of both burners by a single application of the
torch, the metal chimneys are surmounted by the hoods 13 to converge the streams
of gas, and the guides 14 are provided on the lighting doors 10, to locate the torch
centrally.
If there be only one burner, the hoods 13 are unnecessary, as the metal chimney
would naturally be arranged in the centre of the lighting box; and if there be
several burners, it is only necessary to arrange the hoods so that all the streams of
gas from the several chimneys shall be converged to a convenient part of the
lighting box for the application of the torch.
In Fig. 1 the burners are shown suspended from the frame work of the lamp by
the wires 15 with interposed springs 16. I find this elastic suspension of value
when the lamps are exposed to concussion or vibration, which would otherwise be
destructive to the mantles. The connection to the gas cock or cocks is made by
means of flexible tubing.
I attach considerable importance to the fact that in the construction described,
the lower part of the lamp is quite closed in so that the mantles and fittings cannot
in any way he interfered with except by those duly authorised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the mature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I am aware that the
method of suspending the burners by means of wires with springs, and connecting
them to the supply pipe by means of flexible tubing has been previously used and
I lay no claim to such method per se, but I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. The improvement in street gas lamps for incandescent or other burners
requiring chimneys, which consists in dividing the lamp into two portions, a lower
or main portion forming the lamp proper, and an upper part forming a lighting
box, and carrying the chimneys or prolongations thereof up into the lighting box,
so that the gas can be lighted from above without interfering with the lamp
proper or the burners therein; substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In combination; the closed lower portion or lamp proper containing the
burners, the lighting box, the chimney prolongations leading to the lighting box
and provided with hoods, the means for admitting and deflecting the air, and the
lighting box doors adapted to be opened by the torch; substantially as described
and illustrated.

page_text: 3. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved street gas
lamp, substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of October 1896.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant..
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