CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING OR ILLUMI- NATING BY GAS, OIL, OR SPIRIT LIGHTS OR LAMPS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
EDGE, of Great Peter Street, in the Parish of Saint John the Evangelist,
in the City of Westminster, Gas Apparatus and Lamp Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the seventh year of
His reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-
six, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Edge, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Thomas Edge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Edge, my executors, administrators, or assigns,.
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING OR ILLUMI-
NATING BY GAS, OIL, OR SPIRIT LIGHTS OR LAMPS," being partly a communication
from a Foreigner residing abroad, and partly improvements made by myself;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Thomas Edge, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Edge, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
:-
These Improvements in Lighting or Illuminating by Gas or other Lights or
Lamps apply to the mode or method of lighting or illuminating shop fronts,
show glasses, and other situations, by external lights and reflectors, and more
particularly apply to lighting or illuminating by means of gas lights placed on
the outside of shop fronts or windows, or on the outside of glaized show
cases, containing goods requiring to be kept from the external atmosphere
and the injurious effects of deleterious vapours arising from the combustion of
gas; and consists, in the first instance, in lighting or illuminating, by means of
external gas lights, lanthorns, and reflectors, applied, fitted, and used in the
manner herein-after more particularly described; and, secondly, in the same
improved mode of applying and fitting external oil or spirit lamps and
reflectors. And I would here remark, that I am aware that oil and spirit
lamps have been heretofore used for externally illuminating shop fronts and
such other situations, but they have been applied with fixed and stationary
brackets, suspenders, and fittings, whereas the object of these improvements,
as regards illuminating by these means, is so to adapt, fit, and use external
lamps in such manner that they may be easily taken away in the daytime or
when not required, and all appearance of the lamps, and the obstructions they
would otherwise offer to the full exposure of the shop front, be removed, at the
same time they can be easily and readily applied when wanted. And these
improvements in the mode of illuminating by means of gas lights and reflectors
have the same objects, and further, the removal of the gas and vapours arising
from its combustion from within the shop window or show case, in order that
the goods may not be subject to the deleterious effects arising therefrom,
whereby the articles exposed to view will not require to be moved or re-arranged
to suit the difference of the illumination by day or night, which is more
particularly desirable with drapers goods, lace, jewellery, silks, or woollen
manufactures, all of which are liable to be injured by the gas escaping either

page_text: from the carelessness of the persons who apply and remove the lights and
their fittings, or from the imperfections in the fittings themselves. The only
moveable part of the fittings in this improved mode of applying gas lights and
their connections with the stationary supply pipe being on the outside of the
window, and the escape of gas (if any) will be to the atmosphere, by which
means the vapour arising from the combustion of the gas will also be pre-
vented coming into into contact with the goods. And further, these improve-
ments have for their object the preventing as much as possible the escape or
wasting of the gas at the time of applying and removing the lights; and,
further, in protecting the fittings or joints which connect the brackets or
suspenders to the end of the stationary supply pipe by day, from the action of
the atmosphere upon the interior of such joints or fittings, which would
otherwise soon corrode, and form an imperfect junction between the supply
pipe and the passage to the burner.
The several Figures of the accompanying Drawings will serve to illustrate
my improvements and the manner of carrying the same into effect, although I
do not mean or intend to confine myself to the precise forms or arrangement
therein shewn and described, as a great variety of designs, shapes, or patterns,
and the mode of fitting or applying the same, may be used to suit the tastes of
different persons or the circumstances of the case, without departing from the
principle and leading features of my improvements.
Fig. 1 is a side representation of an external gas light and lanthorn, as
applied to a shop window, receiving its gas from the end of a branch on the
supply pipe in front of the fascia of the shop window. Fig. 2 is a section
taken through the lanthorn. Fig. 3 is a side view of a similar lanthorn, as
applied and fitted to the under side of the fascia of the shop front. Fig. 4, 5,
6, 7, and 8, are partial detached views and sections of the fittings next the
fascia of the window, drawn on an enlarged scale. a is the end of the fixed or
stationary supply pipe, or a branch therefrom, which terminates in the conical
socket or projecting part 6 fixed on to the fascia of the shop front; this part
is supplied with a stop cock c, to allow the gas being shut off or let on at
pleasure; or instead of these cocks, one cock placed on the main supply pipe
may be used. d, d, is the hollow bracket or suspender, one end of which
terminates in the conical cog plug e, fitting into the conical hollow of the
part 6; this conical plug is also hollow, and has small holes pierced through
its sides to form a passage way or communication to the interior of the branch.
d. The lanthorn f is glazed on its front and sides, and the back part is formed
of proper shaped reflectors g, g. The gas enters from the branch d to the
burner i by the short pipe h, which is furnished with a cock at k to regulate

page_text: the light. m is the ventilating chimney of the lanthorn. n is the door for
cleaning the inside of the glass and removing the chimney of the burner. It
will be seen by the Drawing that the whole of the lanthorn and the suspending
branch can be removed by lifting the plug e out of the joint 6, and can be as
easily applied by placing the plug in the hollow socket, the weight of the
lanthorn keeping the joint tight. In order to protect this joint from the
action of the atmosphere when the light is not in use, a solid conical plug o,
shewn detached in Fig. 9, is introduced into the hollow of the part b, as
shewn in side and front views, Figs. 7 and 8. The lanthorn is attached to the
suspending bracket or branch by means of hooks or proper fastenings fitting
into sockets at p on the branch pipe d, and also by other forks or pins taking
into sockets at q, by these connections the lanthorn can be easily removed
from or attached to the branch d, as required. When the lanthorn is applied,
as shewn in Fig. 3, a screw nut, as at r, is required to keep the plug e tight
in the joint 6, which screw nut must be removed previous to taking down the
Janthorn. A similar plug to Fig. 9 is to be introduced when the lanthorn is
not in use.
Fig. 10 shews another variation of this mode of applying gas lights with
a suspending bracket projecting a greater distance from the fascia of the
window, which may be desirable where the light is required to be thrown
more generally over the goods exposed to view. The same letters being
marked upon corresponding parts, no further description will be required.
Having now particularly described this improved mode of lighting or
illuminating by gas lights, and the methods of fitting and using the same, I
would remark that the lanthorn may be placed at an angle to the shop front,
or parallel thereto, as best suits the circumstances of the case; and in order to
effect this, a joint may be made in the lower part of the branch d, or at its
connection with the pipe h, to allow of the lanthorn being turned about in
order to throw the light upon the part required, and also that the vertical part
of the suspending branch or bracket may be supplied with a telescopic joint
sliding up and down, by which means the height of the lanthorn may be
regulated at pleasure, all of which modifications of applying the external lights
are susceptible of variation, and it is, therefore, not necessary for me to parti-
ticularly describe them. Another mode or manner of applying, fitting, and
using the external lights is shewn in Fig. 11 of the accompanying Drawing,
and in some cases may be preferred to the foregoing. In this instance the
lanthorn is attached to and supported by the framing of the window or sash,
and the branch supply pipe is carried upwards or downwards inside of the
window, close to the framing of the sash, and terminates on the outside,

page_text: opposite the situation of the lanthorn, in a small ornamented plug or nozzle,
to which a short moveable branch pipe is connected to conduct the gas to the
burner, situated on its end within the lanthorn; the same letters of reference
are marked on the same or corresponding parts as in the former Figures. a is
the supply pipe (shewn by dots) placed behind the sash framing. b is the
joint or connection with the small branch h, having the hollow plug'e at one
end and the burner at the other. The lanthorn is supported by the arms s, 8,
attached to the sash framing by small turn-buttons or screws at t, t, and u, u,
are legs, the ends of which fit into small sockets v, v, on the lower sash bar.
To apply this lanthorn, the solid plug is first taken out of the part b, and the
small horizontal branch applied thereto; the lanthorn is then placed over the
burner and secured by turning the buttons or screws t on to the arms 8, when
it will be firmly secured to the sash. When it is to be taken away the
lanthorn is to be first removed, and then the small horizontal branch and
burner.
And in conclusion, I would remark that, having particularly described
these improvements as applied to the external gas lights, I pursue the same
mode of fitting and applying the external oil or spirit lamps, but in this case
there is no necessity of using the cocks, hollow branches, tubes, or pipes; but
I apply, suspend, and fit the lamps by similar means from the fascia or other
part of the shop front, and also from the connections, so that the lamp shall be
capable of adjustment as to height and the direction in which the light is
reflected, by means of the joints above mentioned, the reservoir for the oil or
spirit being placed on the end of the suspending branch, or in any convenient
situation.
And I claim, as the Invention secured to me by the above in part recited
Letters Patent, the mode or method of applying, fitting, and using external
gas lights, herein-before described, by which they can be applied, adjusted, and
removed as required with ease and facility; at the same time the joint or
fitting between the supply pipe and branch or bracket is protected when the
lamp is not in use, by means of the plug, as before described. And also I
claim the mode or manner of applying, fitting, and using oil or spirit lamps in
the way herein particularly described, without claiming the broad principle of
applying such external lamps for the purpose of outside illumination.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Edge, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
THOMAS (L.S.) EDGE

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of April,
in the seventh year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth,
the said Thomas Edge came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery,
and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-eighth day of April, One thousand eight hundred