IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathan Defries, of No. 5, Fitzroy Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Consulting Gas Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathan Defries at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th July 1858.
I, NATHAN DEFRIES, of No. 5, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Consulting Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for measuring
gas. For these purposes, in order to keep up the water to a constant level in
a gas meter, there is a vessel containing an additional supply of water affixed
to the meter, from which there is a descending pipe with a covering valve, in
like manner to an oil vessel of a lamp, to facilitate the filling and refixing of
the water supply vessel to the gas meter, but such valve is open when the
vessel is fixed to the meter and the meter is in use. The pipe of the water
supply vessel descends into a water chamber in connection with the meter in
such manner that the water in the meter and the water in the chamber will at
all times stand at a like level. In the event of the water in the meter and in
the water chamber connected therewith evaporating or otherwise falling below

page_text: the proper level, water will be allowed to descend from the vessel containing
the additional supply by reason of provision being made for the passage of air
from the outer atmosphere into such water vessel when the meter falls too low,
but the flow of air from the atmosphere into the additional water supply vessel
is shut off as soon as the proper water level is obtained in the meter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nathan Defries in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHAN
DEFRIES, of No. 5, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Gas Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Nathan Defries, Her special licence that I, the said Nathan Defries,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Nathan Defries, my executors, adnrinistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING GAS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Nathan Defries, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Nathan Defries, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for measuring
For these purposes, in order to keep up the water to a constant level in
p gas meter, there is a vessel containing an additional supply of water affixed
gas.

page_text: 9,
Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section, and Figure 2. is a transverse
section of a meter constructed .according to my Invention. a is the drum
chamber of the meter, which, with the parts it contains, are arranged in the
ordinary manner; 6 is the ordinary outer chamber, on one side of which
another chamber c is placed; and d is a third chamber placed underneath the
chamber b. The chamber contains the ordinary float e for closing the inlet
pipe. f is a worm on the axis of the drum, giving motion to a wheel
which actuates the counting apparatus as heretofore; h is the pipe for con-
veying the gas to the drum, and it is also continued down into the chamber d,
where it terminates within a box i; j is an overflow pipe, by regulating the
height of which above the bottom of the chamber b, the meter is adjusted to
measure correctly. By this pipe, when a sufficient quantity of water has
been admitted to the meter, the surplus escapes into the box i, from which it
passes by the opening. into the chamber d, and may be run off by removing.
the screw plug k. The pipe 7 is for the purpose of allowing measured gas to
pass from the chamber a to the chamber d, should more of the water be
removed from this chamber (in order to obtain gas fraudulently) than
naturally runs out of it when the screw plug is removed; m is a vessel for
supplying water to the meter as it evaporates; it is furnished with a descend-
ing pipe m, which enters the chamber c, being secured to the top of it by the
union n. The pipe m' is closed at its lower end, and has a hole through its

page_text: side at m², which is capable of being closed when required by the slide m³.
The chamber c is opened at the top to the atmosphere, as is shown, so that
water will descend into the meter from the vessel m when the aperture m² is
open until this aperture is covered by the water. When the vessel m
requires filling, it is removed from the meter and water introduced through
the pipe m, which is then closed and the vessel replaced. Or the vessel m
may be filled by the funnel m', the air cock m³ being opened, and the pipe m¹
closed; in this case the vessel m may form part of the meter. The chamber
c contains a float o, having an index at the top to show the level of the water
in the meter; this float also has a valve fixed on it, so that should the
pressure in the meter force the float up above a certain height, it shall close
the air passage. The rod rising from the float o may be bent so as to lead it
into the same case with the dial, within which the scale to indicate the depth
of water may be situated, and the float rod may be entirely boxed in to
prevent the hole which admits air to the chamber c of the meter from being
plugged, otherwise the action of the apparatus might be interfered with. pis
a float, which closes the outlet pipe when the meter is tilted forward, the gas
from the drum passing into the chamber q, and the outlet pipe being in con-
nection with the smaller chamber above. The float p is placed at the
corner of the meter opposite that at which the float e is situated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathan Defries, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
N. DEFRIES. (L.S.)