IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS AND CONNECTIONS THERE WITH
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Addy Hopkinson and Joseph Hopkinson,
both of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS AND
CONNECTIONS THERE WITH."
"
Sealed the 7th May 1875, and dated the 22nd December 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Addy Hopkinson
and Joseph Hopkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd December 1874.
We, JOHN ADDY HOPKINSON and JOSEPH HOPKINSON, both of
Huddersfield, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO
STEAM BOILERS AND CONNECTIONS THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to boilers working together and conneccted in
their steam ways, but applies more particularly to boilers fitted with
safety valves known as low-water safety valves, and has for its object

page_text: the prevention of explosions in such boilers by means of a new method
of preserving and securing one common water level down to any fixed
point called "danger level."
By the ordinary arrangement of connecting two or more boilers
(working together) in their steam ways only, and fitting them with low-
water safety valves, the safety valve on one of such boilers which may
have become short of water would have to discharge the excess of steam
in all the boilers, which extra work thrown upon the safety valve might
prove too much for its discharging power. Now our Invention is
intended to remedy this defect, and prevent explosions by connecting
such boilers in their water ways in such a manner as to preserve and
secure one common water level down to any fixed point decided upon,
and called "danger level," but not below that point, thereby lessening
the risk of explosion arising from deficiency of water in any of such
boilers, by enabling low-water safety valves to be brought into action
simultaneously on one of such boilers becoming short of water, thereby
obtaining an increased discharge of steam, as required, without rendering
the remaining boilers subject to danger, as would be the case in boilers
connected in their water ways below "danger level," as in the ordinary
way. For this purpose a suitably arranged pipe or pipes is or are fixed
at such a level in the boiler that the lowest portion of the orifice of such
connection to the boiler shall be at the point determined upon as "danger
level," and below which it is dangerous for the water to be reduced.
By this arrangement, should one boiler have the level of water in it
reduced below this "danger lever," water will not be allowed to go on
flowing from the other boilers so as to endanger. them, but will ensure
tho simultaneous operation of all the low-water safety valves, and relieve
the boilers of steam, yet only this one boiler can be subjected to over
heating, whereas in cases of boilers being connected in their steam ways
only it would be subject to explosion from over heating, and in boilers
connected in their water ways below " danger level" all such connected
boilers might be subjected to over heating.
The above arrangement, besides being a regulator of water level in the
several boilers respectively, is also a regulator of steam pressure, should
the steam valves be accidentally or otherwise closed, and in case of any

page_text: Our Invention further relates to the covering and protecting of boilers
from the external atmosphere, and to a means by which the surface of
the boiler is easily exposed to view, and consists in making a suitable
framework of iron or other material to receive a covering of wood or
other suitable material in two or more thicknesses, with some felting or
other approved non-conducting substance placed between such thick-
nesses, thereby obviating the destruction of the coverings of steam boilers
when removed, and facilitating an examination of the boiler by simply
removing a cover or covers.
▸ SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said. John Addy Hopkinson and Joseph Hopkinson in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th June 1875.
1
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
ADDY HOPKINSON, and JOSEPH HOPKINSON, both of Huddersfield, in
the County of York, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give-and grant unto us, the said John Addy Hopkinson and
Joseph Hopkinson, Her special licence that we, the said John Addy
Hopkinson and Joseph Hopkinson, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Addy Hopkinson and
Joseph Hopkinson, our 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
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS AND
CONNECTIONS THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, tho
said John Addy Hopkinson and Joseph Hopkinson, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the

page_text: 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 we, the said John Addy Hopkinson and Joseph
Hopkinson, do hereby declare the nature of our 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) :—
'
Our Invention of "Improvements in and Applicable to Steam Boilers
and Connections therewith" relates to boilers working together and
connected in their steam ways, but applies more particularly to boilers
fitted with safety valves known as low-water safety valves, and has for
its object the prevention of explosions in such boilers by means of a new
method of preserving and securing one common water level down to any
fixed point called "danger level."
By the ordinary arrangement of connecting two or more boilers.
-(working together) in their steam ways only, and fitting them with low-
water safety valves, the safety valve on one such boilers which may have
become short of water would have to discharge the excess of steam in all
the boilers, which extra work thrown upon the safety valve might prove
too much for its discharging power. Now our Invention is intended to
remedy this defect, and prevent explosions by connecting such boilers in
their water ways in such a manner as to preserve and secure one common
water level down to any fixed point decided upon, and called "danger
"level," but not below that point, thereby lessening the risk of explosion
arising from deficiency of water in any of such boilers, by enabling low-
water safety valves to be brought into action simultaneously on one of
such boilers becoming short of water, thereby obtaining an increased
discharge of steam, as required, without rendering the remaining boilers
subject to danger, as would be the case in boilers connected in their
water ways, below "danger level," as in the ordinary way. For this
purpose a suitably arranged pipe or pipes is or are fixed at such a level
in the boiler that the lowest portion of the orifice of such connection to

page_text: "
the boiler shall be at the point determined upon as danger level," and
below which it is dangerous for the water to be reduced. By this
arrangement, should one boiler have the level of water in it reduced
below this "danger level," water will not be allowed to go on flowing
from the other boilers so as to endanger them, but will ensure the
simultaneous operation of all the low-water safety valves, and relieve the
boilers of steam, yet only this one boiler can be subjected to over-
heating, whereas in cases of boilers being connected in their steam ways
only it would be subject to explosion from over heating, and in boilers
connected in their water ways below "danger level," all such connected
boilers might be subjected to over heating.
The above arrangement, besides being a regulator of water level in the
several boilers respectively, may be also a regulator of steam pressure
should the steam valves be accidentally or otherwise closed, and in case
of any one boiler generating steam in excess of the others.
Our Invention further relates to the covering and protecting of boilers
from the external atmosphere, and to a means by which the surface of
the boiler is easily exposed to view, and consists in making a suitable
framework of iron or other material to receive a covering of wood or
other suitable material in two or more thicknesses, with some felting or
other approved non-conducting substance placed between such thick-
nesses, thereby obviating the destruction of the coverings of steam
boilers when removed, and facilitating an examination of the boiler by
simply removing a cover or covers.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention we will proceed
to describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be per-
formed by the aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which are
represented the improvements in and applicable to steam boilers above
Fig. 1 represents two double flued boilers, shewing the position of
the water way connecting pipes relatively to the flues, and the point at
which the low-water safety valves begin to blow off.

page_text: fire-box boilers.
Fig. 5 shews another mode of applying the same to three boilers;
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal elevation of a boiler fitted up as in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 represents in end elevation a portion of a boiler covered in the
manner above referred to; Fig. 8 shows the same in longitudinal
elevation; Fig. 9 shows the same in plan.
Fig. 10 represents in section on an enlarged scale a portion of the
cover.
In these several Figures the same letters of reference indicate corre-
sponding parts.
2
A and B represent two boilers of equal pressures, and set on the same
level, connected in their water ways so as to bring the boilers so con-
nected to one common water level down to any fixed point called
danger level; C, C, represent the two connecting tubes; the line.
D, D, shews the level at which the low-water safety valves begin to
discharge steam for deficiency of water; the line E, E, shews the lowest
part of the connecting tube, which is the point fixed upon as "danger
level," and below which level it is dangerous for the water to be lowered.
The line F, F, shews the level of the crown of the flues. Supposing in
this case that from some cause the water has become lowered in boiler A
the water would then at once begin to flow from B to A through the
connecting tubes C, C, and as soon as the level of water reached the 2
point indicated by the line D, D, the safety valve or valves on each
boiler would blow off, because the connecting tubes C, C, would regulate
the level of water, but should the level of water in the boiler A con-
tinuo to descend below the bottom of the orifice or level E, E, (which
is sufficiently high above the crowns of the flues or furnaces to prevent 8
them from becoming uncovered by water) it will be seen that by our
novel mode of connecting the boilers A and B the safety valves will be
brought into operation; yet it is only the boiler A that would be subject
to overheating through the loss of water, because the pipe C would lower

page_text: the water in the boiler B, but not below the point E, while a readier and
quicker means is thereby afforded of relieving the steam pressure in
case of deficiency of water than in those cases wherein boilers are so
arranged that one valve has to discharge for the whole of the boilers
connected in their steam ways, and only one of them is deficient of
water.
In Figures 2 and 3 the connecting tubes C, C, are shewn as applied to
three externally fired boilers, Fig. 2 showing the level at which the tubes
enter the boilers, and Fig. 3 the main connecting pipe for the three
tubes.
In Fig. 4 the connecting tubes are shown as applied to two fire-box
boilers, the orifices of the tubes being arranged on the same principle as
before described.
Fig. 5 shews another method of applying our improvements. In this
case the feed valves are dispensed with, and the arrangement is used as
a feed. Any of the arrangements however may be similarly used for
feeding.
Fig. 6 shews the arrangement in longitudinal elevation as applied to
one of the three boilers shewn connected at Fig. ŏ.
The above described different modes of applying our Invention will
serve to show that various modifications and forms of the connecting
parts or apparatus may be adopted for securing the objects aimed at,
which parts or apparatus may be varied according to circumstances, or
the class of boilers to which such means of connection may be applied,
the main object being to provide increased security from the danger of
explosion. In all cases in fire-box boilers the connections are required to
be made at a higher level than that of the highest part of the furnace or
other portion of flue exposed to the action of heated gases. From these
considerations it will be understood that our Invention is not confined to
the special forms of connections represented and described, which are
only referred to as illustrating different modes of adapting the same to
well known forms of boilers.
Figures 7 to 10 inclusive represent our improvements in the means of
covering and protecting the upper portion of steam boilers from the
external atmosphere. This covering is so arranged that it obviates the

page_text: ordinary liability to hide any leakage that might take place, and being
unseen might cause deterioration of the boiler. The covering thereby
acts as a preventive of corrosion, besides enabling the surface of the
boiler to be readily exposed to view by removing a portion of the
covering, which can with facility be put back again into its place
without disturbing the remaining portions or causing any injury to the
covering.
Fig. 7 shews the upper portions of a boiler in end elevation with the
covering applied. G, G, is the framework for supporting the said
covering. This framework may be made in brick or other suitable
material, and is intended to surround the upper and exposed surface of
the boiler; H, H, is the covering of wood or other suitable material
arranged in two or more thicknesses, with felting or other suitable non-
conducting substance placed between them. This covering, as will be
seen from the Drawings, is formed in separate portions united together
so as to admit of any portion or portions being removed, as required, in
order to inspect and examine the boiler without injuring the rest of the
covering.
In Fig. 8 are shown apertures made in the covering for the valves to
pass through from the top of the boiler.
In the enlarged view, Fig. 10, a represents the inner board of the
covering; b, b, two thicknesses of air felt or other suitable non-con-
ducting substance; and c, the upper or outside wood. The portions of
the covering may be put together in various ways so long as they admit
of ready disconnection; d represents the junction of two portions of the
covering when placed over the boiler.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that what we
claim as of our Invention is,―
First. The mode or method herein-before described of connecting steam
boilers in their water ways in such a manner as to secure in all the
connected boilers one common water level at any fixed point determined
upon in the manner described, and called “ danger level," thereby
lessening the risk of explosion by securing the general operation of all
the low-water safety valves, as described.

page_text: And, Secondly. The mode of constructing and applying to the upper
portions of boilers coverings which may be readily removed wholly or in
portions, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Addy Hopkinson and Joseph
Hopkinson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Fourth
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-fire
JOHN ADDY HOPKINSON. (L.S.)
JOSEPH HOPKINSON.
(L.S.)
Witness,
CARTER HOYLE,
-
Book-keeper,
Huddersfield.