Year: 1897

page_text: I, THOMAS HOLLIDAY, Managing Director of Read Holliday & Sons, Limited,
of Upper Head Row, Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manufacturing
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements refer mainly to acetylene lamps for use with vehicles
in motion such as bicycles, motor cars, carriages, etcetera, though a part is useful
for stationary lamps.
They consist; in constructing a cage to hold carbide of calcium perforated,
of wire gauze or other suitable reticulate material sufficiently open to allow.
powdered lime to fall through and sufficiently fine to retain undecomposed carbide
placed loosely in a vessel serving as a gas generator in such a manner that the
vibration or motion of the vehicle to which the lamp is attached will separate
and shake the lime from the carbide. In attaching to a dropper, which may
be the mouth of a fine tube, a small hole, a wick, or a valve; a flexible, or fixed
conductor for water which will lie upon, or in the carbide placed in the cage-
the supply of water to the dropper being regulated by a tap, or valve which can
be opened, or closed from the outside of the lamp. In constructing the water
holder in such a manner that a large portion of its surface will be inside the
generator or carbide container leaving a space between the outside of the holder
and inside of the shell of the container serving as gas container cooler and pas-
sage for the gas to the exit which is placed on the upper part of the container.
The lamp can be constructed in two parts which can be joined together gas-.
tight by a screw, or other means, the upper part being composed of a water
holder, valve to control supply of water, a conductor on the outside of which
water is conducted to come into contact with carbide in smaller portions than
one drop at a time and a safety tube through which gas can pass from the lower
part to the open air and to which a safety appliance can be attached and a lower.
part being composed of a container for a cage, carbide and lime and exit for
gas on its upper part-the whole of which can be seen, washed out, and cleaned
at the same time-when separated from the upper part.
.
The safety tube can be attached to the lower part and I have applied it on
the upper part for convenience only.
Dated the 21st day of October 1897
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: We, GEORGE HENRY CROWTHER, of Thornhill Road, Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Surveyor and Estate Agent, ROBERT HOLLIDAY, of Ravensknowle
Hall, Huddersfield, aforesaid, Manufacturing Chemist, and EDWARD COCKSHAW,
of 65, Blacker Road, Huddersfield, aforesaid, Cashier, Executors of the late
Thomas Holliday, Managing Director of Read Holliday & Sons, Limited, of
Upperhead Row, Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manufacturing Chemist,
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:-
The improvements refer mainly to acetylene lamps for use with vehicles in
motion such as bicycles, motor cars, carriages, etcetera, though a part is useful
for stationary lamps.
An acetylene lamp constructed according to the present improvements contains
a perforated cage for holding calcium carbide, a water holder with means to
regulate, conduct and distribute or diffuse the supply of water to and amongst
the calcium carbide, a space in proximity to the water holder to serve as a gas
container and cooler with passage for exit of gås to the burner and with a safety
appliance or valve.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shows a vertical central section of an acetylene lamp according to the
present improvements, taken on the line -, Fig. 4.
Fig. 2 shows a section of the upper part of the lamp, taken, on the line y, y,
Fig. 4.
Fig. 3 is an outside view of the upper part of the lamp with the reflector
removed.
Fig. 4 shows the lamp by plan view.
Fig. 5 shows a sectional view of the ventilator taken on the line z-z, Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 shows a vertical central section of the lamp according to a modified
form.
The cage a, for holding the carbide of calcium is constructed of perforated
sheet, or wire gauze, or other suitable reticulate material sufficiently open to
allow the powdered lime, formed in the generation of gas, to fall through, and
sufficiently fine to retain undecomposed carbide placed loosely therein. The
cage is formed with a lip a¹ which rests upon a rim within the vessel b, said
vessel serving as a gas generator.
The vibration or motion of the vehicle to which the lamp is attached will
separate and shake the lime from the carbide.
The water holder is contained in the upper part of the body of the lamp
and is provided with a valve d, to regulate the supply of water to the carbide
through an opening c¹ at the lower end of the tube c².
The valve is shown closed in Fig. 1, and open in Fig. 2. A spring
to keep the valve normally pressed towards its seat.
serves
A device on the outside enables the valve to be opened or closed, a pin ³
preventing its being raised too far. is a conductor of water which may be of
cotton or the like or of other suitable character. It passes through a small
hole and lies in or upon the carbide so as to conduct water to said carbide in
smaller portions than one drop at a time. A screw cap or plug c³ enables water

page_text: to be supplied to the holder, the air hole c¹ in said plug being protected by a small
shield 5:
The conductor d for the water from the dropper or outlet valve end d serves
the useful purposes of regulating the delivery of the water to decompose the
carbide and of diffusing the water amongst such carbide so as to prevent_too
sudden or irregular evolution of gas therefrom and alternatively an intermediate
tube or receiver connected with or disconnected 'direct from the water supply
valve parts.
The gas container e is provided with a safety tube e¹ through which gas can
pass to the open air in the event of too great a pressure being formed.
The outer end of the tube is closed a small orifice e being provided for the
escape of gas, said orifice being normally covered by rubber or other elastic
tubing fitting tightly on to the end of the tube.
The "gas passes from the gas container e and filters through a felt. or other
wad f to the burner g.
1.
The reflector h (Fig. 1) is carried by a hook or finger h¹ on the lamp, it being
firmly held thereon by means of a spring h². Suitable spring catches h³ serve
to hold a mica or other transparent front onto the reflector.
A ventilator on top of the reflector is formed as shown best in Fig. 5 by suit-
ably bending up the parts h h so as to serve as deflectors for the heated air.
A protective shield h is provided, 7 being suitable non conducting material.
A screw clamp i serves to attach the lamp to a vehicle.
In the modification shown in Fig. 6, like reference letters refer to like parts
as in the previous figures. In this form the water holder is placed at the back
of the lamp, the valve d being so placed as to direct the drops of water towards
the centre of the carbide in the cage a. The ventilator may be of ordinary
construction, h8 are holes to admit air.
The lamp, as shown, is constructed in two parts, joined together gas-tight by
a screw-thread 2 with capability of being separated to give access for cleaning
or other purposes.
In some cases I attach to the outlet e', of the gas container e a small india
rubber ball, capable of expanding and contracting or collapsing in which the
surplus gas is stored ready for subsequent use.
Amongst the advantages arising from the use of the improvements given
above are:-
That the carbide is kept clean and the brusque generation of gas which occurs
when too great a quantity of water is suddenly dropped thereon, is prevented;
the evolution of any great heat in the production of the gas is avoided a regular
and even generation of gas is secured, which generation can be suspended quickly
by the act of closing the water supply opening; and on the other hand the in-
convenience and delay is prevented which arises on starting the evolution of gas
from a body. of carbide, if that carbide is then in the condition of a kernel of
unconsumed material enclosed in a casing of lime produced by the moist lime
having had its moisture abstracted by previous absorption by the enclosed carbide
whilst it also prevents moist lime accumulating on the carbide and causing
evolution of gas to continue after the water supply has been discontinued.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. In a lamp for use in burning gas for illumination produced by the decom-
position of carbide of calcium or like carbide in contact with water, the construc-
tion or arrangement in combination of a reservoir for water provided with a
spring valve or outlet regulator of any suitable description, a removable reticulate
cage or holder for carbide adapted whilst retaining the undecomposed carbide to
allow the powdered lime produced by the decomposition to pass through, a vessel
to contain the carbide holder and serve as a gas generator and container for

page_text: the waste lime and means for filtering or straining and supplying the gas for
combustion, as set forth and shown by the drawings.
2. In a lamp for use in burning acetylene gas for illumination the use of a
basket, cage or reticulate holder for carbide arranged in combination with a
vessel serving as a gas generator and container for lime, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth and shown by the drawings.
3. In a lamp for use in burning acetylene gas the use of an attachment to or
a part co-operating with the regulator of supply of water to carbide in the gas
producing chamber, of a conductor as of cotton or other suitable fibrous or
conductive material, adapted to regulate or diffuse the delivery of water, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth and shown by the drawings.
4. In a lamp for use in burning acetylene gas for the purpose of illumination,
the use of an appliance for relieving surplus or excessive pressure in the reservoir
for gas consisting of a tube having a small outlet hole or holes covered by an
elastic cylindrical tube of rubber or an elastic extensible gas receiving ball or
receiver, as set forth.
5. The general construction or arrangement of parts of a lamp for use in
burning acetylene gas so as to secure regulation and definite control of the supply
of water to the carbide, retention of the undecomposed carbide in its cage or
reticulate vessel, the facility for separation of the lime resulting from the
decomposition so as to have the carbide clean, efficient means for holding the
generated gas and for storing the same ready for burning, separation or filtering
of the gas and means for relieving excessive pressure of gas and for effecting
regulated emission of the same for combustion, substantially as set forth and
shown by the drawings.
Dated the 16th day of July 1898
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicants.