IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF GAS TO CHANDELIERS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert William Hart, of 69, Fleet Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE APPLICATION OF GAS TO CHANDELIERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert William Hart
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th August 1858.
I, HERBERT WILLIAM HART, of No. 69, Fleet Street, Gas Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
APPLICATION OF GAS TO CHANDELIERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an arrangement by which the ordinary hydraulic
treble tube telescope apparatus for chandeliers is dispensed with, as is also the
ordinary double tube or dry telescope arrangement with its stuffing box filled
with cork or other suitable material for preventing the escape of gas, and by
the substitution of the said Invention greater simplicity and non-liability to
leakage is effected. It consists in connecting the upper tube or service by
means of a flexible pipe with the body of the chandelier; such flexible pipe,
whether made of india-rubber or any other suitable material, should be only
of a size sufficient to supply the greatest number of lights belonging to the
chandelier, and it may be coiled or twisted spirally within the sliding tube, or
by wireing the said elastic tube internally and externally, any requisite
amount of elasticity or power of extension may be given to it; or the said

page_text: elastic pipe may be drawn up or contracted to its original dimentions by any
of the ordinary well-known means so as to maintain a clear passage way for
the gas, whether the chandelier be raised or lowered.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Herbert William Hart in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HERBERT
WILLIAM HART, of 69, Fleet Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gas
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of August, 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 Herbert William Hart, Her special licence that I, the said Herbert
William Hart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Herbert William Hart, my 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF GAS TO CHANDELIERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Herbert William Hart, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly 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 Herbert William Hart, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to an arrangement of parts by which the hydraulic
joint of the ordinary hydraulic double or treble tube telescope chandeliers may
be dispensed with, as also the stuffing box joint of the ordinary double tube dry
telescopic gas pendants or chandeliers, by substituting parts arranged according

page_text: to my Invention, which is simple, and whereby all liability to leakage is pre-
vented. It consists in connecting the upper tube or service by means of a
flexible pipe with the body of the chandelier; such flexible tube, whether made
of india-rubber or any other suitable material, must be of size sufficient to
supply the greatest number of lights belonging to the chandelier, and coiled or
twisted spirally within the sliding tube, the said elastic tube being wired
internally and externally, or otherwise so formed as to afford the amount of
elasticity or power of extension, while at the same time acquiring very little
elastic force, whether expanded or contracted. The said elastic pipe may be
drawn up or contracted to its required dimensions by any of the ordinary well-
known means, taking care that it is such as to maintain a clear passage for
the
gas, whether the chandelier be raised or lowered, and the elastic tube
or pendant furnished with parts and arranged according to my Invention;
Fig. 2 is a detached view of the elastic tube whereby I confine the gas, and
at the same time so connect the parts of the chandeliers as to afford the
necessary freedom for raising and lowering it; Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 represents a part of the flexible tube extended in its length. For this
tube a I prefer to use vulcanized india-rubber tube, which I crinkle and form
as shown in the Figs. 2, 3, & 4, the natural tendency of the tube when so
formed being to contract as at Figs. 2 & 3, but at same time it will extend
in length by the application of very little force; this tube is formed with plain
cylindrical parts 1, 2, at each end, by which parts it is attached to the tubes
of the chandelier. The metal tubes of the chandelier shown at Fig. 1 are
three in number b, c, & d; b is the supply pipe attached at top in the usual
while c is an outer tube also fixed at the upper part to the top of the
chandelier; this tube slides within the main or body tube of the chandelier d,
and together contain the india-rubber tube a, and exclude it from view, these
tubes c&d sliding freely in the manner of telescope tubes. Instead of the
fixed pendant tube c being interior of tube d, the tube d may slide within c,
but I prefer the arrangement shown at Fig. 1. The tube b is received within
the india-rubber tube a, as shown dotted in Fig. 1, the tube a being secured
to 6 by a hoop or band e, placed externally on the part 1 and compressing it
tightly on b, so as to render it gas-tight. The other end of the tube a is
similarly secured to the interior of the tube d by a hoop inserted within the
tube a, expanding and compressing it against d so as to render the junction

page_text: gas-tight, those hoops being at same time securely fixed in position. The
tube d and other rising & lowering parts are suspended by chains or cords
passing over pullies and furnished with counterbalance weights, all as usual.
Thus the gas entering the chandelier by the supply pipe b is confined and con-
ducted to the body tube d, and thence to the burners of the chandelier, their
being no possibility of escape, at the same time the chandelier has the same
freedom of up and down motion as if fitted with the water joint, the serious
objections to which are well known. The dotted position of the arms and
body of the chandelier in Fig. 1 show the extent of rise and fall, the sliding
tubes having suitable stops to prevent the india-rubber being too much
extended or contracted.
The chandelier or pendant may consist of two tubes only, for instance by
omitting the central tube 6, and constituting and putting c in communication
with the supply of gas, at the same time securing the upper part 1 of tube a
on the interior of c, in manner similar to that described with reference to its
fixing at the bottom to d.
For two tube gas pendants or chandeliers I prefer to insert the lower and
rising tube d within c, securing the ends 1, 2, of the tube a by internal metal
hoops, expanding it to fit tight in those two tubes. Instead of using chains
support of the rising and
and counterbalance weights before mentioned for the
lowering parts of the pendant or chandelier, I fit the tubes so as to slide with
sufficient friction to sustain the weight, which friction may be regulated by an
elastic pad and binding ring or screw. The ordinary ball-and-socket joint of
suspension may be used or not with these chandeliers, as desired.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, constructing gas
chandeliers in which the gas is confined, and all sufficient freedom of raising
and lowering insured by means of an elastic tube (which in other words forms
the joint) applied and as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert William Hart, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred & fifty-nine.
H. W. HART. (L.S.)