IMPROVED AUTOMATIC GAS LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED AUTOMATIC GAS LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.".
A communication from abroad by Maurice E. Jones, of Pittsfield,
in the County of Berks, and State of Massachusetts, United States
of America.
Sealed the 18th February 1876, and dated the 11th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th October 1875.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for " IMPROVED AUTOMATIC GAS LIGHTING AND EXTIN-
GUISHING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
11
This Invention relates to an improved automatic gas lighting and
extinguishing apparatus, and consists in a metal case which screws on
to the lamp post, and has a passage for the gas to pass along one side

page_text: of the case to the burner, in which passage is a stop valve to shut off
the gas and extinguish the light, when it is let fall by a cam which is
turned for the purpose by clockwork contained in a chamber within
the case.
The cam is connected to a shaft of the clock gear by its
hollow journal, which extends from the gas passage through a stuffing
box into the chamber. The stop valve has a pressure spring above it
for pressing it firmly on its seat when the cam lets it fall, and above
the spring is an opening through the top of the case for introducing
the valve and the spring which is closed by a plug.
The train is turned by strong clock springs mounted on a shaft which
is secured on the outside of a frame by caps, so that it can be put on
and taken off without taking the train apart. This shaft has an
extension along a tubular case, with a toothed wheel, and a pawl and
ratchet for winding up the springs by a toothed bar, which is slid along
the wheel in a guide tube by hand for turning said wheel. This wheel
turns the cam before mentioned back to set at the same time that it
winds up the springs. The extent to which it is turned back determines
the time the clock will run before extinguishing the light, and the
extent to which it is turned back is governed by an adjustable collar on
the toothed bar, which strikes against the lower end of the guide tube
and arrests the movement of the wheel. The collar is adjustable along
the part of the bar having a scale graduated to the springs and the
train, so that the cam may be set for dropping the valve at any pre-
determined time by shifting the collar to the mark on the scale corre-
sponding to the time wanted. The wheel being connected to the shaft
by the ratchet wheel and pawl allows the setting bar to be withdrawn
after starting the clockwork. The usual ratchet mechanism is employed
in connection with the clock springs and shaft to allow the springs to
be wound without turning the clock train.
In order to start the train when wound up, in case it does not start
by the springs, a lever is arranged on a rock shaft or spindle with a pin
to push the balance wheel a little, the lever being swung to throw the
pin against the wheel by the incline, on the starting bar running under
and raising the arm of the rock shaft, when the bar is pulled back after
winding up the springs. A spring throws the lever forward again out
of the way of the balance wheel.
For stopping the clock mechanism, after the light is extinguished
sufficient friction is created by a lever being pressed at its free end

page_text: against the axle of the escapement wheel by means of a stud in a
toothed wheel, said lever being pivoted to the frame of the clock
mechanism and held in place for the stud to strike it by a stud.
The guide tube for the starting bar is inclined toward the burner, and
the bar is provided with match-holding fingers at the upper end to carry
a match at the same time that it is used to wind up the clockwork and
strike it against the striking plate and then present the burner to ignite
the gas jet, thus allowing the winding and setting of the clockwork and
the lighting of the gas all to be accomplished by one operation. The
stop valve is opened by the cam when it is turned back.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letter Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
Her special license that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Melville Clark, 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 "IMPROVED AUTOMATIC GAS LIGHTING AND
EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS," a communication to me from abroad by Maurice
E. Jones, of Pittsfield, in the County of Berks, and State of Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of

page_text: their hands and scals, 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
The Invention relates to simple and effective means attached to gas
burners for automatically lighting the gas and extinguishing it after
a certain predetermined time. The device may however be also set at
will, so that the burning of the gas may be continued in cases of fogs
without bringing the extinguishing mechanisin into operation.
The Invention consists of gas lighting and extinguishing devices
that are set in operation by a winding bar or key and clock mechanism.
In the accompanying Drawing illustrating the Invention, Figure 1 is
a vertical transverse section of the improved gas lighter and extin-
guisher Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the same taken on line y, y,
Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the bar or key for winding the
clock train and lighting the gas; and Figure 4, a side view of a fog key
for stopping the clock train in foggy weather.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
1.
L
A is a chamber in a metal case B, which screws on to a lamp post
at C, and has a passage D for the gas to pass along one side of the
chamber to the burner E, in which passage is a stop valve F to shut
off the gas and extinguish it when it is let fall by a cam G, which is
turned for the purpose by the clockwork contained in the chamber A;
the cam being connected to the shaft H of the clock gear by its hollow
journal I, which extends from the gas passage D through a stuffing
box J, K, into the chamber A. The valve F has a pressure spring E
above it for pressing it firmly on its scat when the cam lets it fall, and
above the spring is an opening through the top of the case for intro-
ducing the valve and the spring which is closed by the plug M.

page_text: N represents strong clock springs for turning the train mounted on
a shaft O, which is secured on the outside of the frame P by caps Q,
so that it can be put on and taken off without taking the train apart.
This shaft has an extension along a tubular case R, with a toothed
wheel S and a paul and ratchet T for winding up the springs by a
toothed bar U, which is slid along the wheel S in a guide tube V by
hand for turning said wheel. This wheel turns the cam G back to set
at the same time that it winds up the springs. The extent to which
it is turned back determines the time the clock will run before extin-
guishing the light, and the extent to which it is turned back is governed
by the adjustable collar W on the bar U, which strikes against the lower
end of the guide tube V, and arrests the movement of the wheel S.
The collar is adjustable along the part of the bar having a scale X
graduated to the springs and the train, so that the cam may be set for
dropping the valve at any predetermined time by shifting the collar to
the mark on the scale corresponding to the time wanted. The wheel S
being connected to the shaft by the ratchet wheel and pawl allows the
setting bar to be withdrawn after starting the clock. The usual ratchet
mechanism Y is employed in connection with the clock springs and
shaft to allow the springs to be wound without turning the clock train.
In order to start the train when wound up, in case it does not start
by the springs, a lever a is arranged on a rock shaft or spindle d, with
a pin b to push the balance wheel a little, the lever being swung to
throw the pin against the wheel by the incline f on the starting bar,
running under and raising the arme of the shaft d, when the bar is
pulled back after winding up the springs. A spring 7 throws the lever
forward again out of the way of the balance wheel.
For stopping the clock mechanism after the light is extinguished
sufficient friction is created by a lever j being pressed at its free end
against the axle of the escapement wheel by means of a stud i in the
wheel m, said lever being pivoted to the frame of the clock mechanism
and held in place for the stud to strike it by a stud s.
The guide tube V for the starting bar is inclined toward the burner,
and the bar is provided with match holding fingers n at the upper end
to carry a match p, at the same time that it is used to wind up the
lock and strike it against the striking plate q, and then present it to
the burner to ignite the gas jet, thus allowing the winding and setting

page_text: of the clock and the lighting of the gas all to be accomplished by
one operation. The valve F is opened by the cam G, when it is turned
back.
For the purpose of admitting the use of the device in foggy weather,
in which case it is required that the lights should not be extinguished,
the motion of the clock train is interrupted and thereby the valve F
kept in open position to admit the continued flow of gas by a simple
check device e¹, which is pivoted near arm e to the guide tube V
sideways of the slot of the same, the check device being provided with
a flange eat the lower edge. A fog key U₁ is provided with an
inclined projecting part f¹ in the same manner as the winding and
lighting key U. The part f¹ is again provided at right angles with a
lug that engages the flange e² of check device e¹.
Whenever it is desirable on account of heavy fog to have the burning
of the lights extended beyond the point to which they are set by the
regular key, the fog key is inserted in the slot of the guide tube V, and
pushed forward thereon.
The projecting piece f¹ raises thereby the arm e, while the lug ƒª
bears against the flange of the check device e", and carries the upper
end of the same under arm e, turning thereby shaft or spindle d, and
carrying the pin of lever arm a against the balance wheel, so as to
interrupt the working of the clock train until the check device is carried
away from the arm by the regular key. When the light is to be
extinguished after the fog, it is done in the usual manner by the gas
cock, the automatic device being set in the customary manner by the
winding and lighting key when the gas has to burn again in the required
length of time.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The combination of spring-pressed valve F, cam G, and clock
mechanism shaft H, with case B, having the passage D leading to the
burner, as and for the purpose described.
2nd. The toothed bar or key U, having scale ✗, and adjustable
collar W combined with wheel S and guide tube V, as and for the
purpose set forth.

page_text: 3rd. The spring pressed lever a having pin b, the shaft & having
arm e, and the key U having projecting part f, combined with balance
wheel h, as and for the purpose set forth.
4th. In a lighting apparatus, the combination with escapement wheel
shaft of the short lever j and wheel m, having stud i, as and for the
purpose described.
5th. The fingers n at the end of the winding key U, combined with
the striking plate q, as and for the purpose set forth.
6th. The combination of arm e that raises lever arm a to stop balance
wheel, in combination with pivoted check device e¹ to interrupt working
of clock train when carried under arm e, as set forth.
7th. The fog key U₁ having inclined projecting piece f¹ and lug ƒ³ at
right angles thereto to push check device under arm e, as and for the
purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.