Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM HEDGELAND, of 1060, Warren Avenue, Chicago, County
of Cook, State of Illinois, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby de-
clare 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:-
My invention relates to acetylene lamps.
One of the main objects I have in view in this invention has been to render it
easy to clean out the carbide residue, and to avoid the presence of any projections
or recesses in the carbide chamber to or in which the residue would be apt to
cling or lodge. The nature of the invention is fully disclosed in the drawing
accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof, and in which I give
at
Fig. 1 a central vertical section of my improved lamp; at Fig. 2 an elevation
of the tube through which the water is admitted to the carbide, showing also
in section the india rubber ring surrounding said tube, at Fig. 3 an elevation
of the thimble and at Fig. 4 a vertical section of the thimble and ring. Figs. 2
to 4 are enlarged.
In said drawing A represents the body of the lamp within which is the water
reservoir B and the generating chamber C, the former occupying the outer and
The latter the inner portion of the body. The chamber C is open at the bottoni
to permit the insertion of the removable carbide holder D, which is a plain
cylinder open at the bottom and provided with a removable gas filtering cap D¹
at the top. The equalizing chamber is shown at E and is provided with an
upstanding flange E¹ which is threaded on the outside at and engages a corre-
sponding thread on the inside of chamber C. Said flange also corresponds to the
exterior of the holder, and the latter is detachably seated therein as plainly
shown at Fig. 1. An outstanding flange F is provided on the exterior of
chamber E and a rubber packing F is clamped between it and the bottom of
the reservoir B, so that no loss of water can occur at that joint. The reservoir
is filled at the nozzle G which is closed by a vented screw cap G¹, and the passage
of the water from the reservoir to the annular passage H connecting the reservoir
with the inclined pipe H' opening near the bottom of the equalizing chamber, is
controlled by the valve H having a long stem projecting through the top of the
reservoir and provided with an operating button H³. The burner is shown at J
and receives the gas from the top of chamber C.
The water is admitted to the carbide through an upward passage leading from
the equalizing chamber up into the carbide holder and having a lateral opening
or passage above the bottom of the holder through which the water may How to
the carbide. This upward passage is preferably located centrally of the carbide
holder, and is also preferably constructed as shown, that is to say, a tube LL¹
extending vertically through the holder is threaded to the boss L³ surrounding

page_text: the opening L³ in the top of the equalizing chamber. The lower portion, L, of
this tube is enlarged in diameter and forms the upward water passage referred
to, while the upper portion, L', is of small diameter and serves as a passage to
conduct the gas from the upper portion of the lamp to the top of the water in
the part L. Near its top, the part L is provided with a number of small
openings L, and it is also exteriorly grooved or recessed in the plane of said
openings as seen at L³. For turning the tube in engaging and disengaging it
from the carbide holder the projecting flange Le serving the purpose hereinafter
stated, may be milled on its edges. The water which passes from the interior of
the upward passage L through the openings L and into grooves Lo, moves from
the latter into contact with the carbide through a passage formed between a hard
rubber thimble M and rubber ring N which surround the part L and are confined
vertically between the boss L2 and flange L. The water passage between the
ring and thimble registers with groove L so that the water will pass directly
into it from the groove, and it is formed by giving the ring and thimble annular
shoulders m and n resting one upon the other, the shoulder m being notched
at me, and by beveling the ends of the ring and thimble outward and downward
from the shoulders as seen at m¹ and n¹, the shoulders acting to keep the bevel
surfaces from contact with each other, but allowing them to come close enough
together to prevent any large flow of water between them, and the notches m³
permitting a flow from the groove L into the opening between the bevel faces.
It will be understood that the water rises and falls in the upward passage
described in accordance with the varying gas pressure existing in the lamp and
which the pipe L¹ admits to the top of the water in the passage. And it will also
be seen that a restricted and preferably annular passage is formed in the con-
struction shown leading from the upward passage to the carbide and between the
ring and thimble. It will also be seen that this passage is lateral to the upward
passage, and hence the supply of water to it is cut off very soon after the gas
pressure becomes preponderating, because the water needs to be forced down only
a very short distance to carry it below the lateral passage. It will also be seen
that the upward passage may be of small diameter as shown because in that case
the amount of water to be displaced is correspondingly small, and the lamp is
thereby rendered more sensitive to the gas pressure. Further features of the
construction shown which may be noticed are that the lateral opening distributes
the water at all sides to the surrounding carbide, that it delivers the water in a
downward direction, thus preventing any entrance of the carbide residue within
the passage, and that the inlet to the passage is limited in heighth and that all
parts of it are located in the same horizontal plane so that the water is shut off
from all sides at the same time.
In one sense, the passage L may be said to be an upward extension of the
equalizing chamber as it receives its supply of water from the latter and the
water ebbs and flows through both in obedience to the varying gas and water
pressures.
No screen or filtering medium is interposed between the carbide and the inlet
by which water is admitted to it, because with a downwardly discharging inlet
no precautions against the entrance of the carbide within the inlet are necessary.
To clean the lamp, the equalizing chamber and carbide holder are unscrewed
and removed from the body of the lamp, the carbide holder is then detached from
the equalizing chamber, and the screen cap taken off the holder. Both ends of
the latter being now open, it becomes a very easy matter to dislodge the carbide
residue, and any residue clinging to the central regulating gas and water
passage may also be removed easily as the passage is exposed for its whole length
upon the removal of the carbide holder.
I have mentioned hard rubber as suitable material from which to make the
ring and thimble, because that material is the best known to me to resist the
action of the carbide. Other suitable material may be used however if preferred

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my suid
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st. In an acetylene lamp, a carbide holder in combination with a gas and
water tube or pipe for regulating the generation, such pipe being located centrally
of the holder and surrounded by the carbide and having an annular side or branch
passage or opening located above the bottom of the holder and serving to admit
the water to the carbide, the entrance to such passage being of limited height
so the water in the regulating pipe may be quickly shut off from the carbide,
substantially as specified.
2nd. In an automatically controlled acetylene lamp, an equalizing chamber
having an upward portion extending upward into the body of carbide in the
carbide holder, the top of such upward portion having a lateral opening for the
passage of the water to the carbide, said carbide holder, and a gas passage connected
to the gas holding parts of the lamp and joined to the top of said upward portion
of the equalizing chamber immediately above the lateral opening, substantially as
specified.
3rd. The combination in a self-generating acetylene lamp, of a tube projecting
upward into the carbide and a surrounding casing of material adapted to resist
the action of the carbide and serving to protect the openings in the tube, sub-
tantially as described.
4th. The combination in a self-generating acetylene lamp, of a tube projecting
upward into the carbide and receiving the water from below and supplying it to
the carbide and also receiving gas from above, and a surrounding casing of
material adapted to resist the action of the carbide and serving to protect the
openings in the tube, substantially as specified.
5th. The self-controlled acetylene lamp having an upward, water feeding device
extending into the carbide and having a surrounding ring and thimble, and also
provided with a lateral passage discharging the water downwardly, and formed
by beveling the adjacent ends of the ring and thimble, substantially as specified.
6th. The acetylene lamp having an equalizing chamber detachably joined to
the bottom of the generator chamber, substantially as specified.
7th. The acetylene lamp having an equalizing chamber detachably joined to the
bottom of the generator chamber and supporting the carbide holder, substantially
as specified.
8th. The combination in an acetylene lamp of a water reservoir, a generating
chamber located centrally of said reservoir, an equalizing chamber threaded in
the generating chamber and closing the bottom of the same, and also having a
connection to the reservoir, a carbide holder supported upon the equalizing
chamber, and a regulating gas and water pipe receiving water from the equalizing
chamber and gas from the upper part of the lamp and having a lateral opening
to the carbide, substantially as specified.
1000
Dated this 10th day UL
Februray,
A.D. 1000.
FREDERICK W. HEDGELAND.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.