Year: 1885

page_text: We SYLVANUS EDDINGTON and JOHN STEEVENSON, trading as Eddington and
Steevenson at New Street Iron Works, Chelmsford in the County of Essex,
Engineers 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:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in water-gauges for Steam Boilers, and
has for its object to provide a better means of securing the gauge-glass in the
fittings of the upper and lower cocks; to enable the gauge-glass to be placed
closer to the Boiler-front so as to be less liable to accidental injury; and to enable
the point of communication of the lower cock with the interior of the Boiler to be
situated above the level of the crown of the firebox, or flue, and yet permit of the
gauge-glass showing the full range of the water.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing; wherein Figure 1. is
a front elevation of the gauge, and Figure 2. a longitudinal vertical section,
through the gauge and fittings, showing the improvements. The same letters of
reference indicate the same parts in both these Figures.
The gauge glass a, is fixed at top and bottom in sockets bc, the lower end
resting on a seat or shoulder c¹ in the socket b, in the usual way, and a tight-joint
is made by india rubber washers d; but instead of the glands which compress
these washers into their stuffing boxes being tightened up by means of two
separate screw-collars, screwing on the sockets bc; the two glands e e are com-
bined, or are formed at the opposite ends of a metal tube enclosing the gauge
glass, and having longitudinal apertures e¹, to permit of the glass being seen, the
intervening bars e³, forming a cage to protect the glass, and to transmit the
necessary pressure for tightening up the packings from the one gland to the other,
the tightening up being effected by a single screw. For this purpose the upper
socket bis of one diameter from top to bottom, instead of having the usual
shoulder, or seat, for the washers to be pressed against, and in lieu of such
shoulder, we provide a loose tubular lining, or thrust piece f, that fits around the
end of the gauge-glass, and is itself pressed upon by an inner screw-threaded
ferrule or internal nut g screwing into the socket b and provided with a squared
orifice to receive a key for turning it whereby the pressure for tightening the
upper and lower packings is applied. The lining, or tubular thrust-piece f has

page_text: lateral openings f¹ to put the bore of the upper cock in communication with the
interior of the gauge glass, and also with a cleaning out plug, h. The openings f¹
may be elongated to allow for the compression of the washers d, x is the plug
closing the top of the socket b. The upper and lower cocks ik, have any ordinary
kind of plugs that may be preferred, but they are each made without any neck
between the shell of the cock, and the plate or flange by which the cock is fixed
to the Boiler, so that the plug of the cock is brought close up to the flange;
similarly, there is no neck between the shell of the cock and the socket in which
the gauge glass is fixed, the gauge being thus brought closer to the Boiler so as to
be less in the way of receiving accidental injury. The bore of the upper cock,
when open, is horizontal, or at right-angles to the boiler-front, as usual, but that of
the lower cock is made at such an angle that the point at which it communicates
with the interior of the Boiler is at about the same level as the lowest visible
portion of the gauge glass so that whilst said point of communication is situated
above the level of the crown of the firebox, or flue, the gauge glass shall show a
range of water down to the same level. The lower socket is provided with a
cleaning-out plug m, and with a blow-off cock n, as usual.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we would observe, that
we are aware that guards are usually provided for gauge-glasses, but have never
been applied to answer the purpose of glands to compress the packing washers
around the gauge-glass as herein specified, and we declare that what we claim is
1. The means, herein described, of securing, and packing the ends of the gauge
glass in its sockets by the use of a single tightening screw, and of protecting the
gauge glass from injury, substantially as specified, and shown in the drawing.
2. A water gauge for steam-boilers; wherein the point of communication of the
thoroughfare through the shell of the lower cock with the interior of the Boiler is
at about the level of the lowest visible portion of the gauge glass, substantially as
specified.
3. A water gauge for steam-boilers; constructed substantially as herein described,
and represented in the drawing annexed.