IM- PROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FITTINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Bailey, of the Albion Works,
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FITTINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 13th August 1875, and dated the 13th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Bailey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th February 1875.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BAILEY, of the Albion Works, Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FITTINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to the construction of a combined apparatus to
be affixed at the front of a steam boiler, and which shall serve the
purpose of a pressure gauge, water regulator, compound lock-up safety
valve, water gauge, test cock, and indicator for regulating the supply of

page_text: oxygen to the furnace, the improvements being equally applicable to
some of the parts of the apparatus when used separately for their several
special functions, and also as a steam trap for removing the water of
condensation from vessels containing steam.
"
In its combined form this apparatus consists of an enclosed chamber
communicating with the steam space of the boiler, and of a smaller
chamber herein-after called the water chamber communicating with the
water space of the boiler. A steam pressure gauge is affixed in any
convenient position upon the enclosed steam chamber, and this gauge
is peculiar in its casing, being constructed with an annular flange,
pierced with a number of holes corresponding to the degrees of pressure
in order that a metallic label or index finger, bearing the word "danger,'
may be secured by means of a small bolt and padlock in any one of such
holes, and thus indicate the maximum pressure, beyond which the
steam in the boiler should never be raised. This steam chamber is
further provided with a pair of safety valve seatings, upon which
corresponding valves are fitted, the pressure upon these valves being
produced by a pair of levers, which meet in the centre upon what is
known as the Ramsbottom principle, and such valves are there con-
nected to a vertical rod which passes downwards through the steam
chamber, where a strong spiral spring is mounted upon such rod, and
which spring is capable of being screwed up by means of a nut and
washer to the desired pressure, and is there held and secured in position
by a bolt and padlock in a somewhat similar manner to that described
with respect to the pressure gauge.
.
A pair of water gauges depend from the sides of the steam chamber,
and are connected at there lower extremities to two branches from the
water chamber. The lower valves of these gauges are each fitted with
a spiral scraper, which serves every time the outlet is opened to remove
any sediment lodging in the waterway.
The test cock or valve which I affix in front of the water chamber
consists of a weighted valve set to the working pressure and fitted with
a lever, by means of which the weight can be at any time raised for the
purpose of ascertaining whether steam or water will flow. This con-
struction of cock or valve will be found useful as a safety valve and
draw-off cock for domestic boilers.
_ The water-regulator consists of a tube affixed in the interior of the

page_text: boiler, and the mouth of which tube is set at the level below or above
which it is not advisable that the water shall pass, and thus so long as
the water remains in this tube an expansion tube connected thereto
retains an open passage through a valve for the admission of water, but
immediately the steam enters such expansion tube it expands and so
closes the valve. A modification of this expansion tube is applicable
as a steam trap for removing the water of condensation from vessels
containing steam.
For regulating the supply of oxygen to the furnace I affix an index
dial to the lower extremity of the water chamber herein-before described,
and connect the index fingers of this dial to a hinged or louvre door,
which covers an orifice communicating with the hollow bridges of
the furnace, behind and above which it is desired to admit the oxygen
or atmospheric air for the more perfect consumption of the products of
combustion passing over such bridges, and thus I am enabled to indicate
upon the dial the requisite amount of opening for the entrance of such
oxygen or atmospheric air.
Instead of having the dial stationary it will be apparent that it may
revolve and the index finger be fixed, and that such indicating apparatus
may be applied to regulating the opening of the louvres or shutters
mounted upon the ordinary furnace doors.
In feeding water to a steam boiler fitted with my improved combined
apparatus I pass such water through a passage in the water chamber
herein-before described, in which passage I mount a spiral blade upon a
spindle which passes through a stuffing box to the outside, where it may
be used for working the scrapers upon Twibill's or other similar fuel
economisers or water heaters, the water passing through such passage
causing the spiral blade to revolve; this revolving spindle serves also to
show when an injector is used that the injector is doing its work; or the
revolving motion so obtained may be employed for any other useful
purpose, say, for working the self-acting stoker for supplying dust coal
to the furnaces of steam boilers, whilst if such spirals are fitted in the
interior of the tubes of fuel economisers or water heaters their revolving
action will serve to prevent incrustation in such tubes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Henry Bailey in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY BAILEY, of the Albion Works, Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, 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 William Henry Bailey, Her
special licence that I, the said William Henry Bailey, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Henry Bailey, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILER FITTINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Henry Bailey, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 William Henry Bailey, 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 accompanying
two Sheets of Drawings representing several modifications of my Inven-
tion, similar letters marked upon the several views being used to indicate
similar parts.

page_text: enlarged scale.
This Invention relates to the construction of a combined apparatus
to be affixed at the front of a steam boiler, and which shall serve the
purpose of a pressure gauge, water regulator, compound lock-up safety
valve, water gauge, test cock, and indicator for regulating the supply
of oxygen to the furnace, the improvements being equally applicable to
some of the parts of the apparatus when used separately for their several
special functions, and also as a steam trap for removing the water of
condensation from vessels containing steam.
P
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, A is an enclosed chamber communicating
with the steam space of the boiler, and B is a smaller chamber, heroin-
after called the water chamber, communicating with the water space of
the boiler. A steam pressure gauge O is affixed in any convenient
position upon the enclosed steam chamber, by preference in front
thereof, as illustrated, and this gauge is peculiar in its casing, being
constructed with an annular flange C¹ pierced with a number of holes (C³)
(see Figs. 3 and 4) corresponding to the degrees of pressure, in order
that a metallic label or index finger C³, bearing the word "danger," may
be secured by means of a small bolt C* and padlock C³ (see Fig. 4) in
any one of such holes, and thus indicate the maximum pressure, beyond
which the steam in the boiler should never be raised. The steam
chamber A is further provided with a pair of safety valve seatings A³,
upon which corresponding valves A² are fitted, the pressure upon these
valves being produced by a lever A³ mounted upon what is known as the
Ramsbottom principle, being connected in the centre to a vertical
rod A', which however in this case passes downwards through the steam
chamber, precisely similar to that herein-after described with reference
to Figs. 5 and 6, where a strong spiral spring A³ is mounted upon such
rod, and which spring is capable of being screwed up by means of a
nut A and washer A' to the desired pressure, where it may be held and
secured in position if required by a bolt and padlock.
A pair of water gauges D depend from the sides of the steam chamber
and are connected at their lower extremities to two branches from the
water chamber, as illustrated. The passages leading to the lower valves
of these gauges are, as seen dotted in Fig. 1, each fitted with a spiral
scraper, herein-after more particularly explained, which serves every

page_text: time the outlet is opened to remove any sediment lodging in the water-
way.
A test cock or valve of any ordinary construction may be affixed in
front of the water chamber for the purpose of ascertaining whether
steam or water will flow. This construction of combined boiler
mounting is specially advantageous on account of its only necessitating
two holes to be cut in the boiler to accommodate the steam gauge,
double safety valve, double water gauges, and test cock.
For regulating the supply of oxygen to the furnace I affix an index
dial E to the lower extremity of the water chamber B, and connect the
spindle upon which the index fingers E¹ are mounted by means of a
chain E passing over pulleys E³ to a hinged or louvre door F, which
covers an orifice F¹ communicating with the hollow cast-iron bridges G
of the furnace. These hollow bridges are perforated with holes G¹ at
the back, and are also provided with a long slot or opening G² at the top
to admit the oxygen or atmospheric air for the more perfect consumption
of the products of combustion passing over such bridges, and thus I am
enabled to indicate upon the dial the required amount of opening for the
entrance of such oxygen or atmospheric air.
Instead of having the dial stationary it will be apparent that it may
revolve and the index finger be fixed, and that such indicating apparatus
may be applied to regulating the opening of the louvres or shutters
mounted upon the ordinary furnace doors.
Fig. 5 represents a front sectional view and Fig. 6 a plan of a double
safety valve arranged in accordance with my Invention, to be fixed in
front of a boiler. A is the steam chamber, which is provided with a
flange to facilitate its connection with the boiler, and is fitted with two
valves H, the lever H' of which is connected at its centre to the vertical
rod H³, which passes through to the under side of the steam chamber A,
as illustrated, and is there surrounded by a spiral spindle H³ capable of
being screwed up to any required tension by a nut H* screwing against
a washer H³.
Fig. 7 is a front view partly in section of a combined single safety
valve, steam gauge, and water gauge, constructed in accordance with my
Invention, and Fig. 8 is a sectional plan of Fig. 7 taken across the
line a-b. In this modification I is the steam chamber which is secured
to the front of the boiler by the back nut I'. This chamber is divided

page_text: into two compartments by the diagonal division I, as illustrated, and
the upper or left-hand compartment J is fitted with a safety valve J',
which is pressed downwards upon its seating by the lever J' and spiral
spring Js, the adjustment of the tension of such spiral spring being
regulated by the nut J. The lower or right-hand compartment K of
the steam chamber communicates by means of suitable passages K'
formed in the plug L of the water gauge cock, as illustrated, not only
with the glass tube L' of such water gauge but also with a passage K³
leading to the steam gauge K³, the passage K¹ in the plug being arranged
to permit the communication with the glass tube L¹³ to be closed by
turning such plug in case of accident, and yet to retain an open passage
meanwhile between the boiler and the steam gauge.
Fig. 9 represents a perspective exterior view of a double safety valve
constructed in accordance with my Invention to be affixed on the top of
a steam boiler, and for which purpose the steam chamber is provided
with a pair of hollow legs M which are connected to a flange plate M¹,
the vertical rod N connected to the lever N¹ being drawn downwards by
a buffer spring O, which can be secured at any requisite degree of tension
by the padlock O¹.
Figs. 10, 11, and 12 represent other modifications of my Invention,
the construction and uses of which are sufficiently apparent from the
illustration and the descriptions of the foregoing modifications.
Fig. 10 represents the hand of an attendant in the act of pressing
down one extremity of the lever in order to test the working condition
of the valves. The spiral spring which pulls down the valve lever is in
all these three cases protected by the usual metallic casing which is
graduated on either side of a slot, as illustrated, in order that a pointer
secured to the spring or washer and passing through such slot may
indicate upon the gradation the pressure to which the spring is screwed
up, and consequently the blow-off pressure of the safety valves.
Fig. 13 illustrates a transverse section of a steam boiler shewing my
improved method of and apparatus for regulating the supply of feed
water and for giving an indication when the water has risen too high in
the boiler. P is a vertical pipe which extends downwards inside the
boiler, so that its mouth is situated at the lowest point to which the
water should descend, and the upper extremity of this same pipe is
outside the boiler in contact with a lever Q mounted in a bracket

page_text: secured to any convenient part of the boiler house. This lever is con-
nected by cord, wire, or chain Q' to the lever R of a stop valve R¹,
which controls the supply of feed water.
The action of this feed water regulator is as follows:-So long as the
water in the boiler is above the mouth of the pipe P such pipe remains
filled with water, and is thus kept comparatively cool, but immediately
the water leaves such pipe by the level of the water lowering too
much, and the steam takes its place, such pipe lengthens by reason of
expansion and so lifts the levers Q and R, and so opens the valve R¹
to admit the feed water. It will be readily apparent that the upper
]
extremity of the pipe P may be arranged to bear direct upon the feed
valve, and thus dispense with levers altogether, and in all cases it is
advisable to promote a slow circulation of water through the pipe B to
prevent its becoming air locked.
The indication of and escape for too high water is obtained by the 1
syphon pipe S which acts the converse of the pipe P, being arranged
with its mouth situated above the ordinary level of the water. This
pipe S is thus constantly filled with steam, and the lowest extremity of
the outside leg S¹ which passes through to the inside of the valve box T¹
is thus by reason of expansion kept extended so as to close against a 2
valve T, which can be regulated to the greatest nicety by the screwed
spindle T and be locked in position by a lock nut T3. Should the water
in the boiler rise so as to cover the mouth of the pipe S and thus prevent
the admission of steam to such pipe the outside leg S¹ shortens by reason
of contraction and leaves the valve T, when an open passage is provided 2
to permit the water to escape first into the valve box T¹ and thence
through the bib or spout U into the outer atmosphere, where it affords
a visible indication of the water having risen too high in the boiler.
Fig. 14 represents a steam kettle or apparatus for supplying boiling
water, and which is fitted with my improved apparatus for regulating 8
the height of water in vessels containing steam, shewing how the same
principle may be applied to act as a steam trap for withdrawing the
water of condensation as it accumulates in such vessels. This boiling
apparatus consists of a cylinder, into which a pressure of steam is
admitted so as to surround the coil of pipe a, and thus to communicate 3
its heat to the water contained therein. The water to be boiled enters
this coil either from the town's main or any other source by the inlet a',

page_text: and may be withdrawn therefrom in a boiling state by the valve b. The
pipe c for permitting the escape of the condensed water is similar to
and acts upon the same principle as the pipe P in the last-mentioned
modification, the inside leg O₁ extending down inside the cylinder to the
level beyond which the condensed water is not permitted to rise, and
which pipe remains expanded and keeps a valve d closed so long as it
is filled with steam, but shortens by reason of contraction, and opens
such valve as soon as the condensed water has accumulated sufficiently
to rise within such pipe, the condensed water escaping from the valve d
through the bib or spout e.
In Fig. 15 I illustrate the application of my revolving spiral blade or
scraper to the feed pipe of a steam boiler, shewing how such scraper can
be used for preventing the lodgement of sediment in such pipe, and at
the same time serve as a motive power for any required purpose. fis
the pipe leading from the pump or injector, and 9 is a spiral blade
secured upon the spindle h, which revolves upon an adjustable pivot i at
the bottom, and at the top passes through a stuffing box to the outside,
where it is provided with a worm j. The back pressure valve k is pro-
vided with a set screw 7, which can be adjusted to the greatest nicety so
as to prevent the back pressure valve entirely closing, but to remain
open a sufficient distance to ease the pump or injector, and thus
enables the quantity of water injected or pumped into the boiler to be
regulated.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-As the water is forced
through the pipe fand comes in contact with the spiral blade 9 it causes
such spiral blade to revolve in proportion to the speed at which the water
is passing, and thus by gearing the worm j to a worm wheel such
revolving motion may be utilised by being connected to a counter for
indicating the number of revolutions of such spiral blade, and at the
same time the number of gallons of water passing through may be
recorded, or such revolving motion may be applied to working the
scrapers upon Twibill's or other similar fuel economiser or water heater.
This revolving spindle serves also to shew when an injector is used that
the injector is doing its work; or the revolving motion so obtained may be
employed for any other useful purpose, say, for working the self-acting
stoker for supplying dust coal to the furnaces of steam boilers, whilst if
such spirals, which are capable of being worked in a horizontal or
diagonal as well as a vertical direction, are fitted in the interior of the

page_text: tubes of fuel economisers or water heaters or in the water passages of
water gauges, their revolving action will serve to provent incrustation in
such tubes or passages.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
my said Invention together with the best methods with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details, relative
proportions, or dimensions of the various apparatus herein-before
described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, as the same
may be considerably varied without departing from the Invention, and
that I lay no claim to the method herein-before described and illustrated
of connecting two safety valves to a single lever, as that is well known as
the Ramsbottom principle, but what I do claim is,-
1st. The general construction and various combinations of apparatus
to be affixed to steam boilers, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
2nd. The apparatus for regulating the supply of feed water to steam
boilers for preventing high water in steam boilers and for permitting
the escape of condensed water from vessels containing steam, when con-
structed and working as herein-before described and illustrated on the
accompanying Drawing.
3rd. The use and application of spiral revolving scrapers, to which a
revolving motion is imparted by the passage of the water, and utilising
such revolving motion, as and for the purposes herein-before described
and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Bailey, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelvth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-