IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE LAMPS
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Dore at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th October
1874.
I, JOHN DORE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Lamp Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CARRIAGE LAMPS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct railway carriage lamps in
such manner as to render them more efficient to economisc cost in
manufacture and repair and labour in cleaning.
The case of the lamp is cylindrical. At its upper end it is provided with
two ears to which a handle is connected. The case is flanged inwards at
its lower end and receives a bowl glass within it. The rim of the edge
of the bowl rests on the flange, and the glass is locked in its place by
means of an inner cylinder resting at its lower end on the rim of the
glass. Around the top of this cylinder there is a flange projecting
Qutwards; it is notched out on two opposite sides to allow it to pass the

page_text: cars in the outer case; these ears also are notched, allowing the inner
cylinder after it has been inserted to be turned round, the notched flange
then entering the corresponding notches in the ears; thus the parts are
held together. Within this cylinder again the annular oil reservoir of
the lamp is placed; it is a loose fit, and sufficient air for the supply of the 5
flame is able to pass down between the two parts. The oil reservoir
is held steadily in its place in the lower part of the cylinder by
springs.
Two quadrant tubes descend from the lower part of the oil reservoir,
and sustain the burner between them in the usual way. The burner too 1
is of ordinary form carrying a flat wick, the only peculiarity being that
springs are applied in the wick holder to prevent the wick falling. Over
the flame an oval taper glass chimney is applied. This chimney drops
into a socket formed to receive it and fixed in the centre of the opening
in the annular oil reservoir. There is a flange on the upper and 1
larger end of the glass chimney and it rests on the top of the
socket.
The reflector is attached to a cylindrical rim or breaker projecting
downwards from the under side of the oil vessel, and this rim or breaker
enters the bowl glass and directs the descending current of air so as to 2
sweep over the inner surface of the bowl glass all around. The air from
all sides meeting in the centre at the bottom of the bowl forms a steady
upward current to the flame. A conical metal chimney completes the
lamp and renders the ordinary top unnecessary; the metal chimney fits
on to the top of the oil reservoir enclosing entirely the space in the centre, 2
within which is the socket for the glass chimney so that the mouth of
the glass chimney is immediately beneath the lower end of the conical
metal chimney.
:
The opening at the top of the metal chimney is made of small area to.
obtain a rapid draft through it, so that currents in the outer air may not a
effect the ventilation of the lamp. Thus by the adoption of the conical
chimney the top of the lamp is done away with, reducing the labour in
cleaning and cost in manufacture without prejudicing the travelling
qualifications of the lamp.
By introducing over the burner the small oval glass chimney the
light is clarified and steadied and by applying a long breaker, entering

page_text: into the bowl glass and fitted to the reservoir the ventilation of the lamp
is regulated.
By having the lining of the lamp loose and checked at the top by a
brass ring a broken glass can be replaced instantly.