IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT FROM VOLATILE LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS.
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wells, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Gentleman, and John William Myers, of the same Place,
Pattern Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT FROM VOLATILE LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wells and John
William Myers at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 10th June 1863.
We, WILLIAM WELLS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman,
and JOHN WILLIAM MYERS, of the same Place, Pattern Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT FROM VOLATILE LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS," to be as
follows:-
The nature of our Invention consists in the application of rarefied air
generated by the heat of the light to be produced for creating a current of
air, which is made to pass through a vessel filled with yarn or other fibrous
or porous substance. This substance is constantly kept moist with the spirit
of petroleum or other volatile liquid supplied by means of capillary attraction
from a reserve vessel filled with the same, the rarefied air in passing through
the vessel filled with yarn or other fibrous or porous substances absorbs and
mixes with a portion of the volatile liquid and forms an inflammable gas for
the production of artificial light. The burner is placed at the under side of

page_text: the vessel, and above the light is placed a funnel communicating with the
upper end of the vessel, by this arrangement the air rarefied by the light
ascends the funnel and enters the upper part of the vessel, where, as before
stated, it mixes with the gas or vapour given off by the volatile liquid held in
the yarn or other fibrous or porous substance, and in that state passes through
the pipe to the burner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Wells and John William Myers in the Great Seal
Patent Offico on the 9th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WELLS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, and JOHN
WILLIAM MEERS, of the same Place, Pattern Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Wells and John William Myers, Her special license that we, the
said William Wells and John William Myers, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Wells and John William.
Myers, our 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 APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING ARTIFICIAL LIGHT PROM VOLATILE LIQUIDS OR FLUIDS," upon the
condition (amongst others.) that we, the said William Wells and John William
Myers, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, 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 Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Wells and John William
Myers, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described. and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-

page_text: The nature of our Invention consists in the application of the rarefied air
generated by the heat of the light to be produced for creating a current of air,
which is made to pass through or in contact with a vessel filled with yarn or
other fibrous or porous substance, this substance is constantly kept moist with
the spirit of petroleum or other volatile liquid supplied by means of capillary
attraction from a reserve vessel containing the same; the rarefied air in passing
through the vessel filled with yarn or other fibrous or porous substance absorbs
and mixes with a portion of the volatile liquid, and forms an inflammable gas
for the production of artificial light, or the volatile liquid may be volatilized
by the application of external heat. The burner is placed at the under side
of the vessel, and above the light is placed a funnel communicating with the
upper end of the vessel. By this arrangement the air rarefied by the light
ascends the funnel and enters the upper part of the vessel, where, as before
stated, it mixes with the gas or vapour given off by the volatile liquid held in
the yarn or other fibrous or porous substance, and in that state passes through
the pipe to the burner.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation in section of a lamp suitable for lighting a railway
carriage constructed according to our improvements; Figure 2 is a plan of
the same taken partly in section. a is the vessel containing the spirit of
petroleum or other volatile liquid or fluid, the vapour of which is to be con-
sumed; this vessel is made of cast iron or other suitable material, and it is
fixed to the exterior of the roof of the carriage. To the vessel a is cast or
fixed the vessel b, which is partly filled with yarn or other fibrous or porous
substance, the two vessels being in communication with each other by the
openings c and d. The vessel a is closed with the lid e, in which is a plug f.
for closing the hole through which the volatile liquid or fluid is supplied to the
reserve vessel a.
The vessel b is also closed with a lid g, and in it is the
partition i, which prevents the volatile liquid or fluid and the yarn or other
fibrous or porous substance in the larger portion of the vessel b from gaining
access to the pipe j, in which is the tap j', communicating with the burner k.
Above the burner is placed the funnel 1, communicating with the upper part
of the vessel 6 by the pipe m and tap n. The top of the funnel is closed by
the lid o, which is hinged to afford facility in passing a lighted taper down the
funnel for igniting the vapour escaping through the burner k. The burner is
enclosed in a glass globe p, as in other railway carriages, and the air is supplied
to the burner through the casing or cover p².

page_text: The mode of operation is as follows:-When the reserve vessel a bas been
filled or partially filled with the volatile liquid or fluid to be consumed when
volatilized it passes through the opening d into the vessel b, in which it rises,
being carried upwards by the capillary attraction of the fibrous or porous
substances in the vessel 6; as soon as the vessel b is charged the gas escaping
through the burner k may be ignited, the air rarefied by the light then ascends
the funnell, and passing through the pipe m'and tap n, enters the upper part
of the vessel b, where it mixes with the gas or vapour given off by the volatile
liquid or fluid beld in the yarn or other fibrous or porous substance, and in
that state passes along the partition i to the pipe j, which, as before stated, is
in communication with the burner. When the light is not required the
taps and n are closed.
Although we have only shewn our Invention as applied to a railway carriage
lamp, we wish it to be understood that it is equally applicable to every
description of lamps for railway, domestic, and other purposes. In Figures 3
and 4 we have shewn our improvements applicable to dwelling houses, or in
other places where several burners are required. is the chamber containing
the porous or fibrous substance, which is kept saturated with the volatile
liquid supplied by the pipe 61 from a vessel placed in any convenient part of
the building, and of sufficient capacity to supply all or any portion of the
burners required; the vessel b is made with a partition 6%, and it is closed
with an air-tight lid e; in the centre of the chamber b is the pipe j, which
conveys the inflammable gas to the burner k, and to one corner of the
chamber is connected the pipe m, which is furnished with the tap n. The
air rarefied by the burner is collected in the dome s, which is attached to the
end of the funnel 1, surrounding the pipe j, the upper end of the funnel / is
secured to the chamber b, and communicates with the pipe m. By this means
the rarefied air is conveyed into the corner of the chamber b, and after passing
through the channel formed by the partition b², descends, when charged with
the gases given off by the volatile liquid, to the burner k. To the chamber b
is also connected the off pipe, by which any excess of volatile liquid is
conveyed away. The pipes from any number of chambers 6 may be united
in a vessel placed in the lower portion of the building. By this arrangement
any number of burners may be supplied from one vessel containing the volatile
fluid to be consumed. When the heat is applied externally to the vessel
containing the volatile liquids or fluids, the rarefied air from the burner is
conveyed through suitable pipes or direct to the outside of the said vessel.
b
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described two con-
venient modes of performing the same, we declare that what we claim as our

page_text: improvements in the production of artificial light from volatile liquids or fluids
is, the application of the air heated and rarefied by the flame of the burner to
the interior or exterior of the vessel containing the liquid or fluid to be
volatilized in the manner described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Wells and John William Myers,
have hereto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.