IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND FITTINGS OF CERTAIN APPARATUSES FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Carlier, of No. 60, Boulevart de Strasbourg,
Paris, in the Empire of France, Doctor in Medicine, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND FITTINGS OF CERTAIN APPARATUSES
FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES,"
Sealed the 6th March 1866, and dated the 16th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Carlier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
September 1865.
I, FRANÇOIS CARLIER, of No. 60, Boulevart de Strasbourg, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Doctor in Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND FITTINGS OF CERTAIN
APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of several improvements in the arrangement and
fittings of the apparatuses for extinguishing fires by mixture of carbonic acid
gas and water, patented on the 23rd of July 1862, under the No. 2096, by
Major Alphonse Vignon, and relates, firstly, to the arrangement of the top
and bottom plugs of the tube containing the gas-producing ingredients, the
cap of said tube and top plug no longer needing a wrench to be screwed up,
this being done by means of a mere iron or wooden rod.
Secondly, the lower cork or plug 'being pushed out of the tube by the
internal rod can no longer fall into the vessel, it being trung upon the rod,
which carries at its top a small washer coming against projecting pius, in
order that the rod may be withdrawn with the tube when desired.
Thirdly, instead of stopping the lower part of the tube with a cork, I
now employ a piece of a material soluble in water, such as sugar, gelatine,

page_text: or any other similar substance, the rod and upper screwed head being then
useless.
Fourthly, in large apparatuses or in portable ones I can stop the lower part
of the tube with a moveable obturator or valve shutting upwards, and held
fast on its seat by a helical spring, the said valve being opened by an upper
plug which pushes the rod when screwed down. This arrangement permits
the introduction in the tube of a new supply of gas-producing ingredientwhen
there is not pressure enough.
Fifthly, instead of a common pressure guage, I use a prover cap pierced
through with a very small hole, which cap is screwed upon the delivery cock,
and the latter being turned open suffers the liquid to spring out to a distance
proportionate to the internal pressure.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, forming part of this Provisional
Specification, the Figures 1 and 2 are sectional views of a portable apparatus.
A,sheet iron cylindrical casing, capable of sustaining high pressure, in which
is poured water with one of the ingredients intended to produce carbonic acid
gas; C, tube to contain the other ingredient; it is stopped below in Figure 1
with a cork, and in Figure 2 with a lump of sugar, gelatine, or any other
substance soluble in water. The tube C is soldered to a stopper B screwed
in the top of the casing. The cork D is pushed out by the rod F, by means
of a screw stopper E, the cork cannot remain in the casing when it is to be
filled up anew, as it sticks to the rod and is taken out with it, the latter being
raised out by small pegs i catching a washer a soldered on it. In the appa-
ratus, Figure 2, the sugar stopper D being dissolved the powder contained in
tube C falls in the casing. The carbonic acid gas exerting a pressure on the
liquid forces it out through the stop-cock I, tube K, and delivering nozzle L
Figure 1: In Figure 2, the tube K has been taken out, and a prover cap P
is screwed up on the stop-cock I, a very sinall hole is pierced through that
cap,and the stop-cock being turned open.thewater springs out and the degree
of pressure is thus ascertained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said François Carlier, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS
CARLIER, of No. 60, Boulevart de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Doctor in Medicine, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said François Carlier, Her special licence that I, the said François
Carlier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said François Carlier, 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 THE ARRANGEMENT AND FITTINGS OF CERTAIN APPARATUSES FOR
EXTINGUISHING FIES," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the
said François Carlier, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said François Carlier, 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 Sheet of Drawings and to the figures
and letters of reference placed thereon:-
My Invention has for its object the extinguishing of fires in a more
instantaneous and effectual manner than by the means and with any apparatus
in present use.
My improved apparatus is filled up with water and charged with carbonic
acid gas by means of any of the ingredients commonly used for that purpose.
The pressure obtained in the apparatus is proportionate to the quantity of gas-
producing ingredients introduced into it. The apparatus is made of sheeetiron
or steel of good quality, and of the shape best adapted to resist any required
pressure. It is tinned over inside, and varnished outside.
The particular advantages to be derived from the employment of this
improved system of extinguishing fires are well known, and may be briefly
stated as follows:-Almost every conflagration commences on a very small
scale, its rapid and irrestible progress is owing either to the fact of the place
where it originates being inaccessible to the means or apparatus employed, or
to the fact that at the time the fire commences (when every moment's delay

page_text: in checking it is of the utmost importance), no such means or apparatus are
ready at hand for use.
Now by the employment of my improved apparatus and process, the carbonic
acid gas, which is held in solution in the water without at all losing its cha-
racteristic properties, is on the solution being allowed to escape from the
vessel carried along with the jet of water with a velocity proportionate to its
pressure, so that it arrives on the burning point against which it is directed
without any material quantity of the same having escaped in its passage, and
on being suddenly liberated when the jet of water strikes the burning object, it
surrounds the latter with an atmosphere of carbonic acid gas, which in com
bination with the water itself efficaciously operates in extinguishing the fire.
The properties just mentioned admit of my employing vessels of small bulk
containing a comparatively small quantity of the above-named mixture, and
consequently of a very portable nature, representing, however, a volume of
fire-extinguishing fluid many times greater than the actual contents of the
vessel. Besides I am enabled, by keeping such vessels ready charged on the
premises of any establishment which it is desired to protect from fire, to make
use of them at a moment's notice by simply turning a cock, when the self-
contained projecting force of the carbonic acid gas will cause the mixture to
be propelled to a considerable distance.
From the foregoing it is evident that if any number of such apparatuses
containing extinguishing mixture ready to be made use of at a moment's
notice be placed in a building of any kind, or on board of ships at or near the
various establishments which it is particularly desired to protect from fire,
then in the case of fire breaking out the most efficient means are ready to
hand for checking it.
Although I prefer employing small portable vessels for containing this
solution, and such as may be readily carried on a man's back from place to
place, yet in some cases I arrange the same on small carriages to move on
wheels, and in other cases I arrange them as stationary receptacles situated
at or near the localities which it is important to protect, and I then make
them of any desired capacity.
The solution of the carbonic acid gas in water and the charging of the
vessels containing the same may be effected in any known manner. Thus
the solution may be made by means of the apparatus generally employed for
making aerated or soda water, and the vessel itself may be charged in the
usual way.
Or the gas may be generated and dissolved in the water in the
vessel itself by introducing into the said vessel such ingredients as are well
known.

page_text: The foregoing statements and remarks concerning the extinguishing power
of the gaseous mixture employed for putting out fires have been partly set
forth in the Specification of a previous Patent, obtained in the year 1862, and
numbered 2096, but my present Invention consists of most important improve-
ments introduced in the construction and fittings of the apparatuses employed
for producing and containing the mixture of water and carbonic acid gas to
be projected on the fire.
The Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawing are sectional views of my
improved portable apparatuses, which are composed of a cylindrical casing A
made of sheet iron or steel, or of any other material capable of sustaining a
considerable pressure. The top and bottom of this casing have a semi-
spherical shape, and are attached to the former either by riveting or soldering.
I prefer this form of apparatus as being the most convenient, but it may
receive any other form that will effectually withstand internal pressure. The
casing has an aperture at the top in which is soldered a ring, and a perforated
cap B is screwed in it, which cap forms the head of a tube, or a cylinder C
attached to it; the said tube is closed at its lower part by a cork D. The
aperture of the cap B is stopped by a plug E screwed into it; a metallic rod
or thick wire F is in the middle of the tube, and will be pushed down by the
plug E when screwed in; the said wire is pointed at its lower end to stick in
the cork; it is fitted towards its upper part with a small washer d. The rod F
might also be attached to the cork by a small string. The casing A is pro-
vided at the lower part with a stop-cock I, the inner opering of which is
protected by a perforated case J, in order to prevent any solid substance from
entering the same. Upon the outer end of the stop-cock is fixed a length
of flexible tube K, baving a suitably formed delivery nozzle L attached to it.
To the exterior of the casing or vessel A are fixed handles or rings m used
either to carry the apparatus or to receive the hooks of shoulder straps, so that
may be slung on the back of a man, as shewn, Figure 3.
it
The mode of directly charging the apparatus is as follows:-The cap B
being removed the vessel A is filled with water, to which is added one of the
ingredients employed for generating carbonic acid gas, such as bi-carbonate of
soda. The tube C being in an inverted position and the cork D taken out, the
plug E is almost entirely unscrewed, but remains only to prevent the gas-
producing powder from falling out; the said tube is filled with the other
ingredient used for generating carbonic acid gas, such as tartaric acid. The
open end of the tube is then closed with the cork D, and inserted in the
vessel A, the cap B being screwed in the opening for the same, as shewn,
Figure 1. For generating the carbonic acid gas the plug E is screwed fully

page_text: down in the cap B, and the rod F pushes out the cork; then the powder con-
tained in the tube C falling into the liquid, the carbonic acid gas is produced
instantaneously. The rod F being inserted in or attached to the cork, the
latter cannot get loose into the vessel, and the washer & fitted at the upper
part of the rod being stopped by small projecting pins i, i, the rod and cork
will be removed, together with the tube C, when it is desired to refill the
vessel with fresh water. No wrench is needed for screwing or unscrewing
either the cap or the ping E; the former is fitted with two projecting plugs
g, g. and the head of the latter is pierced through so that both can be screwed
in or out with a simple rod or stick t, as shewn Figure 6, which is a plan of
the
cap B.
In the apparatus shewn, Figure 2, there is an important improvement which
I have exclusively adopted. I take away altogether the rod used to push out
the cork and the plug working the said rod. The cap of the tube is then
simplified, as shewn in Figure 5 on a larger scale. Instead of a cork for
stopping the lower aperture of the tube I stop it with a piece of a material
soluble in water, such as sugar, gelatine, or any other similar substance
having no action on the gas-producing ingredients. This soluble obturator is
slightly tapered to fit the end of the tube C. having a similar shape. This
obturator may be coated all round with gum arabic, glue, or any adhesive
material, so as to remain sticking into the tube. When this latter is
inverted in order that the cap may be screwed into the top of the vessel, I
prefer surrounding the obturator with a thin strip of cork. Two or three
minutes after the tube containing the gas-producing ingredient has been
screwed into its place, the soluble obturator having melted away, the powder
contained in the tube falls into the water, the carbonic acid gas will evolve,
and the apparatus be fit for use at the end of 12 or 15 minutes. To ascer-
tain when the apparatus is ready for use, and what is its force of projection,
instead of a common pressure guage such as was at first employed, I use a
prover cap pierced through with a very small hole, which cap is screwed down
on the stop-cock P, as shewn Figure 2, and the latter being turned on allows
the liquid to spring out to a distance proportionate to the internal pressure.
Figure 4 exhibits a truck containing several portable apparatuses to be
carried about quicker wherever they are required.
Figure 7 is a vertical section of a permanent fire extinguisher of large
size, intended to protect the premises of any establishment containing valuable
property. It may be capacious enough to contain upwards of 30 gallons.
The tube or cylinder Cought to be of a size proportioned to that of the vessel,
so as to contain the required quantity of gas-producing ingredients. The said

page_text: tube, which on account of its size could not conveniently be screwed in the top
of the vessel, is held fast by set screws N running through a stay P. A brass
ring is soldered in the middle of the top piece of the tube C, and a stopper E
is screwed in said ring intended to push down the rod F for opening the lower
end of the tube C, and setting free the gas-producing ingredients which drop
down into the casing. The lower aperture of the tube is closed upwards by
a valve S, which is kept tight under its seat T (shewn in plan, Figure 8) by
the helical spring U. The seat of the valve is formed by a ring with a cross
piece drilled in the middle for the free passage of the rod F, which rod is
guided upward by a similar ring T. The spring U bears down on the centre
of the ring T, and up against a small washer r fitted on the rod F, the upper
end of which enters freely into the centre of the screw obturator E. This
arrangement allows of increasing, if required, the interior pressure of the
casing in order to propel the extinguishing mixture higher, if after testing
it with the prover cap, before described, it should be found that the fluid
could not reach the burning point. To obtain this increase of pressure the
stopper E must be unscrewed, the spring U then pushes up the rod F and
brings the valve on its seat, thereby completely precluding any communication
between the casing and the tube C; the latter being opened upwards both gas-
producing ingredients are at once poured into it; it is theu closed and the
lower stopper pushed open. The same system of stopping the lower aperture
of the tube with a valve may be equally applied to portable extinctors. Large
sized extinctors may be provided with an upper inlet cock Q for the intro-
duction or forcing in of the liquid.
Having now described my Invention I wish to have it understood that I
do not claim the use of carbonic acid gas for extinguishing fires, out only the
improved apparatus (substantially as herein described and illustrated by the
annexed Drawing) for projecting upon fire a mixture of water and carbonic
acid gas to extinguish it. Neither do I claim the use or proportion of any
particular ingredients for preparing the extinguishing mixture, nor to the
precise form or dimensions of the apparatus for preparing, containing, and
delivering the said solution or mixture as herein-before described; but I
claim,―
Firstly, the particular arrangement of the apparatus furnished with an
internal tube to contain one of the carbonic acid gas-producing ingredients;
the said tube being soldered fast to a cap, which is screwed on to the top of
the casing by means of a mere rod or stick, and the said tube being stopped
below either with a cork or valve, which in both cases is removed or opened
by means of an internal rod worked by an upper screw stopper.

page_text: Secondly, the employment of stoppers soluble in water, such as sugar,
gelatine, or any other such substance instead of a cork or valve for stopping
the tube below, which substance melting away in a few minutes allows the
gas-producing ingredients to drop into the water; this process rendering
unnecessary the internal rod and upper screw stopper.
Thirdly, the employment of a proving cap instead of a pressure gauge to
ascertain the pressure of the mixture inside the casing.
Fourthly and lastly, the means of increasing at pleasure the pressure within
the casing in order to propel the extinguishing mixture higher up to the
burning point, that is to say, with sufficient force to reach the fire, by intro-
ducing into the tube stopped below by a valve a fresh supply of the
ingredients required to produce carbonic acid gas, substantially as herein-
before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said François Carlier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
D'AUBRÉVILLE, C.E.
F. P. CARLIER. (L.S.)