IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Williams Box, of Crayford, in the
County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS."
Scaled the 13th October 1871, and dated the 21st April 1871..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Williams Box
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st April 1871.
I, WILLIAM WILLIAMS Box, of Crayford, in the County of Kent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object a more ready and convenient method
for securing the lids or doors to the mouthpieces of retorts used in the
manufacture of gas, and consists in attaching to the sides of the mouth-
piece two ears, one of which is formed at its outer extremity with a
projection or stop, the other ear on the opposite side being constructed
at its outer extremity also with a forked opening which receives the end
of a cross bar and being pivotted thereto a rather loose hinged joint is

page_text: formed, which allows of the said cross bar being raised slightly so. as
to fall within the projection or stop on the opposite car. In or near
the centre of the cross bar an oval hole, slot, or other suitable device,
admitting of being adjusted is made, through which a pivot is inserted,
the said pivot being the axis or fulcrum of a lever. This lever is
furnished with a friction roller at the end next the mouthpiece, while
the other and serves as a handle to operate with and produce the
pressure. The lid being applied to the mouthpiece and supported by
the cars the cross bar is placed in position, when by a pull on the
handle of the lever the opposite end of the lever is forced against
the lid and there retains it securely in contact with the mouthpiece
until intentionally released. To obviate the possibility of the lever
being pulled too far and thus reduce the pressure intended to be exerted
upon the lid a stop is formed on the cross bar, which serves as an
effectual preventive.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Williams Box in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILLIAMS Box, of Crayford, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Williams Box, Her special
licence that I, the said William Williams Box, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Williams Box,
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, uso, excrcise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Williams Box, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my or their, or one of their

page_text: 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 Scal 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 Williams Box, 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 accom-
panying Drawing, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
In or
This Invention has for its object a more ready and and convenient
method for securing the lids or doors to the mouthpieces of retorts used
in the manufacture of gas, and consists in attaching to the sides of the
mouthpiece two ears, one of which is formed at its outer extremity
with a projection or stop, the other ear on the opposite side being con-
structed at its outer extremity also with a forked opening, which receives
the end of a cross bar, and being pivotted thereto a rather loose hinged
joint is formed which allows of the said cross bar being raised slightly,
so as to fall within the projection or stop on the opposite ear.
near the centre of the cross bar an oval hole, slot, or other suitable
device admitting of being adjusted is made, through which a pivot is
inserted, the said pivot being the axis or fulcrum of a lever. This lever
is furnished with a friction roller at the end next the mouthpiece, while
the other end serves as a handle to operate with and produce the
pressure. The lid being applied to the mouthpiece and supported by
the cars the cross bar is placed in position, when by a pull on the
handle of the lever the opposite end of the lever is forced against
the lid and there retains it securely in contact with the mouthpiece
until intentionally released. To obviate the possibility of the lever
being pulled too far and thus reduce the pressure intended to be exerted
upon the lid a stop is formed on the cross bar which serves as an
effectual preventive.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood, Drawings
are attached hereto, of which the following is a description.
Fig. 1 is a plan of a retort mouthpiece and lid with the arrangement
for fastening one to the other; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the ear C,
Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side clevation of the car D, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front

page_text: elevation of the retort mouthpiece and lid, the lever being pulled on one
side; and Fig. 5 is a side clevation of the same with a portion of the
car C removed in order to show more clearly the construction of the
lever and roller.
In Fig. 1, A is the mouthpiece; B, the lid; C and D, the cars; E,
the cross bar; F, the lever; G, the roller; and H, tlic stop on the cross
bar to prevent the lever F being pulled too far over. Similar letters
represent the same part in each of the Figs.
The materials of which the cross bar and lever are made may be
wrought iron, or they may be cast in malleable iron, and this in some
cases may be preferred. The roller may be made also of wrought iron,
but it is by preference formed of chilled cast iron. Any suitable
material, however, may be employed in the construction of the
apparatus.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observo in conclusion that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangement which I have
described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the cross bar, lever, and roller with their attendant connections
to cach other, and to the cars in such manner as to form an apparatus
for securing the lids to the mouthpieces of retorts, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Williams Box, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
onc.