IMPROVE. MENTS IN ILLUMINATING APPARATUS AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHT
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph John William Watson of Old Kent
Road in the County of Surrey for an Invention of IMPROVE.
MENTS IN ILLUMINATING APPARATUS AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF
LIGHT
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph John
William Watson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 7th March 1853.
I JOSEPH JOHN WILLIAM WATSON of Old Kent Road in the
County of Surrey do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN ILLUMINATING APPARATUS AND IN THE PRODUCTION
OF LIGHT to be as follows
My improvements consist.First, in adapting the mixed gases oxygen
and hydrogen as they are obtained from the decomposition of water by
galvanic or other means. to. the purposes of illumination by causing
them to impinge during their ignition as suitably arranged, against any
material not combustible such as lime, pipe clay & or against any
material difficultly or easily combustible as coke graphite or charcoal
and thus to radiate an intense light.

page_text: Secondly, In certain apparatus by which the combustion and ignition
of these gases is rendured harmless and free from fear of explosion
consisting mainly in an arrangement of metal cylinders through the
interstices of which the mixed gases have to force their way before
undergoing combustion and by which during the combustion the
gases are so cooled as to be incapable of fireing the large bulk of them
contained in the reservoir of the apparatus from which they proceed
and in which they are contained.
Thirdly, The application of a piece of incandescent platinum or other
suitable material into the centre or other portion of a flame produced
by the combustion of oxygen or hydrogen gases or of Hydrogen gas
alone OI of other form of combustible gases
any
Fourthly, The rendering the platinum or other material used for
the above named purpose incandescent by means of a galvanic or
electric current
Fifthly, The use of the same current as renders the platinum or other
material incandiscent for decomposing the water and so producing the
Elementary substances Oxygen and Hydrogen
Sixthly, The use of combustible gases with the arrangement of in-
candiscent platinum in the manner described above producing illu-
minating effects.
Seventhly, The projection of a stream of Hydrogen or other gas pro-
duced from the decomposition of suitable solids and fluids by galvanic
agency on to spongy platinum and other porous materials to produce
a light with or without previous ignition.
Eighthly. The decomposition of materials capable of yielding com-
bustible gases for the purposes specified above by the agency of
Electricity.
Ninthly, The construction if an Apparatus in which the gases may be
produced and burnt in the manner and with the other arrangements
described by an Electric current.
Tenthly, The combining an Electric light by whatever means pro-
duced with an ordinary source of illumination in the same burner

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Joseph John William Watson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I
JOSEPH JOHN WILLIAM WATSON of Old Kent Road in the County of
Surrey Send Greeting
WHEREAS Her Most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Seventh day of March in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty three in the Sixteenth
year of Her Reign Did for Herself Her Heirs and Successors give and
grant unto me the said Joseph John William Watson Her special
license that I the said Joseph John William Watson my executors
administrators and assigns or such others as I the said Joseph John
William Watson my executors administrators or 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 ILLUMINATING APPARATUS AND IN THE PRODUCTION
OF LIGHT"
upon the Condition (amongst others) that I the said Joseph
John William Watson by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal 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 in compliance with the said proviso I the
said Joseph John William Watson have ascertained and set forth the
nature of my said Invention and the manner of carrying the same into
effect in and by the following description thereof reference being had
to the drawings hereunto annexed and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say;
My Improvements in the production of light consist in adapting the
mixed gases Oxygen and Hydrogen as they are obtained from the
decomposition of water by galvanic or other agency to the purposes

page_text: of illumination by causing them to impinge during their ignition
against certain non-combustible or nearly non combustible radiating
mediums as lime, the earths, graphite, spongy platina &. or certain
compositions hereinafter described--The materials made up in suit-
able forms may be either stationary or may have the several move-
ments described herein with reference to my improved illuminating
apparatus Further my Improvements in the production of light
consist in producing colored effects.
My Improvements in Illuminating apparatus consist in certain ar-
rangements and combinations for the purpose of illumination by the
combustion of a stream of Oxygen and Hydrogen gases produced by
Galvanic and Electric agency and directed against various solid sub-
stances.
Figure 1 represents a section of my improved Illuminating appa-
ratusa is a close vessel composed of lead or other material capable
of resisting considerable internal pressure and the action of acids It
is filled to a certain height with water slightly acidulated with sulphuric
or muriatic acids-b is a fountain reservoir fitted into the top of a and
containing liquid of the same quality as that in the vessel a-A small
open pipe b'. projecting from the bottom of the fountain allows the
liquid to descend into the vessel a until the lower aperture of the pipe
is closed by the liquid whereby the liquid in a is constantly main-
tained at the same height as in fountain lamps 6" is a funnel (fitted
with a stop cock 6) whereby the liquid is introduced into the reser-
voir, c is a tube of copper or block tin screwed into the top of a and
filled with brass wires c¹ of about 2 of an inch in diameter the wires
being retained in their places in the tube by discs c" of wire gauze or
perforated metal-c. is a stop cock fitted on the tube and el a pla-
tina nozzle fixed on the stop cock and having a very fine and minute
aperture d. d are two platina plates of about four inches square and
separated from each other about one quarter of an inch. These
plates are carefully insulated from any contact with the bottom of
the vessel a and communicate by means of wires d'. d' (concealed
in the base a¹. of the vessel) with the binding screws d¹¹. d"e is a
train of any suitable construction to cause the vertical spindle e¹. to

page_text: revolve with a uniform motion-This spindle is square and upon it
is loosely fitted the cylinder f which has a square aperture running
throughout its length to receive the spindle e¹.-This cylinder is sur-
rounded by a tube f¹. which forms a collar at the top to guide the
cylinder A continuous groove f" is cut in the cylinder forming a
kind of right and left handed screw and receives a peg f. inserted
in the collar so that during the revolution of the spindle the cylinder
whilst carried round in one direction is caused alternately to ascend
and descend along the spindle.
and
In a recess or socket in the cylinder f is fixed a cylinder g (or it
may be a cone) the composition of which will be hereinafter described
and behind it is placed an ordinary reflector h. It has a square hole
running through it to receive the spindle. The train e is moveable
between guides along the top of the vessel a by means of a lever
pall . attached to the frame of the train and acting upon a rack k".
attached to the top of the vessel a. m is a pressure gauge partially
filled with some colored liquid and n a water gauge. p is a cap or
cover closing in the train. The mode of preparing the apparatus for use
is as follows-The stop cock c¹ is opened and dilute sulphuric or
muriatic acid (preferably sulphuric acid of the strength of about twenty
parts of water to one of acid) is poured through the funnel until the
liquid has risen as high as the bottom of the reservoir (as indicated by
the water gauge). The cock c¹ is then to be closed and the liquid
continued to be poured into the reservoir until it is nearly filled when the
cock 6 of the funnel is to be closed and the cock c again opened―
The poles of a galvanic battery or magneto-electric engine are next
attached to the binding screws d", d" and immediately a decom-
position of the water will ensue the gases rising from the platina
plates During the time the mixed gases and the air contained in the
chamber are escaping through the cock c¹ the clock work should be
wound up
The stop cock c¹ of the jet is then to be shut and after
the expiration of two or three minutes when the pressure gauge shews
a pressure of about one to two atmospheres it is to be again opened
about three fourths when a fine stream of the gases will issue and
impinge upon the cylinder g and upon igniting the jet a most brilliant

page_text: light will result from the cylinder which will be thrown forward in rays
by the reflector into the surrounding space--The operation of the
train at the same time causes the cylinder to rotate and to ascend
slowly along the spindle and thereby to expose continually a different
portion of its surface to the action of the pencil of flame. This action
causes the abraiding of the material to form a spiral groove running
round the cylinder-During the descent of the cylinder the action of
the flame tends to erase the groove made whilst rotating upwards and
cuts for itself a new groove running in the opposite direction-Towards
the end of the descent the cylinder f depresses the lever k and thereby
advances the train towards the jet or burner through a small space so
as to about compensate for the diminished diameter of the cylinder g
and to maintain it at nearly the same distance from the burner-The
object of filling the tube c with brass wires is to prevent the flame
from passing down to the gas contained in the vessel a and thereby
causing explosion, the wires cooling the gases below the point of
ignition in the event of the flame passing backwards-The jet should
be as slender as possible and very short in order to allow of as little
accumulation of gas above the wires in the tube as possible.
As in the event of the liquid in the vessel a falling below the top of
the plates the latter would become incandescent and probably cause
the gas in the vessel to explode a metallic float q is provided which
before the water has descended too low comes into contact with the
decomposing plates d d and thus completing the circle suspends the
decomposition of the water
I sometimes surround the cylinder g with a coil of very fine platina
wire and I find that the radiation of the light is diffused over a larger
space by the radiation of the glowing platina.
As already stated the mediums against which the flame of the
mixed gases impinges may be composed of Lime Earth's Graphite Spongy
platina &. but I prefer to prepare the cylinders cones or other forms
used for the radiation of the light in the following manner-Quick
lime and powdered graphite from gas retorts or the scurf from coke
ovens in the proportion of ten parts of lime to three parts of the car-
bonaceous matter are mixed with water into a paste to which is then

page_text: added about one fifth part of the best china clay or pipe clay-The paste
then after being well kneaded is to be placed into small iron cylinders
and carefully dried in a stove and afterwards brought to a white heat
in a closed iron box each cylinder being well bedded in a stratum of
quick lime.--But I do not confine myself to the particular mixture
of the materials in the proportion described but claim all such mixtures
of such materials as are hereinbefore named as employed for the pur-
poses hereinbefore described-I also occasionally employ spongy platina
for the formation of the cylinders-and by steeping such in nitrate of
Strontian or other substances used for pyrotechnic displays I obtain
colored effects-The hole to admit of the introduction of the spindle
into the centre of the cylinder is formed by thrusting a solid iron rod
into the iron mould when filled with the paste-This rod is left in the
mould during the drying of the paste cylinder-In mixing the mate-
rials I add a small portion of saccharine matter (treacle answers very
well) to prevent the composition from cracking when exposed to a white
heat:
I would observe that the adjusting apparatus for the radiating
medium (apart from the illuminating apparatus described above) is
applicable to the "Drummond light" or to any apparatus in which a
mixture of Oxygen and hydrogen gases are burnt-Thus water may be
decomposed on a large scale by galvanic agency in works adapted to
the purpose and the mixed gases resulting therefrom conveyed by
pipes to the burners as is now ordinarily practised with coal gas-The
illuminating apparatus described above will afford the means of obtain-
ing a most brilliant light at almost a nominal cost inasmuch as I make
use of the Chromatic Batteries patented by me in November One
thousand eight hundred and fifty two by which the products remaining
after the galvanic action more than cover the expence of producing
the electric current.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of carrying the same into effect I would observe that I do not limit
myself to the precise form and arrangement of the illuminating ap-
paratus or to the proportions of the materials of the compound radiating
medium as these may be modified without departing from the principle
of my Invention but I Claim as follows;

page_text: First. The application of the mixed gases oxygen and hydrogen (ob-
tained by the decomposition of water by galvanic agency) by directing
the flame resulting from their combustion against a radiating body
composed of suitable incombustible or difficultly combustible substances
as Lime, Earths, Graphite and Spongy platina or of the mixed materials
hereinbefore described.
Second. The increasing the light from the radiating body by sur-
rounding it with a coil of fine platina wire.
Third The producing colored light by directing a stream of hydrogen
gas or of a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen gas. on to spongy platina
treated as hereinbefore described.
Fourth The general arrangement of the Illuminating apparatus
herein before described.
Fifth. The application of a metallic safety float which in the event
of the water in the gas generating chamber falling too low establishes
a metallic connection between the decomposing plates and thus arrests
the further decomposition.
Sixth. The application of apparatus moved by clock work to impart
a rotatory, reciprocating and advancing motion to the radiating body on
which the flame impinges in Lamps of any construction for the burning
of hydrogen or Oxyhydrogen gas from whatever source obtained.
In witness whereof I the said Joseph John William Watson have
hereunto set my hand and seal this Sixth day of September in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty
three.
JOSEPH J. W. WATSON. (L.S.)
Witness, JAMES MURDOCH.