AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING HOUSES, SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES BY KEROSENE OR OTHER OIL LAMPS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
" AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING HOUSES, SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES
BY KEROSENE OR OTHER OIL LAMPS." A communication from abroad by
Cornelius Godfrey, of Huntington, New York, United States of America,
Justice of the Peace.
Sealed the 15th August 1876, and dated the 23rd February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd February 1876.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING HOUSES,
SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES BY KEROSENE OR OTHER OIL LAMPS." A communi-
cation.
This Invention relates to an improved method of lighting dwelling houses and
other buildings, and ships and other structures in which artificial light is used, at
comparatively little expense, with perfect safety, and without detriment, but with
benefit to the health of those who occupy the same, its objects being to produce at
comparatively little expense from a kerosene or other oil lamp without a chimney
a light which shall be equal if not superior to that produced by coal gas, and to use
such lamp in any apartment without vitiating or deteriorating the atmosphere in
the same by drawing off the oxygen therein to support combustion in the lamps.
To accomplish these objects I supply the oxygen necessary for securing perfect
combustion to the lamps from some apartment or place separate and distant from
that in which the light is used, so that the oxygen of the atmosphere of the apart-
ment in which the light is being produced is not used for producing the light, but
the necessary supply of oxygen for producing such light is fed to the lamp or lamps
by means of atmospheric air forced under pressure through pipes from an air
reservoir or other source located in the said separate apartment or place, and the
latter may be a cellar into which the outer air is freely admitted, or an out-door
shed or other convenient place; and in order to increase the brilliancy of the light
produced by the kerosene or other oil lamp used when such effect is desired, I
introduce into the air reservoir a suitable proportion of oxygen gas by any suitable

page_text: means, which gas is then forced together with the air under pressure through the
pipes to the lamps.
In carrying the said Invention into practice, I ordinarily use a kerosene lamp
having a wick and wick tube of any of the kinds in common use that may be
suitable for the purpose, which lamp I provide with one or more tubes that connect
with the pipe through which the air is forced, and conduct it properly to the flame,
by which means the use of a chimney on the lamp is rendered unnecessary.
The air reservoir or aerometer above mentioned into which the air is forced, and
in which it is kept under pressure, may be of any suitable construction; and when
atmospheric air alone is forced through the pipes this reservoir may be dispensed
with, and any suitable apparatus employed for forcing the air through the pipes.
The pipes, through which the air is forced under pressure to the lamps, may be
ordinary gas pipes or any other kind of piping or tubing that may be suitable for
connecting the said reservoir or other source from which the supply is obtained
with the lamps in the several apartments of the building to be lighted in a similar
manner to that in which coal gas is usually supplied to the several burners in a
building from one and the same main; and in those buildings into which gas has
already been introduced the gas pipes and burners therein may be used without
making any material alteration in the same, except to connect them with the air
reservoir instead of with the gas main in carrying into effect my said improved
method of lighting by means of oil lamps.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 23rd
August 1876.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING HOUSES,
SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES BY KEROSENE OR OTHER OIL LAMPS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Cornelius Godfrey, of Huntington, New York, United States
of America, Justice of the Peace.
The said Invention relates to an improved method of lighting dwellings and
other buildings, and also ships and other structures in which artificial light is used
at comparatively little expense, with perfect safety, and without detriment to the
health of those who occupy the same, its object being to produce from a kerosene
or other oil lamp, without the aid of a lamp chimney, a light which shall be equal
if not superior to that produced by coal gas, and to use such lamp in any apartment
without vitiating or materially deteriorating the atmosphere of the same by drawing
off the oxygen therein to support combustion in the lamp or lamps.
To accomplish these several objects I conduct to the lamps through pipes a
supply of oxygen necessary for securing perfect combustion from some apartment or
place separate and distant from that in which the light is used, and thereby avoid
drawing from the latter an undue amount of the oxygen of its atmosphere; this
oxygen is supplied by means of atmospheric air or of atmospheric air inixed with
oxygen gas forced under pressure through the said pipes to the lamps from an
aerometer or air reservoir or other source located in such separate apartment, which
latter may be a cellar into which the outer air is freely-admitted, or an out-door
shed or other convenient place; and in order to increase the brilliance of the light
produced by the kerosene lamp or other oil lamp used, and to produce therefrom a
light of intense brilliance and strength when such effect is desired, I introduce
oxygen gas, either alone or mixed with atmospheric air, into the said reservoir, and
then force the same under pressure through the said pipes to the lamps.
The pipes, through which the air is forced under pressure from the air reservoir
to the lamps, may be ordinary gas pipe or any other kind of pipe or tubing that

page_text: may be suitable for conducting the air from the reservoir to the lamps in the several
apartments of the building to be lighted in a similar manner to that in which coal
gas is usually supplied to the several burners in a building from one and the same
gas main; and in those buildings into which gas has already been introduced the
gas pipes and gas burners therein may be used without making any material
alteration in the same, except to connect them with the air reservoir instead of
with the gas main.
And in carrying out my said Invention I use a lamp having a wick and wick
tube of any of the kinds in common or ordinary use in kerosene lamps that may be
suitable for the purpose, which said lamp I provide with one or more tubes or other
air passage or passages which lead to the flame, and connect with an opening at or
near the bottom of the lamp into which the compressed air is received as it is emitted
from the said pipe, and by which it is conducted properly to the flame. A nozzle or
nipple having a small bore is fitted on the end of the said pipe, and located imme-
diately underneath and at some distance from the said opening, so as to leave a
vacant space between the two, into which a column (or columns) of the air sur-
rounding the lamp is drawn by the action of the jet of compressed air emitted from
the said nozzle, and is supplied to the flame along with the air (or the oxygen gas,
as the case may be) emitted from the pipe through the nozzle.
The aerometer or air reservoir into which the air or the oxygen gas, as the case
may be, is introduced, and in which it is kept under pressure, may be of any
suitable construction; but for the purpose of rendering the same inexpensive and
adapted for general use, and efficient in its operation and easily managed, I construct
the main portion thereof of tough paper or of pasteboard, and arrange the several
parts thereof in manner herein-after particularly described.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the several parts of the apparatus and devices which I
employ in carrying my said Invention into effect, and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures in the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
In the said Sheet of Drawings, Fig. represents a sectional elevation of a
portion of a building provided with my improved apparatus for lighting ;
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a lamp and its adjuncts;
Fig. 3, a vertical section of the aerometer;
Fig. 4, an end elevation of the latter; and Fig. 5 shows a modification of the
arrangement of the lamp in relation to the nozzle.
A is a lamp having an opening b at or near its bottom, which connects with an
air passage & leading to the flame or point where combustion is effected, which said
air passage I usually form by means of a jacket c surrounding the oil chamber f;
or it may consist of one or more tubes connecting with the said opening, and leading
to the flame. The cone h and wick tube i may be of ordinary construction; B is a
bracket or frame for supporting the said lamp, the lower end of which said bracket
is supported by the end of the air pipe C that conducts the compressed air from the
aerometer to the lamp, and at the end of the said pipe C is secured a nozzle or
nipple D having a small bore, usually about one half or one fourth the diameter of
that of an ordinary gas burner, through which said nozzle the compressed air is
emitted.
The main feature and principle of this part of my Invention consists in the
position and arrangement of this nozzle D in relation to the lamp, that is to say, in its
being placed below the lamp, so as to leave a vacant space between the two, through
which a column (or columns) of the surrounding atmosphere is drawn into the lamp
and to the flame by reason of the action of the said jet of compressed air.
If desired the opening at or near the bottom of the lamp may be surrounded by
a short downwardly projecting, flaring, or bell-shaped tube, as shewn in Fig. 5,
through which the air will pass on its way to the lamp, or one or more tubes may
be used for conducting the air from the said opening to the flame, and in those
lamps in which a tubular wick is used the air is to be conducted to the flame

page_text: through a central opening; but these several modifications I deem to be equivalent.
modes, as the operation is similar whichever mode is used, that is to say, in cach
the flame is supplied both by the air emitted from the said nozzle and also by the
air drawn into the lamp by the action of the said jet, as aforesaid, and an extremely
brilliant light is produced without the aid of a lamp chimney.
The form of the nozzle and the mode of attaching it to the air pipe C, whether
by screw threads' or otherwise, may be varied, as any nozzle adapted to emit a
sufficiently thin jet of air may be used; but for the purpose of rendering the said
nozzle more efficient in its operation I make the upper end thereof conical (as shown
in the Drawing), so that it will not obstruct the free passage of the current of air
on its way into the lamp. This nozzle I attach by screw threads or otherwise,
either to the air pipe C or to the lower part of the bracket or frame B.
The aerometer or air reservoir, which I use in connection with the above devices
is constructed as follows:-0 represents the main body of the apparatus, which is
rectangular in form and generally about as wide as it is long, so as to obtain a large
cubical capacity in proportion to the space it occupies. The material of which it
is made is tough paper in an apparatus of small or medium size, and in the case of
larger ones of pasteboard, and the top and bottom are respectively attached and
secured to a frame or covers o and p of wood or other unyielding material.
The
paper being inexpensive, and at the same time sufficiently strong to withstand the
amount of pressure employed, I am enabled to furnish an efficient apparatus at a
small cost. The sides q, q, (which are of paper or pasteboard) are each provided
with a horizontal and longitudinal joint or hinge 7, which closes inward as the
apparatus is. being compressed, and which is made by forming a crease in the
paper, and strengthening the same by an additional thickness or strip of the same
material attached thereto, and creased in like manner. The sides q, q, are slightly
narrower than the top and bottom, so that when the air is expelled and the said
hinges 7, 1, are brought into close proximity, they will not quite come into contact
with each other, but will allow the folds to lie closely, the one on the other, between
the top and bottom o and p, so that all the air in the apparatus may be expelled.
When the apparatus is of large dimensions I employ one or more pairs of ribs 8, 8,
of wood or other suitable material for the purpose of staying the sides q, q, when
under pressure, which said ribs are hinged at their outer ends to the top o and
bottom respectively, and are attached at their inner ends to two horizontal bars
t, t, which are parallel with and contiguous to the joints or hinges 1, 2, and which
said bars are hinged to each other, so that they, together with the said ribs, will
move in unison with the pieces forming the sides q, q, when the apparatus is being
expanded or compressed, and prevent the same from bulging or being thrust out of
position by the pressure of the air within the reservoir. The ends P, P, are made
tapering or in the form of pyramids, whoses bases are of the same dimensions as
the ends of the main body O, to which latter they are attached by means of flexible
gussets m, m, of india-rubber or similar inaterial, by means of which in connection
with the hinges or joints 1, 1, in the upright sides similar to the joints 1, 2, above
described, the said pieces which form the said ends P, P, are permitted to have an
unobstructed movement when the apparatus is being expanded or compressed, and
to lie snugly in folds when it is fully compressed, so that all the air may be expelled.
One or more inwardly opening valves are placed in the bottom piece p, or in any
other suitable position, to admit the air into the reservoir when the top o is raised,
which latter is effected by means of a pulley block and cord, or other similar
contrivance; R, R, are upright guides secured at their lower ends to the frame S,
on which the apparatus is placed, and at their upper ends to the ceiling of the
apartment in which it is placed, or to any other suitable support, to guide the top o
in its upward and downward movements through the medium of pulley wheels v, v,
located at each end of a beam to which latter is secured upon the top o.
apparatus, or one of capacity for supplying, say, two or three lamps only, the
ribs s, s, and also the guide rods R, R, may be dispensed with. When the top o is
raised air rushes through the valve above mentioned, and fills the interior; and
In a small

page_text: when the apparatus is being used the air is discharged through an exit pipe y con
nected with the air pipe C, which latter is provided with a suitable stop-cock, and
through which the air is conducted to the lamps, which latter may be placed on a
chandelier or a side bracket connected with the pipe C, and provided with a nozzle 1)
for cach lamp in the same manner that gas is distributed through and burned in a
building. The top o is weighted to impart the desired amount of pressure.
When a light of very intense brilliance and strength is required I introduce
oxygen gas, either alone or mixed with atmospheric air into the aerometer, and
force it through the pipe C and its branches to the lamp in the same manner that
atmospheric air is supplied according to the foregoing description.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Invention
and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I observe in
conclusion that what I consider novel and therefore claim as my Invention is,―
Firstly. The method, herein described, of lighting buildings and other struc-
tures by means of kerosene lamps or other oil lamps, that is to say, by sup-
plying the said lamps with air forced under pressure through pipes, substantially in
the mauner herein shewn and set forth.
Secondly. In combination with a lamp having an opening at or near the lower
part thereof which connects with an air passage leading to the flame a nozzle or
nipple of any suitable construction through which air is forced under pressure, the
said nozzle being located at some distance below the said opening, substantially as
herein shown and described, for the purpose of drawing into the lamp a column or
columns of air from the atmosphere surrounding the lamp along with the jet of air
emitted from the nozzle.
Thirdly. In combination with a lamp having an air passage which leads to the
flame, and connects with an opening at or near the lower part of the lamp, the air
pipe C and a conical nozzle D, the said nozzle being secured to the said pipe C, and
placed at some distance below the said opening, substantially as herein shewn and
described.
Fourthly. An aerometer, the main portion of which is made from paper or paste-
board, and the top and bottom of which are secured respectively to covers o and p
of wood or other unyielding material, as herein set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Fifthly. The aerometer herein described, the same consisting of the top o, bottom
p, hinged sides q, q, and tapering end pieces P, P, the said end pieces being con-
nected with the main body O by flexible gussets m, m, substantially as herein
shewn and described.
Sixthly. I claim the method herein described of increasing the brilliance of the
light of kerosene lamps and other oil lamps by forcing oxygen gas through pipes to
the lamps, substantially in the manner herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.