IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY, SIGNAL, AND OTHER LANFS For BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Henry Smith, of Peckham Rye, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY, SIGNAL, AND OTHER LANFS For
BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS."
Sealed the 15th December 1874, and dated the 9th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Henry
Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 9th October 1874.
I, FREDERICK HENRY SMITH, of Peckham Rye, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY, SIGNAL, AND OTHER LAMPS
FOR BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to simplify the construction and reduce
the cost of railway, signal, and other lamps in which light is produced by
burning hydrocarbon oils. Other advantages will also result from the
use of my improvements, which may be applied to lamps already in uso
as well as to the construction of new ones.

page_text: In carrying out my Invention the dome or deflector of the burner is
permanently attached to the air and oil tubes, and in new lamps of the
improved construction the oil is supplied from the fountain to a narrow
chamber enclosed within the dome, and to which the wick holder is fitted,
and is supported therein by a shoulder formed on the side or sides of the 5
wick holder, or in any or convenient manner.
By my improvements I dispense with the ordinary wick elevator, the
wick holder consisting simply of a flat hollow chamber open at top and
bottom, so that it may receive a short length of flat cotton or other wick.
This wick holder is provided with a shoulder or hooks at the ends whereby 1
it can be suspended in the oil chamber, which extends nearly up to the
slit in the dome. By this arrangement the oil is brought much nearer
to the point of ignition and the construction of the burner is much
simplified, while at the same time the flame will be much steadier
and less liable to flicker or be extinguished by currants of air than 1
heretofore.
As a modification I sometimes detach the dome from the oil cup, the
dome being attached to the air tubes alone, and the oil cup being
supplied with the combustible liquid in any convenient manner.
In adapting my improvements to old railway roof lamps I adopt an 2
arrangement very similar to that just described, that is, I retain the oil
cup with the oil supply tubes connected therewith, but I remove the
burner, wick holder, and elevator, and I attach the dome (as in the
former instance) permanently to the air supply tubes, the upper ends of
which are fixed to and made to project through the moveable central part 2
of the reflector, to which the metal chimney is attached. These air
tubes thus communicate with the space above the reflector, which com-
municates with the external air. This air becomes heated by the metal
chimney, and the open ends of the air tubes being in close proximity to
this hot chimney the tubes will draw away the air thus warmed and con- 3
duct it to the burner, and will thus materially assist the combustion of
the oil. The lower part or base of the dome is closed in by a flat plate,
through which a long narrow slit is made to allow of the flat wick holder
being passed up into the dome from below. The lower part of the wick
dips into the oil chamber, which is covered up and closed in by the
bottom plate of the dome. The wick holder is provided on its side or
sides with a shoulder, the position of which is accurately adjusted so as

page_text: to bring the upper end of the wick exactly to the proper height for pro-
ducing effective combustion of the oil. As this adjustment is fixed and
permanent there will be no necessity for a wick elevator, and therefore
the burner, as in the former instance, will be of very simple construction
and not liable to get out of order.
In roof lamps I find it better to admit air to the inside of the lamp
from the interior of the carriage rather than from the external atmo-
sphere. To this end I perforate the lower part of the metal casing with
rows of small holes, so that the air may pass from the interior of the
carriago through the casing and over the top of the reflector to the space
above the latter, from whence it will pass to the air tubes, which will
conduct it to the interior of the dome,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Henry Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
HENRY SMITH, of Peckham Rye, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Frederick Henry Smith, Her special licence that I,
the said Frederick Henry Smith, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Henry Smith, 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 CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY, SIGNAL, AND OTHER LAMPS FOR BURNING HYDRO-
CARBON OILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Frederick Henry Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instru-

page_text: -ment 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 Frederick Henry Smith, 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of my Invention is to simplify the construction and reduce
the cost of railway, signal, and other lamps in which light is provided by
burning hydrocarbon oils or a mixture of hydrocarbon oils with fixed
oils. Other advantages will also result from the use of my improvements;
which may be adapted to lamps already in use as well as to the con-
struction of new ones.
. . In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of different
arrangements of parts for and modes of carrying out my Invention.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of so much of a railway roof
lamp as is necessary to show one form of the Invention; Fig. 2 is a
transverse section through the burner and dome. In this case the dome
or reflector a of the burner is permanently attached to the air and oil
tubes and c. In new lamps of the improved construction the oil is
supplied from the fountain above to a narrow chamber d enclosed
within the dome a. The wick holder e is fitted in this chamber, and is
supported therein by a shoulder formed on the side or sides of the wick
holder, or in any other convenient manner.
By my improvements I dispense with the ordinary wick clevator, the
wick holder e (shewn detached in elevation at Fig. 3, in cross section at
Fig. 4, and in plan at Fig. 5) consisting simply of a flat hollow chamber
open at top and bottom, so that it may receive a short length of flat
cotton or other wick. This wick holder is provided with a shoulder or
hooks at the ends, as shewn at e¹, e', Fig. 3, whereby it can be suspended
in the oil chamber d, and may rest either on the ends of the dome or on

page_text: the ends of the oil chamber, which extends nearly up to the slit in the
dome. By this arrangement the oil is brought much nearer to the point
of ignition and the construction of the burner is much simplified.
As a modification of the above I sometimes detach the dome a from
the oil cup, the dome being attached to the air tubes 6 alone, the burner
or wick being supplied with the combustible liquid in any convenient
manner. In Fig. 6 this arrangement is shewn as adapted to an oil
reservoir below, and which is suspended from the air tubes by hooks or
wires, as shewn. The oil reservoir with the wick holder e is by this
arrangement capable of being detached from dome a and air tubes 6
when the lamp requires trimming.
In adapting my improvements to old railway roof lamps I adopt an
arrangement very similar to that first described and shewn at Fig. 1,
that is, I retain the oil cup with the oil supply tubes connected therewith,
as shewn at Fig. 7, but I remove the burner, the ordinary, wick holder
and elevator, and I attach the dome (as in Fig. 6) permanently to the
air supply tubes b, the upper ends of which in both these instances are
fixed to and made to project through the movable central part of the
reflector 9, to which the metal chimney is attached. These air tubes
thus communicate with the space above the reflector g. The lower part
or base of the dome a is closed in by a flat plate, through which a long
narrow slit is made to allow of the flat wick holder e being passed up
into the dome from below instead of being dropped in from above as in
Fig. 1. The lower part of the wick dips into the oil chamber, which is
covered up and closed in by the bottom plate of the dome.
At Fig. 8 I have shewn another modification, in which the dome a
is detachable from the other parts. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of this
dome detached. In this instance the dome is provided internally with
a long narrow chamber open at top and bottom, and is intended to receive
the wick holder e, which is constructed much in the same manner as
those already referred to. The wick holder e is shown detached at
Fig. 10, and is provided on its side or sides with shoulders e*, e*, the
positions of which are accurately adjusted, so that when the wick holder
is in place the upper end of the wick will be brought exactly to the
proper height in the dome a for producing effective combustion of the
oil. As this adjustment is fixed and permanent there will be no necessity
for a wick elevator for the purpose of adjusting the position of the wick,
as is now the case, and therefore the burner (as in the former instance)

page_text: will be of very simple construction, and not liable to get out of
order.
In roof lamps I sometimes find it advisable to admit air to the inside
of the lamp from the interior of the carriage rather than from the
external atmosphere. To this end the lower part of the metal casing is t
perforated with rows of small holes, so that the air may pass from the
interior of the carriage through the casing and over the top of the
reflector to the space above the latter, from whence it will pass to the
air tubes, which will conduct it to the interior of the dome.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Con- 1
struction of Railway, Signal, and other Lamps for Burning Hydrocarbon
Oils," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the
construction, combination, and arrangement of the parts a, b, c, d, and e
in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as and for the purpose herein set forth.
I also claim the arrangement and construction of the parts a, b, d,
and e, as shewn in Fig. 6, and also the arrangement of the parts a, b, c, d,
and e in Fig. 7.
I further claim the construction, arrangement, and combination of
the parts a, b, c, d, and e in Figures 8, 9, and 10, as and for the purpose
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Henry Smith, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
1
and e in Fig. 7.
I further claim the construction, arrangement, and combination of
the parts a, b, c, d, and e in Figures 8, 9, and 10, as and for the purpose
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Henry Smith, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.