IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROCARBON OR OTHER VAPOURS, PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO MEASURING GASEOUS OR FLUID MATTER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT
to Frederick Wilkins, of 254A, Oxford Street, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROCARBON OR OTHER VAPOURS, PARTS
OF WHICH APPARATUS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO MEASURING GASEOUS OR FLUID
MATTER."
Sealed the 15th May 1866, and dated the 18th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Wilkins at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th November 1865.
I, FREDERICK WILKINS, of 254A, Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROCARBON OR OTHER
VAPOURS, PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO MEASURING GASEOUS
OR FLUID MATTER," to be as follows;-
According to this Invention I apply to the inside of each compartment
of the drum or cylinder of ordinary wet gas meters or other like apparatus,
horsehair, cocoa fibre, sponge, or other fibrous, porous, or textile material.
I then charge the drum with volatile hydrocarbon liquid, with or without
a portion of water or other fluid, and cause it to revolve by weights,

page_text: springs, or other motive power applied to the axis thereof, causing a current
of air or gas to pass through the said drum and through or between the
fibres or pores of the materials contained in each compartment, by which
they become saturated with the liquid, thus rendering it available as a sub-
stitute for common coal gas. Other liquids may be used for other purposes.
I also cover the said drum or parts thereof, and also parts of the case
containing the same, with flannel, linen, or other textile or porous material,
for the purpose of retaining the liquid in contact with the current of air
or gas more effectually than would be done by the smooth metallic surface
of the drum. I also render the drum rough or embossed, or apply to its
surface needles or teeth for the like purpose. I also apply cement or sand
to the surface of the said drum for the like purpose. The efficacy of the
apparatus may be further increased by adding lifting cups or floats similar
to those of an overshot water wheel but moving in a contrary direction
to that of the water wheel. I also subdivide the said drum into a great
number of narrow archimedean or tubular chambers instead of only four,
the effect of which is when they are charged with liquid to produce a
more uniform and steady current of air or gas than is now produced
by the ordinary wet gas meter. In this state it may be used as a gas
meter, or for a blowing apparatus when actuated by a motive power,
under which circumstance an ordinary index may be attached to the drum.
The chambers or tubes being filled with fibre or other such material as
described the apparatus will be available for the production of hydrocarbon
or other vapour as before described. I also apply to the axis of either of
the drums a sealed air chamber, so that the buoyancy thereof will counter-
poise the weight of the said drum, and thereby reduce the friction at the
axle thereof, thus causing it to work easier and more smoothly; this air
chamber is also applicable to ordinary gas or water meters as now used. I
also employ a long pipe or tube, whether coiled up or otherwise; in this
I place several helices of similar lengths, or other forms of wire or other
suitable material of various sizes (one within the other), leaving a small
space between each; they are covered with a textile or other porous
material as aforesaid, so as to absorb the liquid placed within the said outer
pipe or tube, thereby keeping them wet with the same, so that a current
of air or gas being passed through the said pipe by any suitable means,
and through and between each of the said covered helices or wires, absorbs
the vapour or particles of the said liquid, and thereby becomes available for
lighting or other useful purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Wilkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILKINS, of 254A, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, 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 Frederick Wilkins, Her special licence that I, the
said Frederick Wilkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Frederick Wilkins, 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 APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDRO-
CARBON OR OTHER VAPOURS, PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO
MEASURING GASEOUS OR FLUID MATTER," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Frederick Wilkins, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 Wilkins, 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:-
According to this Invention I apply to the inside of each compartment
of the drum or cylinder of ordinary wet gasometers or other like apparatus
horsehair, cocoa fibre, sponge, or other fibrous, porous, or textile material.
I then charge the drum with volatile hydrocarbon liquid, with or without
a portion of water or other fluid, and cause it to revolve by weights,
springs, or other motive power applied to the axes thereof, causing a cur-
rent of air or gas to pass through or between the fibres or pores of the
materials contained in each compartment, by which they become saturated

page_text: with the liquid, thus rendering it available as a substitute for common coal
gas. Other liquids may be used for other purposes. I also cover the said
drum or parts thereof, and also parts of the case containing the same, with
flannel, linen, or other textile or porous material, for the purpose of retaining
the liquid in contact with the current of air or gas more effectually than
would be done by the smooth metallic surface of the drum. I also render
the drum rough or embossed, or apply to its surface needles or teeth for
the like purpose.
I also apply cement or sand to the surface of the said
drum for the like purpose.
The efficacy of the apparatus may be further
increased by adding lifting cups or floats similar to those of an overshot
water wheel but moving in a contrary direction to that of the water wheel.
I also subdivide the said drum into a great number of narrow archimedean
or tubular chambers instead of only four, the effect of which is when they
are charged with liquid to produce a more uniform and steady current of
air or gas than is now produced by the ordinary wet gas meter; in this state
it may be used as a gas meter or for a blowing apparatus when actuated by
a motive power, under which circumstance an ordinary index may be
attached to the drum. The chambers or tubes being filled with fibre or
other such material as described the apparatus will be available for the pro-
duction of hydrocarbon or other vapour as before described. I also apply
to the axis of either of the drums a sealed air chamber, so that the buoyancy
thereof will counterpoise the weight of the said drum, and thereby reduce
the friction at the axle thereof, thus causing it to work easier and more
smoothly. This air chamber is also applicable to ordinary gas or water
meters as now used. I also employ a long pipe or tube, whether coiled up
or otherwise; in this I place several helices of similar lengths or other
forms of wire or other suitable material of various sizes (one within the
other), leaving a small space between each; they are covered with a textile
or other porous material as aforesaid, so as to absorb the liquid placed within
the said outer pipe or tube, thereby keeping them wet with the same, so
that a current of air or gas being passed through the said pipe by any
suitable means, and through and between each of the said covered helices
or wires, absorbs the vapour or particles of the said liquid, and thereby
becomes available for lighting or other useful purposes.
I now proceed to describe further the manner of applying the improve-
ments which relate to my former Patent, dated October 11th, 1864,
No. 2510. The first addition I make is the application of horsehair, cocoa
fibre, &c. to a drum the size of a five-light meter drum; from one to about
three ounces of either of these materials is to be placed in each compart

page_text: ment or quarter of the revolving drum; it must be well picked and packed
uniformly in all parts so as not to prevent the balancing of the drum on
its axis, the said drum being in an ordinary case. Proportionate quantities
to be added to larger machines. I then supply the liquid to be used in
substitution for water (or jointly with it) in similar quantities to that used
in ordinary wet gas meters, be the same a little more or less. The said
drum is then caused to rotate on its axis as previously described. The
drum may also be covered with linen, &c., as before described, or instead
thereof the metal may be made rough by being stamped or scratched all
over as if with a file or some sharp pointed tool; these scratches may be
in any or various directions.
Sand or cement or other materials may
Either of these processes may be
be caused to adhere to the said drum.
applied but are to be considered as supplemental, as the machine is
perfect without either of them; they nevertheless increase its effect.
The lifting cups previously mentioned are for the like purpose; they may
be about 10 or 20 to each drum, but they must be very small; some may
also be placed inside when no stufling is used, in this case the metal should
also be roughened inside. As to increasing the number of subdivisions or
compartments in the drum of the said machine a sufficient description has
already been given, the exact number, size, or form of each being imma-
terial; if they are effectually roughened on both sides it may not be neces-
sary to stuff them, and the apparatus would act with ease and regularity.
As regards the tubes, they may be of various sizes and lengths. For a small
apparatus the outer pipe may be about 2 inches in diameter, and about
10 feet long; the helices, &c. may be respectively about 1, 1, and 1, or
1 inch each, resting on the bottom side of the tube and on the bottom side of
each other respectively; the whole apparatus so formed is to be kept hori-
zontal except the ends thereof, which must be turned upwards so as to
prevent the liquid from flowing out (whether coiled up or in a straight
line). It is then to be charged about one-third full of the volatile hydro-
carbon or other liquid, so that the lower parts of all the helices, &c. shall
be in the liquid, which will then by capillary attraction saturate the coating
of the upper parts thereof, and a current of air or gas being passed in at
one end of the said tube will pass through the said coated helices and
become impregnated with the particles of the liquid contained therein, and
be thereby rendered available for lighting or other purposes respectively,
according to the nature of the liquid supplied. When used for lighting,
the air or gas may be conveyed through pipes like gas to the burners.
This apparatus may be connected with a can of the liquid to be used by

page_text: a small pipe or cock so that it will be kept supplied with the quantity
required to keep it in effective working condition.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details, configuration, or dimension of parts expressed,
as they may of course be varied according to circumstances, but I claim
the general improvements in the apparatus for the production of hydro-
carbon vapours or other vapours, and the other useful applications of such
apparatus; substantially as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Wilkins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
ALEXR. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.