IMPROVEMENT ENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND IN THE APPENDAGES THERETO
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Culpin, of 20, George Street, Green-
wich, in the County of Kent, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENT
ENTS IN STEAM BOILERS AND IN THE APPENDAGES THERETO
"
Sealed the 27th October 1853, and dated the 27th April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Culpin at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 27th April 1853.
I, THOMAS CULPIN, of 20, George Street, Greenwich, in the County
5 of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN THE APPENDAGES
THERETO," to be as follows:-
My Improvements in steam boilers have relation, first, to the con-
struction of the fire box in such a way as to render the consumption of
fuel and the gases more perfect, and at the same time to afford a ready
means for raking out the cinders from the ash pit. In boilers of the
ordinary construction the bridge is so placed that the flame is caused
to impinge upon the upper surface of the flue and furnace; the space

page_text: for the passage of the flame and smoke being at the top or upper part.
Now, in boilers of my improved construction, I propose to place the
bridge at the upper portion of the flue or furnace, and so cause the
flame and smoke to pass through the spaces between the fire bars,
which are made longer than the ordinary fire bar, and impinge upon
the lower portion of the flue. I also cause the division plate between
the flue and the ash pit to be hinged to the fire bars, so as to be
capable, when it is required to rake or clean out the flues, of being
raised, and afford sufficient space for such purpose.
My second improvement in. steam boilers consists in working the
damper by means of the waste steam, as it issues from the safety
valve.
My third improvement in steam boilers consists in a mode of work-
ing the feed or supply by means of a syphon arrangement placed out-
side the boiler, and communicating with the interior.
My fourth improvements have relation to the appendages of a steam
boiler, and consist in an improved water and steam gauge, either
separately or combined, and so constructed as to dispense with two of the
cocks ordinarily used, together with their stuffing boxes. My improved
gauge is constructed with one cock, the interior of which is divided
into two by a division plate, the upper division being in communication
with the water in the boiler, while the lower one opens into a pipe,
which is continued up in the boiler into the steam space, so as always
to be filled with steam when the boiler is at work. The plug of the
cock is made hollow, and is in communication, when open, with both
the water and steam divisions. Through the division plate, and open-
ing into the steam space, I fix a pipe, which is continued upwards
through the hollow plug above the water line of the boiler, and is
forated with holes at that part which is above the water line. Con-
centric with the steam pipe I place a glass tube, which is closed at top
by a nut upon the inner tube, but is open at its lower end, being fixed
by an India-rubber ring in the upper portion of the hollow plug, and is
in communication with the water division of the cock. By this means
the height of the water in the boiler is always shewn.
per-
My fifth improvement consists in an apparatus for indicating the

page_text: pressure of the steam in the boilers. This I propose to effect by means
of a pointer attached to one end of a spring, which is coiled around an
India-rubber tube placed over a pipe in communication with the steam
in the boiler. The upper portion of the tube is perforated to allow
the steam to pass into the India-rubber tube, and by its pressure to
open out the spring and move the pointer. The pointer works in front!
of a sigment graduated to a scale. This indicator may be placed on
the top of the steam tube described under my fourth improvement, or.
used separately, as desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Culpin in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 27th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
THOMAS CULPIN, of 20, George Street, Greenwich, in the County of
Kent, Engineer, send greeting.
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, 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 Thomas Culpin, Her special licence-
that I, the said. Thomas Culpin, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Culpin, 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 STEAM
BOILERS, AND IN THE APPENDAGES THERETO," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Culpin, 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

page_text: 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 Thomas Culpin, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention has relation, firstly, to the construction of the fire-
boxes of steam boilers in such a way as to render the consumption of
fuel and gases more perfect, and at the same time afford a ready means
for raking out the cinders from the ash-pit. In boilers of the ordinary
construction the bridge is so placed that the flame is made to impinge
upon the upper surface of the flues and furnace, the space for the pas-
sage of the flame and smoke being at the top or upper part; whereas,
in boilers of my improved construction, I place the bridge at the upper
portion of the flues or furnace, and thereby cause the flame and smoke
to pass through the spaces between the fire bars, which are made longer
than the ordinary fire bar, and impinge upon the lower portion of the
flue. I also construct the division plate between the flues and the ash-
pit with a hinge beneath the fire bars, whereby it is capable, when
necessary to rake or clean out the flues, of being raised so as to afford
sufficient space for such purpose. Figure 1, of the Drawings hereunto
annexed represents a longitudinal section of a Cornish boiler, con-
structed according to this part of my Invention. Figure 2, is a cross
section, and Figure 3, a front elevation of the same. A, A, is the shell
of the boiler, and B, the furnace tube. C, C, are the fire bars of the
peculiar shape represented in Figure 1. D. is the division plate hinged
at a, a, to the brickwork, so as to allow of its being lifted, when
necessary to rake out the ash pit. E, E, is the bridge of the furnace,
which also forin's the end plate to the furnace tube B. F, F, are the
flues which communicate between the furnace and the sınoke box G.
The arrangement of these flues is shewn in the section in Figure 2; the
dotted lines and numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, represent the connections

page_text: between the respective pairs. The smoke and flame, after passing
through the flues F, F, pass into and traverse the flues H, H, being
prevented from entering direct into the chimney I, by the division
plates K, K. L, L, are other flues communicating with the flucs H,
and the chimney I. M, is the steam chest, and N, the safety valve.
The front or smoke box is secured to the shell of the boiler by bolts
and nuts c, c, so that the whole of that portion of the boiler may be
readily removed when necessary to clean out the boiler and flues.
Secondly, my Invention consists in working the damper in the
chimney or flue of steam boilers by means of the waste steam as it
issues from the safety valve. Figures 4, and 5, represent this part of
my Invention. A, is the safety valve, the seat a, of which is carried
slightly up in the form of a cylinder, the diameter of which exactly
corresponds with the diameter of the upper surface of the valve. B, is
the weighted lever centred at c, and terminating in the toothed seg÷
ment C, the teeth of which gear into the teeth of a pinion D, keyed
upon the spindle of the damper E, in the chimney F, of the boiler. By
this arrangement, when the pressure of the steam in the boiler is high
enough to raise the safety valve, the valve is caused to rise in the
cylindrical portion of the seat before the steam can blow off, whereby
the weighted lever is also raised, and the pinion D, thereby caused to
rotate and close the damper instantaneously, so as to shut off the
draught to the furnace until the steam is reduced to the required
pressure, when the valve falls, and the damper is again instantly
opened. In Figure 4, the valve is represented as down in its seat, and
the damper open; and in Figure 5, the valve is open, and the damper
closed.
Thirdly, my Improvements in steam boilers consist in working the
feed or supply by means of a syphon arrangement connected with the
interior of the steam boiler and the pump. Figure 6, represents a
section of an ordinary feed pump, with my additions thereto. A, A, is
the barrel of the pump; and B, the plunger connected by the rod C, to
a crank D, on the engine shaft E. F, is the suction pipe; and G, the
feed pipe to the boiler. H, and I, are the ordinary valves. K, is the

page_text: syphon pipe which communicates, with the interior of the boiler and
the pump above the suction pipe. L, is a double-faced valve for
alternately opening and closing the suction and syphon pipes. N, is a
rod passing through the stuffing box M, and attached at its lower end
to the valve L. This rod is passed through the brackets a, a', and has
fixed to it the button c. e, is a helical spring upon the rod N, which
exerts a downward pressure upon the valve L, so as to always leave the
passage open from the boiler into the pump, through the syphon pipe,
excepting at such times when the valve L, is operated upon in the
manner herein-after explained. P, is a tappet attached to the upper
surface of the plunger of the pump, and rising and falling with it.
The end g, of this tappet embraces the rod N, and slides up and down
upon it, according to the motion of the plunger. The action is as
follows: Supposing the water in the boiler to be below the level of
the end of the syphon pipe, and the plunger down, the valve L, would
be also down, thereby shutting off the suction pipe, and opening the
communication between the boiler and the pump through the syphon
tube, whereby the pump would be filled with steam, which would con-
tinue until the plunger had risen to that determinate point of its stroke,
so as to bring the end of the tappet P, in contact with the button c,
on the rod N, whereby the valve L, is raised, the communication with
the boiler closed, and the suction pipe opened, so as to allow the feed
water to flow in and condense the steam, and fill the barrel of the
pump. On the down stroke of the plunger the valve H, is closed, and
the water is forced through the valve I, into the boiler. At the same
time the button c, being released by the falling of the tappet, the
valve L, closes the communication with the suction pipe, and opens
that of the syphon pipe, when, upon the upstroke of the plunger, the
barrel is again filled with steam, which continues as long as the water
in the boiler is below the level of the end of the syphon pipe. When,
however, the water in the boiler rises above the syphon pipe, the
barrel of the pump then becomes filled with the water from the boiler,
whereby any fresh water from the suction pipe is prevented from enter-
ing the pump, and the water is returned to the boiler through the feed

page_text: .
pipe, so that the syphon pipe, always maintains the water at its proper
and required height in the boiler..
Fourthly, my Invention has relation to the appendages of a steam
boiler, and consists in an improved water and steam gauge, which cau
be used separately or in combination, so constructed as to dispense with
two of the cocks ordinarily used, together with their stuffing boxes.
Figure 7, represents a longitudinal section of this gauge.. Fig. 8, a
section on the line a, b, and Figure 9, a section on the line c, d, of
Figure 7. A, A, is the cock, the interior of which is divided into, two
chambers by a division B. The upper chamber is in communication
with the water in the boiler, while the lower one opens into
a pipe C, which is continued up into, the steam space, so as alway's
to be filled with steam when the boiler is at work. D, is the plug
of the cock, which, is made hollow, and is in communication, when
open, with both the water and steam chambers. E, is a pipe, the
lower end of which is screwed into the division B,.and opens into the
steam space. This pipe E, is continued upwards through the hollow
plug to above the water line, and is closed with a cap F, which. is
pierced with a circle of holes concentric with the exterior of the tube E,
and above the water line in the boiler. These holes open into a glass
tube G, concentric with the steam pipe, which is held at top by the
cap F, the lower end being let into the hollow part of the plug, and
opening into the water chamber of the cock. The upper and lower
ends of the glass tube are kept steam-tight by india-rubber rings e, e.
By the arrangements above described, when the cock is opened, water
and steam are admitted into the glass tube, whereby the height of the
water in the boiler is indicated. H, and I, Figure 8, are two other
ways opening into the plug of the cock, and communicating, the one H,
with the steam chamber of the cock, and I, with the water chamber,
so that when the plug is turned by means of the handle K, one quarter
round to the left, the steam can be blown off; and, by reversing the
direction of the handle, the water can be withdrawn. Both the steam
and water ways may be completely shut off by turning the plug in the
opposite direction to that represented in Figure 7.

page_text: Fifthly my Invention consists in an apparatus for ind
pressure of the steam in the boiler. . Fig u
a vertical section,
and Figure 11, a plan, partly in section, of an indicator shewn as
applied to the top of the steam and water gauge. A, is the pipe in com
munication with the steam in the boiler, and B, the cap, which is per-
forated with a circle of holes a, a. C, is a flange cast in a piece with
the cap, and D, a second flange screwed upon the upper part of the cap.
E, is a spiral spring placed between the flanges C, and D, and surround-
ing the cap, but having a sufficient steam space for the steam to enter
from the holes a, a. F, is an india-rubber ring concentric with the
spring E, surrounded by a second spiral spring G, one end of which is
formed with an index H. I, is a semicircular index graduated to
the required number of pounds pressure, and attached by screws to the
upper flange D. The action of this indicator is as follows:-The
steam, as it issues from the holes a, a,' in the cap, exerts a pressure
upon the inner spring E, tending thereby to expand or open it out,
which expansion is communicated to the india-rubber ring F, and
second spring G, whereby the pointer H, is made to traverse round
the index I, and indicate the pressure of the steam in the boiler in
pounds.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
Firstly, the improvements in the construction of steam boilers herein-
before described and represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, of the Draw-
ings hereunto annexed:
Second, I claim the working the damper by means of the waste
steam from the safety valve as herein-before described and represented
in the Drawings hereunto annexed:
Third, I claim the regulation of the feed of the water in steam
boilers by means of a syphon pipe placed in connection with the pump
or other feed apparatus, as herein-before described, and represented in
the Drawings hereunto annexed:
Fourth, I claim the water and steam gauge, constructed and arranged
in the manner herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings
hereunto annexed: And,

page_text: Fifth, I claim the apparatus for indicating the pressure of the steam
in the boiler as herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Culpin, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
THOS CULPIN. (L.S.)