IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS FOR BURNING VOLATILE OILS OR SPIRITS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF THE MATERIALS FOR BURNING IN SUCH LAMPS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Elisabeth Lichtenstadt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition, on the 6th
October 1866. A communication from abroad by Philip Lichtenstadt,
of New York, United States of America.
I, ELISABETH LICHTENSTADT, of Bermondsey Road, in the County of Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS FOR BURNING VOLATILE OILS OR
SPIRITS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF THE MATERIALS FOR BURNING IN SUCH
LAMPS," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention has for its object the arrangement and
construction of lamps suitable for burning highly volatile oils or spirits, such
as benzole or other light bydrocarbon oils or compounds thereof resulting from
the distillation and treatment of mineral oils, petroleum, or other similar crude
bituminous matters.
One of these improvements in lamps consists in filling the oil vessel or
reservoir with sponge, cotton, wool, or other suitable absorbent material, a
space or recess being left immediately below the burner, by preference formed
by inserting a cylinder of wire gauze or perforated metal or material, into
which the wick descends and becomes charged by contact with the volatile oil
or spirit contained in the saturated sponge or other absorbent material at the

page_text: bottom of the perforated wick, chamber. The mouth of the oil vessel is closed
by a screw cap or other suitable cover or stopper, to which the combined wick
tube or holder and burner is attached. The wick tube is fixed or otherwise
arranged centrally within another tube of about equal height, by preference
fixed to the cap or cover of the oil vessel, and so arranged as to form a narrow
space around the wick tube communicating with the interior of the oil vessel.
The wick (or wicks) saturated with the oil or spirit is drawn loosely into the
wick tube by preference so as not to project above the top, and on the appli-
cation of a light a bright and steady flame, free from smoke, will burn from
the wick tube and from the space around it caused by the combustion of the
vapour as it rises to the point of ignition between the central and outer tubes.
In order to extinguish the light a closely fitting conical cap or other suitable
cover is placed over the burner, by which the evaporation of the spirit is
prevented, and any disagreeable odour therefrom avoided. When the lamp
requires a fresh supply of oil or spirit the screw cap or cover is removed and
the reservoir is filled, and when the sponge or other absorbent material in the
body of the vessel becomes thoroughly charged and saturated the excess is
poured off until it ceases to flow, by which arrangement the lamp when lighted
may be placed in any position with perfect safety. The wick tube and burner
may be formed with flat narrow spaces, and several burners may if desired be
combined together. No glass chimney is required with this burner, although
at the same time a chimney and a glass or other shade may be applied thereto
if desired..
The second part of this Invention relates to the preparation of the materials
suitable for being burnt in lamps such as previously described. For this
purpose a compound volatile oil or spirit is prepared in the following manner :-
About twenty ounces of camphor is first dissolved in about one pint of "benzole"
or other similar highly volatile bydrocarbon; to this about one pound of aconite
root is added and allowed to remain in a closed vessel until the spirit has
extracted the strength from the aconite root. The fluid is then drained off
and added to about twenty gallons of light volatile oil, "benzole," or other very
light volatile hydrocarbon; it is then suitable for being burnt in lamps such
as previously described. The addition of the camphor contributes to the
brilliancy of the light, and counteracts any disagreeable odour arising from
the burning of liquid hydrocarbon oils or spirits of a volatile nature.