Im- PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFINE AND OTHER HYDROCARBON OILS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Tongue, of Wolverhampton,
in the County of Staffordshire, Factor, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFINE AND OTHER HYDROCARBON
OILS."
Sealed the 3rd July 1868, and dated the 7th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas
Tongue at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th January 1868.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS TONGUE, of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Factor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFINE AND OTHER HYDROCARBON
OILS," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
This Invention is chiefly applicable to roof and hand lamps, but
particularly adapted for use in railway carriages.
In adopting this Invention to, say, roof lamps for railway carriages,
in place of having the supply pipe which carries the burner to open
immediately into the bottom of the circular reservoir containing the
oil, as now practised, the supply pipe is carried up, through, and above

page_text: the receiver, and turned down again, so as to open into the reservoir,
thus forming a syphon supply pipe. This supply tube is packed with
lamp wick throughout its whole length, and which extends a little
beyond the opening of each end of the pipe. But in some cases it
is preferred not to carry the cotton wick entirely down through the
tube, so as to admit of a small stop valve or tap being fitted thereto
to enable the supply to be turned off when the lamp is not in use.
The lower end of the supply pipe is connected with a small receiver,
on the top of which is screwed a flat wick holder, which is a little
longer than those in general use. The gallery or wick holder about
three quarters of an inch below the top thereof is fitted with a
horizontal flat plate, through the centre of which the wick holder
passes, and is supported on the under side by small brackets or stays
springing from the collar, immediately above where it is screwed into
the lamp. This horizontal plate or platform carries a small metal
arch, which is perforated on the sides with small holes, and the top
is slit for a little longer distance than the opening in the top of the
wick holder. This arch bridges the wick holder about half an inch
from the top, and is provided with two small stays springing from the
narrow ends of the wick holder, in an oblique direction, and are attached
to the under side of the metal arch at each end of the longitudinal
slit, through the top thereof. This arch is also cut away or hollowed
out on the sides. The receiver may be conical, cylindrical, or of any
other suitable form, and is fitted with one or two short open ended
stand pipes, through which, should there be an excess of oil in the
receiver; it will escape through the said stand pipes and fall into the
lamp glass or other receiver. To the receiver is also connected a
second pipe which is turned up and carried to a point above the
cylindrical reservoir on the top of the lamp. The object of this pipe is
to allow any excess of vapour, or gases generated in the receiver to
escape. Immediately above the supply pipe there is a small vertical
collar into which is screwed a metal plug, under which the upper
portion of the supply is removed, so that this screwed plug may act
on the cotton wick to regulate the supply of oil passing therethrough,
and by removing which the lamp can be refilled. This last described
screwed plug has passing through it a second small screwed plug or rod,
fitted with a milled head to enable it to be screwed down by hand
into the supply pipe and on to the cotton wick for cutting off the
oil supply, without altering the position of the larger plug through

page_text: which it passes. The concave reflector it is proposed should be formed
of glass in one piece and silvered at the back. The reflector has a
circular hole through the centre to which is fitted the metal chimney
of the lamp. The lamp is fitted with an ordinary railway lamp glass,
and as a lamp of this description is perfectly smokeless there is no
glass chimney required.
In applying the Invention to hand lamps the only difference required
to be made will be probably a reduction in size, and in place of the
inverted dome glass used in railway carriages a suitably glazed frame
or cylindrical glass fitted with a suitable bottom may be used.
When the same is used for street lamps, it may be enclosed within
any suitably glazed casing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Thomas Tongue in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS TONGUE, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Factor,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Seventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Thomas Tongue, Her special
licence that I, the said William Thomas Tongue, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thomas
Tongue, 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 LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFFIN AND OTHER HYDROCARBON
OILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Thomas Tongue, 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 Invention

page_text: 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 William Thomas Tongue, 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 (that is to say) :—
This my said Invention is chiefly applicable to roof and hand lamps,
but particularly adapted for use in railway carrriages.
The
In adopting this Invention to, say, roof lamps for railway carriages,
in place of having the supply pipe which carries the burner to open
immediately into the bottom of the circular reservoir containing the
oil, as now practised, the supply pipe is carried up through and above
the receiver and turned down again so as to open into the reservoir,
thus forming a supply pipe. This supply tube is packed with lamp
wick throughout its whole length; and which extends a little beyond
the opening of each end of the pipe, thus forming a syphon.
lower end of the supply pipe is connected with a small receiver, on
the top of which is screwed a flat wick holder which is a little longer
than those in general use and is fitted with a semi-spherical cover or
arch which has cut across through the top thereof a transverse slit. In
either the arched or domed cover modifications the base which carries the
wick holder it is preferred should be of a cast metal in place of being
stamped out, as at present practised, and the wick is held between
two small plates of talc, which with the wick is held in position by
a small set screw on one side. The wick being placed in position by
hand, the effect of the talc is to preserve the wick. The slit in the
dome cover is slightly enlarged at each end by being cut out in a
circular form. This draught dome is supported by a small gallery in
a piece with the wick holder. Immediately below the receiver into
which the lower end of the wick passes there is a supplementary
receiver or chamber which is connected with the upper one by a small
vertical overflow pipe or tube, down which any excess of oil in the
upper chamber passes into the lower one, the height of the tube being
regulated to the desired standard. The lower chamber is fitted with
a valve on the bottom or side to enable any excess in the oil supply
being withdrawn.
The oil is supplied to the lamp through a valve
The concave
opening on top of the reservoir on top of the lantern.

page_text: reflector it is proposed should be formed of glass in one piece and
silvered at the back. The reflector has a circular hole through the
centre, to which is fitted the metal chimney of the lamp. The lamp
is fitted with an ordinary railway lamp glass, and as a lamp of this
description is perfectly smokeless, there is no glass chimney required.
In applying the Invention to hand lamps, the only difference required
to be made will be probably a reduction in size, and in place of the
inverted dome glass, used in railway carriages, a suitably glazed frame
or cylindrical glass fitted with a suitable bottom may be used. When
the same is used for street lamps it may be enclosed within suitably
glazed casing. In some cases the supplementary vessel for receiving
the overflow of oil which is placed on the under side of the lamp may
be dispensed with, by arranging the lamp in the manner illustrated
in the annexed Drawings, which I have attached hereto, to enable my
Invention to be more readily seen and understood. Like letters and
figures marked thereon being used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a railway carriage or roof
lamp constructed according to one modification of my Invention, and
Figure 2 is a top view or plan shewing the position of the burner and so
forth. In this modification the lower chamber is shewn in dotted lines,
and consists of a metal cylinder enclosed at each end to which is fitted
the cast metal wick holder and the other fittings connected with the
burner and through the lower side with a short stand pipe for relieving
the chamber of any excess of oil which may find its way thereinto and
which can be fitted on the lower end with a suitable vessel or chamber
to receive any overflow that may arise.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation of a valve trunk
on the top of the supply chamber A, Figures 2 and 3.
A, (Figures 1 and 2), the oil receiver; B, valve trunk on top of oil
chamber A which is seen in section at Figure 3; C, casing forming
chamber; D, a screwed plug which is packed with cork or other suitable
material and through the centre of which passes d, a small vertical
spindle fitted at the top with a small milled head for elevating and
depressing the same, and to the lower end of which is attached e, a
small double jointed link connected with f, a small tube which is jointed
to g, a small hanger at h; i, supply pipe which is fitted or packed with
lamp wick which extends through the pipe suspended on the small
vertical spindle. The supply pipe i and small tubef with the lamp wick

page_text: when depressed to the position shewn in dotted lines, Figure 3, form a
filter syphon for supplying K, the lower oil chamber; 1, small overflow
stand pipe; L an air pipe which passes through and opens out above the
upper oil chamber A; M the reflector.
Figure 4 is an end view and side elevation of a small piece of metal
which being laid in the slit of the domed or arched burner acts
as a guage to allow the wick of every lamp to be elevated to required
height.
Figure 5 is a piece of brass tubing closed at the lower end, and which
at the upper end is flattened out to form a holder for several small pieces
of talc.
The operation of this lighter is simply to immerse the end of the tube
into spirit of wine or any other volatile oil. When applying a frame
to the tale it forms a neat, convenient, and clean torch for lighting
my improved lamps.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my
said Invention, and how the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
relative proportions or dimensions of the several parts herein-before
described, illustrated, and set forth, as it will readily seen the same
may be considerably varied without departing from the Invention, but
what I claim as new and my Invention, is the general arrangement and
combination of the various parts used to form the improved lamp
and its appendages, substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Tongue, have
hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this Sixth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
WILLIAM THOMAS (L.S.) TONGUE.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.