Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th-Oct., 1887 -
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1888"
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
We, WILLIAM GADD, of 64 Barton Arcade, Manchester, Civil and Consulting
Engineer, and WILLIAM FREDERICK MASON, of Longsight, Manchester, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to the construction of gas holders, and have for object the
supporting of the same in their working position in such a manner as to enable the external
guide framing hitherto employed for the purpose, to be dispensed with, and yet giving
the requisite stability; although such or modified framing may be employed in con-
nection with the improvements herein described if desired.
To accomplish this and to effect my improvements, I form the interior of the tank or
well in which a holder containing gas is allowed to rise and fall, in a special and
peculiar manner that is to say, affixed to the wall face of the tank or well aforesaid,
or forming part thereof, and extending from the top to the bottom, or thereabouts, are
parallel rails of metal or other suitable substance, formed in the shape of quick helices
or spirals, and, by preference, making in their length one quarter turn of the circle,
but a quicker or slower helix or spiral may be adopted.
Arranged at intervals around the circumference of the holder, close to the bottom
edge thereof, or at such distance therefrom as is found desirable, and coinciding with
the helical or spiral rails, are flanged or other wheels or anti-friction rollers of any
suitable size, which are made to run loosely by preference, and may be free to slide to
a certain extent laterally upon their respective axles, to allow for expansion and con-
traction of the holder. Or blocks or sliding pieces may be employed in lieu of wheels
or rollers.
As these flanged or other wheels, rollers, or blocks, rest and move upon the helical or
spiral rails beforementioned, by preference both over and under, it will be seen that
as the holder becomes raised by being filled with gas, a screw-like motion is imparted
to it, thus causing it to partially turn as it rises, and, in similar manner, allowing it to
fall by gravity as the volume of gas is reduced.

page_text: The stability of the holder lies in the fact, that it is constantly, at all heights,
supported at its base, and thus forms a firm resistance to wind pressure and other
lateral strains.
The flanged or other wheels, rollers, or sliding blocks may either be fixed tangentially
with the side of the holder, and so run upon the top, or top and bottom edges of the
rails; or may be arranged radially with the holder, but at the angle of spiral, and
the rolling surface of the rails adapted thereto, or in any other suitable manner; and the
rollers or sliding pieces when placed tangentially with the holder may be employed
above and beneath the rails alternately, or in couples, or otherwise, the rails being
double or double headed for the purpose. The improvements are also applicable to
telescopic gas holders, by employing similar helical or spiral rails within and attached
to the lower or outer lifts thereof.
As a modification of the invention, the helical or spiral rails may be employed on a
framing or cylinder within the lower or outer lift itself, the wheels, rollers, or sliding
pieces being affixed to the inner wall or face of the same.
Variations may be made in the number and form of the rollers or sliding pieces
employed, together with the method of mounting the same, and also in the number of
helical or spiral rails, and their degree of inclination, without departing from the
peculiar character of the invention, which consists in the employment of helical or
spiral rails, in conjunction with flanged or other wheels or rollers or sliding pieces,
for the purpose of enabling a gas holder to rise and fall in connection therewith,
according as the volume of gas increases or decreases in such holder, whether con-
structed with or without external guide framing.
Dated this 5th day of October 1887..

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Construction of Gas-holders..
We, WILLIAM GADD, of 64 Barton Arcade, Manchester, Civil and Consulting
Engineer, and WILLIAM FREDERICK MASON, of Longsight, Manchester, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The improvements relate to the construction of gas-holders, and have for object the
supporting of the same, in their working position, in such a manner as to enable the
external or upper guide framing hitherto employed for that purpose to be dispensed
with, and yet to give the requisite stability; although such, or a modified form:
of framing may be employed in connection with the improvements herein described,
when desired.
To accomplish this and to effect our improvements, we form the interior of the tank
or well in which a holder for the containing of gas is allowed to rise and fall, in a
special and peculiar manner, that is to say ; affixed to, or let into the face of the tank
or well aforesaid, or forming part thereof, or in recesses therein for the purpose, and
extending from top to bottom thereof or thereabouts, are rails of metal or other
suitable substance, or it may be recesses or grooves, which are formed in the shape of
quick helices or spirals or curved inclines, and, by preference, making in their total
length one quarter turn of the circle, when the holder employed is very high and
telescopic, but a quicker or slower helix or spiral or incline may be adopted,
according to the circumstances and design of the same, and which will be determined
by the angle of inclination adopted, 45° and 60° from the horizontal being examples of
working angles, but other angles may be employed.
Arranged at intervals around the circumference of the holder, close to the bottom
edge thereof, or at such distance therefrom as is desirable, and coinciding with, or
fitting on to the helical or spiral rails or curved inclines attached to or forming part of
the tank aforesaid, are flanged or other wheels or antifriction rollers, of any suitable
size or form, which are made to run loosely, by preference, and may be free
to slide to a certain extent laterally upon their respective axles, to allow for expansion
and contraction of the holder. Or blocks or sliding pieces or equivalent devices may
be employed in lieu of wheels or rollers, or both may be combined, and the flanges
may be on either or both edges.
As these flanged or other wheels, rollers, or blocks, or equivalent devices rest
and move upon the helical or spiral rails or curved inclines before mentioned,
by preference both over and under, or between, it will be seen that, as the holder
becomes raised by being filled with gas, a screw-like motion is imparted to it, thus
causing it to partially turn as it rises, and, in similar manner, allowing it to fall by.
gravity as the volume of gas is reduced.
The stability of the holder lies in the fact that it is constantly, at all working
heights, supported at its base or lower edge or ring, and thus presents -a - position

page_text: of firm resistance to wind pressure and other lateral strains, under conditions some-
what similar to that of a holder placed upon the ground upon its lower edge
or rim.
The flanged or other wheels, rollers, sliding blocks, or equivalent devices may either
be fixed tangentially with the side of the holder, and so run upon the top, or top and
bottom surfaces of the rails; or may be arranged radially with the holder, but at the
angle of spiral or, and by preference, the two kinds may be combined, and the
rolling surface of the rails adapted thereto, or in any other suitable manner; and
the rollers, or sliding pieces, or equivalent devices, when placed tangentially may be
employed above and beneath the rails alternately, or in couples or otherwise; the rails
being constructed in double line, or double headed or faced for the purpose.
The improvements are also applicable to telescopic gas holders, by employing similar
helical or spiral rails, curved inclines, or grooves, within and attached to the lower or
outer lift or lifts thereof, upon or within which the rollers or equivalent devices attached
to the inner lift may work or move.
As a modification of the invention, the helical or spiral rails, grooves or inclines
may be employed upon a framing or cylinder within the lower or outer lift or holder
itself, the wheels, rollers or equivalents being affixed to the inner wall or face of the
holder or lower lift. Or the holder or inner lift or lifts may all or in part be
eversed in their arrangements of helical, spiral, or inclined rails or grooves, and their
heels or rollers, so that the latter are affixed to the tank and outer lift or lifts or
in connection therewith, while the rails, inclines, or grooves are fixed to, or form part
of the holder or inner lift or lifts.
But that the invention may be better understood, 1 will, by the aid of the
accompanying drawings proceed more fully to describe means employed in carrying
out the same.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents an elevation with half plan of a gas-holder, in single lift, raised
to about its full height, and with the tank or well shewn in section, of one arrange-
ment in accordance with my invention; and Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 shew examples
of some variations of detail in application of the method described.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a. a. is the holder, b. b. the tank or well, within which the holder rises and falls,
riding on the helical, spiral or inclined rails or surfaces, e, e.
.
c. c. are the tangential, and d. d. the angled radial rollers, which in Fig. 1 are
shewn arranged separately from, and alternately with the tangential rollers c. c. and
may, by such arrangement, either roll on the face of the tank or well, or upon plates
or rails placed at the required angle or spiral thereon; but the two kinds of rollers
may be arranged together as shewn in Fig. 2, wherein the rail may be formed of
channel or other iron, or other substance, having a tangential roller on each side,
with the angled radial roller between. Or the angled radial rollers may be dispensed
with by employing flanges on the tangential rollers, or other means may be employed
for keeping the holder centrally, or the wheels thereof on the rails.
Although, in the interests of safety, I greatly prefer to employ either two sets of
rollers, one above, and the other below the inclined or spiral rails, or double rails
with one or more sets of rollers between, in order to enable the same to securely
grasp, or to be grasped by the rails at various points around the edge of the holder;
nevertheless it may be possible, in some cases, to dispense with the under set of
rollers, or the over. set of rails, as the weight. of the holder may be sufficient to cause
the rollers to follow the inclines of the rails.
In Fig. 3, the two sets of rollers are placed one below the other instead of in line,
and one of them is shewn flanged,
In Fig. 4, two rails to each roller is shewn, or it may be an inclined recess in the
tank or well face, by which variation the locking action or grasp is. obtained by one
set of rollers...
Fig. 1 represents an elevation with half plan of a gas-holder, in single lift, raised
to about its full height, and with the tank or well shewn in section, of one arrange-
ment in accordance with my invention; and Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 shew examples
of some variations of detail in application of the method described.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts wherever they occur.
a. a. is the holder, b. b. the tank or well, within which the holder rises and falls,
riding on the helical, spiral or inclined rails or surfaces, e, e.
c. c. are the tangential, and d. d. the angled radial rollers, which in Fig. 1 are
shewn arranged separately from, and alternately with the tangential rollers c. c. and
may, by such arrangement, either roll on the face of the tank or well, or upon plates
or rails placed at the required angle or spiral thereon; but the two kinds of rollers
may be arranged together as shewn in Fig. 2, wherein the rail may be formed of
channel or other iron, or other substance, having a tangential roller on each side,
with the angled radial roller between. Or the angled radial rollers may be dispensed
with by employing flanges on the tangential rollers, or other means may be employed
for keeping the holder centrally, or the wheels thereof on the rails.
Although, in the interests of safety, I greatly prefer to employ either two sets of
rollers, one above, and the other below the inclined or spiral rails,-
-or double rails
with one or more sets of rollers between, in order to enable the same to securely
grasp, or to be grasped by the rails at various points around the edge of the holder;
nevertheless it may be possible, in some cases, to dispense with the under set of
rollers, or the over. sot of rails, as the weight. of the holder may be sufficient to cause
the rollers to follow the inclines of the rails.
In Fig. 3, the two sets of rollers are placed one below the other instead of in line,
and one of them is shewn flanged,
In Fig. 4, two rails to each roller is shewn, or it may be an inclined recess in the
tank or well face, by which variation the locking action or grasp is. obtained. by one
set of rollers.

page_text: Figs. 5 and 6 shew two forms of sliding blocks or pieces which may be employed
in lieu of rollers, and either in conjunction or not with the angled radial rollers.
To enable allowance to be made for imperfections in the construction of the helical,
spiral, or inclined rails, or for the effects of expansion or contraction therein, the
studs attached to the curb or ring of the holder, carrying the tangential rollers, may
be arranged to have radial play within the central boss on which the rollers turn, as
shewn in Fig. 7, in which the tangential roller c. c. turns on the boss c¹ c', having
formed therein the slot. c c for to enable the projection or stud a', attached to the
ring of the holder, to pass through, or other devices for radial action
employed.
may be
A similar arrangement is shown for the sliding pieces in Figs. 5 and 6.
Fig. 7 is a part section shewing the application of the invention to a double
lift or telescopic holder, wherein the outer or lower lift is provided with rails in
manner similar to the tank or well, for the purpose of allowing the inner lift to
rise and fall thereon.
In like manner a third lift may be employed, or more.
Further variations in detail may he made, and modifications of the invention may
be effected by attaching the rails to the holders, and placing the rollers around the
edge of the tank or well, whereby the entire arrangement is reversed; or combinations
of the two methods may be employed.
Also the invention may be turned about, so to speak, by affixing the curved rails to
a framing placed within the tank, but inside the holder, and attaching the rollers to
the inner surface of the holder, instead of to the outer. Also upper framing of the
usual or modified form may be employed in conjunction with the mode of construction
herein described. These and other variations, such as the number and form of the
spiral guides or rails, the number and form of the rollers or sliding blocks, and also
of the radial angled rollers, may be made without departing from the peculiar character
of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The construction of tanks or wells for gas holders, or the outer lift or lifts of
such holders when telescopic, or both, with helical, spiral, or inclined rails, grooves
or recesses, built into or attached to the wall or face thereof, with the object of carrying
the holder or one or more lifts thereof, as the case may be, by means of tangential
rollers, sliding pieces, or mechanical equivalents, attached to the lower ring or curb,
or other convenient part of such holder, lift or lifts, for the purpose, and in manner
substantially as shewn and described.
2. The construction of gas holders, single or telescopic, with tangential or angled
radial rollers, or both, or sliding pieces or mechanical equivalents, attached to the
bottom curb or ring of such holder or one or more lifts thereof, or both, as the case
may be, with the object of causing the same to ride and rise and fall upon or within
helical, spiral, or inclined rails, recesses, or grooves built into, forming part of, or
attached to the wall of the tank or well or outer lift or both, for the purpose and in
manner substantially as herein shewn and described.
3. The construction and employment, for gas storing or holding purposes, of
holders and tanks or wells of the special character substantially as herein shewn and
described.
Dated this 2nd day of Acount 1000