AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ASCER- TAINING AND REGISTERING THE DEPTH OF WATER AND THE PRESSURE OF STEAM
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Long and Joseph Long, of Little Tower
Street, in the City of London, Philosophical Instrument Makers, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ASCER-
TAINING AND REGISTERING THE DEPTH OF WATER AND THE PRESSURE OF
STEAM."
Sealed the 30th March 1858, and dated the 1st October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Long and Joseph
Long at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 1st October 1857.
We, JAMES LONG and JOSEPH LONG, of Little Tower Street, in the City
of London, Philosophical Instrument Makers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR
ASCERTAINING AND REGISTERING THE DEPTH OF WATER AND THE PRESSURE OF
STEAM," to be as follows:-
Our method of ascertaining the depth of water and the pressure of steam
consists in the employment of air and water in a tube, in such manner that
the pressure being made to act upon the air in the tube through water
or other liquid, compresses the air and forces it up in the tube to a greater or
lesser height, according to the pressure brought upon it. A float being
inserted in the tube is carried up by the liquid, and indicates upon a graduated
scale the pressure of the steam or the pressure exerted by the depth of water
measured.

page_text: Our apparatus for ascertaining and registering the depth of water is more
particularly adapted to the uses for which a hand lead is now ordinarily
employed. It consists of a tube of glass held in a suitable frame or case, with
a graduated scale at the sides of the tube; the tube communicates at bottom
with a stop-cock; at top it is hermetically closed, except to a bent pipe which
rises from the top and is carried down a short distance on the outside thereof,
and has an open mouth. A small bead or float rests in the tube. The
operation is as follows:-On the instrument being lowered into water, water
enters up the bent pipe, descends the glass tube, and rises, compressing the air
therein according to the pressure due to the depth of water. Upon the
apparatus being raised it will bring up the water in the tube with the float
resting on the top of the water therein; and the depth to which the apparatus
has descended will be read off on the graduated scale in feet, fathoms, or
other measure; then open the stop-cock, let out the water, close the cock, and
the apparatus is again ready for use.
For the steam gauge we employ two tubes, one by preference of metal
and the other of glass, the latter entirely closed at top. The tubes commu-
nicate at bottom through a socket, in which they are fitted, and a graduated
scale is fixed at the sides of the glass tube, in which there is a bead or float.
Through a side pipe the metal tube communicates with a steam boiler. To-
use the gauge charge the metal tube with water through a screw plug
provided for the purpose in the top, and screw on the plug. The water will
rise in the glass tube to a certain height, but will be prevented from rising.
higher by the column of air between it and the top of the tube; then, on
opening communication with the boiler, the water will be driven higher and
higher up the glass tube, according to the pressure of the steam and the
degree to which it will consequently compress the column of air in the glass
tube. As soon as the pressure falls to zero the water will be driven back by
the elasticity of the air into the boiler. The apparatus having been once
charged will not again require charging.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Long and Joseph Long in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st April 1858.
'TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
LONG and JOSEPH LONG, of Little Tower Street, in the City of London,
Philosophical Instrument Makers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Long and Joseph Long, Her special licence that we,
the said James Long and Joseph Long, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Long and Joseph Long,
our 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND:
APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING AND REGISTERING THE DEPTH OF WATER AND THE
PRESSURE OF STEAM," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Long and Joseph Long, or one of us, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their, or one of our or their
hands and seals should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, 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 we, the said James Long and Joseph Long, do
hereby declare the nature of our 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 hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
:
Our method of ascertaining the depth of water and the pressure of steam
consists in the employment of air and water in a tube, in such manner that
the pressure being made to act upon the air in the tube through water
or other liquid, compresses the air and forces it up in the tube to a greater or
lesser height, according to the pressure brought upon it. A float being:
inserted in the tube is carried up by the liquid, and indicates upon a graduated
scale the pressure of the steam or the pressure exerted by the depth of water
measured.
>
section, of our apparatus for
It consists of a tube of glass
Figure 1 is a front view, and Figure 2 a
ascertaining and registering the depth of water.
a held in a suitable frame or case 6, with a graduated scale c at the sides of the
tube; the tube communicates at bottom with a stop-cock d; at top it is
hermetically closed by a packing or wad of vulcanised caoutchouc, except to
a bent pipe e, which rises from the top, and is carried down a short distance on

page_text: the outside thereof, and has an open mouth. A small bead or float f, which we
prefer to make of gutta percha, rests in the tube. 9 is a vulcanized rubber
washer, upon which the bottom of the tube rests; h is a cavity for containing
grease for taking up samples from the ground or bottom.
Figure 3 is an sectional elevation, and Figure 4 an external view, of the
upper part of one of our instruments for taking deep sea. soundings (say from
15 to 130 fathoms). It is similar in construction to that just described, with
the exception that it is formed with an air chamber a, in the interior of: which
a small tube b rises and communicates with the glass tube c. The capacity of
this air chamber must be such that no water can pass into the tube c until the
air therein has been condensed equal to the pressure or gravity of 15 fathoms
of sea water. The glass tube c is secured air-tight with washers by the. nut e
fixed to the small pipe b. The water passes into the air chamber through the
small aperture d. This air chamber is joined or secured to the instrument by
screws f,f, to allow of the head or chamber being removed. to replace the
glass tube, if necessary. The operation is as follows:-On the instrument
being lowered into water, water enters up the bent pipe, descends the glass
tube, and rises, compressing the air therein according to the pressure due
to the depth of water. Upon the apparatus being raised it will bring up the
water in the tube, with the float resting on the top of the water therein; and
the depth to which the apparatus has descended will be read off on the
graduated scale in feet, fathoms, or other measure;
then open the stop-cock,
let out the water, close the cock, and the apparatus is again ready for use.
We are aware that a somewhat similar instrument has been before invented,
but that from the want of a soft and elastic packing for the ends of the glass
tube to rest against, and which would also hermetically seal them, the tube was
constantly breaking, and when a tube had been broken, another could not
readily be replaced, and thus the instrument was rendered useless; we there-
fore claim under this head of our Invention the adaptation to sounding
instruments, of the kind herein-before described, of vulcanised rubber packings
to receive and close the ends of the glass tubes, as herein-before described.
Figure 5 is a front view, and Figure 6 a section of our steam gauge. We
employ two tubes, one by preference of metal, a, and the other of glass, b, the
latter entirely close at top. The tubes communicate at bottom through a
socket c, in which they are fitted, and a graduated scale d is fixed at the sides
of the glass tube b, in which there is a bead or float e. Through a side pipe f
the metal tube communicates with a steam boiler. To use the gauge, charge
the metal tube a with water through a screw plug hole g provided for the
purpose in the top, and screw in the plug h. The water will rise in the glass

page_text: tube to a certain height, but will be prevented from rising higher by the
column of air between it and the top of the tube b; then, on opening commu-
nication with the boiler, the water will be driven higher and higher up the
glass tube b, according to the pressure of the steam and the degree to which it
will consequently compress the column of air in the glass tube. As soon as the
pressure falls to zero the water will be driven back by the elasticity of the air
into the boiler. The apparatus having been once charged, will not again
require charging.
We claim under this second head of our Invention the improved steam
gauge, constructed and acting in the manner herein-before described, and
represented in Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Long and Joseph Long, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this First day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JAMES LONG.
(L.B.)
JOSEPH LONG. (L.S.)