CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR FITTINGS CONNECTED WITH THE BURNING OF GAS FOR REGULATING AND ECONOMISING ITS CONSUMPTION
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Noal, Gas Chandelier and Fitting Manu--
facturer, of Great Charles Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
OR FITTINGS CONNECTED WITH THE BURNING OF GAS FOR REGULATING AND
ECONOMISING ITS CONSUMPTION."
Sealed the 22nd September 1859, and dated the 23rd March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Neal at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd March
1859.
1, GEORGE NEAL, Gas Chandelier and Fitting Manufacturer, of Great
Charles Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
OR FITTINGS CONNECTED WITH THE BURNING OF GAS FOR REGULATING AND ECONO-
MISING ITS CONSUMPTION," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My Invention has for its object the regulating the flow of gas to tho
burner or point of ignition when such gas is being used for the purposes of
illumination; this I effect in various ways, as, for instance, I purpose
regulating the pressure and consequent flow in any convenient position of a
gas chandelier, slide, pendant, bracket, or other fitting to which a burner may
be applied; thus, in a chandelier one regulator may be so placed as to regulate
the flow of gas to any number of burners that may be attached to the same;
or I may apply a regulator at or near the burners of cach jet in such
chandelier, and as my principle of regulation occupies a very small space, I
am enabled to connect my principle of regulation with the elbows, taps, and
joints of general gas fittings, thereby effecting great neatness and economy, as

page_text: in all cases I simply require a small cavity, capable of being regulated or
otherwise, which I fill up with a vegetable porous material, such as sponge,
compressed to such a state of density (according to the pressure of the gas) as
shall regulate its flow to the burner or burners.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Neal in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
NEAL, Gas Chandelier and Fitting Manufacturer, of Great Charles Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Neal, Her special license that I, the said George
Neal, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Neal, my executors, administrators, or 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
night make, use, exorcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR FITTINGS CONNECTED WITH THE
BURNING OF GAS FOR REGULATING AND ECONOMISING ITS CONSUMPTION," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Neal, 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 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 Georgo Neal, do hereby declaro
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):-
The object of my Invention is to render a more certain and convenient
means of regulating the supply of gas to gas burners, when such gas is being
used for the purpose of illumination; the effect of such regulation is not only

page_text: to improve the illuminating quality of the gas, but also to greatly economise
its consumption, as well as to purify or separate it from all small particles of
dust, grit, or other matter that is gathered and impelled forward through the
pipes by the constant flow of the gas, and as these small particles are stopped
on arriving at the point or part from which the gas passes to be burnt, it has.
a tendency to choke up the fine holes or slots. through which the gas passes..
causing the flame to be frequently of an irregular shape, and to jet out on the
sides with great foree, thereby breaking the globes or glasses with which it
may be surrounded.
And in carrying my Invention into effect, I do not purpose confining myself
to any particular part of the gas fittings for the application of my principle of
regulation; as, for instance, one regulator may be applied very suitably to the
bottom of a chandelier, so that it may be used to adjust or regulate the supply
of gas to any number of lights applied to the same; or separate and distinct
regulators may be applied to each burner, or a regulator may be constructed
on my improved principle, and applied in any convenient situation between
the meter and the burners, receiving its gas direct from the meter, so as to
permeate the gas, and regulate its supply to all the lights that may be required
to be supplied with gas through the same; and when such means are adopted,
I recommend that they should be fixed in the halls or lobbies of houses, or
other buildings where they may be easily inspected, and the pressure of
the gas adjusted by their being fitted with the common or any suitable
pressure guage, and the regulator being under control, the pressure on the
gas flowing from the regulator to the burners may be increased or decreased
at pleasure by the mere turning of a screw for that purpose. And as the
principle of regulation comprehended by my Invention occupies but a con-
paratively small space, a single regulator for regulating any given number of
lights, either for private houses, shops, churches, or other public or private
buildings will be comparatively small and inexpensive. And in the case of
chandeliers, the regulator may be conveniently applied to the part beneath the
centre tube, and from which the arms radiate, the regulator being of a pro-.
portionate size according to the number of lights required to be regulated,. or
the bulk of the part to which it may be connected; but in carrying out my
Invention, so as to make it applicable for the general class of gas fittings now in
usc, I construct my regulator in such a way, that they in general form part of
the gas burners, without regard to any particular kind, as it is applicable for
jets or Argand burners, in all cases preferring to allow the gas to escape for
ignition through apertures mado or formed in a plastic material, known as
"the adamantine burner," on account of their clean neat appearance and

page_text: enduring quality. The burner and regulator thus connected, being as readily
applied to gas fittings now in use as the original burner or burners, as my
patent regulator and burner are tapped to suit the screws commonly in use for
that purpose. In constructing this description of regulator, the chamber or
cavity containing my principle of regulation forming the base of the part
that extends up surrounding the base of the jet or other formed burner; this
cavity I fill with sponge or other like porous homogenous matter in a bulk, or
in separate layers according to the nature of the porous material used, so
arranged, that by means of a perforated plate or discs of gauze wire suitably
strengthened, I am enabled to compress such porous matter, so as to regulato
or allow the gas to permeate through it at such a rate, that when lit it shall
be enabled to commingle with and consume a due proportion of atmospheric
air (so essential) to produce silent and perfect combustion in the burning of
gas, and consequent purity and brilliancy of light, and thereby avoiding the
escape of and inhaling of the noxious vapour so injurious to health, and
destructive to property and works of art, which commonly arise from the
general mode of burning gas with the apparatus now in use.
But as my Invention will be best understood by referring to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, I will proceed to describe the same, reference being made
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
で
Fig. 1 is a section of a gas burner fitted with an adamantine top marked a,
with two holes for gas to jet up through, producing what is called a "fish-tail"
light or burner; the part 6 represents a piece of sponge or other similar
porous material, held in its place by the perforated plate marked c, c, which
plate has a projection at the bottom, square or rectangular, by which it may
be screwed out or in, to decrease or increase the density of the sponge or other
porous matter as may be required. And in some instances, in order that the
sponge or other material may readily expand on the reversing of the plate c, I
prefer using a spiral spring, such as the one exhibited detached at d, and
partly shown protruding through the sectional portion of the sponge or other
natter marked with the same letter; the bottom part of this regulating burner
is represented as tapped with the usual thread or screw for applying it in the
ordinary way to its corresponding part, but which, of course, may be varied,
and made into what are called elbows, or other convenient shape for attach-
ment, and with stop-cocks or taps if required. Fig. 2 is an entire side view of
Figure 1, with a glass holder applied, and Fig. 3 is a top view of the same.
At any time when the gas requires regulating, the top part with the regulator
has to be unscrewed from the part e, e, at the part marked f, f, which
represents a leather or other washer to make the connection perfectly gas-

page_text: tight, when the plate c, c, may be turned in either direction as required, and
the regulation is complete. Fig. 4 represents a part of a chandelier fitted for
four branches or lights, the means of regulation being confined within the part
marked 9, the escape of I gas to the burners being regulated by the knob or
bottom ornament marked h, h, so that the one regulator will regulate the four
lights at one time. Fig. 5 represents as much of Figure 4 as may be
necessary to illustrate my means of regulating the pressure of gas that flows,
to the burner; i is the main tube through which the gas descends to my
regulator marked j, which is perfectly cylindrical, and filled at the top with
sponge or other like porous matter, with or without a spring for better
expanding its volume; against this a circular perforated plate is made to act,
as represented in dotted lines, by its having a boss in its centre, through which
a vertical screw, also shown in dotted lines, works, and which screw is attached
to the knob h; which knob being fitted with a collar to the base of the
chandelier, here shown in section marked g, g, it is evident that by turning
the knob in either direction the sponge will be compressed. or releived by the
traversing action of the perforated plate; below this moveable plate is a
chamber for receiving the gas that has been forced by the ordinary pressure
that is used to impel it forward down through the sponge or permeating
matter or material, from this part it passes through the arms k, k, to the
burners, the arms being soldered securely to the cylindrical regulatorj; the
holes 7, 7, are for receiving the tubes of the two front branches or lights, which,
for convenience, are not shown in this view. Fig.. 6 represents a vertical
section of a regulator suitable for placing in any convenient situation, and of
sufficient capacity for correcting or regulating the pressure of gas to its proper
force for supplying gas to from twenty to thirty burners; m is the inlet pipe
or tube from the meter, which is connected to the part n, n, with a common
union joint, the part n, n, being tapped and screwed in to the body o, o;
before this is done the top perforated plate marked p, p, is placed in the
cylinder, and next the sponge or other porous material with a helical spring
twisted through it, for the purpose of assisting its expansion, but which spring
may be of a single or double spiral form, as shown detached at q, the largest
part of the spring being in the middle or at each end, as preferred, as either
way will effect the desired object; against the sponge or other suitable porous
matter and the spring the perforated plate is placed, which may be flat,
conical, or convex, as here shown. It will now be seen, that by turning the
screw and knobs (which works through a stuffing box to prevent any escape
of gas) the space containing the sponge or other material between the plates r
p may be increased or decreased, according to the pressure of the gas
and

page_text: entering the regulator through the supply pipe m, the gas so regulated flows
up through the outlet pipe t to the various burners or lights with which it may
be connected; the cylinder o, o, may be cast with cars or lugs at tho back, for
screwing or securing it in the position desired for use, and it may also be
formed of any suitable shape, to admit of the application of a pressure guage
fitted with suitable taps or stop-cocks, that the user may, at convenience,
ascertain not only the pressure of the gas on the main as it enters the inlet
pipe m, but also the pressure after it has passed through the regulator, so that
the regulator may be compressed or expanded to allow the gas to pass to the
burners at any particular pressure desired, the whole being connected and
fitted in a suitable case to protect it from injury or misuse; or a common
pressure guage may be applied to the small pipe u, by simply removing the
screw marked for that purpose. Fig. 7 is a front view of Figure 6,
representing in dotted lines (partly broken off for convenience of space) a
pressure guage applied to the pipe u, the parts of this Figure being marked
with the same letter of reference as at Figure 6 no further description is
.necessary.
Having thus described the nature and object of my Invention, I wish it
understood that I do not purpose confining myself to any of the exact details
herein described and exhibited, as the whole may be greatly diversified as
taste or circumstances may require, without departing from the spirit of my
Invention; but what I claim and wish to protect by these my in part recited
Letters Patent are, the means herein described and exhibited for permeating
and regulating the passage of or supply of gas to gas burners, for the purpose
of illumination.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Neal, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
GEORGE NEAL. (L.S.)