IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE EXISTENCE OF ESCAPES IN GAS TUBING, AND. FOR STOPPING THE CONTINUANCE THEREOF
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leon Fauvel, of Paris, France, Manufacturer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE
EXISTENCE OF ESCAPES IN GAS TUBING, AND. FOR STOPPING THE CONTINUANCE
THEREOF."
Sealed the 15th July 1862, and dated the 1st February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leon Fauvel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
February 1862.
I, LEON FAUVEL, of Paris, France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR INDICATING
THE EXISTENCE OF ESCAPES IN GAS TUBING, AND FOR STOPPING THE CONTINUANCE
THEREOF," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to an apparatus for indicating the existence of
escapes in gas tubing and for stopping the continuance thereof, and they con-
sist in providing either the gas meter or the tubing itself with an apparatus,
which is put into action by the gas passing through the meter or through that
part of the tubing where the apparatus is situated, thereby causing a wheel
provided with proper projections or pins to revolve and act with the said pins
against the end of a hammer, and make this latter strike an alarum. Con-

page_text: sequently whenever an escape occurs in the tubing beyond the meter or beyond
the apparatus, the gas in moving through the tubing will set the apparatus
and the alarum into operation, and this latter having thus sufficiently given
notice of the escape, the apparatus causes a weighted valve to fall into a small
barrel fitted to the tubing, and thereby shut the passage for the gas, proper
provision being made for allowing to put the apparatus into or out of operation
when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Leon Fauvel, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEON
FAUVEL, of Paris, France, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Leon Fauvel, Her special licence that I, the said Leon Fauvel, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Leon
Fauvel, 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
APPARATUS FOR INDICATING THE EXISTENCE OF ESCAPES IN GAS TUBING, AND FOR
STOPPING THE CONTINUANCE THEREOF," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Leon Fauvel, 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, 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 Leon Fauvel, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
These improvements relate to apparatus for indicating the existence of

page_text: escapes
'in gas tubing, and for stopping the continuance thereof, and they con-
sist in providing either the gas meter or the tubing itself with an apparatus,
which is put into action by the gas passing through the meter or through that
part of the tubing where the apparatus is situated, thereby causing a wheel
provided with proper projections or pins to revolve and act with the said pins
against the end of a hammer, and make this lattor strike an alarum. The
object of the apparatus is to indicate the occurrence of an escape of gas during
the time the burners are not lighted, the escape causing the measuring drum in
the meter to revolve and an alarum to be struck, whilst a suitable valve is
allowed to shut the inlet pipe for the gas, so as to prevent this latter from
reaching the hole where the escape took place.
I will now give a full description of the apparatus and its mode of acting,
thereby referring to the annexed Drawings, in the various Figures whereof
corresponding parts are indicated by the same letters of reference.
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation view of a gas meter, provided with the
apparatus for indicating the escape of gas and stopping the continuance
thereof; Fig. 2 represents a similar view, with the parts relating to the alarum
removed; Figs. 3 & 4 respectively show plan views of the principal parts of
the Figs. 1 & 2. The Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views of separate parts.
A is an ordinary gas meter, the gas entering therein by the pipe P, and
being conducted towards the burners by the outlet pipe C. Supposing the
burners not to be lighted and consequently having their cocks shut, any escape
of gas that would occur between the meter and the burners will produce the
revolution of the measuring drum in the meter and of the axis D of the regis-
tering train of wheels; this axis is made to protrude beyond the meter
and the said registering wheels, and the same is provided with a wheel E
in gear with a pinion F, which latter, together with a wheel G, fixed con-
centrically on the top of the pinion F, revolves round a vertical spindle f;
the wheel G has four or more cross bars e projecting horizontally beyond
the periphery thereof, and on this periphery are also fixed a series of vertical
pins a; the spindle f is fixed in a rule G', which may be caused to turn on
a screw bolt b, in order to allow of bringing at pleasure the pinion F in or
out of gear with the wheel E; the ends of the cross bars e project sufficiently
far beyond the periphery of the wheel G to come in contact with the lower
end of the arm g, h, of a bell-crank lever g, h, i, the horizontal spindle h' of
which is fixed in the body of the valve seat H, through which seat (shown
in cross section in Fig. 5), passes a horizontal axis d, provided with an
arm m, from which is suspended, by means of the chains m', a conical valve M
corresponding in shape with the conical opening N of the pipe B in the

page_text: interior of the seat H, in such manner that by lowering the said valve M
in this opening N, this latter will be entirely shut by the valve, and con-
sequently the gas prevented from reaching the meter. To the axis d is fixed
at the outside, of the seat H a lever arm 0, which arm is lifted by the short
arm h, i, of the bell-crank lever g, h, i, the other arm g, h, of which lever is
suitably bent, for allowing the same to be acted upon by the cross bars e of
the wheel G, which latter is provided concentrically with a circle P, in one of
the radii of which is fixed a pin p, serving as a fulcrum for a finger q to
turn on, the other end of which finger by means of the spring r. carries a
hammer s, which latter will strike the alarum S at each time one of the pins a
´by the revolution of the wheel G acts on the end of the finger q, after which
this finger and the hammer resume their former position by the actions of the
springs t and t¹.
The mode of acting of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing; as already
mentioned above, the cocks of the burners to be shut, if any escape of gas was
to occur between the meter and the burners, it is evident that the gas in passing
through the meter would cause the drum thereof to revolve, and consequently
the axis D, the wheel E, the pinion F, and the wheel G would at once com-
mence revolving, thereby causing the hammers to strike the alarum S, till one
of the cross bars e in touching the end of the arm g, h, of the lever g, h, i,
liberates the arm O, and thereby allows the valve M to fall down into the conical
opening N of the pipe B, and thus instantly prevents any further gas to reach
the meter and the spot where the escape took place. When afterwards the
burners are to be lighted, the valve M is to be lifted by means of the arm 0,
and is to be kept in this suspended position; in order to prevent that, the
revolving of the drum should cause the valve M to fall down in the opening N,
and thus prevent the gas reaching the burners, it is simply required to put the
pinion F out of gear with the wheel E, which is effected, as has been mentioned
above, by means of the rule G¹.
In case it should be wished to prevent the continuance of any escape with-
out indicating the same by means of the alarum, the parts intended for
actuating this latter may be dispensed with, as shown respectively in elevation
and in top view by the Figs. 2 and 4.
Escapes in the pipe B might be stopped by providing this pipe with a valve
seat and valve, and with a supplementary meter provided in the same manner
as the meter above described, with an apparatus for striking or not an alarum
and for working the escape arresting valve.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
Invention, and the mode in which the same is put into effect, I wish it to be

page_text: understood that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is,-
1ly, providing the gas meter fixed on the gas tubing with the above-
described arrangement for causing or not an alarum to be rung, and for
causing at the same time a valve to shut the pipe by which the gas is allowed
to enter into the meter, in order that whenever during the time the burners
are not lighted an escape of gas should take place in the meter, or in that part
of the tubing connecting this latter to the burners, this escape be stopped at
once, and if wished, indicated by the alarum.
And, 2ly, providing the pipe leading from the mains to the gas meter with
à supplementary meter provided with the above-described apparatus for
working or not an alarum, and for causing a valve to shut the said pipe when-
ever an escape of gas should occur in the tubing between this supplementary
5 meter and the burners during the time the latter are not lighted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leon Fauvel, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth of July, Eighteen hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
DREYFOUS,
Eng. Civil.
L. FAUVEL. (L.S.)