IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS OR APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING OR ILLUMINATING PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Garrett Tongue at tlic
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd April 1868.-A communication from abroad by Casimir
Rakowski, Manufacturer, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck, Patent
Agents & Engineers, of 344, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lanc,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS OR APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING OR
ILLUMINATING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the arrangement and construction of
lamps which resemble candles, being made either in glass, opal, por-
celain, copper, cast metal, or other suitable material..
These lamps or imitation candles are constructed so that they may
be used either in a chandelier, candlestick, or other form of lighting
apparatus, and they may be placed either in a candlestick, or socket,
candelabra, or other support.
The imitation candle is hollow to enclose in the lower part a small
reservoir for oil or spirit into which the wick dips. The imitation candle

page_text: may itself serve for the reservoir to receive the oil, mineral, or other
spirit with which the wick supplies itself.
When the candle is intended to be mounted upon a chandelier or
special stand it only encloses the wick, and this latter then descends
into the vessel of the lighting apparatus to be charged with oil, vapours,
or spirit.
According to one arrangement of apparatus the imitation candle made
of porcelain, glass, opal, or other suitable material, is hollow to enclose
a cylindrical wick which terminates in a wick holder and stopper or
nozzle. The opposite extremity of the wick passes through the bottom
of the imitation candle and descends into the reservoir that forms the
foot or base of the chandelier or lighting apparatus. This reservoir is
filled with spongy or porous matters for absorbing the volatile liquid or
spirit, the wick being tied or knotted below a partition formed in the
tube screwed upon the reservoir. The stopper or nozzle is by preference
amade of porcelain in order to prevent the deterioration of the imitation
candle owing to the great heat developed by the flame, being provided
with a forrule which screws into a corresponding ferrule fixed in the
interior of the imitation candle. Above the stopper or nozzle a small
socket is arranged which can slide casily upon the wick holder, the
object of which is to regulate the flame. The wick by supplying
itself from the reservoir furnishes light during a considerable time, an
advantage which the apparatus hitherto proposed of this character does
not present.
Another arrangement of imitation candle according to this Invention
is so constructed as to be applicable to a candle holder of a chandelier,
girandole, or other support. This candle differs from the preceding one
in this respect, that it encloses within itself the reservoir for the oil
or other burning fluid, being closed at the top end by a screwed stopper
or cover below which the wick is tied or knotted. This cover is pierced
with holes for the egress of the vapours of the liquid which is contained
in the reservoir. The wick, which may be arranged in any suitable
manner in the imitation candle, passes out through the porcelain stopper
or nozzle, being adjusted simply by friction and supported by a pin,
as in the previous arrangement, which passes through the lower part
of the stopper or nozzle; or the stopper for closing this arrangement of
imitation candle may be arranged in a similar manner to the one
previously described. The tie or knot of the wick is for the purpose of

page_text: raising the reservoir out of the hollow imitation candle in order to fill it
more readily when required. The stopper or nozzle may be flattened
to imitate an ordinary candle which has been already lighted.
According to another arrangement a metallic imitation candle of this
character is sheathed with opal, and in the upper part an annular ridgo
is formed into which is screwed a socket formed in the same piece with
a regulator. A tube completely surrounding the wick for the whole of
its length is intended to intercept all passage of air, and to prevent
explosion it is soldered to the socket. The cover or nozzle which forms
the upper part of the imitation candle is of porcelain, and it is provided,
as in that previously described, with a ferrule the screw thread of which
is turned in the opposite direction to the other ferrule upon the socket.
The extremity of this socket which constitutes the regulator is pierced
with a suitable number of holes which prevent the extinction of the
flame when the apparatus is carried about, as in the case of candelabra,
candlesticks, or other portable holders. The body of the imitation candle
is filled with either mineral or petroleum spirit to supply the wick, and
constitutes a reservoir from which the liquid cannot escape even should
the imitation candle fall. All accident is thus prevented as well as all
risk of staining either clothes or furniture, as frequently happens with
ordinary candles.
Imitation candles of this description may be applied to candelabra
with branches, the hollow candles being supplied by liquid conducted
from a reservoir by means of the branches. It is obvious that the
reservoir may vary in form and dimensions, and that the number of the
candles may also be varied so as to present the appearance of candelabra.
A disc of india-rubber may require to be used at the point of juncture.
The standing candelabra may carry as many branches as may be desired,
and consequently as many candles, each one of the candles communi-
cating with a special reservoir of which the forms may be infinitely
varied; the reservoirs are screwed in such a manner as to be removed
and replaced where that is practical for the vessels of lamps of the
ordinary make. Very fine sconces and lustres may also be made of this
character.
According to another arrangement the body of an imitation candle is
formed of a tube, at the upper part of which a cast copper cap may be
soldered or screwed which presents exteriorly the aspect of an ordinary
new candle; this cap presents in the centre a kind of nave in which is

page_text: screwed a socket soldered upon the central tube which contains the
wick. The wick supplies itself directly from the liquid enclosed in the
body, and its upper part is formed of asbestos, which causes it to perfectly
resist combustion, and it is not necessary to touch it constantly to raise
it. In order to pour the oil or spirit into the imitation candle it is only
necessary to withdraw the central tube, unscrewing it by the aid of the
milled part of the socket. The reservoir contained within an imitation
candle may be covered by a metallic envelope painted or enamelled
exteriorly, and which is screwed at its lower part upon an enlarged
bottom; this envelope makes the surface of the reservoir uniform, and
the latter is unscrewed by the aid of a key which is placed in a hole for
that purpose.
According to another arrangement the reservoir of a chandelier or
candlestick is formed by the body and not by the foot, as in the first
arrangement described. At the upper part of the chandelier is screwed
a kind of socket or hollow metallic cover to which is soldered a central
tube through which the wick is passed. This tube, which raises a
suitable quantity of oil or spirit, is enclosed by an envelope which
represents the body of a candle.