IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS LAMPS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Palfrey Stephenson, of 15, Abingdon
Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, Eugene George
Bartholomew, of 1, Chepstow Villas, York Road, Upper Holloway,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and Robert King, of
8, Saint Mary Axe, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS
LAMPS."
Sealed the 1st February 1870, and dated the 26th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Palfrey. Stephen-
son, Eugene George Bartholomew, and Robert King at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
26th August 1869.
We, HENRY PALFREY STEPHENSON, of 15, Abingdon Street, in the.
City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, EUGENE GEORGE BARTHOLOMEW,
of 1, Chepstow Villas, York Road, Upper Holloway, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and ROBERT KING, of 8, Saint Mary Axe,..

page_text: in the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS
LAMPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements and arrangements in
the mode of lighting street or other gas lamps, and consists of two parts,
the one in which the lighting and extinguishing is effected by the
pressure and exhaustion of atmospheric air or any other gas or combi-
nation of gases conveyed in an independent tube or tubes to that of the
ordinary gas, and the other in which the ignition of the gas jet is
effected by the action of hydrogen or any other suitable gas upon spongy
platinum, the said gas being likewise conveyed in an independent tube.
The mode by which the first part is effected is as follows:-An
independent tube or other mode of conveyance passes from lamp to.
lamp, and at each lamp communicates with a cylinder, over which is laid
a diaphragm more or less impervious to air, the diaphragm not being
tightly stretched. This diaphragm rises or falls according as pressure or
exhaust exists in the tube communicating with the cylinder, and in
doing so influences by any suitable mechanical arrangement a lever
attached to the valve or cock by which the gas is admitted from the.
main to the burner. The play of the lever is limited, so that the gas is
never wholly turned off but remains burning to a greatly reduced extent.
A shield intended to protect the reduced flame from the action of
currents of air is so arranged as that it can be raised or lowered simul-.
taneously with the motion of the aforesaid lever, so that when the gas is
partially turned off the shield is in a position to protect the reduced
flame.
The arrangement of the second part is as follows:-A piece of spongy
platinum is placed in such a position as that when it is raised to a white
heat it ignites the jet of hydrocarbon or ordinary gas, the platinum being.
raised to the necessary heat by a jet of hydrogen gas being directed upon
it, the said hydrogen being conveyed from lamp to lamp in an inde-
pendent pipe in any suitable manner. The pressure or exhaustion of the
hydrogen at the same time by a suitable mechanical arrangement opens
the tap or valve to admit the gas from the main.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Palfrey Stephenson, Eugene George Bar-
tholomew, and Robert King in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
PALFREY STEPHENSON, of 15, Abingdon Street, in the City of West-
minster, Civil Engineer, EUGENE GEORGE BARTHOLOMEW, of 1, Chepstow
Villas, York Road, Upper Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, and ROBERT KING, of 8, St. Mary Axe, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Henry Palfrey Stephenson, Eugene George
Bartholomew, and Robert King, Her special licence that we, the said
Henry Palfrey Stephenson, Eugene George Bartholomew, and Robert
King, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Henry Palfrey Stephenson, Eugene George Bartholomew, and
Robert King, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING GAS LAMPS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Palfrey Stephenson,
Eugene George Bartholomew, and Robert King, or one of us, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their, or one of our or one of our 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 Henry Palfrey Stephenson, Eugene
George Bartholomew, and Robert King, do hereby declare the nature

page_text: 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:
This Invention relates to certain improvements and arrangements in
the mode of lighting street or other gas lamps in which the lighting and
extinguishing is effected by the pressure and exhaustion of atmospheric
air or any gas or combination of gases conveyed in an independent tube
or pipe to that of the ordinary gas.
The mode is as follows:-An independent tube or other mode of con-
veyance passes from lamp to lamp, and at each lamp communicates with
a cylinder, over which is laid a diaphragm or an expansible bellows more
or less impervious to air. This diaphragm rises or falls according as
pressure or exhaust exists in the tube communicating with the cylinder,
and in doing so influences by any suitable mechanical arrangement a
lever attached to the valve or cock by which the gas is admitted from
the main to the burner. The play of the lever is limited, so that the gas
is never wholly turned off but remains burning to a greatly reduced
extent. A shield intended to protect the reduced flame from the action
of currents of air is so arranged as that it can be raised or lowered simul-
taneously with the motion of the aforesaid lever, so that when the gas is
partially turned off the shield is in a position to protect the reduced
flame.
The Invention will be fully understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 represent the
flame protecting shield in the upward position, that is, when the gas is
turned down so low that only a small quantity is allowed to pass to the
burner to keep a little flame alight, which is protected from the wind by
the shield. In Figures 3 and 4 the shield is down and the gas full on.
The letters of reference in all the Figures correspond.
A is the gas supply pipe which leads to the burner or jet B. The
gas in its passage is checked by the ordinary regulator within the case C
to insure a steady flame under all. conditions. The plug of the burner
tap D carries one end of a lever, or, as indicated in in the Drawings, a
disc F with the lever E attached to it, and whatever movement the disc
or lever receives the plug is compelled to follow. The opposite end of

page_text: the lever E is connected by a pin or stud to an air oylinder or expansible
bellows G, which is in communication by a pipe H with a pump or
other appliance for forcing and exhausting air either at the gas works or
at intermediate points, so that any number of apparatus can be operated
upon at the same time to turn the gas up or down. The disc F also
carries a rod J, which supports and guides the shield K in its up-and-
down movements. We propose to make the shield as light as possible
by removing portions of it, and then to fill up or cover over the openings
with wire gauze, as shown, so that sufficient air can come in contact with
the flame to support combustion. In the Drawings we have indicated
that the plug makes a 'quarter revolution so that the gas is turned com-
pletely off and fully on by it, but to prevent the flame being entirely
extinguished we fix a loop in "bye" pipe L below and above the tap to
allow a small flow of gas to pass at all times to the burner, and it is by
this pipe that we retain the small flame when the plug is turned to shut
the gas off. M is a stud or button on the disc F to act as a counterpoise
to the weight of the rod J and the shield K. In some cases this counter-
poise may be hung on a pin, so that when the disc is suddenly moved by
the pressure of the air a swinging motion is given by which its centre of
gravity is thrown farther from the centre of the plug and a certainty of
action produced.
It will be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact
apparatus before described, as other forms or combination of appliances
can be used for the purpose. What we desire to protect under our
Letters Patent is, the employment of mechanism actuated by a pressure
or exhaustion of air or other gases or combination of gases passed through
a separate pipe or tube for turning the plug of a gas tap and raising and
lowering a shield, substantially in the manner before referred to.
We do not intend in all cases to have the shield in connection with
the tap, as we sometimes may use only the turning on and shutting off
mechanism, or we may work the shield rod alone by the expansion and
contraction of the bellows or air cylinder.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as
our Invention, the employment of air or gases under pressure and
exhaustion for moving the tap of gas supply pipes and jet protecting

page_text: shields, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
lescribed and shewn in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Palfrey Stephenson, Eugenè
George Bartholomew, and Robert King, have hereunto set our
hands and seals, this Twenty-fifth day of February, One thousand
oight hundred and seventy