PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM, PARAFFIN, AND OTHER HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS WITHOUT A GLASS CHIMNEY IN THE ROOFS OF RAILWAY PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Turner Hall, of Edgehill Station, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, for the Invention of "IM
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM, PARAFFIN, AND OTHER
HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS WITHOUT A GLASS CHIMNEY IN THE ROOFS OF RAILWAY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Turner Hall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th November 1865.
I, JAMES TURNER HALL, of Edgehill Station, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM, PARAFFIN,
AND OTHER HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS WITHOUT A GLASS CHIMNEY IN THE ROOFS OF
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER LIKE PLACES AND POSITIONS," to be as follows:-
In the roofs of railway carriages, in mines, overhead at railway stations,
and in other places or positions where the whole or the principal portion of
the lower part of a lamp is provided with a transparent protecting medium,
such as glass, through which the light passes downwards or sidewise, and
where all or nearly all the air necessary to maintain combustion is admitted
into the lamp above or at about a level with the flame, it is of great importance
Price 8d1

page_text: that hydrocarbon burning liquids of the kind herein-before mentioned should
be employed, for not only do these liquids, when properly supplied with
air during combustion, possess a higher illuminating power than olive and
the other heavy oils now used, but they are less costly.
By my improvements 1 effect the heating or rarefying of the air neces-
sary to maintain combustion within the frame or protecting part of the
lamp itself, and by so doing I am enabled to dispense with the glass
chimney, which hitherto has been connected to the burner, and also
with a perforated air distributor.
Herein-after I will describe the arrangement of the parts or the con-
struction of a lamp for the roof of a railway carriage, as it embodies all the
features of a lamp according to my Invention, modifications of such features
rendering it suitable for use in different places and positions. The out-
line of the framework both in the metal and glass is similar to or the
same as that now in use, but the openings which serve for entrance of air
and exit of air and the products of combustion are covered, or some of
them are covered, with wire gauze, or the openings are made smaller than
is now the practice in olive oil lamps, and increased in number. The oil
container is made of bent metal tube or formed in any ordinary way, and
an opening for the admission of air left in the top thereof. From this
container one or more tubes pass downwards near to the bottom of the
lamp, and are there connected into a burner with a flat wick. The flat
wick must fit tightly into the wick tube so as to prevent overflow of the
oil; to guard against such overflow I contract the pipe between the con-
tainer and the wick, so as to allow a quantity of oil to pass only sufficient
to supply the wick. And further, to prevent any damage from overflow
of the oil, I place a flange all round and downwards from the upper end of
the wick tube, so that should an excess of oil get into the wick tube it will
be conveyed away therefrom under the flange down to the bottom of the
glass and out of reach of flame or great heat. A reflector of either concave
or convex form could be used; in using the former, which I prefer. I
place a short chimney of metal or other material on the back thereof, so
as to assist in maintaining a proper circulation of air within the lamp.
It is obvious that the principal parts of the lamps now in use can be
altered and made useful in the carrying out of my Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Turner Hall in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TURNER HALL, of Edgehill Station, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Gas Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Turner Hall, Her special license that I, the
said James Turner Hall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Turner Hall, 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, au
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM, PARAFFIN,
AND OTHER HYDROCARBON LIQUIDS WITHOUT A GLASS CHIMNEY IN THE ROOFS OF
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER LIKE PLACES AND POSITIONS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Turner Hall, 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 James Turner Hall, do hereby
declare 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):-
In the roofs of railway carriages, in mines, overhead at railway stations,
and in other places or positions where the whole or the principal portion
of the lower part of a lamp is provided with a transparent protecting
medium, such as glass, through which the light passes downwards or side-
wise, and where all or nearly all the air necessary to maintain combustion
is admitted into the lamp above or at about a level with the flame, it is of
great importance that hydrocarbon burning liquids of the kind herein-

page_text: before mentioned should be employed, for not only do these liquids, when
properly supplied with air during combustion, give a higher illuminating
power than olive and the other heavy oils now used, but they are less.
costly.
By my improvements I effect the heating or rarefying of the air neces-
sary to maintain combustion within the frame or protecting part of the
lamp itself, and by so doing I am enabled to dispense with the glass
chimney, which hitherto has been connected to the burner, and also with a
perforated air distributor.
Herein-after I will describe the arrangement of the parts or the con-
struction of a lamp for the roof of a railway carriage, as it embodies all
the features of a lamp according to my Invention, modifications of such
features rendering it suitable for use in different places and positions.
The outline of the framework both in the metal and glass is similar to or
the same as that now in use, but the openings which serve for entrance of
air and exit of air and the products of combustion are covered, or some
of them are covered, with wire gauze, or the openings made smaller than
is now the practice in olive oil lamps, and increased in number. The
oil container is made of bent metal tube or formed in any ordinary way,
and an opening for the admission of air left in the top thereof. From this
container one or more tubes pass downwards near to the bottom of the
lamp, and are there connected into a burner with a flat wick. The flat
wick must fit tightly into the wick tube so as to prevent overflow of the
oil. To guard against such overflow I contract the pipe between the
container and the wick, so as to allow a quantity of oil to pass only suffi-
cient to supply the wick. And further, to prevent any damage from over-
flow of the oil, I place a flange all round and downwards from the upper
end of the wick tube, so that should an excess of oil get into the wick
tube it will be conveyed away therefrom under the flange down to the
bottom of the glass and out of reach of flame or great heat. A reflector
of either concave or convex form could be used; in using the former,
which I prefer, I place a short chimney of metal or other material on the
back thereof, so as to assist in maintaining a proper circulation of air
within the lamp.
It is obvious that the principal parts of the lamps now in use can be
altered and made useful in the carrying out of my Invention.
In the Sheet of Drawings appended hereto there are, in addition to
Figs. 1 and 2, which are respectively views in side elevation and vertical
section of the railway carriage roof lamp herein-before described, repre-

page_text: sentations in vertical section by Figs. 3 and 4, the former illustrating a
lamp for lighting roads and like places in mines, and the latter a bracket
lamp suitable for lighting railway stations and other places.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a is marked on the frame of the lamp; b is a pro-
jecting ledge for supporting the lamp when in position; c, cover fastened
by hinge and kept closed by spring catch d; e, glass protector; f, oil con-
tainer (this is here shewn made of sheet metal, but it may be made of a
piece of tube as before described), with filling plug and air aperture g
therein; h, tubes (only one may be used) to convey the hydrocarbon
liquid to the wick and its tube i; j is a valve to regulate the quantity of
oil allowed to pass to i, and when the lamp is not lit to shut off the supply
altogether. To regulate the quantity of oil allowed to pass to i tubes h
might be constricted, and to shut it off altogether a cock or tap, which
could be opened and shut as desired, could be fitted in the place of the
open air passage g; k is a cap piece or flange, between and under which
and i the excess of burning fluid, if any, may pass away to the bottom of e.
The openings and m and the fiuely perforated sheet or wire gauze n
serve to admit air into the lamp to maintain combustion, and when the
lamp is in position in the roof of a carriage and protected by the ordinary
metal guard part of the air will be supplied from the outside and part from
the inside of the carriage. The air passes down into e by the space o
around, and the openings p in the reflector q, which is here made with a
concave reflecting surface; r is a metal chimney or uptake for the products
of combustion, which are allowed to escape through the openings s in the
top part c¹ of the cover c.
In the modification for use in mines shewn by Fig. 3, a¹ is the fluid
container; 61, the burner; c', earthenware convex reflector made in one piece
with the uptake or chimney d'; e', air entrance; f¹, air escape; g¹, passage
for air to the burner; h', glass protector; , the carrying or suspending bow;
and, protector or cover to prevent water from dropping into the lamp.
It will be observed that lamps constructed as described and shewn may be
used with safety in nines where foul air obtains. In Fig. 4, for railway
stations and like places, the lamp is supported by a bracket k¹; is the
container; m', the burner; ¹, the frame with air entrance openings o¹; pl, the
glass protector, here shewn made in pieces; q¹, the cover through which
the products of combustion escape; and r¹, the reflector. A small portion
of the air required to maintain combustion might be admitted through the
protector under the burner, but the quantity must be small, otherwise
combustion will be very imperfect and smoke be given off.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my Invention, and particularized
the same by description and illustration of various modifications, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details or
proportions of parts, as many modifications may be made without departing
from the leading features of my Invention, as an instance the wick might
be of a circular or ring like form. What I claim is constructing lamps for
the burning of petroleum, paraffin, and other hydrocarbon liquids, in such
manner that proper combustion is effected by making or employing the
frame or protecting parts to serve the purposes of the glass chimney and
perforated air distributor usually employed in the burning of these liquids.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Turner Hall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
In the presence of
JOHN T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
JAMES TURNER HALL. (L.s.)