IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS FOR HEATING WATER, AND IN VALVES. FOR 1. CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF THE SAME
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Meiklejon, of Dalkeith, in the County- of
.
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Horticultural Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS FOR HEATING WATER, AND IN VALVES. FOR
1. CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF THE SAME"
Sealed the 16th November 1858; and dated the 3rd June 1858.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left-by the said John Meiklejon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd June 1858.
I, JOHN MEIKLEJON, of Dalkeith, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, Horticultural Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for" IMPROVEMENTS IN BOILERS FOR HEATING WATER, AND IN VALVES
FOR CONTROLLING AND REGULATING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF THE SAME." to-be as
follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the arrangement and construction of
boilers, which are more particularly applicable to the heating of horticultural
buildings, and for other similar purposes; secondly; to the arrangement and
construction of valves for regulating the flow of water to or from the boiler.
Under one arrangement the boiler consists of four tubular water spaces, united
by a web of a cruciform figure. Two of the tubular water spaces are arranged
Price d

page_text: The
in one plane, parallel to each other, and two above. From each of the lower
pipes a thin web or waterway springs in a diagonal direction, and these meet
each other above the plane of the pipes: from this point the web diverges. and
is bounded by the two upper horizontal pipes. The upper pipes are closed at
both ends, but at the front part of the boiler are united by an arch pipe, in
which are two sockets to receive the ends of the outlet water pipes.
boiler is set in the brickwork of the heating furnace, with the two lower pipes
resting upon the inner walls, the diagonal cruciform web extending upwards,
its lower face being directly over the fire, the union pipe of the upper water
ways being directly under the crown of the brickwork. The water flows in at
the back part of the boiler through the lower pipes, and thence through the
cruciform web to the upper pipes, and through the arched waterway to the
outlet pipes. The heated gaseous matters pass along the lower face of the
web, round the backward end, and thence along its lateral faces by the side
flues; at the front part of the furnace the heated matters pass over the upper
face of the web, and here come in contact also with the upper water spaces
and outlet pipes. In this manner the whole of the heat arising from the
burning fuel is imparted to the boiler before the heated matters reach the
chimney; this is owing to the extensive surface they are caused to pass over
on their way to the chimney. In arranging valves for controlling the flow of
water from these boilers; and for other similar purposes, one modification
consists of a vertical valve chamber, which also serves as an expansion box;
in this cylindrical chamber is fitted a ring of metal, the face of which forms
the valve seating. The valve is simply a disc of brass, which rests upon the
The
seating, the two faces being ground together to ensure an accurate fit.
back or top part of the valve is continued upwards and terminates in a ring or
other contrivance by which it may be readily lifted off the seating and sup-
ported at any required height above it. The inlet or supply pipe enters the
lower part of the valve chamber, and the outlet just above the valve. When
the water passage is to be opened, the valve is raised by the ring and
supported by a cross piece above it, and fitted in the upper part of the valve
chamber, which is enclosed, by a suitable lid or cover; valves arranged in this
manner are simple in construction, very readily cleaned, and effective in main-
taining the tubular passage water-tight.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Meiklejon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MEIKLEJON, of Dalkieth, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, Horti-
cultural Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord' Onc
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Meiklejon. Her special license that I, the said John
Meiklejon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Meiklejon, 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 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN BOILERS FOR HEATING WATER, AND IN VALVES FOR CONTROLLING AND
REGULATING THE FLOW OR PASSAGE OF THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that 1, the said John Meiklejon, 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 Pateni.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that 1. the said John Meiklejon. do hereby declaró
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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates, firstly, to the arrangement and construction of
boilers, which are more particularly applicable to the heating of horticultural
buildings, and for other similar purposes; secondly, to the arrangement and
construction of valves for regulating the flow of water to or from the boiler.
Under one arrangement the boiler consists of four tubular water spaces united
by a web of a cruciform figure. Two of the tubular water spaces are arranged
in one plane parallel to each other, and two above. From each of the lower
pipes a thin web or waterway springs in a diagonal direction, and these meet
each other above the plane of the pipes; from this point the web diverges, and

page_text: is bounded by the two upper horizontal pipes. The upper pipes are closed at
both ends, but at the front part of the boiler are united by an arch pipe, in
which are two sockets to receive the ends of the outlet water pipes. The
boiler is set in the brickwork of the heating, furnace, with the two lower pipes
resting upon the inner walls, the diagonal cruciform web extending upwards,
its lower face being directly over the fire, the union pipe of the upper water-
ways being directly under the crown of the brickwork. The water flows in at
the back part of the boiler, through the lower pipes, and thence through the
cruciform web to the upper pipes, and through the arched waterway to the
outlet pipes. The heated gaseous matters pass along the lower face of the
web, round the backward end, and thence along its lateral faces by the side
flues; at the front part of the furnace the heated matters pass over the upper
face of the web, and here come in contact also with the upper water spaces
and outlet pipes. In this manner the whole of the heat arising from the
burning fuel is imparted to the boiler before the heated matters reach the
chimney; this is owing to the extensive surface they are caused to pass over
on their way to the chimney. In arranging valves for controlling the flow of
water from these boilers, and for other similar purposes, one modification
consists of a vertical valve chamber, which also serves as an expansion box;
in this cylindrical chamber is fitted a ring of metal, the face of which formis
the valve seating. The valve is simply a disc of brass, which rests upon the
seating, the two faces being ground together to ensure an accurate fit. The
back or top part of the valve is continued upwards and terminates in a ring or
other contrivance by which it may be readily lifted off the seating and sup-
ported at any required height above it. The inlet or supply pipe enters the
lower part of the valve chamber, and the outlet just above the valve. When
the water passage is to be opened, the valve is raised by the ring and
supported by a cross-piece above it, and fitted in the upper part of the valve
chamber, which is enclosed by a suitable lid or cover. Valves arranged in
this manner are simple in construction, very readily cleansed, and effective in
maintaining the tubular passage water-tight.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of
showing certain modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously
carried out in practice.
Figure 1 on my Sheet of illustrative Drawings is a transverse vertical
section of one modification of my improved boiler as it appears when set in
the brickwork of the furnace, and looking upon the front end of the boiler;

page_text: Figure 2 is a longitudinal and partially sectional view of the boiler and furnace
corresponding to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a transverse section of another form
or modification of my improved boiler; Figure 4 is an external view or
elevation, and Figure 5 is a corresponding sectional view, of my improved
valvular apparatus for stopping, controlling, and regulating the flow of water
through pipes or other passages.
Referring to the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 on my Drawings,
the enclosing brickwork A which forms the furnace is built up to form
internally an oblong arched chamber B. The side walls of the chamber B are
curved inwards at the lower part, as shown in Figure 1 on my Drawings, and
upon these parallel ledges the lower parts of the boiler rest. The furnace C
extends forward in front of the boiler, and is arched over at the upper part,
the furnace bars D being arranged in the usual manner, extending backwards
beneath the boiler. The opening to the ash-pit E is closed by a door F, which
has openings made in it; these apertures are partially or wholly closed by the
rotatory plate G, which is actuated by a handle in front. By opening or
closing the apertures in the door F, the combustion of the fuel in the furnace
may be increased or checked at pleasure.
In this modification of my Invention the boiler in which the water is heated
consists of four tubular water-ways disposed in two horizontal planes, these
tubular waterways being united by a web or narrow water space of a cruciform
figure. The lower duplex tubular water-ways H rest upon the curved ledges
of the chamber B, and from each of the pipes H the hollow web extends
upwards in an angular and converging direction, the junction of the lower
surface of the web being somewhat below the centre of the chamber B. From
this central part of the boiler the web 1 again diverges until its junction with
the upper duplex tubular water-ways J, which are parallel with the lower
water-ways H. The chamber B is built to correspond to the width asunder of
the water-ways H and J, the latter of which rest against the side walls of the
chamber. The upper water-ways J are united at the front end of the boiler
by the union pipe K, on the back part of which are cast or otherwise con-
nected the two sockets L, which receive the ends of the pipes M; these pipes
are carried backwards below the crown of the arch that forms the upper part
of the chamber B, so that they receive the heat of the
bustible matters cre they escape into the chimney N.
H at the backward end of the boiler extend out beyond the web I, forming
two sockets, which receive the ends of the pipes O, the other extremities of
these pipes being made to communicate with the pipes M, the two series
being carried round the building to be heated, so as to form a circuitous route
gaseous and non-com-
The lower water-ways

page_text: for the circulation of the heated water. The water to be heated passes along
the pipes and water-ways H, rises upwards through the cruciform web I,
and into the upper water-ways J; from these water-ways the heated water
passes through the union pipe K and along the pipes M, which are continued
outwards and carried round the building to be heated, and back by the
pipes O into the boiler.
.
In my improved boiler the surface of metal exposed to the action of the
heat is very extensive. The burning fuel first acts directly upon the under
surface of the web I, whilst the flame and gaseous matters pass along to the
backward end of the boiler. At this part the brickwork is so built that
the flame and gaseous matters are caused to return along the space between
the sides of the web I and the chamber B to the front end of the furnace;
finally the heated air and smoke return along the crown of the arch to the
back part of the chamber, and thence into the chimney N. During this
circuitous route over the surface of the boiler the heat arising from the
burning fuel is wholly, or nearly 50, absorbed by the metal of the boiler and
the water circulating through it. The boiler may be made either of cast or
wrought iron, and may be used for raising steam as well as heating water; in
this case the two pipes M may be united after passing out beyond the
chamber B, and the steam be conveyed by a single pipe to the engine or
applied to any other purpose where such an agent is required.
.
Another modification of my improvements in boilers is shown in the trans-
verse sectional view, Figure 3 on my Drawings. In this arrangement there
are but three tubular water-ways or water and steam passages; the two lower
water-ways P are arranged in the same plane horizontally and parallel with each
other. These tubular water-ways P are united to each other by the converging
web or water space Q. which at its central junction extends upwards in a
vertical direction, and terminates in a third tubular water-way R. In setting
this boiler in the brickwork of the furnace, the water-ways P rest upon ledges
similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 1, on my Drawings, whilst the
upper water or steam pipe R touches the crown of the arch. The web Q is
heated in the manner herein-before described, and the smoke and heated
matters arising from the burning fuel are caused to pass over the lateral faces
of the web Q, by arranging the brickwork to suit this variation in the external
form of the boiler. This modification of my improvements may be made
either of cast or wrought iron, and adapted either for heating water or raising
steam therefrom.
In Figures 4 and 5 on my Sheet of Drawings is shown one modification
of my improved valvular apparatus for controlling, the passage of water to

page_text: or from the boiler. The valve box S is by preference made of cast iron
closed at its lower end, and it has two or more laterally projecting sockets,
which receive respectively the ends of the inlet pipe T and the outlet pipe U:
The valve box is cast with an internal ring or flange, on which the brass valve
ring V rests, and is fixed in its place by plugging it round with white lead or
other suitable substance. The upper part of the valve box S forms a socket
to receive the lower end of the tubular piece W, in which is cast an internal
flange X. The face of the valve ring V is ground in a lathe, and to it is fitted
a correspondingly ground plug or valve Y, by preference made of cast iron,
faced with a ring of brass. Upon the back of this valve is a stem, which
extends upwards in a vertical direction. and terminates in a ring for the
convenience of lifting it from the valve ring V. The stem of the valve Y has
cast on it the laterally projecting pieces Z, which form a sort of cross head
thereon, and serve to support the valve when the ends of these projecting parts
rest upon the internal flange X. This flange is cast on the tubular part W
of the valve box in two equal parts, extending on either side of the tubular case
W, to allow of the cross head Z sliding up and down when the valve Y is to be
raised from the valve ring or deposited thereon. The upper part of the box
W is enclosed by the cap a, which gives an ornamental finish to the exterior
of the valve box. The water flows in by the pipe T, and upwards through
the valve ring V when the valve Y is raised, and thence away by the outlet
pipe U. The valve box S, as arranged in my illustrative Drawing, answers
also the purpose of an expansion box when heated water is passed through the
pipes, and acts as a safety vessel to prevent accidents arising from the expan-
sion of the water by heat. Another mode of arranging the valve Y, and one
to which I give the preference, is to cast the stem without the cross-head Z,
and when only a small quantity of water is required to pass through the valve
ring V, the stem of the valve Y is canted to one side, and retained in that
position by means of a wedge, which is pushed down between the valve stem
and the interior of the case W. When the full flow of water is required, the
valve Y is simply lifted out of the valve box, the arrangement of which admits
of this being done with the utmost ease. These modifications of valvular
apparatus afford an excellent means of controlling the passage of fluids, of
providing for their expansion, and of combining a bend or "elbow" with the
valvular apparatus.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to

page_text: describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the principles or main features of my Invention; but 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,-
First, the general arrangement and construction, and configuration or shape,
of boilers or apparatus for heating water or raising steam, as herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second; the system or mode of heating water or raising. steam by means of
boilers arranged and constructed as herein-before described, that is to say, as
a series of tubular water-ways or passages united by means of webs or narrow
spaces, as delineated and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the system or mode of stopping and controlling the passage or flow
of water or other liquids by means of the valvular apparatus herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Meiklejon, have hereunto set
my hant and seal, this Thirtieth day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JOHN MEIKLEJON. (L.s.)