AN IMPROVED COMBINED SAFETY VALVE AND WHISTLE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED COMBINED SAFETY VALVE AND WHISTLE."
-A communication from abroad by Gilbert H. Clemens, of Chicago,
Illinois, United States of America.
Scaled the 1st September 1871, and dated the 6th March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th March 1871.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED COMBINED SAFETY VALVE
AND WHISTLE," a communication, to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide a self-closing safety valve
combined with a whistle for steam boilers, each being so arranged as to

page_text: perform its separate and necessary function; and the said Invention
consists partly in providing the lower portion or base of the valve caso
with a receptacle chamber communicating with tho boiler. Within the
said chamber is secured the main valve, which is so arranged together
with the case as to form a lateral enlarged supplemental chamber
between the lower side of the bulkhead or cap of the base and upper
surface of the valve, into which the steam is admitted from the recep-
tacle chamber, whereby the valve is firmly secured in a closed position
by the pressure of steam against the upper surface of the same.
It also consists in providing the said base with a hollow tube, within
which is secured a primary valve having its seat upon the upper surfaco
of the bulkhead, and communicating with the receptacle or chamber
through the main valve, by which means the steam is confined in
the said supplemental chamber, or allowed to escape therefrom by the
opening or raising of the same.
It also consists in the manner of securing the base of the valve case
to the boiler or dome plate of the same, and in the combination of a
steam whistle with the safety valve, a description of which in detail will
be herein-after fully given.
The base of the valve case has its lower end ground to a steam-tight
joint, and fitted upon the upper surface of the dome plate of the boiler.
A screw-threaded disc is firmly affixed within the said case, and is
provided with a series of openings communicating with the boiler
through an opening in the dome plate. The central portion of the said
disc is provided with an aperture through which is passed a bolt that
extends downward through the dome plate, and is screw-threaded on
its lower end, whercon is fitted a yoke whose ends come in contact
with the lower surface of the dome plate, by which means the valve case
is firmly secured to the same. The upper end of the said case is screw-
threaded externally, and upon it is fitted a bulkhead or cap. The lower
portion of the base is provided with the receptacle steam chamber, which
communicates with the boiler through the openings of the disc. The
inner side of the said base at the upper end of the receptacle chamber
is so arranged as to form a valve seat upon which is fitted the main
valve. Within the sides of the said case is a scries of openings which
extend inward and upward from the outer side of the case to the main
valve, through which the steam escapes from the receptacle chamber

page_text: when the said valve is raised. The upper surface of the said valve is
slightly concave towards its centre, and is so arranged as to form a
supplemental steam chamber between its upper side and the lower
surface of the bulkhead or cap of the base, the horizontal area of which
is nearly twice the area of the upper portion of the receptacle. Affixed
to the upper portion of the said bulkhead or cap is a hollow tube, the
lower end of which is screw-threaded externally, and the same is thereby
attached to the upward projecting portion of the bulkhead. Within
the upper end of the said tube is a screw-threaded coupling, upon the
outer side of which is attached the cap of the tube. A primary valve is
fitted within the upward projecting portion of the bulkhead below the
end of the tube, and is so arranged as to admit of a slight vertical
movement, the seat of the said valve being formed in the upper surface
of the inner portion of the same. Attached to the centre and lower
portion of the said valve is a stem, the lower end of which is slightly
enlarged, and is loosely fitted within an aperture in the centre of the
main valve. The diameter of the said aperture is such as to allow the
steam from the receptacle chamber to pass through the same around
the sides of the enlarged portion of the stem into the supplemental
chamber. The upward projecting portion of the bulkhead is provided
with a series of openings through which the steam escapes from the said
supplemental chamber when the primary valve is raised. Affixed to
the upper surface of the said primary valve is a stem which extends
upward through the tube, and is provided at its upper end with a bolt
or rod to which is attached a stirrup. The lower end of the said valve
stem near the valve is slightly enlarged, forming a shoulder upon which
is supported a collar loosely fitted around the same. Upon and around
the said valve stem, between the upper surface of the said collar and
lower end of the coupling, is a coiled spring which is so arranged as to
hold the valve firmly against and within its seat. Attached to and
around the cap of the tube is a collar which rests upon a shoulder
formed on the lower portion of the said cap; the said collar is secured
by a set screw which passes through its side and against the side of the
cap. Affixed to the side of the said collar is a vertical arm to which is
pivotted a lever. Firmly bolted to the outer side of the said arm is a
curved spring which extends outward and upward against the lower side
of the lever, whereby the same is secured in proper position, the said
spring being so arranged as to allow the outer end of the lever to be

page_text: moved downwards when desired, and to force the same back to its
normal position as power is removed from the lever. Pivotted to the
forward end of the said lever is a stirrup, to the lower end of which is
attached a whistle ring, the same being so arranged as to admit of a
vertical movement. The said lever is fork-shaped, and is also attached
to the stirrup of the primary valve stem by means of a bolt passing
through the same, the said bolt also passing through the lever stirrup.
The primary valve stirrup is provided with a vertical mortise through
which the said bolt passes, the length of the said mortise being such as
to allow the lever to be tilted upward sufficiently to raise the ring nearly
to or against the flanges of the base as the bolt is brought in contact
with the said stirrup; thus the whistle ring is raised to its proper
position before the steam is discharged from the respective chambers
by the rising of the primary valve. Affixed to the upper end of the
said stirrup is a rod the object of which is to raise the said primary valve
independently of the whistle ring, the length of the mortise being such
as to admit of the same. The upper portion of the tube below the cap
is screw-threaded externally, and upon it is fitted the whistle case, the
said case being capable of adjustment with regard to the openings of
the bulkhead, and is firmly secured by a screw-threaded washer upon
said tube above the same. I provide the upper portion of the base with
an adjusting nut which is fitted upon the screw-threaded portion of the
same between its shoulder and the shoulder of the bulkhead or cap,
the object of which is to secure a steam joint, and to hold the said
bulkhead firmly in position when adjusted to the required height,
thereby graduating the space vertically within the supplemental
chamber. I sometimes construct the base of the case and disc in one
pieco with the proper openings, either of which will produce the same
result. The stirrup may be connected to the primary valve stem by
a chain. The yoke is first passed through the hole in the dome plate,
and brought to its proper position under the same. The base of thic
valve case is then placed upon the upper side of the said dome plate,
and the bolt passed downward through the disc and screwed firmly into
the yoke. When it is desired to use the whistle power is applied to the
outer end of the lever moving the same downward, thereby raising
the whistle ring simultaneously with the primary valve. The lower
portion of the primary valve stem is slightly enlarged, exceeding in
diameter the diameter of the base of the valve seat, consequently giving

page_text: greater surface for the steam to act thereon, and a greater pressure upon
the spring when the primary valve is raised from its scat, and at the
same time reducing the pressure of the steam in the supplemental
chamber downward upon the upper surface of the said enlargement.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 5th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED SAFETY VALVE AND WHISTLE," a communication to me from
abroad by Gilbert H. Clemens, of Chicago, Illinois, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and

page_text: by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :—
The object of my Invention is to provide a self-closing safety valve
combined with a whistle for steam boilers, cach being so arranged as to
perform its separate and necessary function, and the said Invention
consists partly in providing the lower portion or base of the valve case
with a receptacle chamber communicating with the boiler. Within
the said chamber is secured the main valve, which is so arranged,
together with the case, as to form a lateral enlarged supplemental
chamber between the lower side of the bulkhead or cap of the base and
upper surface of the valve into which the steam is admitted from the
receptacle chamber, whereby the valve is firmly secured in a closed
position by the pressure of steam against the upper surface of the
same. It also consists in providing the said base with a hollow tube,
within which is secured a primary valve having its scat upon the upper
surface of the bulkhead and communicating with the receptacle or
chamber through the main valve, by which menus the steam is con-
fined in the said supplemental chamber, or allowed to escape therefrom
by the opening or raising of the same. It also consists in the manner
of securing the base of the valve case to the boiler or dome plate of the
same, and in the combination of a steam whistle with the safety valve,
a description of which in detail will be herein-after fully given.

page_text: which is passed a bolt D that extends downward through the dome
plate, and is screw-threaded on its lower end, upon which is fitted a
yoke E, whose ends come in contact with the lower surface of the dome
plate, by which means the valve case is firmly secured to the same.
The upper end of the said case is screw-threaded externally, and upon
it is fitted the bulkhead or cap F. The lower portion of the base is
provided with a receptacle steam chamber G, which communicates with
the boiler through the openings a¹ of the disc. The inner side of the
said base at the upper end of the receptacle chamber is so arranged as
to form a valve seat, upon which is fitted the main valve H. Within
the sides of the said case is a series of openings d' which extend inward
and upward from the outer side of the case to the main valve, through
which the steam escapes from the receptacle chamber when the said
valve is raised. The upper surface of the said valve E is slightly
concave towards its centre, and is so arranged as to form a supplemental
steam chamber G' between its upper side and the lower surface of the
bulkhead or cap of the base, the horizontal area of which is nearly twice
the area of the upper portion of the receptacle G. Affixed to the upper
portion of the said bulkhead or cap is a hollow tube I, the lower end of
which is screw-threaded externally, and the same is thereby attached
to the upward projecting portion F¹ of the bulkhead. Within the upper
end of the said tube is a screw-threaded coupling J, upon the outer
side of which is attached the cap J' of the tube. K is a primary
valve which is fitted within the upward projecting portion F' of the
bulkhead below the end of the tube I, and is arranged to permit a
slight vertical movement, the scat of the said valve being formed in
the upper surface of the inner portion of the same. Attached to the
centre and lower portion of the said valve is a stem e, the lower end of
which is slightly enlarged, and is loosely fitted within an aperture fin
the centre of the main valve II, the diameter of the said aperture is
such as to allow the steam from the receptacle chamber G to pass
through the same around the sides of the enlarged portion of the stem e
into the supplemental chamber G¹. The upward projecting portion Fl
of the bulkhead is provided with a series of openings 7, 9, through
which the steam escapes from the said supplemental chamber when the
primary valve K is raised. Affixed to the upper surface of the said
primary valve is a stem L which extends upward through the tube I,
and is provided at its upper end with a bolt or rod h to which is attached

page_text: a stirrup M, the lower end of the said valve stem near the valve is
slightly enlarged, forming a shoulder upon which is supported a collar i
loosely fitted around the same. Upon and around the said valve stem,
between the upper surface of the said collar and lower end of the coup-
ling, J', is a coiled spring N arranged to hold the valve firmly against
and within its scat. Attached to and around the cap J' of the tube I
is a collar O which rests upon a shoulder m formed on the lower portion
of the said cap; the said collar is secured by a set screw n which passes
through its side, and against the side of the cap, affixed to the side of
the said collar, is a vertical arm P, to which is pivoted a lever Q. Firmly
bolted to the outer side of the said arm is a curved spring R that extends
outward and upward against the lower side of the lever Q, whereby the
samo is secured in proper position; the said spring being arranged to
allow the outer end of the lever to be moved downwards when desired
and to force the same back to its normal position as power is removed
from the lever. Pivoted to the forward end of the said lever is a stirrup
S, to the lower end of which is attached the whistle ring T, the samo
being arranged to admit of a vertical movement. The said lever is forked
shaped and is also attached to the stirrup M of the primary valve stem
by means of a bolt » passing through the same, tho said bolt also passing
through the stirrup S, thus properly connecting the whole. The stirrup M
is provided with a vertical mortise through which the said bolt passes,
the length of the said mortise being such as to allow the lever to be
tilted upward sufficiently to raise the ring T nearly to or against the
flanges of the base as the bolt p is brought in contact with tho said
stirrup; thus the whistle ring is raised to its proper position before
the steam is discharged from the respective chambers by the raising
of the primary valve. Affixed to the upper end of the said stirrup M
is a rod t, the object of which is to raise the said primary valve inde-
pendently of the whistle ring, the length of the mortise being such
as to admit of tho same. The upper portion of the tube I, below the
cap J', is screw-threaded externally, and upon it is fitted the whistle
ense U, the said case being capable of adjustment to a proper position
with the openings g of the bulkhead, and it is firmly secured by a screw-
threaded washer V upon the said tube. I provide the upper portion;
of the base A with an adjusting uut A', fitted upon the screw threaded
portion of the same, between its shoulder and the shoulder of the bulk
head or cap F; the object of this arrangement is to secure a steam

page_text: joint and to hold the said bulk-head firmly in position when adjusted
to the required height, thereby graduating the space vertically within
the supplemental chamber.
I do not wish to confine myself strictly to a screw-threaded disc C
as described, for I sometimes construct the base of the case and disc
in one pieco with the proper openings, either of which will produce the
same result; nor do I wish to be confined exclusively to the bolt or
rod by which the stirrup M is connected to the primary valve stem, as
a chain may be used to connect the same and with the same result.
In attaching my Invention to the boiler, the yoke E is first passed
through the hole in the dome plate B and brought to its proper position
under the same. The base A of the valve case is then placed upon the
upper side of the said dome plate and the bolt B passed downward
through disc C and screwed firmly into the yoke. Thus the said
case is firmly attached to the boiler, and as steam is generated in
the boiler it flows into the chamber G of the valve case through the
openings a¹b of the disc and dome plate, filling the said chamber. The
steam then passes through the opening in the main valve H, around the
enlarged portion of the primary valve stem c, into the supplemental
chamber G¹, filling the same by which means the main valve H is tightly
closed by the overbalanced pressure of steam upon its upper surface;
the primary valve K is arranged to weigh the steam in the boiler, and
as the same exceeds the limit allowed the said valve is raised from its
seat by the pressure of steam against the lower end of stem e, which
allows the steam within the supplemental chamber to escape through
the openings in the bulkhead, thereby reducing the pressure against
the upper surface of valve H sufficiently to cause the pressure beneath
the same to overbalance that above, by which the said valve is raised
and the steam from the boiler escapes over the valve and through the
openings of the case; as soon as the steam in the boiler is sufficiently
reduced to bring the pressure within the limit required the primary
valve returns to its seat and the supplemental chamber instantly fills,
thereby closing the main valve.
When it is desired to use the whistle power is applied to the outer
end of the lever Q, moving the same downward, thereby raising the
whistle ring T simultaneously with the primary valve; the steam
escaping from the supplemental chambers allows the valve H to rise,
and the steam from the boiler escapes through openings № in the case

page_text: to and into the whistle chamber. The lower portion of the primary
valve stem e slightly exceeds in diameter the diameter of the base of
the valve seat as shown, consequently it gives greater surface for the
steam to act thereon, and a greater pressure upon the spring, when
the primary valve is raised from its seat, and at the same time reduces 5
the pressure of the steam in the supplemental chamber G'downward
upon the upper surface of the said enlargement.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I claim,—
First. The valve II in combination with the chambers G and G', 1
arranged as described, whereby the said valve is closed by the pressure
of steam substantially as and for the purpose described.
Second. The primary valve K in combination with the main valve H,
the whole arranged substantially as set forth for the purpose described.
Third. The enlarged stem e of the primary valve K in combination 1
with the opening of the valve H.
Fourth. The adjusting nut A', in combination with the base A and
bulkhead or cap F, substantially as set forth for the purpose described.
Fifth. The bolt D and yoke E in combination with the base A, the
whole arranged substantially in the manner described for the purpose 2
specified.
Sixth. The combination of the stirrup M with lever Q, bolt h, and
valve stem L with spring N, substantially as set forth for the purpose
described.
cup
Seventh. In combination the steam safety valve with adjustable 2
T and whistle, substantially as sot forth for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my band and scal, this Fifth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
EDWARD CLARK JACKSON.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)