IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harrison Blair, of Colthurst, in the Parish of
Mitten and County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER."
Sealed the 20th April 1853, and dated the 3rd November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harrison Blair at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd November 1852.
I, HARRISON BLAIR, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS
WITH WATER" to be as follows:--
My improvements relate to methods of feeding steam boilers with
water without the assistance of a force pump, steam being employed for
the purpose of equalizing the pressure, so that a like force may be exerted
upon the outside of the feed water to that which resists its entrance to
the boiler. The following is the arrangement I adopt for stationary
boilers-Above the boiler is placed a feed vessel provided with two
pipes, the one admitting water by a valve which opens inwards, the
other allowing its exit by a valve which opens outward, the latter pipe
projecting into the boiler. A third pipe passes from the boiler for con-

page_text: veying steam, and is attached at its upper end to a box containing a valve,
such valve being connected to a tumbling lever, to one end of which is
suspended a double float. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The feed vessel is first filled with steam, the valve being opened by
hand, until the air is expelled, after which the steam by its condensa-
tion forms a partial vacuum, into which the water will then flow, until
by its action upon tho upper float the valve is raised for the admission
of steam, which will then exert its force upon the surface of the water,
and allow it to flow into the boiler by its own gravity, and this will
continue until the water reaches the lower float, when the steam valve
will be closed and the pressure shut off. The closing of the steam
valvo opens another, which allows the greater part of the steam con-
tained in the feed vessel to rush out, after which the said valve closes
by its own weight or by a spring, and the remaining steam, being con-
densed, formis again a vacuum which admits another supply of water
to the feed vessel, which, by acting as before upon the floats, enters the
boiler, and so on by a self-acting process, the boiler being prevented
from over filling by the steam pipe dipping into the water in the boiler
when full enough, cach filling of the vessel representing a certain
amount of water to be evaporated, and which may be registered by a
count attached to the steam valve or parts connected therewith.
In applying this principle to marine boilers and boilers of loco-
motive engines I adapt an apparatus, suitably arranged, for enabling
an attendant to bring the pressure of the steam upon the water and
to open the water-way at pleasure; thus I provide a suitable vessel
capable of being filled from a tank or other source, the said vessel being
also furnished with a pipe for discharging the water into the boiler,
and with another for admitting steam to its upper part; these commu-
nications have suitable taps or valves adapted. The feed vessel being
filled with water, the attendant, when necessary, opens the pipe to
admit steam, and also that for the discharge of water, when the pressure
becoming equalized the water will flow by its own gravity into the
boiler.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Harrison Blair in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HARRISON BLAIR, of Colthurst, in the Parish of Mitten, and County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me, the said Harrison Blair, Her especial license.
that I, the said Harrison Blair, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Harrison Blair, 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 "IMPROVE-
HENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM BOILERS WITH WATER," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said. Harrison Blair, by an.
instrument in writing under my hand and scal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Harrison Blair, do hereby de-
clare 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
My improvements relate to boilers of marine and locomotive engines,.
and consist in a method of supplying such boilers with water, inde-.
pendently of the assistance of a force pump, steam being employed for
the purpose of equalizing the pressure, so that a like force may be
exerted upon the outside of the feed water to that which resists its

page_text: entrance to the boiler. The improvement, however, is not designed to
supersede altogether the use of a force pump, but chiefly to afford the
means of supplying water to the boiler when the engines are stationary.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I have
appended to this my Specification two Sheets of Drawings, which I
will now proceed to describe. A portion of a boiler of a locomotive
engine is shewn at a, a; upon this is mounted a vessel b, b, within
which is adapted a pipe c, communicating at bottom with another pipe
d, proceeding to the tender or other source of water supply, and fur-
nished with a cock e. A pipe, also opens to the chamber b, provided
with a cock g. Upon the lower part of the chamber b, is fixed a cock
.h, the barrel thereof being open to a pipe i, which extends into the
boiler a. The first operation is to afford a supply of water to the
vessel 6; to do this the attendant opens a small cock A, to allow the
escape of air, and then opens the cock g, upon which the vessel b, will
become filled with steam proceeding from the boiler a. The cocks k,
:and Ig, are then closed, and a vacuum will be formed by the condensa-
tion of the steam; when this has taken place the cock e, is opened, and
the water will immediately rush through the pipe c, and when it has
run to the required height the cock e, is closed. The operation thus
far will have furnished the chamber 6, with a quantity of water, which
may be conveyed into the boiler at any time when required by opening
the cock g, for by doing this the steam will flow up the pipe f, and
pass from thence on to the surface of the water, and there exerting a
pressure equal to that which opposes the passage of the water through
the pipe i, will enable it to fall by its own gravity into the boiler; this
having been accomplished, and the cock g, again closed, the steam
within the vessel b, will become condensed, and the vacuum enable
another supply of water to pass from the pipe d, ready to be trans-
mitted to the boiler when required. In order to ascertain the level
of the water in the vessel b, gauge cocks may be applied to the
requisite parts, or the pipe k, may be used for that purpose.
Fig. 2, represents a form of the apparatus more suitable for
boilers of marine engines. In this instance, instead of the cock h, a
valve is adapted, which is kept closed by the pressure of the steam in

page_text: the boiler until the equilibrium has been established, at which time the
column of water in the vessel a, will open it and descend by the pipe i.
Instead also of the cock g, a valve is connected to the steam pipe f.
The method of using this apparatus being the same as that for the
previously referred to arrangement, and similar letters marked upon
corresponding parts, no further description will be necessary.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire
it to be understood that I claim as secured to me the application to
boilers of locomotive and marine engines of apparatus for enabling the
attendant to apply the direct force of steam upon water, for the purpose
of causing it to enter the boiler when under the pressure of steam.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harrison Blair, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.