A NEW MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TO BE PLAYED BY THE AGENCY OF STEAM OR HIGHLY-COMPRESSED AIR
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "A NEW MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TO BE PLAYED BY THE AGENCY
OF STEAM OR HIGHLY-COMPRESSED AIR."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st July 1856.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "A NEW MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TO BE PLAYED BY THE
AGENCY OF STEAM OR HIGHLY-COMPRESSED AIR," to be as follows:-
This instrument consists of a number of what are commonly known as
steam whistles, of proper relative size and thickness, and with proper relative
widths of escape aperture, to produce any desired musical scale, arranged in
any convenient manner, and provided with separate valves, by the opening of
which they are caused to receive steam or air from a suitable pipe chamber, or
generator; and in order to cause the steam or air to escape. through the
whistles and produce the required sound, the valves are opened, either by
means of finger keys, or by the rotation of.a. studded barrel, or any other
suitable mechanical means.

page_text: One important feature of the Invention is the peculiar kind of valve
employed for effecting the escape of steam to and shutting it off from the
whistles.
The valve I employ is of the kind known as the puppet valve, and is pro-
vided with two puppets. It is arranged horizontally, and its stem passes
through one end ouly of the valve box, where a stuffing box is employed to
keep it steam-tight, and it is opened by pressing the protruding end of its
stem inwards. The other end of the stem works in a guide, and is exposed
to the pressure of the steam or air both while the valve is open and closed,
the said pressure tending to close it. The puppets are slightly unequal in
size, the puppet which is nearer the protruding end of the stem being a trifle
smaller than the other puppet, and the opening in the two seats having a cor-
responding distance in size. The steam or air is admitted by two inlets to the
ends of the steam chest or air chamber, and escapes to the whistle by a single
outlet between the two puppets. The studded barrel acts upon the protruding
end of the valve stem to open the valve, by the studs wiping in a downward
direction against a binged finger, which is attached to an arm secured to the
valve box above the valve stem.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One-
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A
NEW MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TO BE PLAYED BY THE AGENCY OF STEAM OR HIGHLY-
.COMPRESSED AIR," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 dato of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
This Invention, of "A New Musical Instrument to be Played by the Agency
of Steam or Highly-compressed Air," consists of a number of what are com-
monly known as steam whistles, of proper relative size and thickness, and with
proper relative widths of escape aperture, to produce any desired musical scale,
arranged in any convenient manner, and provided with separate valves, by the
opening of which they are caused to receive steam or air from any suitable
pipe chamber, or generator; and in order to cause the steam or air to escape
through the whistles and produce the required sound, the valves are opened,
either by means of fingering keys, or by the rotation of a studded barrel, or
any other suitable mechanical means.
One important feature of the Invention is the peculiar kind of valve
employed for effecting the escape of steam to and shutting it off from the
whistles.
and
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn two views to illustrate the
Invention. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the instrument, and Fig. 2
is a transverse section of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the two Figures. A is a steam chest or air chamber,
supposed to be constantly supplied from a boiler or air-compression pump,
having attached to the top of it a set of whistles B, B, which are arranged
side by side in regular order, according to their musical sound, which is regu-
lated by the size or thickness of the bell, or size of the escape opening around
the bell; these whistles, being of the kind commonly used singly on locomotive
and other steam boilers for signals, alarms, &c. nced no particular description.
The valves are placed in valve boxes C, C, (Fig. 2) between the whistles and
the steam chest or air chamber, with their stems a protruding from the said

page_text: boxes, to enable the valves to be opened by the keys or the studs of the barrel,
or by other means provided for that purpose.
I have for the sake of illustration shewn a studded barrel D, as that will be
the means most likely to be adopted, as it is proposed that the instrument
should generally be used upon steam boats, steam ships, or on locomotive
engines, so that it may be set in operation by the engineer or other person
commonly employed. The barrel may be rotated by a band or other gearing
from the engine, and will therefore only be required to be thrown into gear for
playing; or it may be rotated by hand by the aid of a crank.
The valve is shewn in Fig. 2, and is of the kind known as the puppet valve,
and is provided with two puppets b, b. It is arranged horizontally, and its,
stem a passes through one end only of the valve box, where a stuffing box c is
employed to keep it steam-tight, and it is opened by pressing the protruding
end of its stem inwards. The other end of the stem works in a guide d, and
is exposed to the pressure of the steam or air both while the valve is open
and closed, the said pressure tending to close it. The puppets are slightly
unequal in size, the puppet b', which is nearer the protruding end of the stem,
being a trifle smaller than the other puppet b, and the opening in the two
scats e and e¹ having a corresponding distance in size. The steam or air is
admitted by two inlets f, f', to the ends of the steam chest or air chamber A,
and escapes to the whistle by a single outlet g between the two puppets. The
studded barrel acts upon the protruding end of the valve stem a to open the
valve, which is effected by the studs acting in a downward direction against a
hinged finger h, which is attached to an arm i, secured to the valve box above
the valve stem. When the valve is closed the pressure of the steam tends to
keep it tight, not only by its action upon the valve stem in consequence of one
end thereof being exposed to the atmosphere, but by reason of the area of the
puppet band opening e being greater than that of the puppet and opening e';
but as soon as the valve is moved from its seats, both puppets are balanced, by
being exposed on both sides to the steam, and the pressure acts only on the
stem, so that in starting the valve to open it, greater force is required than is
required to complete the opening as far as is necessary. The valve only
remains open while a stud of the barrel is passing the finger, and as soon as
the stud has passed it is closed instantaneously by the pressure of the steam on
the stem. By making the valve with two puppets, it is balanced as nearly as
is practicable, only having pressure enough to close it and keep it closed.
It is found by experiment that it is advisable to have the puppets of unequal
size, as described, as a greater pressure is required to keep the valve tight
when.closed than is required to close it, and by having too much pressure on

page_text: the valve when open it would slam in closing; and in playing with finger keys
this relieving of the valves of a portion of the pressure as soon as started will
greatly aid the player.
I would observe, that although I have shewn only one octave of notes, any
larger number, together with the semitones, may be employed, and operated
in the same way as those shewn in the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of the Invention that has
been communicated to me as aforesaid, what I claim, and desire to secure by
Letters Patent, is, the musical instrument herein described, consisting of a
number of what are commonly known as steam whistles, of such tones as to
produce a musical scale, arranged in a convenient manner upon a steam chest,
pipe chamber, or generator, or upon a chamber filled with compressed air, and
furnished with valves, together with a rotating studded barrel, finger keys or
other suitable mechanical means of opening the said valves, to allow the escape
of steam or air to the whistles, as herein set forth.
And as a part of the said musical instrument, I claim the within-described
valve, with its two puppets and seats of unequal size, and with one end of its
stem exposed to the atmosphere.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)