IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS TO BE USED UNDER WATER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ward, of Port Glasgow, the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS TO BE USED
UNDER WATER."
Scaled the 9th June 1868, and dated the 12th December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ward at the Offico
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
December 1867.
I, JOHN WARD, of Port Glasgow, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LAMPS TO BE USED UNDER WATER," to be as follows, that is to say :--
This Invention relates to lamps to be used under water and it consists in
fitting the details for containing oil and holding a wick or other details in use
in ordinary lamps in a translucent case or lantern, which is closed, excepting
at the bottom and top where there communicate with it two tubes, the upper
open ends of which are to be kept above the surface of the water. With this
arrangement the heat of the flame will itself cause the continual renewal of the
air necessary to keep up the combustion by inducing an upward current by the

page_text: tube communicating with the top of the lantern and a downward current by
that communicating with the bottom. The lantern is by preference made
with two shells when it is of glass, an air space being enclosed between the
inner and outer shells so that the heat of the flame may not make the outer
shell liable to be cracked by the external cold water.
In one convenient modification of the improved lamp the translucent shells
are plain glass cylinders which are held between metal plates at the top and
bottom, the whole being secured by rods and screws and made tight by rubber
washers applied between the edges of the glass cylinders and the plates. The
top plate is formed with a conical nozzle for the attachment of the ascending
air tube and has fixed to it a bow piece, ring, or handlo for holding the lantern
or for attaching a cord to suspend it by. The bottom plate is formed with a
central opening up through which the wick holder or burner projects and
which opening also allows the fresh air to pass up to feed the flame. To the
under side of the bottom plate there is attached a metal shell forming a
chamber containing the oil vessel and with space for the air which first enters
this chamber by the descending air tube attached to the side of it for that
purpose. The inlet is however situated a little above the bottom of the
chamber so that any little water in the chamber may not close it. The lantern
may be of various shapes provided that the air inlet and outlet are arranged at
the bottom and top respectively.
A lamp constructed in this way is found to be practically effective and
will be of great utility in searching for sunken articles, in assisting divers in
their various operations, in examining the bottoms of ships, and in fishing and
other operations.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Ward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
June 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WARD, of Port Glasgow, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS, Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and graut unto me, the

page_text: said John Ward, Her special licence that I, the said John Ward, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Ward, 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, with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS TO BE
USED UNDER WATER," upon the condition (an:ongst others) that I, tho said
John Ward, 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 calender months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ward, 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
in writing, reference being bad to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say :-
My said Invention relates to lamps to be used under water, and it consists
in fitting the details for containing oil, and holding a wick or other details
in use in ordinary lamps in a translucent case or lantern, which is closed,
excepting at the bottom and top where there communicate with it two tubes,
the upper open ends of which are to be kept above the surface of the
water. With this arrangement the heat of the flame will itself cause the
continual renewal of the air necessary to keep up the combustion by inducing
an upward current by the tube communicating with the top of the lantern,
and a downward current by that communicating with tho bottom. The lantern
is by preference made with two shells when it is of glass, an air space being
enclosed between the inner and outer shells, so that the heat of the flame may
not make the outer shell liable to be cracked by the external cold water. The
inner shell may be in the form of a glass chimney, such as is used in ordinary
paraffine oil lamps.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing by way
of example a convenient modification of my sub-marine lamp.

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 is a vertical section. In this modi-
fication the external trauslucent shell is a plain glass cylinder, 1, which is hell
between metal plates or rings 2, 3, at the top and bottom, the whole being
secured by screwed rods 4 and nuts 5, and made tight by rubber washers 6
applied between the edges of the glass cylinder 1, and the plates or rings 2, 3.
The top plate 2 is formed with a conical nozzle 7 for the attachment of the
ascending air tube 8, this attachment being effected by means of a screw
coupling 9. The top plate has also fixed on it a pair of bow pieces or
handles 10 for holding the lantern or for attaching a cord to suspend it by.
The bottom plate 3 is formed with a central opening 11, up through which
the wick holder or burner 12 projects, and which opening also allows the
fresh air to pass up to feed the flame, the inner glass shell or chimney 13
being mounted on the plate, so as to enclose the central space communicating
with the central opening 11. The bottom plate 3 is cast with a cylindrical
part 14 Lelow, which forms a chamber containing the oil vessel 15, and with
space for the air which first enters this chamber by the descending air tube 16,
which is attached by a coupling 17 to a branch pipe 18 fixed in the side of
the chamber 14. The air inlet into the chamber is situated a little above tho
bottom, so that any little water in the chamber may not close it. The oil
vessel 15 is constructed so as to be screwed into the bottom of the chamber 14,
a rubber ring being applied to the joint to make it tight. Small holes are
made through the plate 3 so as to communicate with the space between the
outer shell 1 and the inner shell or chimney 18, and thereby admit of the
air in that space being gradually changed as it becomes heated. The metal
parts of the lamp are cast of considerable thickness so as to make the lamp
heavy enough to sink, but weights may be added if necessary.
The lamp
may bo of any convenient shape, provided that the air inlet and outlet are
arranged at the bottom and top respectively. A lamp constructed in this way
is found to be practically effective, and will be of great utility in searching for
sunken articles, in assisting divers in their various operations, in examining
the bottoms of ships, and in fishing and other operations.
Taving thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the providing of a lamp to
be used under water with two tubes communicating with the surface, one for

page_text: the descent of air to support combustion, and the other for the ascent of the
products of combustion substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ward, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Vitness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN WARD. (L.S.)