IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY LAMPS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Marcius Silber, of Wood Street, Cheapside,
in the City of London, Merchant, and Frederick White, of Cam-
berwell, in the County of Surrey, Watchmaker, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Marcius Silber
and Frederick White at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 10th November 1870.
We, ALBERT MARCIUS SILBER, of Wood Street, Cheapside, in the
City of London, Merchant, and FREDERICK WHITE, of Camberwell, in
the County of Surrey, Watchmaker, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO
RAILWAY LAMPS," to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to adapt lamps and
lamps for burning petroleum and other mineral oils.
especially railway
For this purpose

page_text: the oil reservoir communicates by one or more supply pipes with a
chamber or vessel preferably of cylindrical shape provided with air holes.
In or on this chamber or vessel the burner is placed and the wick dips
into the oil in the chamber or vessel so as to draw up the oil therefrom.
The burner is also provided with air holes:
In one arrangement of burner the wick passes through perforated
plate or wire gauze. The body of the burner is perforated in the seat
which holds the chimney with a number of air holes of conical shape or
broader at one end than the other. There are also air holes in other
.
portions of the burner. By the use of the vessel or chamber a system of
compensation is established in the feed of oil, so much oil being supplied
to the burner proportionately as consumed, thus keeping up an equili-
brated and continuous feed, and rendering the employment of petroleum
possible in railway and other vibrating lamps.
In another arrangement the mouth of the feed pipe is surrounded
by a sponge or fibrous material or other absorbent or like substance
over which is a plate with a binding or adjusting screw whereby the
supply may be regulated according to the indications of a dial and
pointer. The contrivance is got at through a hole in the reservoir closed
by a nut or screw. In this instance there is a tap in one or both of the
feed pipes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Albert Marcius Silber and Frederick White in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALBERT 2
MARCIUS SILBER, of Wood Street, Cheapside, in the City of London,
Merchant, and FREDERICK WHITE, of Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, Watchmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Albert Marcius Silber and Frederick

page_text: White, Her special licence that we, the said Albert Marcius Silber and
Frederick White, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Albert Marcius Silber and Frederick White, our
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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY LAMPS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Albert Marcius Silber and
Frederick White, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and scals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said Albert Marcius Silber and
Frederick White, 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 thereof,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The main object of our Invention is to adapt lamps and especially
railway lamps for burning mineral oils. For this purpose the oil
reservoir communicates by one or more supply pipes with a chamber or
vessel (preferably of cylindrical shape) provided with air holes. In or
on this chamber or vessel the burner is placed and the wick dips into
the oil in the chamber or vessel so as to draw up the oil therefrom. The
burner is also provided with air holes.
In our arrangement of burner the wick passes through a perforated plate
or wire gauze, and the body of the burner is perforated in the seat which
be
holds the chimney with a number of air holes. These air holes may
of conical shape or broader at one end than at the other. There are
also air holes in other portions of the burner. By the use of the vessel
or chamber (and the air holes in the burner) a system of compensation

page_text: is established in the feed of oil, so much oil being supplied to the burner
proportionately as consumed, thus keeping up an equilibrated and con-
tinuous feed and rendering the employment of mineral oils possible in
railway and other vibrating lamps.
According to another part of our Invention there is over the mouth of
the feed pipe a piece or pieces of sponge, or fibrous material, or other like
substance, over which is a plate with a binding or adjusting screw
whereby the supply may be regulated according to the indications of a
dial and pointer. The contrivance is attained through a hole in the
reservoir closed by a nut or screw. In this instance there is a tap in
one or both of the feed pipes.
½ We now proceed more particularly to describe our Invention with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a portion of a lamp
constructed according to our Invention sufficient being shewn to explain
the improvements; Figure 3 vertical section through the line x, y, of
Figure 2, and Figure 4 plan of burner. (The key fis not shown in
Figure 3.) A is a cylindrical chamber or socket for holding the oil
and receiving the burner and the wick. It is supplied with the oil
through one or more pipes C leading from a reservoir which forms part
of the lamp, but is not shewn in these Figures; B is the burner which
fits into the socket A, and is open at bottom so as to communicate
therewith. The lower part B³ of the burner B is of smaller diameter
than the upper part and forms a neck which is inserted into the
socket A. It rests on the top edge of this socket by a ledge or
shoulder 6*, formed on the neck B²; c, c, are air holes formed in the
periphery of the upper part of the burner. B. d is the top of the burner
which is formed of a disc of perforated metal or wire gauze. This plate
has an opening e* through which the top of the wick projects; e is the
wick guide or wick holder; the key which is formed as usual with
pinions for winding up or raising and lowering the wick; E is a cone or
dome-shaped cap fitted on the burner and having an opening e³ for the
flame to pass through. The outer edge of this cap or cone forms a
gallery E*, which is in a piece with it, and forms a seat for the chimney
to rest on. This ledge is perforated with air holes g. The wick dips
into the oil in the socket A, and an equilibrated feed of oil is established
by the above-described combined arrangements.

page_text: Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of our arrangement, in which
we place sponge, flannel, or other like material over the mouth of the
feed pipe. L is the feed pipe on the mouth of which is a piece of sponge
or layers of flannel or other fibrous or similar substance m, through
which the oil percolates, and on which is placed a plate n; P is a screw
which works on a shoulder n*, formed on the plate n. At the top of the
screw P is a winding square p, which carries a pointer R travelling
over a dial S through which the screw P passes, and on which are marked
convenient indications for noting the feed of oil to the lamp while burning.
The pipe L leads to and communicates with the pipe C. By applying a
key to the winding square p the plate n is more or less compressed by
the screw P, thereby causing the flannel or other material m to be more
or less compressed on the mouth of the feed pipe L, and at the same
time the pointer R is worked so as to be caused to travel over the
dial S. The arrangement is placed in the reservoir Q at the top of
the feed pipe L, that is to say, at the communication between the feed
pipe and oil reservoir, so that the oil in passing from the reservoir
into the feed pipe must first pass or percolate through the sponge,
flannel, or other piece m, so that by compressing the same more or
less by the screw P the passage of the oil into the pipe is regulated,
and the turning of the screw moves the pointer so as to give a corres-
ponding indication on the dial, which thereby indicates the feed of oil
during the burning of the lamp. (The oil can only be thus regulated
while the lamp is burning.) R is a cap for closing the feed hole of the
oil reservoir Q. In order to get at the winding square, a hole is formed
in the reservoir Q which is closed by a screw cap q which must be
removed in order to apply the key to the winding square p. When this
arrangement is used there is a tap in the feed pipe L. Our lamp con-
structed with the improvements herein-before described though specially
adapted for burning mineral oils for illuminating purposes may be used
for burning (for illuminating purposes) combustible liquids other than
mineral oils.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, we declare that we claim,―
First. The employment of a vessel, chamber, or socket for receiving oil
or combustible liquid in combination with a burner and chimney scat
formed with air holes substantially in the manner and for the purpose
described.

page_text: Second. The employment of sponge, flannel, or other like material on
the mouth of the feed pipe in combination with a plate, adjusting screw,
dial, and pointer, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Albert Marcius Silber and
Frederick White, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Tenth day of May, in the year One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one.
Witness,
E. DE PASS,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
A. M. SILBER. (L.S.)
(L.S.)
F. WHITE.