IMPROVEMENTS IN CANDLESTICKS, APPARATUS, AND INSTRUMENTS EMPLOYED IN THE USE OF CANDLES AND RUSHLIGHTS
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
OLDFIELD WARD, of Saint Martin's Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, and MARK FREEMAN, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
'WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Frederick Oldfield Ward and Mark Freeman, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Frederick Oldfield Ward and
Mark Freeman, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Frederick Oldfield Ward and Mark Freeman, our exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CANDLESTICKS, APPARATUS, AND INSTRUMENTS EMPLOYED IN THE USE OF CANDLES
AND RUSHLIGHTS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that

page_text: we, the said Frederick Oldfield Ward and Mark Freeman, or one of us,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Frederick Oldfield Ward and Mark Freeman, do hereby declare that the nature
of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our first improvement is an instrument which we call a refrigerating cap,
the action of which we will proceed to describe. The upper end of a lighted
candle is hollowed by a depression or cup holding the fluid matter that feeds
the flame. When the sides of this cup are overheated they melt, and the
fluid matter overflows; the refrigerating cap is intended to prevent this effect,
by conducting to its surface and dispersing by radiation therefrom the heat as
fast as it reaches the sides of the cup, so as to maintain them at a suitable
temperature. It is essential to the successful action of our refrigerating cap
that it should be formed of a substance having a heat-conducting power of
180 or upwards (taking the conducting power of gold as 1000). For hard
materials, such as stearine, a low conducting power is sufficient; for soft
materials, such as tallow, the conducting power of the refrigerating cap
should not be lower than 500. But for all materials, whether hard or soft, we
find brass answer very well. The form and weight of the instrument should
be varied according to the degree of fusibility of the material of the candle.
For candles of the size known as middling sixes, made of stearine or other
material, having a comparatively high melting point, we use a refrigerating
cap of from one and a half to two ounces in weight, and of the form shewn in
section at Figure 1, having a cylindrical cavity a, a, fitting easily on the
candle, and a lip b, b, bent inwards at the top, to rest on the upper part of the
candle, as shewn in Fig. 2. For the same sized candles of tallow, or other
soft material melting at comparatively low temperatures, we prefer to employ a
refrigerator weighing only from three quarters of an ounce to one ounce, and
having a broader lip turned inward and downward at an acute angle, as shewn
in section at b, b, Figure 3; for candles of larger or smaller diameter, the
weight is of course to be increased or diminished in proportion. This instru-

page_text: ment will be found to descend uniformly on the candle as it burns away, and
to maintain the sides of the cup at a proper coolness, so as to prevent the
overflow of melted matter. By making the instrument with a hole or holes
into which a wire or wires may be inserted (see Figure 4), or with a ledge
around it, on which a ring may rest (see Figures 5 and 6), a glass or paper
shade may readily be adapted to the refrigerating cap.
We are aware that it has been proposed in applying certain wick directors
and other apparatus to candles, to employ a weighted cone to cause the said
apparatus to descend, and we therefore disclaim the application of a weighted
cone in combination with the said wick directors and other apparatus. And
we further disclaim the application of a descending cone or cap on a candle
for any purpose, provided it does not combine the two characters herein-
after set forth as constituting by their combination our Invention. We are
also aware that it has been proposed to add, in some cases, to the said wick-
directing apparatus, an outer protecting cone or shield covering the weighted
cone and affixed to it in such manner that its lower part touches the lower
part of the weighted cone, and its upper part turns over so as to defend
the weighted cone and the outer upper part of the candle from the direct
action of the flame. And we would therefore distinctly disclaim the appli-
cation of such outer protecting shield, such not being necessary to defend our
instrument, nor the candle to which it is applied, from the direct action of the
flame, because the refrigerating power which our instrument possesses in
itself is sufficient to maintain it, and the candle to which it is applied, at a
proper coolness.
We are also aware that it has been proposed to apply a conical guard on a
candle with a ring of metal hanging to it by three chains or cords or wires to
draw it down. And we therefore disclaim the application of such conical
guard, provided it be not made with a lip, as our instrument is, and provided
it be not made like our instrument, in such manner as not to require the
addition of a weight suspended to it to draw it down.
We are also aware that it has been proposed to employ a cone of glass on
a candle, with a ring of metal hanging to it by three chains or cords to
draw it down, and with a paper shade resting on the said suspended ring
of metal. And we therefore disclaim the application of a glass cone, as being
of a conducting power of less than one hundred and eighty, and consequently
inefficient as a refrigerater. We also disclaim the application of a shade,
whether of glass or paper, except when in combination with a self-acting
refrigerating cap, such as we claim. But we define and limit our claim for
this part of our Invention to be for an instrument applicable to be used in

page_text: burning candles, and combining these two characters, videlicet: First, that
it is capable of refrigerating the candle, owing to its being in contact with
the upper extremity of the candle, and owing to its being made of a material
having a heat-conducting power of one hundred and eighty or upwards; and
secondly, that it is so contrived as to descend of itself as the candle burns
down, and to answer its purpose in all respects without requiring the addition
of a weight suspended to it, or of other apparatus or complication of any
kind to ensure its action. We also claim as new, with respect to this part
of our Invention, the following minor points, severally and collectively,
videlicet:-
First, the mode of making refrigerating instruments for candles, with a lip
turned inward.
Secondly, the mode of making a refrigerating cap, with a hole or holes, or
with a ledge formed therein, adapted for supporting a shade of any suitable
material.
Thirdly, the mode of directly supporting a shade on a self-acting refrige-
rating cap, as contradistinguished from the less firm and steady mode of
supporting it on a ring suspended from a cone applied to a candle.
Fourthly, the mode of making self-acting refrigerators by casting the mate-
terial of which they are composed into the required form.
And we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the
details of the modes above described as constituting severally and collectively
our claim, provided the peculiar characters of this part of our Invention, as
"herein set forth, be retained.
Our second improvement consists in adapting to ordinary chamber candle-
sticks, kitchen candlesticks, and lanterns, means of obtaining instantaneous
light. The mode we prefer is to form a lucifer box in metal, having a hook
by which it hooks on to the handle of the candlestick, or to the side of the
socket, as shewn in section, at Figure 7. The lucifer box may, for the better
class of candlesticks, be fitted in the interior with springs, each spring pressing
against a match, and being either roughened at its extremity or opposed to a
roughened surface, so that on withdrawing the match it is ignited by the
pressure of the spring, as shewn at c, c, c, c, c, c, Figure 7. In putting each
lucifer into the box the spring by which it is to be ignited must be drawn back.
We are aware that it has been proposed to construct lucifer boxes with com-
partments, each to contain a match, and each having roughened surfaces of
sand paper or other suitable material above it, so placed that when the match
is withdrawn it is ignited. We are also aware that it has been proposed to
place a series of matches between two roughened plates pressed together by

page_text: a
a spring, so that any one of the matches on being withdrawn will explode.
And we are further aware that lucifer boxes have been made with compart-
ments roughened on the inside (but not having a spring in each compartment)
for the purpose of igniting the match when withdrawn. We, therefore, point
out that our mode differs from the first and last of these three modes in our
employing spring to ignite each match when withdrawn; and it differs from
the second of the three modes in our employing a separate spring in each
compartment, each spring pressing a separate match, which is superior to the
mode disclaimed, because where several matches are compressed between two
roughened plates by one spring, according to the mode disclaimed, the action
of the spring on the match withdrawn is apt to be impeded by the matches
still remaining between the plates. But what we claim is the adapting means
of obtaining instantaneous light to chamber and kitchen candlesticks and
lanterns, and the application of springs in the compartments of a lucifer box,
each adapted to act on a separate match, so as to cause it to be compressed
against a roughened surface or surfaces when withdrawn.
Our third improvement is for an inelastic wire candle-fastener. The form
we prefer is that shewn at Figure 8, resembling a curved staple. The farther
this is pushed into the socket the more will its convex part project towards the
centre of the socket, and thus it may, by being pushed down more or less, be
adapted to candles of various sizes, although inelastic. With respect to this
improvement our claims are, first, for forming a candle fastener of wire; and,
secondly, for making an inelastic candle fastener of such shape that the farther
it is pushed down the more docs it project towards the centre of the socket.
This form of candle fastener is very cheap, and particularly suitable to be used
with candles of stearine or other hard material.
Our fourth improvement is for making inelastic candle-fasteners of carthen-
ware, iron, or other suitable material, in convenient forms and of various
thicknesses, so that one of the right thickness for any ordinary proportion of
candle and socket may always be readily selected. By this improvement
cheaper materials than steel may be used for candle fasteners, and the candle
will not be liable to be expelled from the socket by the pressure of the candle
fastener, as is apt to be the case when the elastic candle-springs at present in
use are employed. These inelastic candle-fasteners should be of a curved form
to fit between the candle and the socket, slightly bevelled and narrowed below
to be more easily inserted, and turned outward above to form a lip by which
the instrument may be pressed into or withdrawn from the socket, as shewn in
Figs. 9 and 10.
We are aware that portions of wood, paper, and other inelastic materials

page_text: have been commonly used from time immemorial to fasten candles with,
and we therefore, of course, disclaim the use of such inelastic materials
when not manufactured in suitable forms and of various thicknesses, as
described, so that a cheap and effectual candle-fastener of the right thickness
may be readily accessible in each case, according to the size of candle which it
is desired to fasten. But what we claim is, the plan of making inelastic candle-
fasteners of iron, earthenware, or other suitable material, of various thicknesses,
so that one of the right thickness may readily be selected to suit each par-
ticular case.
Our fifth improvement relates to candle springs or elastic pieces of metal for
holding candles in candlesticks. We are aware that springs have been before
used for this purpose, but in such manner as to cause the candle to be forced
to one side of the socket of the candlestick. Now, according to this part of our
Invention, the spring holder is made into a coil, the inner part of the coil
expanding when the candle is forced into the spring holder, the outer part of
the coil being compressed when the spring is forced into the socket of the
candlestick. The candle is thereby retained in or near the middle of the
socket, and is firmly held on account of being pressed upon all round by the
spring. The Drawing Figure 11 represents a plan or section of this form of
candle spring; and Figure 12 represents a side view, with the upper edge of the
inner part of the coil turned out to form a lip, to prevent its cutting the candle
while being forced in; but this lip is not essential. Fig. 13 shews the shape
of the piece of metal of which the coil is formed; and Fig. 20 shews the coil
spring in use.
With respect to this improvement our claim is, generally for the mode of
forming a candle spring which shall press the candle on all sides, so as to
maintain it in or about the centre of the socket; and, although we have
described the form we prefer, we do not confine ourselves to that form, pro-
vided the peculiar character of our improvement be retained.
Our sixth improvement relates to a self-acting extinguisher. Self-acting
extinguishers have hitherto been made by several pieces of metal, some of
which pieces are inelastic and are united by hinges, and other of which pieces
are elastic and are attached to some of the inelastic pieces for the purpose of
giving motion to those parts of the instrument which extinguish the candle.
Now our Invention consists in making a self-acting extinguisher of one piece
of elastic metal, or of several pieces of metal united, without a hinge, such
piece or pieces be shaped into a suitable form. The form we prefer is repre-
sented by Figures 14. Figure 14 represents the piece of metal before it is
bent into it proper form. Figure 15 represents the same after it is bent into

page_text: its proper form. It will be seen that the part d is passed through the ring
formed at e, e, e, e, in such a manner that the upper surfaces of the parts d
and f, represented in Figure 14, are brought into apposition, as represented
in Figure 15. Figure 16 shows this extinguisher on a candle. We would
remark, with respect to this part of our Invention, that the instrument may be
made of wire instead of being cut out of flat metal, and the construction may
be otherwise varied so long as it is made (of one or more pieces of metal)
without a hinge. With respect to this improvement our claim is for forming
self-acting extinguishers in such a manner that the use of hinges is dispensed
with in their construction.
Our seventh improvement relates to rushlight stands or candlesticks.
Rushlight stands are now usually provided with a vessel for containing water
and a socket in the middle of this vessel, so that when the rushlight has burnt
down to the water it is extinguished; but rushlight stands sometimes have a
socket without a vessel suitable for containing water. Now, our Invention
consists in affixing to rushlight stands or candlesticks an instrument or appa-
ratus for extinguishing or for holding and extinguishing rushlights or candles.
This instrument or apparatus may be variously constructed, and may be made
of one or more pieces of metal, and with or without a hinge. We prefer to
cut it out of a piece of plate steel and bend it into a suitable form, as repre-
sented in Figures 17 and 18. The metal being cut in the shape represented
by Figure 17, is then bent up at 9, 9, is then bent down at h, h, and the
pieces, i, i, are bent upwards and outwards, so as to produce the form shewn at
Fig. 18, so that when the rushlight or candle is forced down the instrument is
thereby gradually opened to receive it, as shewn in Fig. 19. The two
pieces j, j, Fig. 17, are bent upwards so as to form, with the sides of the
instrument, a small holder to receive the bottom of the rushlight or candle.
With respect to this part of our Inventions, we claim as new the combining
with a candlestick or rushlight stand of an instrument or apparatus acting by
elasticity to extinguish or to extinguish and hold a candle or rushlight, as
above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick Oldfield Ward and Mark
Freeman, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fifth day
of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty-three.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Frederick Oldfield Ward and Mark
Freeman came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose
Enrolled the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.