IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, TO BE APPLIED TO LAMPS AND GAS BURNERS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, TO BE APPLIED TO LAMPS AND GAS
BURNERS." A communication from Jean Baptiste Theodore Andry, of
Paris, in the Empire of France, Silk Merchant.
Sealed the 30th December 1856, and dated the 15th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th July 1856.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, TO BE APPLIED TO LAMPS
AND GAS BURNERS," a communication from Jean Baptiste Theodore Andry, of
Paris, in the Empire of France, Silk Merchant, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved form or construction of apparatus to
be applied to lamps and gas burners, for the purpose of consuming more
effectually than hitherto the smoke and gases produced by combustion.
The apparatus, which forms the subject of this Invention, consists of an
inverted funnel, of glass, porcelain, or other non-conducting material, which is

page_text: placed over the chimney of the gas burner or lamp. This funnel is suspended
by a cross bar or strap, attached to its neck and secured to a rod or spindle,
which also supports a metal bell placed over the open top of the funnel. In
the centre of the metal bell is formed a projecting boss, for the purpose of
deflecting the products of combustion which become burnt by being thrown
in contact with the highly-heated surface of the bell. The products now
rendered innoxious are allowed to escape between the upper part of the
inverted funnel and the lower part of the metal bell.
The metal bell is enclosed in an outer bell, of opaque glass or porcelain, for
the purpose of preventing any excessive radiation of heat therefrom. As a
considerable space is left between the glass bell and the metal bell, heated air
and burnt products will in a great measure rise up between them in place of
being thrown down into the body of the apartment, and will finally escape by
a perforated cap on the upper part of the glass or porcelain bell into the
upper portion of the chamber, which is thereby prevented from being over-
heated, as is usually the case when several gas burners are used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth 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
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, TO BE APPLIED. TO LAMPS AND
GAS BURNERS," a communication from Jean Baptiste Theodore Andry, of Paris,

page_text: in the Empire of France, Silk Merchant, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 date of the said Letters*
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to an improved form'or' construction of apparatus
to be applied to lamps and gas burners, for the purpose of consuming more
effectually than hitherto the smoke and gases produced by combustion.
The apparatus, which forms the subject of this Invention, consists of an
inverted funnel, of glass, porcelain, or other non-conducting material, which
is placed over the chimney of the gas burner or lamp. This funnel is suspended
by a cross bar or strap, attached to its neck and secured to a rod or spindle,
which also supports a metal bell placed over the open top of the funnel. In the
centre of the metal bell is formed a projecting boss, for the purpose of deflecting
the products of combustion which become burnt by being thrown in contact
with the highly heated surface of the bell. The products now rendered in-
noxious are allowed to escape between the upper part of the inverted funnel
and the lower part of the metal bell.
The metal bell is enclosed in an outer bell, of opaque glass or porcelain; for
the purpose of preventing any excessive radiation of heat therefrom. As a
considerable space is left between the glass bell and the metal bell, the heated
air and burnt products will in a great measure rise up between them in place
of being thrown down into the body of the apartment, and will finally escape
by a perforated cap in the upper part of the glass or porcelain bell into the
upper portion of the chamber, which is thereby prevented from being over-
heated, as is usually the case when several gas burners are used:
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a vertical section of one modification of smoke-

page_text: consuming apparatus; Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the same; and Figure 3
is a vertical section of a more simply constructed apparatus.
It will be seen that the first apparatus is composed of several bells hung one
inside the other, with considerable intervening spaces, and united by any
suitable mode of junction. An inverted funnel A receives all the products of
combustion on leaving the chimney B. The cylindrical part of the funnel A
passes into a bell-shaped compartment C at the upper part of the apparatus.
The centre of this bell is made to project at c, thus deflecting and dispersing
the smoke as it rises, and causing it to circulate around the circumference
of the bell, which is itself contained in another bell D fixed to it, as shewn
in the Drawing. Finally, the edges of this last bell D lap over the edges of
the inverted bell at E, which is connected to the cylindrical part of the
funnel A and to the bell.D by means of the studs e, e, leaving at the same
time an annular space f, by which the gas may escape.
The hot gases and smoke from the chimney B penetrate into the funnel A,
drawing with them a certain quantity of atmospheric air, and producing at the
same time across all the bells a current which finds its way to the circumference
of the last bell D. The projection c in the bell C becomes heated to such a
degree that the smoke is completely burned, together with any combustible
gases passing off with it; this combustion may be still further perfected by
the use of metallic gauze. If any portion of the smoke remains unburnt, it
is deposited in some part of the series of bells which it has to traverse, in a
thin black layer, which can be easily removed, but in no case does any smoke
escape by the narrow opening at f.
The number and form of these bells may vary according to circumstances,
and they may be made of glass, porcelain, or other suitable non-conducting
material.
An essential point in the second arrangement, shewn at Figure 3, is its
simplicity. In this arrangement I have reduced the number of bells, the heat
being still found sufficient to effectually consume the smoke. A is the inverted
funnel which receives the products of combustion from the chimney B, as
shewn by the arrow b, and also the air which flows in around them, as shewn
by the arrows a. This bell is composed of glass, porcelain, or some other
material which is a non-conductor, in preference to metal, which absorbs a
great quantity of the radiating heat. The neck of this bell is surrounded by
the ring g, by which it is suspended through the cross piece h and central
rod G. To this rod is attached the metallic bell C, which is provided with
the projection c, for the purpose herein-before referred to.
The mixture of gas and air passes upwards along the course shewn by the

page_text: arrows d and e, circulates round the bell C, which raises its temperature, so
that the carbon and the carbonic oxide with the oxygen of the air are
completely consumed.
The small quantity of sulphuric acid also, which is produced by the com-
bustion of ordinary gas, is neutralized by depositing a thin layer of sulphate of
copper on the inside of the bell, which deposit may be removed at intervals by
cleaning. All the entire process of combustion goes on in the bell C. The
gases which leave it are colorless, and without injurious properties, and as it is
unnecessary to cause them to circulate any longer in the apparatus they are
therefore allowed to escape freely at i. The bell C is simply covered by
another bell E, of opaque glass or porcelain, in order to prevent loss of heat
by radiation.
In order to prevent any of the incombustible gases finding their way back
again to the flame, a space is left between the bells C and E, and this latter
bell surmounted by a small perforated cap or wire gauze, thus producing a
draught, and making a large portion of the hot gasses pass along the route
indicated by the arrows k.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
.
First, the combustion of the smoke and gases arising from lamps and gas
jets, by causing such smoke and gasses to pass in contact with suitable heating
surfaces, in the manner herein-before described.
Second, the peculiar constructions and arrangements of apparatus for
burning the smoke and gases arising from gas jets or lamps, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of January, One thousand eight
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)