A NEW AND IMPROVED MUSICAL APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO KETTLES AND OTHER VESSELS WHEREIN STEAM IS GENERATED
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Marshall Arthur Wier at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th April 1881.
MARSHALL ARTHUR WEIR, of Gracechurch Street, in the City of London. "A
NEW AND IMPROVED MUSICAL APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO KETTLES AND OTHER
VESSELS WHEREIN STEAM IS GENERATED."
My Invention relates to any vessels, such as kettles or urns, in which steam may
be generated by the vaporisation of the contained volume of water, and is designed
to utilize the current of steam resulting from evaporation for the production of
musical sounds.
:-
For this purpose I employ reeds, whistles, or other analogous sound producing
appliances, and the mode in which they are actuated and regulated is as follows :-
In the upper part of the kettle, urn, or other evaporative vessel I fix a cup or
tray, so as to be steam and water tight, and which is of suitable depth to contain
the mechanism. The apparatus is covered from view by a suitable ornamental and
perforated cap fitting over the upper edge of the interior tray or chamber.
Through the walls of this tray or chamber I make a suitable aperture near the
highest part of the kettle, from which the current or jet of steam is to be derived.
The jet is carried by a pipe to an ejector, where by the use of double cones the
steam jet is caused to induce a stream of air from an air tight chamber above.
One side of this chamber consists of a plate perforated with holes fitted with reeds,
whistles, or other sound producing means, and over them are fitted cells so as to
disconnect the reeds or whistles from one another. Each cell is provided with a
hole through which the air is drawn, and thus made to impinge upon the reed or
whistle. Each hole is normally closed by a valve and bent lever, which lifts the
valve from the aperture when pressed by a pin attached to a revolving drum. This
drum rests in two bearings above the valves or key board, and is fitted with numerous
pins set out according to the tune required. As it revolves the pins raise successively
one or other of the before mentioned valves by striking against the bent levers.
The air current induced by the before described ejector is then free to pass through
the particular cell or cells that may have been opened by the drum, and thence
through the reed aperture or whistle, so as to produce musical sounds. For the
purpose of turning the drum before described, I cause the steam and air jet from
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page_text: the ejector to impinge upon a fan or wheel pivoted to turn freely. The axle of the
fan carries a pinion, which gears into another wheel and shaft upon which a screw
or worm is cut, which again gears into a worm wheel fixed to a circular frame on
which the drum having the pins representing a tune or tunes is placed. This drum
may be taken off and replaced when a new tune is required. One arbor or axle of
the drum frame is screwed and runs in a thread bearing in the bracket supporting
it. Half the thread and one side of the orifice in the supporting bracket is cut
away, so that the drum and its frame may be lifted easily out of position. The
object of the thread is to cause the drum to travel with a sliding as well as
revolving motion, so that more than one complete revolution may be utilized
successively for continuation of the tune or tunes.
When the drum has travelled as far as the screw will permit, it presses against
a small rod, which causes the drum to slide back to its first position, and thus to
repeat the tune or tunes.
The before described kettle, urn, or evaporative. vessel may be used for its
ordinary purposes, proper means being fitted for filling or drawing off the water
when required. The water does not come in contact with any part of the
mechanism.