IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS METERS AND IN GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1849

page_text: SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
HULETT, of Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, and JOHN
BIRCH PADDON, of Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Gas Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of
October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the thirteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said David Hulett and John Birch Paddon, our exors, admors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we,
the said David Hullett and John Birch Paddon, our exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as we,. the said David Hulett and John Birch Paddon,
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, and in the Islands of Guern-
sey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
METERS AND IN GAS REGULATORS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that we, the said David Hulett and John Birch Paddon, or one of

page_text: us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, to be
enrolled in Her 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
David Hulett and John Birch Paddon, hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully
described in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
Firstly, our Invention has for its object the better prevention of loss to the
companies or contractors supplying gas, from the passage of gas through the
meter without its being registered. In the common water meter the gas is
conveyed into the measuring drum by a curved pipe or syphon, both ends of
which are left open. From the curved end of this pipe a straight tubular
piece projects downwards, and is closed at bottom by a screw plug, accessible
from the outside, the use of which additional piece and plug is to enable the
syhon to be occasionally employed for the collateral purpose of drawing off
any excess of water which may accumulate in the meter, and interfere with its
due action, but there is nothing to prevent parties fraudulently disposed from
making use of these additions to the syhon for the purpose of drawing off gas
(instead of water) without its passing through the drum; and no doubt this is
frequently done. Now, to prevent the possibility in future of such an abuse,
we do away with the plug referred to altogether, and make use of the syhon
for its single legitimate purpose of conveying the gas from the inlet box to the
drum.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 a side elevation of a gas meter,
in which the preceding and other improvements included in our Invention are
embodied, parts of both figures being in section; B (Figure 1) is the syphon.
Both legs are carried higher than usual, and the ends of both are enclosed in
covers inaccessible to the water, one by a cover B', placed inside the drum, and
the other by a cover B", attached to the front of the meter. All access to the
syphon from the outside is thus excluded, and any fraudulent abstraction of
gas through that
part of the apparatus rendered impossible. We still leave a
short tubular piece a projecting downwards from the bottom of the syhon, as
shewn in Figure 2; this for the purpose only of receiving any moisture which
may arise from the condensation of the gas.

page_text: Secondly, our Invention consists in certain additions to the meter, whereby
there is exhibited to the eye on the face of the dial plate the exact height of the
water at all times. V is the ordinary float valve, to the bottom of which there
is attached a curved rod or wire a, a, the longer arm of which passes up
through a tube C into the small box G, which encloses the registering ma-
chinery, and carries at top a pointer c. k, is a vertical slot made in the dial
plate, up and down which the pointer c is free to move; and is a mark on
the dial plate, which indicates the true level to which the water in the meter
should at commencement be adjusted. As the float rises or falls, the pointer c
necessarily rises or falls with it above or below the standard point l, and thus
becomes a constant indicator of any escape or deficiency of water in the meter.
Instead of the long arm of the rod or wire a, a, forming itself the pointer, it may
be made to act on a separate pointer having a horizontal motion, and indicating
on the segment of a circle the degree of divergence from the true level of the
water, but we prefer the arrangement we have described, as on the whole
much simpler and more satisfactory. If preferred also, the indicator may be
connected to a separate float, but this we deem superfluous.
Thirdly, our Invention consists of an improved overflow valve, which is so
constructed that it can be applied to that purpose alone, and cannot be used
under any circumstances for the fraudulent abstraction of gas. A section and
plan of this portion of our improvements are given on an enlarged scale in
Figures 3 and 4. A' is a waste reservoir, formed on one side of the square
box in front of the meter. This reservoir is closed at bottom, but open at
top for the reception of the surplus water when the proper level is exceeded.
B2 is a vertical pipe enclosed in A', which is open at bottom but closed at top,
and 6 a mouthpiece, which branches off at right angles from B, and has a
screw plug F fitted to it. M is a cylindrical float, which encircles B2, and is
free to move up and down it. N is a conical valve, placed inside B³, the
spindle of which is attached by a cross piece to the bottom edges of the
cylindrical float M. As water flows over into the reservoir A¹, it raises the
cylinder M, which by its ascent opens the valve N, and admits the waste water.
nto the pipe B², from which (on that pipe being filled) it may be drawn off by.
aking out the plug F. When the cylinder M falls, the valve N drops with it
nto its seat, and now serves to close the tube B² against the passage of any.
gas in that direction. The plug F may then be taken out, but neither water.
or gas will follow. A modification of the preceding apparatus is represented
n Figure 5. A¹ is a reservoir, formed as before at the side of the square
ox in front of the meter; B2, a tube which occupies the centre of that reser-.

page_text: .
voir, but does not descend quite to the bottom thereof. At top this tube is
soldered to a corresponding aperture in the reservoir, and at bottom it has an
opening b, which the float ball A° fits upon. F is a mouthpiece and plug, as
before described. When the meter is charged with water, and the reservoir
A' is consequently also filled, the ball A° floats at the top; but as soon as the
water descends so far as to leave the tube B2 free, the ball falls down upon the
aperture b, and prevents the exit of any gas through that part of the reservoir
communicating with the mouthpiece F.
Another modification of this part of our Invention is shewn in Figure 6;
A¹ is an outer case; A³ is a compartment formed at the top of the case, which
is constantly open to the inflow of the surplus water, but is closed at bottom
on the line a, b. A³ is a central tube similar to the tubes B2 of the preceding
arrangements, which has a float valvė B adapted to the top of it, and opens at
bottom (only) into the portion A¹ of the case which surrounds the tube, and
communicates with the mouthpiece F. The overflow water rises in A, till it
raises the float B, which allows it to pass over into and down the tube A,
from which it ascends in A¹ to the mouthpiece where it is discharged. It
follows that until the float B is raised, there can be no communication between
the mouthpiece and the interior of the meter, and that the water which serves
to raise that float must serve also to seal the mouthpiece against any escape
of gas. The moment there is no water interposed between the mouthpiece F
and the interior of the meter, the valve B drops of necessity into its seat, and
prevents any flow of gas towards the mouthpiece. Figure 7 exhibits an
arrangement which is precisely the same in all respects as Figure 6, with the
exception that in place of the float valve. used to close the top of the central
tubular compartment A³, a hollow cap is used.
gas
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Fourthly, our. Invention consists of another addition to gas meters, which
will form an effectual obstacle to any advantage being taken by tilting up the
méter from behind. (as is sometimes done), and 'thereby displacing part of the
water from the drum, causing to the extent of such displacement more
flow. through the meter than is. registered. B (Figure 8) is the ordinary
syplion pipe; B, a valve which fits the mouth of: the inlet arm of the syphon,
the spindle C of which valve is swivelled to the back of the same arm of the
syphon. A weight (E) is attached to. the lower end of the spindle, so as to
throw up the valve and leave the inlet arm of the pipe open as long as the
meter is on an exact level; but should the meter be tilted up ever so little for
the fraudulent purpose above mentioned, the weight instantly brings the valve
down upon the mouth of the pipe, and stops the flow of the gas.

page_text: Fifthly, our Invention consists of the addition to meters of a safety valve,
whereby any explosion is prevented in case of any sudden back draught, and
the gas service inlet is closed in the event of the meter being emptied of
water, or the water falling much below its proper level. D (Figure 9) is the
service inlet; D¹ is a lever which is centered at E, and when not acted upon
in a state of perfect equipoise. At one end it carries a valve H, which, when
that end is pressed up, closes the service inlet.
At the other end there is a pin K, which projects at right angles from it.
Lis a prolongation of one arm of the curved rod or wire mentioned under the
second head of this Specification, as being employed to indicate the height of
water in the meter, being that arm which is attached to the float, and which
in this case is carried right through the float (at one side) and terminates in a
crook M, which, when the meter is charged with water and the float at its
highest proper elevation, is a little way above the pin K. When the meter is
in full operation, the pressure of the gas keeps the valve H open, and in the
event of any back draught, that draught will-suffice to close it.. Again, should
the water. fall much below its proper level, the crook M will descend, and
catching against the pin K, raise the valve end of the lever D', and close the
service inlet D.
:
Sixthly, our Invention consists in applying and adapting to the cases of gas
meters the process of enamelling the insides thereof, and likewise in con-
structing such parts of the wheel work and bearings of water gas meters
as are immersed in the water, of glass, opal, or artificial stone, by which last
application and adaptation aforesaid, the parts referred to are preserved from
corrosion, and proportionably increased in durability.
Seventhly, our. Invention consists of an: apparatus for regulating the flow of
gas through pipes, so that whatever may: be the pressure of the gas in the
street mains, an uniform pressure may be maintained in the passage of the
gas through the burners. A sectional elevation of. this apparatus is given in
Figure 10; A is the inlet pipe from the meter or gas main; B, the pipe lead-
ing to the burners; C is a chamber containing a lever D, which is centred at D'.
To the longer arm. of the lever D there is. affixed: a. conical valve E, which
regulates the flow of gas into the pipe B. F is a bent pipe or inverted syphon,
which is filled with mercury up to the line a,.b. When gas is admitted into
the instrument, the greater the pressure with which it is forced through the
pipes, the more it will press upon the surface of the mercury in the limb G
of the syphon, whereby the counterpoise weight H will descend and cause the
valve E to close up the aperture in the pipe B, and so equalize the flow of gas

page_text: according to the pressure; I is a counterpoise by which the action of the
instrument can be adjusted to any degree of pressure. This counterpoise
can be screwed further out or upon the lever, at pleasure, by undoing the
screw cap K; L is another screw cap. for adjusting in like manner the floating
counterpoise II.
Other modes of applying a mercurial column to equalise. the flow of gas
may readily be devised, but we prefer that which we have described, and do
not confine ourselves to any particular mode.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention in the several
parts thereof, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare
that the improvements, which we claim as constituting our said Invention, are
as follows:-
First, we claim the improvement in the syphon of gas meters, before des-
cribed, whereby it is limited in its use to the passage of gas exclusively, and
all access to it from the outside is excluded.
.Second, we claim the addition to gas meters of an indicator for exhibiting at
all times on the dial plate the height of the water in the meter, such indicator
being actuated by means, of a float rising or falling with the water.
Third, we claim the improved overflow valve, before described,. whereby any
abstraction of gas through that valve is rendered impracticable, and the several
modifications thereof, also before described, as also any other modifications, of
which the same may be susceptible.
Fourth, we claim the addition to the ordinary syphon of gas meters of
the weighted lever. valve, for the prevention of fraud from tilting, as before
described.
Fifth, we claim the addition to gas meters of the safety valve H, and the
parts connected therewith, as before described.
Sixth, we claim the enamelling of the interior parts of gas meters, and
constructing such parts of the wheelwork and bearings of water meters as are
immersed in water, of glass, opal, or artificial stone.
And Seventh, we claim the arrangements for regulating the flow of gas by
the application of a column of mercury, as before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Hulett and John Birch Paddon,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
DAVID
(L.S.) HULETT.
JOHN BIRCH (L.S.) PADDON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid David Hulett and John Birch
Paddon came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged 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 Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty.