IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR MANNER, OP GENERATING STEAM IN LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER BOILERS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN OLIVER.
YORK, of Boulogne-sur-Mer, France,.send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal. Letters Patent under the Great Seal of. Great Britain, bearing date:
at Westminster, the. Twenty-fourth day of October, in the fourteenth year
of. Her reign,, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Oliver York, Her especial licence, full power,.sole privilege!
and authority, that I, the said John Oliver York,. my exors, admors, and
assigns, and 'such others as: I, the John Oliver York, my 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 mentioned, should and lawfully
might make,. use, éxercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR MANNER,
OP GENERATING STEAM IN LOCOMOTIVE, MARINE, AND OTHER BOILERS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Oliver York,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain.the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Oliver York, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof (reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in the method of applying gas, either separately
or in combination. with coke, to the general purposes of evaporation, and
which Invention is more particularly applicable to all land engine and other
stationary boilers. In order, however, that the same may be better under-
stood, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I propose to carry the
same out.
purpose of generating
Figure 1 represents a
either purpose, being
First, as regards the application of gas alone to the
steam for either marine, locomotive, or land engines.
transverse section of a boiler which is applicable to
portable, and the heating surface being entirely confined to the interior of the
boiler; and although the surface is not so considerable as can be obtained in an
ordinary locomotive boiler with tubes, still it is much more effective, as a
much greater proportion of it is surface in contact with the flame. Figures
No. 3 and No. 4 represent a boiler suitable for any description of engine, but
arranged. for. the purpose of using gas and coke or coal at the same time;
Figure 3. being, a transverse and Figure 4 a longitudinal section of such a
boiler. The flues 8, 8, 8, represents the spaces occupied by the gas and air
pipes, and the same description will refer to the mode of supplying the gas and
air to Figure 1, as far as regards the spaces marked 8, 8, 8, in Figure 3, the
interior of this boiler having tubes for the coke fire flue, as will be hereafter
described. 1, 2, 3, in Figures 3 and 4, represent the gas pipes which branch
out from a main pipe at the bottom of the flue, shewn more distinctly at A,
Figure 2. These pipes are arranged at about two inches apart, and reach
nearly up to the tops of. the flue, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3, and have holes
drilled in their upper surface about one inch apart and one fiftieth of an inch
diameter, but, of course the size of these holes will depend entirely upon the
pressure; the dimensions I have given above being. such as are suitable to an
ordinary pressure, as generally adopted in gas works in town. At the end of
each main gas pipe A will be a cock to regulate the flow of gas or to shut it
off altogether. In order to supply the air necessary for combustion to the
interior of the flue an air pipe, shewn at 3, 4, 5, in Figures 1, 3, and 4,.but
on a larger scale in Figure 2, will be introduced into each separate flue, and
the same having a slot cut in its whole length, as shewn at Figures 2 and 4,

page_text: b, b, b, will allow the entrance of the quantity of air required, the same being
regulated by means of a small circular fan valve or cock at each end, as shewn
at 7, 7, Figure 4. This mode of supplying the air and gas is applicable to
either boilers where gas alone is used, or, when both gas and coke or coal are
used, for the purpose of evaporation. By further reference to Figures 3
and 4, I will explain how I propose to use coke with gas in the same boiler;
and it will be easily understood by those Drawings that the interior of the
boiler is formed of tubes, with a fire box of suitable size similarly constructed
to those generally used in locomotive engines. At one end of the boiler,
however, a double chimney will be necessary, as shewn at Figure 4, into the
interior chimney; the flue from the fire box will lead into the exterior flue
from the gas, as shewn at Figure 4, a, a, the gas flues being united with the
casing at a level with the top of the tubes; the area coloured dark, in Figure 3
representing the opening for the flue at each end of the boiler, which opening
communicates with the chimney f at the fire box end by means of a similar
casing as that to be employed at the double chimney end, the ends of the gas
flues being closed in their lower parts with the exception only of the apertures
for admitting the air and gas through their respective pipes. For either
locomotive or marine purposes the gas will have to be compressed into reser-
voirs of a cylindrical shape, a process well understood and employed for
portable gas, which reservoirs in the former instance must be carried in the
tender, and in the latter may be arranged in any manner and in any part of
the ship most convenient. In the case of iron ships a large cylindrical tube of
two or three or more feet in diameter, according to the size of the ship, may
be made to run the whole length of the vessel, as shewn at Figure 8, and be
made to form the keel of the vessel, giving enormous strength to that part
of the ship, and others of smaller diameter may run the whole length also,
as shown at A, A, in the same Figure. And then these points, being well
secured by means of the angle iron or other knees forming the shell of the
ship, will add very materially to its strength in its transverse section. Other
tubes may be arranged to communicate with these down the sides of the
vessel answering the purpose of the knees, thus affording the facility of
carrying a large quantity of combustible without occupying the best part of
the ship for stowage, without weight in itself, and affording additional strength
to the ship in proportion to the extra quantity of material used in the con-
struction of these reservoirs: Further, when portable gas is used for either
marine or locomotive purposes, it will be necessary to regulate the flow or
supply of gas to the burners in proportion to its pressure inside the reservoirs ;
and for this purpose I propose using a slide valve, as shewn at Figure 7, the

page_text: shape of the opening being long and narrow, as shewn at "a," Figure 7, the
valve "6" gradually descending and opening the aperture for the passage. of
the gas as the pressure decreases inside the reservoir c, and this is effected by
the action of the spring "d" on the top of the small piston "e," the same
pressing thereon with sufficient force to cause it to advance further-into the
small cylinder "f" as the pressure by the escape of the gas through the valve
diminishes on the under side of the piston. Between. this valve and the
burners in a small reservoir g, of any shape most convenient, in which will be
_contained a certain quantity of gas of the same pressure as at the burner, and
the object of which is to render less liable the extinguishing of the burners by
any sudden jerk. Lastly, I propose applying it generally to all boilers attached
to fixed engines or otherwise employed for stationary purposes; and although a
boiler of any ordinary construction may be adapted to the purpose, I prefer,
when using coke and gas together, to construct the boiler according to
Figures No. 5 and 6. The boiler is cylindrical, with a circular fire box at one
end for burning the coke, the arrows shewing the direction of the flue to the
chimney at the end of the throttlers a, a, being for the purpose of arresting
the draft, and the number of them will depend on the length of the flue; the
gas will be arranged underneath the whole length of the outside casing of this
boiler, as shewn at Figure 6. c represents the main gas pipe running the
whole length, and from each side of which, branch the pipes b, b, at suitable
distances from each other, pierced with small holes, as before described. d is a
wrought-iron casing outside the gas pipe to form the gas flue, and in which.
are holes drilled at various distances to admit a sufficient quantity of air. From
this flue, at the centre of the length of the boiler, or at each end, as may be
found desirable, according to the length of the flue, a casing will rise on each.
side into a chimney, as shewn at g, g. These flues will join at "h," and
round this part may be placed a reservoir for water, in which it may be
partially heated before entering the boiler. Of course the casing and flue,
which has been described as made of wrought iron, may be made of brick or
other suitable material; if preferred. For all purposes where the boiler is
stationary, it will be found more economical to manufacture the gas on the.
spot, and to cause the pressure and supply to be regulated by the gasometer
and cocks.
Having now described the best manner with which I am at present
acquainted for carrying out the details of my Invention, I would have it to be
understood that what I claim is,―
First, the mode or method of generating steam by the use of gas alone, as
harsin hofors described

page_text: Secondly, the generation of steam by the combination of gas and coke or
oal, acting at the same time upon the same boiler.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Oliver York, have hereunto set my.
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
JOHN OLIVER (L.S.) YORK.
JOHN OLIVER (L.S.) YORK.
Taken and acknowledged by John Oliver
York, the party hereto, at Boulogne-sur-
Mer, in the Republic of France, this
Twenty-first day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-one, before me,

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED that on the oath of Henry Thomas, the
Specification aforesaid was enrolled, word for word, as above written. And
also the Specification' aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One 5
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.