IMPROVE- MENTS IN GAS LAMPS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wells Ingram, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Edward Curtis Kemp, of
Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS LAMPS."
Sealed the 1st May 1868, and dated the 9th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wells Ingram
and Edward Curtis Kemp at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th November 1867.
We, THOMAS WELLS INGRAM, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and EDWARD CURTIS KEMP, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS LAMPS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described, in gas
lamps, which improvements are particularly applicable to lamps employed
for halls and vestibules, but are also applicable to lamps for other purposes.
Our Invention consists, firstly, of the following improvement in raising and
lowering the bottom or lower part of the shade or globe of suspended lamps
for the purpose of lighting the gas:-Instead of supporting the said lower
half or part of the globe or shade by means of exposed chains connected with
a counterbalance weight, we cause the said chains to work in a frame of
tubes, by which when the lower part of the shade or globe is raised the said
chains are in great part concealed and protected. The motion of the lower

page_text: part of the shade or globe is made very steady by the said frame of tubes
guiding the suspending chains.
Our Invention consists, secondly, in suspending the globe or shade of
suspended lamps in the following manner :-We make the globe or shade in
one piece instead of dividing it at its middle as is usual, and in the sides of
the globe we make a series of three or other number of holes. The lower
ends of the suspending rods are turned at right angles into a hook-like form,
and by being passed through the holes in the shade or globe suspend it in its
place; one of the said rods conducts the gas to the burner, or the globe may
be provided with hooks which take into eyes in the ends of the suspending
.rods.
Our Invention consists, thirdly, of the following improvements in, the sinoke
condensers or smoke tops commonly supported over the globe or shade of gas
lamps: We make the said smoke condensers of glass, and by preference
give them the required shape by moulding. The smoke condenser is sup-
ported by a metallic rod screwed at its lower end, the screwed end taking into
a hollow screw in the centre of a tripod resting on the top of the shade or
globe. By means of the said tripod the smoke condenser can be fitted to
shades or globes having different size openings at top, and by the rising and
falling motion of the supporting screw the condenser can be raised and lowered,
and the draught through the lamp regulated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Wells Ingram and Edward Curtis Kemp in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS 1
WELLS INGRAM, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and EDWARD CURTIS KEMP, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her Most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Wells, Ingram, and Edward Curtis Kemp, Her special licence
that we, the said, Thomas Wells Ingram and Edward Curtis Kemp, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas &
Wells Ingram and Edward Curtis Kemp, our executors, administrators, and

page_text: 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 GAS LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Thomas Wells Ingram and Edward Curtis Kemp, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 mónths next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Wells Ingram, on behalf of
myself and the said Edward Curtis Kemp, 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
thereof, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described, in gas
lamps, which improvements are particularly applicable to lamps employed for
halls and vestibules, but are also applicable to lamps for other purposes.
Our Invention consists, firstly, of the following improvement in raising and
lowering the bottom or lower part of the shade or globe of suspended lamps
for the purpose of lighting the gas:-Instead of supporting the said lower
half or part of the globe or shade by means of exposed chains connected with
a counterbalance weight, we cause the said chains to work in a frame of
tubes, by which when the lower part of the shade or globe is raised the said
chains are in great part concealed and protected. The motion of the lower
part of the shade or globe is made very steady by the said frame of tubes
guiding the suspending chains.
Our Invention consists, secondly, in suspending the globe or shade of
suspended lamps in the following manner :-We make the globe or shade in
one piece instead of dividing. it at its middle as is usual, and in the sides of
the globe we make a series of three or other number of holes. The lower ends
of the suspending rods are turned at right angles into a hook-like form, and
by being passed through the holes in the shade or globe suspend it in its
place; one of the said rods conducts the gas to the burner, or the globe
may be provided with hooks which take into eyes in the ends of the suspending
rods.
Our Invention consists, thirdly, of the following improvements in the

page_text: smoke condensers or smoke tops commonly supported over the globe or shade
of gas lamps: We make the said smoke condensers of glass, and by prefer-
ence give them the required shape by moulding. The smoke condenser is
supported by a metal rod screwed at its lower end or its entire length, the
screwed end taking into a screw collar in the centre of a tripod resting on the
top of the shade or globe. By means of the said tripod the smoke condenser
can be fitted to shades or globes having different size openings at top, and by
the rising and falling motion of the supporting screw the condenser can be
raised and lowered and the draught through the lamp regulated. Smoke tops
of terra cotta may be raised and lowered by the same means.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a hall lamp constructed according to the
first
part
of our Invention. a is the lower half of the globe or shade supported
by means of the chains b, b, passing over the pulleys c, and connected with the
counterbalance weight d. The said chains b, instead of being exposed as is
usual, work in a frame of tubes marked e, the said tubes being represented
in section in Figure 1. The pipe f conveying the gas to the lamp passes
down one of the tubes e, as represented in the Drawing.
In Figure 1 the lower half a of the shade or globe is represented depressed
from the upper or fixed half g for the purpose of lighting the lamp. When
the lower half a of the globe or shade is raised the supporting chains e, e, are
in great part concealed and protected by the frame of tubes e, e, besides
which the motion of the lower half of the globe or shade is made very steady
by the said frame of tubes guiding the supporting chains b.
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and-7 represent our improvements in suspending the
globes or shades of suspended gas lamps, according to the second part of our
Invention. Figure 2 represents a hall or suspended lamp constructed
according to one of the arrangements of our Invention, and Figure 3
represents the suspending rods. h is the globe or shade of the lamp made in
one piece, and i are the suspending rods, the lower ends of which are turned
up at right angles, and constitute hooks marked . In the globe or shade
at k holes are made of a size proper to receive the hooks of the rods i;
one of the rods i conducts the gas to the burner. In order to suspend the
globe or shade h in its place, the gas jet is first passed through one of the
holes at k in the globe or shade, and afterwards the hooks i are hooked. or
engaged with the other holes at k, and the said shade is thereby securely
suspended in its place. The suspending rods i are jointed at is for the purpose

page_text: of permitting them to open outwards or close upon one another for removing
the hooks from or engaging them with the globe or shade.
Figures 4 and 5 represent another arrangement of our Invention, Figure 4
representing the lamp complete, and Figure 5 the suspending rods of the
same separately. In this arrangement, instead of employing hooks at the
bottom of the suspending rods eyes m are made in the said rods, which eyes
take on to or engage with hooks n fixed in the globe or shade h. The manner
in which the eyes m of the rods i are engaged with the hooks n of the
globe or shade will be readily understood by an examination of Figure 4,
where one of the rods i is represented opened out and about being engaged
with its hook.
is
marked p, p³,
marked q; on
Near the end of
Figures 6 and 7 represent a modification of the last described arrangements.
In this modification, instead of fixing the globe or shade at or about its
middle by the hook and eye arrangement, as last described, the bottom of the
shade or globe is supported upon a gallery carried by the suspending rods of
the lamp, and the shade or globe is enclosed between the said suspending
rods, one or more of the said rods being capable of motion. In Figures 6
and 7 the globe or shade is marked h, the suspending rods are
and the gallery upon which the globe or shade is supported
the gallery q is a book g; the rod p³ is capable of motion.
the rod p³ a hole is made into which the hook g may snap.
or shade h has been placed on the gallery g the moveable rod p³ is closed
upon the shade or globe and the hole in its end made to snap upon or engage
with the hook g on the gallery g, as indicated in dotted lines; the said shade h
is thereby securely fixed in its place. The hook passes through the hole
in the rol p³, and by pressure upon the projecting part of the said hook the
rod p may be released from the gallery and the globe or shade removed; or
instead of the hook and hole described, the rods may be fastened to the gallery
by a bayonet joint fastening or other fastening.
After the globe
Our improvements in the smoke consumers or smoke tops of lamps are
illustrated in connection with the lamps, Figures 1, 2, 6, and 7, already
described, and also separately in Figures 8, 9, and 10. In each of the said
Figures r is the smoke condeuser or smoke top, and s is a screwed rod fixed
in the axis of the smoke top, and by which the smoke top is supported.
Resting on the top of the globe or shade is a tripod t having a screw collar t
in its centre; into this screw collar the screwed rods takes, as represented.
By screwing the supporting screws of the smoke top r more or less into or
out of the tripod t, the said smoke top may be raised or lowered to the desired
extent and the draught through the lamp regulated.

page_text: The construction of the tripod in each of the arrangements represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 6 is different; the tripod and parts represented in Figure 1
are represented separately on a larger scale in Figure 10, and the tripod and
parts represented in Figure 2 are represented separately on a larger scale in
Figure 9, and the tripod and parts represented in Figure 6 are represented
separately on a larger scale in Figure 8.
The tripod in Figures 2 and 9 is so constructed as to be capable of being
fitted to shades or globes having different size openings at top; this is effected
by making screws on the ends of the arms t of the tripod, and making the
feet to screw on the said screwed arms. By screwing the feet t' nearer to or
further from the supporting screws the tripod may be made to fit shades or
globes having openings of different sizes at top. The tripod Figures 6 and 8
may also be made to fit globes or shades having different size openings by
the flattening of the bent arms of the tripod more or less.
When we make the smoke tops of glass, we prefer to make them by the
process of moulding. Our improvements in smoke condensers or smoke tops
may be applied to gas lamps generally.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention ;
but we claim as our Invention,-
Firstly. The improvements in hall lamps and other suspended gas lamps,
herein-before described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, making the suspending chains of the lower half of the
globe or shade of the said lamps work in a frame of tubes, substantially as
deseribed and illustrated.
Secondly. The improvements in hall lamps and other suspended gas lamps,
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, suspending the globes or shades made
in, one piece of the said lamps by booking or engaging the ends of the sus-
pending rods to the said globes or shades or to a gallery supporting the said
globes or shades, substantially as described and illustrated.
Thirdly. The improvements in the smoke condensers or smoke tops of gas
tamps,, herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
that, is to say, supporting and adjusting, the height of the said smoke con-
densers or smoke. tops by means of a screwed rod taking into a screw in a
tripod rusting on the top of the shade or globe, substantially as described and
illustrated, also making the tripod capable of expanding and contracting to

page_text: fit shades or globes having different size openings at top, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wells Ingram, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
ROBERT WRIGHT TAYLOR,
150, Hope Street,
Birmingham.
THOMAS WELLS INGRAM. (L.B.)