AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Luther Young, of Bow Lane, Cheapside, in the City
of London, Gas Fitter, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF GAS REGULATORS."
Sealed the 11th December 1855, and dated the 21st June 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Luther Young at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
June 1855.
I, LUTHER YOUNG, of Bow Lane, Cheapside," in the City of London, Gas
Fitter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS REGULATORS". to be as follows:
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the dip of the floating drum of.
gas regulators into the mercury joint. To this end, I provide a counterpoise
to the resistance which the fluid mercury makes to the descending drum, by
forming the lever which connects the floating drum with the regulating-valve-
hollow, and inserting mercury or its equivalent therein, which, as the gas lifts
the valve, will cause the hollow lever to rock, and the mercury to flow to the-
depressed end. This accumulation of the mercury at one end of the tubular
lever will virtually increase the weight of the floating drum as it descends into
the mercury joint, and thus it will enable the drum the better to overcome
=

page_text: the resistance which the mercury joint presents to the downward movement of
the drum. Or, in place of this arrangement, I insert the running mercury
or its equivalent in a vibrating tube or tubes mounted above the drum, and
obtain the like effect by the running mercury pressing down instead of draw-
ing down the drum.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Luther Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUTHER
YOUNG, of Bow Lane, Cheapside, in the City of London, Gas Fitter, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of June; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five; in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Luther Young, Her special license that I, the said Luther Young,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Luther
Young, my executors, administrators, and 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF GAS REGULATORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Luther Young, 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 Luther Young, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The object of my Invention is to facilitate the dip of the floating drum of
gas regulators into the mercurial joint. In order to effect this, I provide a
counterpoise to the resistance which the mercury offers to the descending drum;

page_text: by making the rod or lever which connects the floating drum with the regu-
lating valve hollow, and inserting therein mercury or its equivalent, which, as
the ascending current of gas lifts the valve from its seat, will cause the hollow
rod or lever to rock, and the mercury to flow towards the depressed end. The
mercury, by thus accumulating at one end of the hollow connecting lever, will
virtually increase the weight of the floating drum, and thus enable it to over-
come more easily the resistance which the mercurial joint creates to the down-
ward movement of the drum. Or, instead of this arrangement, I put the
mercury that is to form the counterpoise in a vibrating tube or tubes mounted
above the drum, which will have the same effect in overcoming the resistance
caused by the mercurial joint, by pressing down the drum instead of drawing it
down, as above described:
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents the first of these modes of
applying my Invention to a gas regulator, the gas régulator being shewn in
longitudinal sectional elevation. a, a, is the outer casing; and b is an annular
trough in which the mercury is placed to form the mercurial joint; c is a
hollow lever, which rocks on the fulcrum d, and is connected at one end by
means of a link e to the inlet valve f, and at the other end by a rod g to the
floating drum h, from the centre of which the rod depends. Within the hollow
rocking lever the mercury for forming the counterpoise is placed, it being free
to run from end to end, according to the motion of the lever. As the pressure
of gas increases in the casing a, the drum h is caused to rise, and, by means of
the lever and rods c, e, and g, to depress the valve f, and thereby contract the
passage for the supply of gas to the burners. On the pressure of the gas
decreasing, the floating drum will sink by its own gravity, and the fluid counter-
poise, at the same time accumulating towards that end of the lever to which
the drum is attached, will counteract the buoyant tendency of the mercury
joint, and thus render the drum far more sensitive than heretofore to changes
in the pressure of the gas passing through the gas regulator.
Fig. 2 shews, in longitudinal sectional elevation, the modified arrangement
above indicated for effecting the like object to the apparatus just described.
In this example, I employ two hollow levers i, k, for pressing instead of draw-
ing down the floating drum; these levers have their fulcra at 1, 1, and they
are provided with balance weights at their outer ends, their hollow part or that
within the casing being charged like the lever c, Fig. 1, with mercury, for
overcoming the buoyancy of the floating drum h, h. In this arrangement the
supply valve f is connected directly with the drum, and the steady up and
down motion of the drum is insured by a guide rod h", which it carries, entering
a guide formed for it in the top of the casing. When the pressure of gas

page_text: increases within the casing a, it causes the drum h to rise and carry up the
valve f, and thereby contract the inlet passage and reduce the supply of gas to
the burners, as in the former instance. As.the pressure decreases within the
casing a, the drum gradually descends and again opens the valve f, the drum
being assisted in overcoming the resistance of the mercury within the trough
by the levers i and k pressing. upon its upper surface, as shewn in the
Drawing.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improvement in
the Construction of Gas Regulators," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that, under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, I claim the application to gas regulators of weighted
levers acting in the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Luther Young, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five."
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.'-
LUTHER YOUNG. (L.S.)