IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPLYING AND REGULATING ANY REQUIRED LIQUID USED IN THE PROCESS OF GENERATING GAS OR STEAM, OR FOR THE CARBURETTING OF GAS, FOR SUPPLYING AND REGULATING THE WATER TO GAS METERS AND OIL FOR LUBRICATION, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1864

page_text: unty Miluulesex, Engineer, for
IMPROVEMENTS IN
SUPPLYING AND REGULATING ANY REQUIRED LIQUID USED IN THE PROCESS OF
GENERATING GAS OR STEAM, OR FOR THE CARBURETTING OF GAS, FOR SUPPLYING
AND REGULATING THE WATER TO GAS METERS AND OIL FOR LUBRICATION,
AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 17th June 1864, and dated the 5th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joshua Kidd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
January 1864.
I, JOSHUA KIDD, of Cannon Row, Westminster, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPLYING AND REGULATING ANY REQUIRED LIQUID USED IN
THE PROCESS OF GENERATING GAS OR STEAM, OR FOR THE CARBURETTING OF GAS,
POR SUPPLYING AND REGULATING THE WATER TO GAS METERS AND OIL FOR LUBRI-
CATION, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in forming a receptacle of any convenient shape
for holding oil or water. I connect to the bottom of this receptacle a pipe,
and convey the liquid through it to a receiver which I call the regulating
chamber; this chamber may be placed in any convenient position below the
receptacle. The object of my Invention is to regulate and keep the liquid in this
chamber or receiver at an uniform level as the liquid is being used out of it

page_text: for the different purposes of my Invention. The same result may be obtained
by slightly altering the above arrangement; first, by making the receptacle
for holding the liquid air-tight, and attaching a pipe to the bottom of it to
conduct the liquid to the regulating chamber. When the lower termination
of the pipe in this chamber is unscaled with liquid, bubbles of gas or air will
rise up it to the receptacle, and a proportionate amount of liquid will descend
sufficient to seal the termination of the pipe, when all further circulation
ceases till the liquid again falls below the aforesaid pipe in the regulating
chamber.
The second plan I adopt to maintain a constant level of liquid in the
regulating chamber is by placing in the said chamber a float, to the centre
of which I attach a conical spindle valve; as the float rises and falls upon the
liquid on the chamber the valve attached to it opens and closes an aperture
for the required admission of liquid from the receptacle into the regulated
chamber. The receptacle or holder in this case does not require to be air-
tight, and the regulating chamber in both plans must not be air-tight at the
top.
When gas or steam is required, I attach a pipe from the lower part of the
regulating chamber to the bottom of the red-hot retort in such a manner that
one portion of the pipe or channel for conducting the liquid is lower than the
bottom of the retort and regulating chamber. When oil gas is generated, a
small gasholder must be used, formed so that as it fills with gas it will
increase the pressure in the retort, and thus drive the liquid from the retort
into the regulating chamber, when gas will cease to generate till the
gas-holder has lessened the pressure by discharging some of its contents.
When used for carburetting gas, the regulating chamber is simply connected
to the carburetter, but for street lamps I place the liquid receptacle above or
around the lantern, and the regulating chamber at the bottom of the same. I
form a well or recess under the gas burner for the reception of oil from the
regulating chamber, to which it is connected by a pipe, and the liquid by
capillary attraction is carried up from the well to the burner. The gas is
made to pass into the well, and combines with the vapour from the volatile
oil. For feeding wet gas meters, it is simply necessary to attach a pipe from
the regulating chamber to conduct water to the meter below the water line.
For lubricating the journals of railway carriages, the receptacle for oil is
placed in the ordinary grease box over the journal, and the box itself forms
the regulating chamber. A hole is made in the bottom of this receptacle,
and when unsealed by the oil in the grease box, bubbles of air will rise in the
receptacle, and allow the oil to flow into the box. The outlets for the grease

page_text: are stopped up, and the oil is carried down to the journal by capillary con-
ductors which are brought in contact with the oil as it rises and falls by the
jolting motion of the carriage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joshua Kidd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSHUA
KIDD, of Cannon Row, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joshua Kidd, Her special licence that I, the said Joshua
Kidd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joshua Kidd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SUPPLYING AND REGULATING ANY REQUIRED LIQUID USED IN THE PROCESS
OP GENERATING GAS OR STEAM, OR FOR THE CARBURETTING OF GAS, SUPPLYING AND
REGULATING THE WATER TO GAS METERS AND OIL FOR LUBRICATION, AND IN.
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Joshua Kidd, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Joshua Kidd, my 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:-
My improvements consist in adapting a modification of the bird-cage
fountain or its equivalent for feeding or delivering a regular supply of any

page_text: required liquid into a chamber or receptacle where it is kept at an uniform
level governed by the mechanical laws of atmospheric pressure. The liquid
is then conducted from the apparatus, and used for the different purposes of
my Invention, and as it is necessary to vary the form of the apparatus so that
it will answer the different requirements of my Invention, the same will be
better understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, where
similar letters represent similar parts of the apparatus, though such parts are
used for different purposes, and vary in shape.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of apparatus complete for generating
gas, with my improvements attached thereto. A is a vertical section of a
reservoir for holding the liquid, made either round, square, or rectangular, and
perfectly air-tight at the top; this reservoir is made to fit snugly into
chamber or receptacle B. An aperture is made at the bottom of the
reservoir V, out of which liquid flows into the aforesaid receptacle B until it
has sealed or closed the outlet V, when the liquid falls lower in chamber B
than the outlet V. Bubbles of air will rise through the liquid in the
reservoir A, and allow a proportionate amount of liquid to descend to again
close the aperture V, and thus maintain a constant level of liquid in chamber B,
as in the ordinary bird-cage fountain. S is a circular tube with a small
aperture at the top for the admission of air to chamber B. The oil, when
illuminating gas is required, is conducted by pipe C and D to the retort E,
where it is decomposed into gas, which passes out by pipe F to condenser K,
which is a circular worm or coil, a ground plan of which is shown at Figure 11,
when the gas is generated quicker than it can escape at the outlet Q it passes
up the pipe T into compartment N, which is nearly filled with water, and
forces the same up the pipe R into the upper compartment O, thus exerting a
greater pressure in the retort, and driving the oil down the pipe D further
away from the retort, and where the outlet Q is stopped, the pressure in
retort increases, and drives the liquid so far away from the retort that gas
ceases to generate. ✗ is a tap to let off condensed matter from the con-
denser; M is a common gas regulator that receives the gas from the condenser
by means of pipe P, and delivers it at an uniform pressure to the burners.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation of a gas retort adapted for a kitchen
grate; Figure 6 is a section; Figure 7 is a section through the middle;
Figure 8 is an end section of the same.
Figure 2 represents a section of apparatus for generating steam or vapour
with my improved constant level feeding fountain applied thereto, as described

page_text: in Figure 1, with the addition of a valve and float I, which rises and falls,
thus opening and closing the aperture as the liquid comes in contact with it.
Steam enters the tube at Y, and passes round the circular coil K, and escapes
out at 0; thence it passes to Q for consumption. J is a circular float, to
which the circular coil, shown in Figure 11, is attached; G is a wire pin
with two projections near the top; this pin is made fast to float J and coil K,
and slides up and down through the stuffing box W when the liquid accu-
mulates in the receptacle D. The float with wire pin rises and lifts the lever
and valve U, and discharges the water at Z. When sufficient water has been
discharged the float falls, and the lower projection on the wire pin G forces
down the lever and valve U, and stops the outlet.
Figure 3 shows a sectional elevation of a railway axle box with my
constant level feeding fountain applied thereto for lubricating the journals of
railway carriages. A is the reservoir; B, the liquid receptacle formed in and
by the interior of the grease box; D, the outlet tube filled with a capillary
substance for conducting the oil to the journal L.
Figure 4 shows another plan of forming my constant level feeding fountain,
and applying the same for lubricating purposes. A is the reservoir with a
spring to keep it firm in the grease box; B, the constant level chamber
C, the outlet; D conveys the oil by capillary attraction into the grease box,
into which box the whole of this arrangement is placed. When the carriage
is stationary no oil will be supplied to the journal, but when in motion, the
oscillation of the carriage gives motion to the oil, and brings it in contact with
the capillary substance D, from which it is conveyed to the journal L.
Figure 9 shows an elevation of my constant level feeding fountain attached
to a public lamp for carburetting the gas with naptha; Figure 10 shows a
section of the same. A is the reservoir with outlet V at the bottom of the
tube; B, the constant level chamber; C, the outlet pipe; D, the carburetter
where the gas is brought into contact with the naptha.
Having now described my Invention, and in what manner the same is
applied and carried out, I would have it to be particularly understood that I
do not claim the Figures or parts before discribed seperately, only so far as
they are necessary for carrying out my Invention.
Firstly, I claim as new the adaptation and application of my constant level
feeding or bird-cage fountain, as shown at A and B in Figure 1, for supplying
oil to a retort for generating gas, together with the condenser and regulator,
as shown at K, N, O, and M, at Figure 1, by which means the apparatus
will generate gas for one or more lights without a large gasholder.
Secondly, claim the application of my constant level feeding or bird-cage

page_text: fountain for carburetting gas for single street lights, and for supplying oil for
lubricating the journals of railway carriages, and for supplying oil to a
receptacle, as shown at D, in Figure 2, where steam is intended to be passed
over an hydrocarbon oil for generating vapour for burning purposes.