IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS AND BURNERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Young, of Queen Street, Cheapside, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS AND
BURNERS."
Scaled the 15th December 1857, and dated the 15th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Young at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
June 1857.
I, WILLIAM YOUNG, of Queen Street, Cheapside, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS AND
BURNERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in lamps and burners. For
this purpose, in the construction of argand and other lamps where cottons or
wicks are used, a loose perforated cap or hollow perforated ring is used, which
is placed over the upper end of the cotton or wick, and the material burned in
the lamp, as it is brought up to the under side of the perforated cap or ring, is
vapourised and is burned on the upper surface of the cap or ring, the upper
end of the cotton or wick being at the same time protected from being burned.
The rings or caps are made of thin metal, and are readily removed and
replaced. These perforated rings or caps are also applicable to argand and
other gas burners, and such rings or caps are combined with such burners by
being placed over them, leaving a space between the perforations of the
burners and the perforated caps or rings; and also, in place of the capillary
wick ascending through the burner and being the one which is lighted, each
lamp is made with two wicks, one of which is placed in the burner, and the

page_text: other is arranged to bring up the fluid to the wick in the burner. The burner
which is made circular and suitably arranged for the passage of air to the
interior of the flame, is made to drop. easily into its place, and to be readily
removed and replaced by another. By this arrangement or construction a
lamp will be more readily trimmed than heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Young in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
YOUNG, of Queen Street, Cheapside, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Young, Her special licence that I, the said William Young, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS AND
BURNERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Young, 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 William Young, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in lamps and burners. For
this purpose, in the construction of argand and other lamps where cottons or
wicks are used, a loose perforated cap or hollow perforated ring is used, which
is placed over the upper end of the cotton or wick, and the material burned

page_text: in the lamp, as it is brought up to the under side of the perforated cap or ring,
is vaporized and is burned on the upper surface of the cap or ring, the upper
end of, the cotton or wick being at the same time protected from being burned.
The rings or caps are made of thin metal, and are readily removed and
replaced; and also, in place of the capillary wick ascending through the burner
and being the one which is lighted, each lamp is made with two wicks, one of
which is placed in the burner and the other is arranged to bring up the fluid
to the wick in the burner. The burner, which is made circular and suitably
arranged for the passage of air to the interior of the flame, is made to drop
easily into its place, and to be readily removed and replaced by another. By
this arrangement or construction a lamp will be more readily trimmed than
heretofore.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a lamp arranged for burning oil, cam-
phine, or other liquid usually burned in lamps, and having a loose perforated
cap placed over the upper end of the wick, according to my Invention. a is
a chamber under the burner, which is supplied with spirit or other liquid from
another vessel constantly up to the level at which it is shewn in the Drawing.
The upper part of this vessel is closed with a wooden ring b, on the exterior of
which a series of passages are formed, and a metal tube c is fitted over this
wooden ring; d is a tube smaller than the tube c, and attached to it at its upper
end; e is a horizontal passage from side to side of the tube d, which supports and
opens into the interior tube f, on which the wick holder 9 slides up and down,
being actuated by a rack and pinion. A plan and side view of this wick holder
is shown at Figures 2. The wick used with it is tubular at its upper end, but
lower down it is split and passes between the horns formed on the sides of the
wick holder. h is the cap placed on the top of the wick; it is shown sepa-
rately at Figures 3. If the wick raises an excess.of liquid, it runs back into
the vessel a. At the upper end of the tube d are fixed two conical or dished
rings, which serve to direct a current of air to the flame. The arrows on the
Drawing indicate the directions taken by the different currents of air.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a lamp, differing only in the form of
some of the parts from that already described; the dotted lines at X, X,
represent a screen of wire gauze; the cap is shown separately at Figure 5, and
the wick holder at Figure 6.

page_text: Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of a burner, showing the way in which I
apply perforated rings according to my Invention. a is a central tube, on
which the wick holder slides; b is the wick; c, c, are two rings of thin per-
forated sheet metal, of such a size as to hold the wick between them; d, d, are
air passages, by which a current of air is caused to impinge on the flame; e is
a metal plate, termed an oxydizer, having a hole at its centre, through which
the flame passes, and round the central hole are a number of smaller holes
arranged round it to admit a current of air between the flame and the glass.
Figure 8 shows another way in which perforated rings may be applied
according to my Invention. a is the vessel containing the spirit or other
liquid, closed at the top by the disc of wood b; c, c, are cottons, passing up
through holes in the disc b, and these cottons afterwards pass through the
metal tubes d, d, of the burner; e, e, are the rings of perforated metal, which,
in this case are conical in place of cylindrical, and they do not fit closely to
the wick, but they are fixed to the oxydizer, and can be raised and lowered
with it by a screw or otherwise.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of a burner arranged with two wicks,
according to the second part of my Invention. a is a vessel to which the
spirit is supplied; on the top or mouth of this vessel the cup b, made of wire
gauze, is fixed, and this cup has a hollow formed through its bottom for the
passage of the cotton c; d, d, are two other cottons, the ends of which rest on
the end of the cotton c, within the cup 6; e is a ring of wood, which clothes
the exterior of the vessel a, and on to this ring is fitted a metal tube f, in such
a way as to leave air passages between the ring and the tube. The tube f
carries at its top the two burner tubes g, g, into which the cottons d, d, are
threaded, these being furnished at their upper ends with perforated rings
similar to those shewn in Figure 7, only much smaller.
Figures 10 and 11 show longitudinal sections of burners, differing only
slightly from that shown at Figure 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Young, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
WILLIAM YOUNG. (L.s.)
Witness,
AR. CARPMAEL.