IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF LAMPS POR BURNING PARAFFIN, PETROLEUM, OR OTHER MINERAL Оття
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wood, of Bridge Street, in the City of
Chester, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF LAMPS POR BURNING PARAFFIN, PETROLEUM, OR OTHER MINERAL
Оття."
Sealed the 15th May 1868, and dated the 18th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
November 1867.
I, THOMAS WOOD, of Bridge Street, in the City of Chester, Ironmonger,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFFIN, PETROLEUM, OR OTHER MINERAL
OIs," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the methods of con-
structing lamps for burning paraffin, petroleum, or other mineral oils, and is
more particularly adapted to suspended lamp chandeliers or brackets whereby
the unsightly oil holders or receptacles under each burner and the shadows
caused thereby are done away with, greater facilities are given for trimming
and filling the lamps, one receptacle for oil answering for many burners, which
receptacle may be made very ornamental. A continuous supply of oil is
always maintained at the burner at the same level, thus giving a more regular
and better light.

page_text: And for the purpose of carrying out my improvements I take a chandelier
with two or more arms, and to the outer end of each arm I fit an ordinary
burner for paraffin oil, which may be screwed thereon or by preference fitted
with a taper cone which fastens itself by being pressed into a hollow cone on
the extremity of the arm. The arm or arms are connected to a "body" or
central receptacle of suitable size, and as many arms as are required are fed or
supplied from this receptacle. The supply of oil is furnished to the body
from the vase by a tap or cock with a very small aperture (scarcely a "pin
hole" in diameter), and this tap is actuated by an arm and float, so that when a
sufficient quantity of oil has descended to the body the float rises and closes
the tap, as is done with the well-known ball tap used to supply water to
cisterns. The oil receiver is fastened or screwed on to the "body" in any
suitable manner. An air hole is provided in the body with a small tube
ascending above the level of the tops of the burners, and the vase or receiver
is filled from the top by means of an aperture fitted with a plug; or the vase
may be unscrewed from the body and may be furnished with a "fountain"
arrangement, so that as the oil is consumed a bubble of air enters an opening
from the vase dipping into the oil, and a quantity of oil descends till the
aperture is again covered.
To prevent any danger from spilling the oil in chandeliers, should they be
moved or caused to oscillate, I make the aperture in the body supplying each
arm of very small dimensions, and the pipes in or inserted in the arms are also
of small size.
In cases where it is inconvenient to reach the central body to fill the vase
or receiver for the oil as in churches, lecture rooms, or other large buildings,
I fix proper supply pipes leading from a tank or other receptacle in an elevated
situation, and which deliver the oil to the taps with floats, and the supply is
thus made to the various burners through the central body. The same
arrangement may be applied to brackets with one or more burners fixed to
walls, pillars, or other upright supports.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WOOD, of Bridge Street, in the City of Chester, Ironmonger, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth 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 me, the
said Thomas Wood, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Wood,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Wood, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFFIN, PETROLEUM, OR
OTHER MINERAL OILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Wood, 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 Thomas Wood, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the methods of con-
structing lamps for burning paraffin, petroleum, or other mineral oils, and is
more particularly adapted to suspended lamps, chandeliers, or brackets, whereby
the unsightly oil holders or receptacles under each burner and the shadows
caused thereby are done away with, greater facilities are given for trimming
and filling the lamps, one receptacle for oil answering for many burners, which
receptacle may be made very ornamental. A continuous supply of oil is
always maintained at the burner at the same level, thus giving a more regular
and better light.
I will now proceed to describe the means I employ for carrying out my
improvements, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1
of which shews an external view, and Figure 2 a view partly in section
of a chandelier arranged according to my Invention having three arms or
branches a, a.
To the outer end of each arm I fit an ordinary burner a¹ for
paraffin oil, which may be screwed thereon, or by preference fitted with a taper

page_text: cone which fastens itself by being pressed into a hollow cone on the extremity
of the arm. The arm or arms are connected to a "body" or central receptacle b
of suitable size, and any number of arms or branches that may be required
are fed or supplied from this receptacle b; c is a vase or oil holder arranged
above the body or receptacle 6. The supply of oil is furnished to the body or
receptacle 6 from the vase c by a tap or cock 6¹ with a very small aperture
(scarcely a "pin hole" in diameter), and this tap is actuated by an arm and
float so that when a sufficient quantity of oil has descended to the body or
receptacle 6 from the vase c the float 6º rises and closes the tap 61, similarly
to the well-known ball tap used to supply water to cisterns, and I prefer
to arrange wire gauze over the aperture through which the oil passes to
the tap 6', so as to prevent any extraneous matters passing into the tap. The.
oil vase or receiver c is fastened or screwed on to the "body" 6 in any
suitable manner, and an air hole is provided in the body b with a small
tube 63 ascending above the level of the tops of the burners, and the vase or
receiver c is filled from the top by means of an aperture fitted with a plug;
or the case may be unscrewed from the body and may be furnished with a
"fountain" arrangement, so that as the oil is consumed a bubble of air enters
an opening from the vase dipping into the oil, and a quantity of oil descends
till the aperture is again covered.
To prevent any danger from spilling the oil from the chandeliers should they
be moved or caused to oscillate I make the aperture in the body supplying
each arm of very small dimensions, and the pipes in or inserted in the arm are
also of small size.
In cases where it is inconvenient to reach the central body to fill the vase
or receiver for the oil, as in churches, lecture rooms, or other large buildings,
I fix proper supply pipes leading from a tank or other receptacle in an elevated
situation from which the oil is conducted to the ball or float cocks, and the
supply thus maintained to the various burners from the central body. The
same arrangement may be applied to brackets with one or more burners
fixed to walls, pillars, and other upright supports, and Figure 3 is an external
view of a bracket burner arranged according to my Invention, the supply
apparatus which is similar to that described in reference to Figures 1 and 2
being contained within the enlarged part d of the bracket.
I would here remark that the forms, construction, and relative proportions
of the various parts of chandeliers, brackets, standing candelabra, or other
forms of lamps constructed according to my Invention may be greatly varied
without departing from my Invention, and I would also have it understood

page_text: that any form of valve or tap so combined with a float as to be opened
and closed as and for the purpose herein described may be used in
place of the ordinary ball cock without departing from the nature of my
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
THOS. WOOD. (L.S.)