AN IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR WARMING BUILDINGS BY STEAM
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Johnson Gold, of the City of New Haven
and State of Connecticut, United States of America, for the Invention of
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Johnson Gold at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th April 1856..
I, STEPHEN JOHNSON GOLD, of the City of New Haven and State of Con-
necticut, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR WARMING BUILDINGS BY
STEAM," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed to be used in connection with the " Improved
Apparatus for Heating Buildings," patented as a communication by Charles
Frederick Stansbury, of the firm of Nourse & Co., American and General
Patent Agents, 17, Cornhill, London, on the 13th of October 1854, of which
apparatus I am the inventor and proprietor.
The Invention applies to the regulation of the furnace draught, and to the
automatic cooling of the boiler when the entire amount of steam that may be
generated is not required for warming purposes. The first of these functions
is performed by a flow of water from the boiler into the draught passage, so as
to diminish its capacity, or close it entirely, as circumstances require. This

page_text: rise of water is caused by pressure of steam in the boiler. The second function
is effected by the lifting of a valve above the furnace by the rise of water
above the point where the hydraulic closing is effected, when, after the draft is
cut off, there is still an excess of steam above that required for the radiators,
this lifting of the valve being produced by its connection with a float which
rises as the water from the boiler flows into a chamber provided therefor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Johnson Gold in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the '8th October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
JOHNSON GOLD, of the City of New Haven and State of Connecticut, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Stephen Johnson Gold, Her special licence that I, the said Stephen Johnson
Gold, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Stephen Johnson Gold, 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 IMPROVE-
MENT IN APPARATUS FOR WARMING BUILDINGS BY STEAM," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Stephen Johnson Gold, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
bands 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 Stephen Johnson Gold, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, on which are represented a sectional view of the furnace and boiler,
and elevation of parts connected therewith :-

page_text: The present Invention is designed to be used in connection with the
Improved Apparatus for Heating Buildings," patented as a communication
by Charles Frederick Stansbury, of the firm of Nourse & Co., American &
General Patent Agents, of 17, Cornhill, London, on the 13th of April 1855,
of which Apparatus I am the inventor and proprietor.
It relates to the regulation of the furnace draught, and to the automatic
cooling of the boiler when the entire amount of steam that may be generated
is not required for warming purposes. The first of these functions is performed
by a flow of water from the boiler into the draught passage, so as to diminish
its capacity, or close it entirely, as cireumstances require, thus constituting
what I term the hydraulic seal. This rise of water is caused by pressure of
steam in the boiler, under circumstances herein-after set forth.
The second function is effected by the lifting of a valve above the furnace
by the rise of water above the point where the hydraulic seal is applied, when,
after the draught is cut off, there is still an excess of steam above what is
required for the radiators, this lifting of the valve being produced by its con-
nection with a float which rises as the water from the boiler flows into a
chamber provided therefor.
The details of the construction and operation of my improvement will be
readily understood from the following description and references to the accom-
panying Drawings.
A represents the boiler, and A³ the furnace, of the same construction as
those in my former Patent; a cylindrical opening passes from the furnace
through the boiler, and is covered at top by a conical valve a. B is the ash.
chamber, closed by door b; besides this door the ash chamber has a communi-
cation with the external air by the curved pipe C, as shewn by arrows in the
Drawing this pipe constitutes the draft passage of the furnace. C is the
draft pipe, opening at bottom into ash chamber B below the grate, and
curving so as to have a horizontal portion, which constitutes the sealing
passage D. D is the sealing passage, being the lower horizontal branch of
pipe C, and connected by pipe x with the float chamber E, and communicating
at bottom with the boiler by pipe c issuing from the boiler about midway
between its bottom and high-water mark, shown by red line in Drawing. The
top of this passage should be fourteen inches above high-water mark in the
boiler; this being the sealing point there will be no action to affect the furnace
until the steam is of the required pressure, which is about one half pound to
the square inch. f is the float in chamber E, connected with the valve a by
lever i, so that the rise of the float will elevate the said valve. This connection
may be varied in many ways to conform to the peculiarities of the locality

page_text: where the apparatus may be placed, the only point to be considered being that
the valve shall be lifted as the float rises, the position of the float chamber
being such that the water cannot enter it until the hydraulic seal shall have
been placed upon the draft. X is the condenser in tank T, in which the
escape steam is condensed, as described in my former Patent, herein-before
referred to.
The operation of the Invention is as follows:-The draft passes as indicated
by arrows, aiding combustion in the usual way, and effecting the generation of
steam which passes to the radiator R in the apartment to be warmed, as
'described in my former Patent. So long as the supply of steam is no greater
than is demanded by the radiators, the draft remains unimpeded; but when,
from the temperature of the external air, the condensation in the radiators is
slow, or but a portion of the radiators is brought into action (as shewn in my
former Patent,) there will be an increased pressure of steam on the surface of
the water in the boiler, causing it to rise through pipe cinto passage D. This
rise of water in the pipe gradually diminishes the draft passage, until, by the
continued rise, the branch D is filled, and the hydraulic seal is established,
entirely shutting off the draft; this, of course, deadens the fire, but should
the pressure still continue, the water will pass into chamber E and lift float f,
thereby raising the conical valve a, and permitting the entrance of cold air
into the boiler flue. Cold air let in at this opening takes the place of the
heated air there existing when the flue is closed, and causes the steam instantly
to condense; this removes the pressure, and permits the water to return to the
boiler, letting down valve a and gradually removing the hydraulic seal when
the draft is reinstated, and all proceeds as before.
The action of this float may sometimes be produced by the opening of door b,
by accident, or otherwise. In this case the flow of cold air to the boiler
speedily prevents any ill effects from the undue draft of the furnace. A bell
is so connected with this float as to give notice that the ash chamber door is
open. The cooling of the boiler closes the valve, but it soon rises again, and
gives notice, by the ringing of the bell, that the door is open, and continues to
rise and fall until the door is closed. The float may, if necessary, be so con-
nected with the door as to close it if it be left open.
The two hydraulic regulators render the action of the apparatus altogether
automatic, the fire adjusting itself to the demand for steam in the radiators;
and as this demand depends on the rapidity of condensation, which is
governed by the temperature of the atmosphere, the fire may be said to regu-
late itself to the temperature of the air to be warmed. In this respect tho
apparatus differs widely from the other automatic regulators in use, since there

page_text: are none that do not require adjustments of some part to suit the temperature
of the external air. This excellence is of the first importance in apparatus of
this nature, simplifying their construction and rendering them more easily
manageable.
Having thus described my improvements, I claim, under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, the automatic governing of the draft, and the shutting
off of the same, by the forcing of water from the boiler by pressure of steam,
under the circumstances and substantially in the manner set forth.
I also claim the automatic government of the valve a, by the forcing of
water from the boiler by pressure of steam, under the circumstances and
substantially in the manner set forth.
I expressly disclaim the governing of draft valves by the expansion of water,
the same constituting no part of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Johnson Gold, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
STEPHEN JOHNSON GOLD. (L.S.)