IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGE ROOF LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL OILS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Andrews Dryden at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th April 1880.
JOHN ANDREWS DRYDEN, of East Greenwich, in the County of Kent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGE ROOF LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL OILS."
The Invention has for its object a novel combination and arrangement of the
parts of carriago roof lamps, whereby the trimming thereof is greatly facilitated,
and the necessity for handling the body of the lamp is obviated, thereby greatly
reducing the risk of breakage of the glasses, damage to lamps, and other damage
and inconveniences resulting from the use of the present moveable lamps.
For this purpose I fix the lamp body in the carriage roof preferably by screws
passing through a reflector extending beyond the glass, and of such a curve or
angle as to properly distribute the light throughout the compartment in which the
lamp is fixed. The bottom of the lamp; the air chamber, glass, tank, and parts
carried thereby are supported by the tubes that supply air to support combustion.
The reflector carries the inner chimney and the outer casing or lamp body, whilst
a perforated cylinder surrounding the inner chimney is carried by the lamp cover,
which latter is removeable, and carries the hood or wind guard and a cylinder
extending a short distance down into the lamp body. An annular air space is
left between such parts for the air to enter the lamp body on its passage to the
air tubes.
The cover also carries a cylindrical guard extending a short distance down and
outside the lamp body to prevent the wind blowing directly into the air space
above the reflector.
The air space around the tank, through which air from the upper air space is
supplied to the burner, is formed of a short cylinder and top and bottom rings
fixed thereto, the inner side of such cylindrical air space being formed by the tank,
which fits therein, and sufficiently seals the air space at the lower part by a ring,
and at the upper part by the outside of the tank.
The tank is passed up into position through the bottom of the lamp, and is held
by bayonet catches or other suitable fastenings, whilst the bottom of the lamp,
which is hinged to admit of the withdrawal and insertion of the tank, is locked in
position by a double or split spring catch, which can be released by a forked
instrument passed through two holes formed in the casing, but cannot be operated
by a single point or wire.

page_text: A vertical spindle passing up through the tank is provided at its upper end with
a pinion gearing with a pinion on the outer end of the axle of the pinion wheels,
and the lower end of such vertical spindle is provided with a wheel, by which it
can be turned to raise and lower the wick when desired. By this construction of
lamp the tank alone requires to be removed for trimming the lamp, whilst a man
can light and extinguish the lamp either from the inside or outside of the carriage,
as may be most convenient.
The air chamber supplying air to the burner being sealed by the tank enables
the bottom of the lamp to bo opened and closed, as may be required, without
affecting the light, as it would, if such were not the case, and the bottom also
catches any oil that may escape from tho tank, and as lamps burning hydro-carbon
oils usually sweat the latter is entirely stopped from coming outside the lamp, as
would be the case if there were no outer chamber.
The hole at the bottom, through which the tank is passed, is sufficiently largo to
enable a man's hand to pass into the glass to clean the lamp, so that there is no
necessity for tho lamp to be removed from the carriage.
The glass is supported at its bottom by resting on the top of the air chamber,
and at its top is pressed against the reflector, suitable soft or elastic cushions being
placed between the parts.
The air tubes pass through holes in the reflector, and are fixed in position
by nuts, by which means a new glass can readily be substituted for a brokon
one.
By the use of my Invention the lamps can be trimmed elsewhero than at
termini or lamp stations, as it dispenses with the necessity for the lamp barrows
now in use, which latter are a nuisance to passengers, and occupy a great deal of
valuable space.