Improved Means and Appliances for Effecting the Lighting of Incandescent and like Burners of Street and other Gas Lamps.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means and Appliances for Effecting the Lighting of
Incandescent and like Burners of Street and other Gas Lamps.
We, GEORGE FREDERICK LOMBE FOULGER, of The Common, Upper Clapton, Gas
Engineer, and JOHN GEORGE GLOVER, of 214, St. John Street, Clerkenwell, Engineer,
both in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for object the employment of a flexible wick tube of an oil or
spirit lamp so arranged within a lamplighters torch frame that by a push or other
movement of a rod or the like the flexible wick tube can be projected from above the
top end of the torch frame and be allowed to fall over and above an incandescent
burner for lighting the gas, the flexible wick tube being then drawn back to be
within the torch frame so that the lamplighter can carry the torch from lamp to
lamp in the usual manner the flexible wick tube being projected within each
lamp in succession.
The flexible wick tube is an extension from the oil reservoir by which the torch
light is kept burning and to ensure the flexible wick tube falling or drooping over in
the proper direction when projected we purpose weighting it in any desirable manner
but if not weighted its fall over a droop can be readily adjusted over the mantle.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said G. F. L. Foulger and J. G. Glover.
Improved Means and Appliances for Effecting the Lighting of
Incandescent and like Burners of Street and other Gas Lamps.
We, GEORGE FREDERICK LOMBE FOULGER, of The Common, Upper Clapton, Gas
Engineer, and JOHN GEORGE GLOVER, of 214, St. John Street, Clerkenwell, Engineer,
both in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for object, the employment of a flexible wick tube of an oil or
spirit lamp, so arranged within a lamplighters torch frame that by a push or other,
movement of a rod, or the like, the flexible wick tube can be projected from above the
top end of the torch frame and be allowed to fall over and above an incandescent
burner for lighting the gas, the flexible wick tube being then drawn back to be
within the torch frame, so that the lamplighter can carry the torch from lamp

page_text: to lamp in the usual inanner, the flexible wick tube being projected within each
lamp in succession.
The flexible wick tube is an extension from the oil reservoir by which the torch
light is kept burning, and to ensure the flexible wick tube falling or drooping over in
the proper direction when projected we purpose weighting it in any desirable
manner, but if not weighted, its fall over or droop can be readily adjusted over the
mantle.
Our invention is shown on the annexed drawings.
Figure 1 is part sectional elevation of the upper end of a lamplighters torch with
the flexible wick tube and flame shield enclosed.
Figure 2 is exterior elevation of the same with the flexible wick tube and flame
shield pushed out and leaning over from above the torch frame.
Figure 3 is part sectional elevation of the handle end of the torch showing the
hand-hold or slider lug..
Figure 4 is an elevation of a lamplighters torch complete, reduced scale.
a, hollow stick. b, oil tank. c, vent to same. d, flexible wick tube secured
in screw head e. f, guide cone at upper end of flexible wick tube (7.
g, burner. h, flame shield secured to burner neck i.
1, cone shaped edge at upper part of flame shield.
k, top cap with centrally apertured ferrule / fixing an asbestos cushion or guard m
on the flame shield h. p, perforated wind guard to protect the flame while the
torch is being carried. q, rod connecting oil tank 6 to hand-hold or slider which is
to be moved up and down by hand and guided by the slot s in hollow stick a, the
slider being connected by screw pin t to lower end of rod q.
When the torch is carried in the ordinary way, such as for lighting open flames of
street and like lamps and where the torch head can be put close to the burner
to light the gas from the oil flame, no motion of the slider r is necessary, but with
lamps having incandescent mantles whether surrounded by a glass chimney or left
exposed, the head of the torch must be kept clear of the gas burner during the
lighting operation, the mantles being so fragile that if touched they break or drop to
powder and are rendered useless for light giving purposes.
By our invention, such gas lamps can be lighted with safety.
To protect incandescent flames from sudden gushes of wind, the bottom of the
lantern frame is provided with a fall down flap which has to be raised before the
torch can be inserted into the lantern, and to prevent injury to the flap and
concussion to the lantern or its burner, we provide our flame shield with an
asbestos cushion m and after the head of the torch has been passed into the lantern,
an uprising action on the slider and rod q by the lamplighter causes the flame
shield and the flexible wick tube to project beyond the upper end of the torch
stick a, the weight of the flame shield h then gradually inclining towards the middle
of the lantern and over the incandescent mantle through the flexibility of the
wick tube d, as indicated at Figure 2, the oil tank being still within the head of the
hollow stick . The gas being on in the lantern, then comes into contact with oil
flame and flashes back to light the Bunsen flame within the mantle.
By a downward action on the slider r and rod q, the oil tank b is lowered and also
the flexible wick tube d, which tube d slides downwardly in the head of the stick a
until the cone f bears against the top edge of the stick a ta incline and guide the
tube d into a vertical position, the lowering being continued until the ferrule k rests
upon the top edge, as indicated at Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a lamplighters torch, hollow stick a, oil tank b, flexible wick tube d, burner g,
cone, rod q, slider r, as specified and substantially as shown.
2. In a lamplighters torch, a flexible wick tube d on oil tank 6 surmounted by

page_text: burner g and flame shield h and rod q separately from and within the head of a torch
stick a, as specified and substantially as shown.
3. In a lamplighters torch, a flexible wick tube d on oil tank b surmounted by
burner and flame shield h, rod q, slider in slot 8 of hollow stick a, as specified and
substantially as shown.
4. In a lamplighters torch, a flexible wick tube d an oil tank b surmounted by
burner g and flame shield h, the guide cone f, as specified and substantially as
shown.
5. A lamplighters torch consisting of hollow stick a, perforated wind guard p,
slot 8, slider T,
rod q, oil tank b, flexible wick tube d, cone f, burner g, flame shield h,
ferrule 1, asbestos cushion m, as specified and substantially as shown.
The 18th day of January 1900,
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said George Frederick Lombe Foulger and John George Glover.