IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC INDICATORS FOR STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
INDICATORS FOR STEAM BOILERS."-A communication from abroad by
Edwin Louis Bomeisler, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America.
Sealed the 19th January 1869, and dated the 10th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th August 1868.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
INDICATORS FOR STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the employment of weights suspended in a
cylinder for the purpose of giving an alarm in case of high or low water,

page_text: or over pressure of steam, and also to the use of a hollow cap as a
receptacle for the safety valve.
The indicator consists of a double cylinder flanged at top and bottom
to receive end plates. On the under side of the upper plate are hangers, to
one of which a cam lever is pivoted at its centre, while a supplementary
lever with a friction roller at one end resting upon the cam lever is
pivoted at its opposite end to the other hanger. Through the top plate
is an orifice in which is placed a small valve, the lower end of which
rests upon the supplementary lever. From the opposite ends of the
cam lever depend two weights, which may be of stone or any other
suitable material, and are suspended by cords or wire of unequal
lengths. One of these weights should be one-third heavier than the
other in order that the large stone or weight when immersed in water
may be balanced by the smaller. The small valve is held down by a
valve lever pivoted to an upright on the top plate and provided with a
movable weight; this valve and lever is enclosed in a hollow cap
fitting upon and secured to the top plate. Upon the top of this cap
is a whistle, a glass gauge connects with the cylinder at top and bottom
by means of tubes, its object being to indicate the cause of the alarum
sounded by the whistle. The cylinder is brought into connection with
the boiler by two cocks, one half way above the water line and the other
the same distance below it.
The operation of the Invention is as follows:-The safety valve is first
weighted to the pressure the boiler is to carry, say sixty pounds, and
water is then let into the machine until it submerges the large stone,
when the small one will balance it. If the water in the boiler should
fall to near the bottom of the large stone the difference in the weight
operating on the cam lever and the supplementary lever will raise the
safety valve and admit the steam to the whistle. If water be again
pumped into the boiler and raised high enough to submerge both stones
or weights the gravity of the weights becomes relatively what it would
be if both were out of the water, again raising the valve and giving the
alarm.
Thus it will be observed that the Invention will indicate high steam,
and also high and low water, the cause being told by looking at the
class cance

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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
AUTOMATIC INDICATORS FOR STEAM BOILERS," being a communication to me
from abroad by Edwin Louis Bomeisler, of Philadelphia, in the United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
This Invention relates to a novel construction of steam-boiler indicator
in which weights are employed for the purpose of giving an alarm,
and indicating high or low water, or an excess of steam pressure.

page_text: To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the Invention,
I will now describe its construction and operation.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the
improved automatic indicator, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same
taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
A represents a cylinder provided at its top and bottom with rims or
flanges a, a, to which are secured the plates b, b', which should fit tightly
and accurately thereon. On the under side of the upper plate b are
attached hangers c to which a rock lever d is pivotted at its centre.
Upon this rock lever d bears one end of a lever e which is also pivotted
to a hanger on the under side of the plate b, and this lever e is provided
at its extremity with a friction roller. Through the top plate b is an
orifice in which is placed a small valve f, the stem of which valve rests
upon the lever e as seen in Fig. 2. From the opposite ends of the rock
lever d depend two weights B, B, which may be of stone or any other
suitable material, and which are suspended by cords or wire of unequal
lengths. One of these weights should be one-third heavier than the
other, the object of this is that the large stone or heavier weight when
immersed in water shall weigh less by one-third, or more properly
speaking shall displace one-third of its weight, so that the smaller
weight will balance the larger. This feature of the Invention will be
fully understood hereafter. g represents the valve lever provided with a
moveable weight h; this lever g is pivotted to an upright on the top
plate and rests upon the valve stem f, as shewn in Fig. 2. C is a hollow
cap fitting upon and secured to the top plate. Upon the top of this cap
a whistle D is fitted. E represents a glass gauge connected to the
cylinder at top and bottom. The object of this gauge is to indicate
the cause of the alarum sounded by the whistle D. F, F, are two cocks
which connect the cylinder to the boiler, one above the water line and
the other the same distance below it.
The operation of the Invention is as follows:-The safety valve f is
first weighted to the pressure the boiler is to carry, say sixty pounds,
and water is then let into the machine until it submerges the large
stone, when the small one will balance it. If the water in the boiler
should fall to near the bottom of the large stone, the difference in the
weight operating on the rock lever d, the lever e bearing thereon will
be caused to raise the safety valve and admit the steam to the whistle.
If water he again pumped into the boiler and raised high enough to

page_text: submerge both stones or weights the gravity of the weights becomes
relatively what it would be if both were out of the water, again raising
the valve and giving the alarm.
Thus it will be observed that the Invention will indicate high steam
and also high and low water, the state of the boiler being told by
looking at the glass gauge.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improve-
ments in Automatic Indicators for Steam Boilers," and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The employment of two unequal weights suspended by cords
or rods of unequal lengths to a lever with its fulcrum at its centre
arranged inside a cylinder attached to the outside of a steam boiler,
and the weights being subject to the action of high and low water,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth..
Secondly. In combination with the above the levers d, e, arranged
within a cylinder outside of the boiler, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
Thirdly. Arranging the safety valve within the hollow cap C, substan-
tially as and for the purpose specified.
Fourthly. The glass gauge E when used in combination with cylinder
and weights, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)