AN IMPROVED STEAM COCK
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Cartwright, of the Dean, Broseley, in the
County of Salop, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED STEAM COCK."
Sealed the 9th November 1855, and dated the 2nd June 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Cartwright at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd June 1855.
I, HENRY CARTWRIGHT, of the Dean, Broseley, in the County of Salop, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED STEAM
Cocк" to be as follows:-
Figure 1 is a section of the steam and eduction passages and an elevation of
the barrel of the cock, and Figure 2 a section through the cock and steam
and eduction passages.
a is the plug of the cock; and b and c, two sets of apertures, the width of
which is less than half that of the spaces between; d is the barrel, having like-
wise two sets of apertures e and f, corresponding to the apertures in the plug,
but the apertures in the two sets standing on the same right line.
has three circular flanges at g, h, i, which fit into seats formed in
the steam and eduction passages k and m, cast upon it, and be connected by
The barrel
the sides of

page_text: flanges to the steam and eduction case. The plug is moved by a lever
working in a slot n in the barrel, and to prevent its being pressed too forcibly
into the barrel there is a set screw at o, pressing upon a perforated disc p,
which is applied to the end of the plug. q is an aperture to which the steam
pipe is connected; and r, the aperture.connected to the cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Cartwright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st December 1855.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CARTWRIGHT, of the Dean, Broseley, in the County of Salop, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Cartwright, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Cartwright, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Cartwright, 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 IMPROVED STEAM
Cock," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Cartwright,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Henry Cartwright, do hereby declare,
the nature of the-said. Invention,, and in what manner the-same-is-to-be-per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):
The object of my: Invention is to. balance or nearly balance the pressure of
the steam upon the plug of the cock by causing the steam to act upon the
plug equally all round it, and the means by which I effect this is ascertained

page_text: and set forth in and by the following description of the Invention, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters of
reference
rence marked thereon; observing that the same letters denote the same
parts in all the Figures;
5. Figure 1 represents a longitudinal elevation of the cock; Figure 2, a longi-
tudinal section of the same; Figure 3,'a transverse section on the line_y,y
and Figure 4, a transverse section upon the line z, z; Figure 5, a lateral view
(partly, in section), of the cock applied to a steam engine; and Figure 6; an end
view of the same.
:
www...
a, a, is the barrel of the cock, which is conical, and closed at its outer end,
and has in the direction of, its length two sets of ports b, b, and c, c; d is the
plug, which is hollow throughout, and open at both ends, and has likewise two.
sets, of ports e, e, and f, f, in the direction of its length; to correspond with the
ports in the barrel. The ports are set at: equal, distances. round the circum-.
ference, and the width of, the ports should be about one-third of the distance
between the ports, or about one-fourth of the space occupied by a port and,
a distance. If the two sets of ports in the barrel stand in a right line with
each other, those in the plug must be ranged out of line, and vice versa, so
that a line, passing through the centre of a port e shall, stand three-eighths,
of the space of a port and a distance to the right or left. of a line passing.
through the centre of a port in which case, by turning, the plug through
five-eighths of the space comprising a port and a distance between two,
ports, each set of ports in the plug is opened in succession to the corre-
sponding set of, ports in the barrel, whilst the other set of ports in the plug is
closed to, its corresponding set of ports in the barrel, and both set of ports in
the plug are closed, by the barrel when, the plug has moved through.only one-
half the, a
aforesaid space. The plug is moved by a lever g, which passes through
the outer end of the plug, and works, with a reciprocating motion in slots h; h,
in the barrel. To prevent the plug from setting too tight in the barrel, a set
screw i. passes through the end or cover of the barrel, and acts against a per-
forated disc k, pressing it against the end of the plug.... On the other hand, to,
prevent the plug from becoming too slack, two.stout pins m, m, stand out from
the end of the barrel, and carry a cross bar n, capable of being moved along,
the pins without shake. In the centre of the cross bar is a hole to receive
a pin P., projecting, from a forked gimbal q, through the legs of which passes:
the lever g, by which the plug is moved. The pin:p is secured in the cross
bar, by, a pin and washer. The gimbal vibrates with the plug, and by
means of two nuts, rr, acting upon screws cution, the pins m, m, the bar may
F

page_text: be advanced along the pins, drawing with it the gimbal, and by that means.
tightening the plug.
I do not limit myself to any particular mode of fixing the barrel of the cock
in its seating in the steam case; but I prefer in general to cast three flanges.
8, s, s, on the barrel, one at the extreme ends of the ports and one between
them. The outer one is largest, and they diminish in size from front to rear.
They are rabetted, and fit into three corresponding openings t, t, t, in the front,*
middle, and back of the steam casing v, which are likewise rabetted to receive'
the flanges, so that the flanges may with packing fit firm and steam-tight into
their seating. The steam casing, it will be seen, is composed of the steam and
eduction pipes, cast in one piece, and swelled at v¹, where the barrel is inserted,
so as to form a channel round the barrel. The levers by which the upper and
lower cocks are worked are connected by a rod w. If the two cocks are to'
the same pattern, that is, if the eduction ports stand out of the line on the
same side of the steam ports in both cocks, then the connecting rod must pass
diagonally from the right-hand end of one lever to the left-hand end of the other
lever, so as to cause the plugs to move in opposite directions; but if the
eduction ports stand on opposite sides of the steam ports in the two cocks, the
connecting rod is attached to the same end of the two levers, so as to cause
the two cocks to move in the same direction.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal elevation, and Figure 8 an end view, shewing a
different mode of adjusting the plug in its seat.
A is a ring or circular piece encompassing the front end of the barrel; it
has two round holes in it, (one of which is seen at B,) through which pass the
ends of the plug lever, and the ring therefore vibrates with the plug. At
opposite quarters of the ring are two screwed holes, in which work two set
screws C, C, the ends of which enter into two circular holes in a flat ring D,
which encompasses the end of the barrel. This ring bears upon the front
flange of the barrel, and vibrates with the plug. By means of the two set
screws, it will be seen that the plug may be kept up home in the barrel. I
would observe, however, that although I prefer the two methods herein
described of keeping the plug in its place, I do not limit myself to them, as
various other methods may be employed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I claim in respect of
it the constructing steam cocks with conical barrels closed at the outer ends,
and communicating by their other ends with the nozzles of the cylinder,
and having two sets of ports or openings in the direction of their length,
the one set communicating with the steam pipe and the other with the

page_text: eduction pipe of the steam casing, and the plugs, which are hollow through-
out, and open at both ends, having likewise two sets of ports corresponding
with those in the barrel, but so arranged that when one set of ports is open
the other set shall be closed, and that when the plug is moved only half way
all the ports shall be closed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Cartwright, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
RICH DAVIS.
HENRY CARTWRIGHT. (L.S.)