IMPROVEMENTS IN GASALIERS OF THE KIND COMMONLY CALLED WATER-SLIDE GASALIERS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Baller, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manager of Works, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GASALIERS OF THE KIND COMMONLY CALLED WATER-SLIDE GASALIERS."
Sealed the 31st May 1864, and dated the 15th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Baller at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1864.
I, EDMUND BALLER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manager
of Works, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE,
MENTS IN GASALIERS OF THE KIND COMMONLY CALLED WATER-SLIDE GASALIERS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists in making the upper part of the outer or sliding
tube.of the said, gasaliers of glass or other transparent material, or in inserting
pieces of glass or other transparent material in the upper part of the said
outer or sliding tube. As the water by which the escape of gas is prevented
in the said gasaliers is contained in the said outer or sliding tube, the said
glass or transparent material permits the water within the said. outer or
sliding tube to be seen, and any deficiency of water which may occur by
evaporation is readily observed. In gasaliers constructed according to my
Invention there is no difficulty in ascertaining when the gasalier requires
water, and the risk of the escape of gas which attends the use of the ordinary
gasalier in consequence of the impossibility of seeing the level of the water is
removed. Although the glass or transparent substance answers best when at
the top of the outer tube, yet the said glass or transparent substance may. be
placed in a lower part of the said tube with nearly the same.effect...

page_text: My Invention is applicable to gasaliers in which other liquids than water
are employed to prevent the escape of gas between the outer or sliding tube
and the inner fixed one.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmund Baller in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
BALLER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manager of Works,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edmund Baller, Her special licence that I, the said Edmund.
Baller, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edmund Baller, 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 GASALIERS OF THE KIND COMMONLY CALLED WATER-SLIDE
GASALIERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edmund
Baller, 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 samė
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 Edmund Baller, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in making the upper part of the outer or sliding
tube of the said gasaliers of glass or other transparent material, or in inserting
pieces of glass or other transparent material in the upper part of the said
outer or sliding tube. As the water by which the escape of gas is prevented
in the said gasaliers is contained in the said outer or sliding tube, the said

page_text: glass or transparent material permits the water within the said outer or
sliding tube to be seen, and any deficiency of water which may occur by
evaporation is readily observed. In gasaliers constructed according to my
Invention there is no difficulty in ascertaining when the gasalier requires
water, and the risk of the escape of gas which attends the use of the ordinary
gasalier in consequence of the impossibility of seeing the level of the water is
removed. Although the glass or transparent substance answers best when at
the top of the outer tube, yet the said glass or transparent substance may be
placed in a lower part of the said tube with nearly the same. effect.
My Invention is applicable to gasaliers in which other liquids than water
are employed to prevent the escape of gas between the outer or sliding tube
and the inner fixed one.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation and Figure 2 in vertical section the sliding
part of a gasalier constructed according to my Invention..
a is the outer or sliding tube, to the lower part of which the arms or
brackets of the gasalier are screwed; bis the fixed tube connected with the
ceiling of the room or other fixed support; the small inner tube c is connected
at bottom with the sliding tube a so as to be water-tight, and in the annular
space between the tubes a and c the tube b situated. The tube a is filled
with water at the opening at its top. The bottom of the fixed tube 6 being
immersed in the water or liquid in the tube a, the gas supplied to the top of
the tube 6 can only pass down the central tube c. to the burners of the gasalier,
as is well understood. At the upper part of the tube or slide a an ornamental
vessel d of glass is situated, the said vessel constituting part of the ornamental
casing of the tube a. The water in the slide a communicates with the
vessel d through holes as represented in Figure 1. By making the part & of
glass it can be seen when the tube or slide a is nearly full of water, and the
danger which attends the use of the ordinary gasalier in consequence of the
impossibility of seeing the level of the water is removed. By examining the
vessel d or the transparent part of the slide from time to time, and keeping
the water at the level of the said transparent part, the escape of gas from the
sliding part of the gasalier is prevented. In the gasalier, of which a part is
represented in the Drawing, the slide a is connected with an ornamental casing
e, to which casing the glass vessel d is fixed. Where the slide a is not pro-
vided with an ornamental casing, the vessel d is fixed on the summit of the
slide a, or portions of the upper part of the slide a are cut away, and pieces

page_text: of glass are inserted and fixed in the openings; or the upper part of the slide
a may be made of glass of, the same diameter as the slide a, but I prefer to
make the upper or glass part of the slide a of larger diameter than the slide
itself, so that there shall be less variation in the level of the water in the slide
by the raising and lowering of the said slide than there would be if the trans-
parent part were not of larger diameter than the slide a.
Although I have only described and represented the introduction of glass
at or near the upper part of the slide a, yet the glass part may be situated in
the said slide a at any point higher than that which the bottom of the tube b
occupies when the slide is drawn down to its fullest extent. Instead of glass,
mica, or other transparent or nearly transparent material may be used.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented in the
. Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in gasaliers of
the, kind commonly called water-slide gasaliers, herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the outer or
sliding tube of the said gasaliers at or near its upper part of glass or other
transparent or nearly transparent material; or making the upper part of the
said tube open into a vessel of glass or other transparent or nearly transparent
material; or inserting pieces of glass or other transparent or nearly trans-
parent material in or near the upper part of the said tube for the purpose of
permitting the level of the water or liquid in the said tube to be readily
ascertained and any deficiency supplied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Baller, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
EDMUND BALLER. (L.S.)