IMPROVE- MENTS IN OIL LAMPS AND LANTERNS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, GEORGE ASHER, of 98, Lower Edwardes Street, Balsall Heath, Pattern
Maker, and JOHN BUTTRESS, of St Paul's Road, Sparkbrook, both in Worcestershire,
Hotel Servant, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OIL LAMPS AND LANTERNS " to be as follows:-
«
Our Invention has reference firstly to improvements in the oil reservoirs of
oil lamps and lanterns the object being to provide means whereby the oil will be
prevented from being spilled in the event of the lamp or lantern being shaken or
overturned. We carry out this part of our Invention by filling the oil reservoir
with asbestos preferably in a rather loose state so as to be saturated by and absorb
the oil when poured therein. Lamps and lanterns having their reservoirs filled
with asbestos as above described may be shaken or upset without spilling the oil
contained therein or, in many cases, without extinguishing the flame or causing it
to flicker. When applying this part of our Invention to lamps and lanterns
having a passage or passages between the wick or burner and the oil reservoir
such as railway lamps, some pendant lamps and other lamps, we prefer to fill such
passage or passages with asbestos as well as and similarly to the oil reservoirs as
above described.
The second part of our said Invention has reference to improved means for raising
the gallery which carries the globe or chimney or both of oil lamps so as to give
access to the wick or burner for lighting or trimming. We provide a vertical
guide or guides at the side or sides of the gallery along which the gallery with its
globe or chimney or both can be raised or lowered. The gallery is maintained in
its lowest or normal position by means of a catch or catches and when the said
catch or catches are released a spiral or other spring or springs raises or raise the
gallery along the guide or guides so that access can be had to the wick or burner.
Suitable stops are provided to prevent the said spiral or other spring or springs
raising the gallery too high.
The third part of our said Invention has reference to the burners of oil lamps
and lanterns. We provide a metal tube preferably of a flattened rectangular shape
in cross section or it may be of a circular or other suitable cross section. We will
call this tube the inner tube. The inner tube is open at the top and filled with
asbestos or like suitable fibrous substance. Near the top we prefer to perforate
the inner tube with small holes close together or the top may be formed of wire

page_text: gauze attached to the inner tube or it may be left plain. The inner tube fits
easily in an outer metal casing similar to it in cross section in the side of which
outer casing is an opening in connection with the oil reservoir. In the side of the
inner tube a hole is provided which coincides with the said opening in the outer
casing when the burner is lighted and allows the oil to flow from the reservoir to
the top of the burner. When the inner tube is lowered and the light diminished
the hole therein is partly closed by the outer casing so as to diminish the flow of
oil from the reservoir to the burner and when the inner tube is in its lowest
position and the light extinguished the hole therein is wholly closed and the
supply of oil to the burner thereby cut off. A screw is provided in the lower part
of the outer casing and arranged to work in a nut formed with or attached to the
inner tube. By turning the screw the inner tube can be raised or lowered and the
light thereby regulated or extinguished. The screw is continued to the bottom of
the lamp or lantern and provided with a head or thumb-bit by which it can be
turued. For railway lamps and other lamps where it is desired the light shall be
under the control of an attendant we make the lower end of the screw so that it
can only be turned by means of a suitable key. Instead of the outer casing and
inner tube each being provided with a single hole for admitting oil to the burner
as above described two or more holes may be employed to operate similarly to a
single hole and such holes may be placed either at the same or at different sides of
the outer casing and inner tube, When using two or more burners as above
described for the same lamp or lantern we sometimes gear the regulating screws
together so that both or all the burners will be regulated equally.

page_text: We, GEORGE ASHER, of 98, Lower Edwardes Street, Balsall Heath, Pattern
Maker, and JOHN BUTTRESS, of St Paul's Road, Sparkbrook, both in Worcestershire,
Hotel Servant, 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 :-
Our Invention has reference firstly to improvements in the oil reservoirs of oil
lamps and lanterns the object being to provide means whereby the oil will be
prevented from being spilled in the event of the lamp or lantern being shaken or
overturned. We carry out this part of our Invention by filling the oil reservoir
with asbestos preferably in a rather loose state so as to be saturated by and absorb
the oil when poured therein. Lamps and lanterns having their reservoirs filled
with asbestos as above described may be shaken or upset without spilling the oil
contained therein or, in many cases, without extinguishing the flame or causing it
to flicker. When applying this part of our Invention to lamps and lanterns
having a passage or passages between the wick or burner and the oil reservoir
such as railway lamps, some pendant lamps and other lamps, we prefer to fill such
passage or passages with asbestos as well as and similarly to the oil reservoirs as
above described.
Another part of our said Invention has reference to the burners of oil lamps and
lanterns. We provide a metal tube preferably of a flattened rectangular shape in
cross section or it may be of a circular or other suitable cross section. We will
call this tube the inner tube. The inner tube is open at the top and filled with
asbestos or like suitable fibrous substance. Near the top we prefer to perforate
the inner tube with small holes close together or the top may be formed of wire
gauze attached to the inner tube or it may be left plain. The inner tube fits
easily in an outer metal casing similar to it in cross section in the side of which outer
casing is an opening in connection with the oil reservoir. In the side of the inner
tube a hole is provided which coincides with the said opening in the outer casing
when the burner is lighted and allows the oil to flow from the reservoir to the top
of the burner. When the inner tube is lowered the light is diminished the hole
therein is partly closed by the outer casing so as to diminish the flow of oil from
the reservoir to the burner and when the inner tube is in its lowest position and
the light extinguished the hole therein is wholly closed and the supply of oil to the
burner thereby cut off. A screw is provided in the lower part of the outer casing
and arranged to work in a nut formed with or attached to the inner tube. By
turning the screw the inner tube can be raised or lowered and the light thereby
regulated or extinguished. The screw is continued to the bottom of the lamp or
lantern and provided with a head or thumb-bit by which it can be turned. For
railway lamps and other lamps where it is desired the light shall be under the
control of an attendant we make the lower end of the screw so that it can only be
turned by means of a suitable key. Instead of the outer casing and inner tube
each being provided with a single hole for admitting oil to the burner as above
described two or more holes may be employed to operate similarly to a single hole
and such holes may be placed either at the same or at different sides of the outer
casing and inner tube. When using two or more burners as above described for
the same lamp or lautern we sometimes gear the regulating screws together so that
both or all the burners will be regulated equally.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing (which illustrates that part of our Invention
which has reference to the burners of oil lamps and lanterns) Fig. 1 represents in
sectional side elevation, Fig. 2 in plan and Fig. 3 in front elevation a burner for
an oil lamp constructed according to our Invention the said inner tube being
partly raised and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the same shewing the said inner
tube in its lowest position; Fig. is a front elevation, Fig. 6 a side sectional
elevation and Fig. 7 a plan of the said inner tube separately; Fig. 8 is a sectional
elevation and Fig. 9 a plan of a modified form of our Invention as applied to two
burners side by side as hereinafter more fully described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
a is the inner tube open at the top a¹ and filled with asbestos or other like
suitable fibrous substance and having holes a' near the top through which a wire b
can be sewn so as to retain the asbestos in the tube. c is the outer metal casing,
in which the tube a fits easily, having an opening d in connection by the tube e
with the oil reservoir (which reservoir is not shewn on our drawing). ff are a
series of holes in the inner tube a which come opposite to the opening d when the
burner is fully lighted and the inner tube a is in its highest position so as to allow
the oil from the reservoir and tube e to flow from the reservoir which is above to
the burner. Tò diminish the light the tube a is lowered (see Figs. 1 and 3) so as
to partly close the holes f and it is extinguished by moving the tube a to its
lowest position (see Fig. 4) so as to wholly close them. The height of the inner
tube a can be regulated by a screw g which is free to turn in the casing c and is
screwed into the inner tube a. Instead of the series of holes f a single large hole
may be used and such hole or holes may, if required, be placed at opposite sides of
the outer casing and inner tube as would be the case if an oil tube e¹ (as indicated
by dotted lines) were used in addition to the oil tube 6.
When two burners as above described are used together their regulating screws
can be geared together, for instance by the spur wheels h, i (see Figs. 8 and 9) so
that both burners will be regulated equally.
Three or more burners can be regulated together similarly as described with
reference to the two burners (Figs. 8 and 9).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1st The application and use of asbestos for partly absorbing the oil in the oil
reservoirs and oil passages connecting the oil reservoirs with the burners of lamps
and lanterns as herein set forth.
2nd The improvements in burners of oil lamps and lanterns as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, that is to say, the com-
bination with the outer casing c connected to the oil reservoir of the inner tube a
having a side aperture or apertures f and means for raising and lowering the said
inner tube a substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
3rd The combination with the outer casing c connected to the oil reservoir of
the inner tube a having a side aperture or apertures f and containing asbestos or
other like non-combustible fibrous material and means for raising and lowering
the said inner tube a substantially as herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying, drawing.
Dated this 9th day of June 1886.