IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM, NAPHTHA, OR OTHER MINERAL OILS
Year: 1865

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Boschan, Josef
Bindtner, and William Caffou, at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition and Declaration, on the 12th April
1865, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment
Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
BOSCHAN, JOSEF BINDTNER, and WILLIAM CAFFOU, all of Vienna, in the
Empire of Austria, Gentlemen, send greeting.
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM, NAPHTHA, OR OTHER MINERAL OILS," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto us, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that we are the first and true Inventors thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Boschan, Josef Bindtner, and
William Caffou, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification

page_text: under our hand and seal fully describes and ascertains the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by
the following statement:—
The Invention relates to improvements in lamps for burning petroleum,
kerosene, naphtha, or other similar mineral oils, and its object is, 1, fully to
prevent any explosion of the oil vessel of the lamp, which in other descriptions
of mineral oil lamps frequently occurs by the reversion or impinging down of
the flame towards the said oil vessel or by feeding the lamp in too close
proximity to the flame of a burning candle or other light; 2, to offer a much
safer, cleaner, quicker, and easier mode of providing the lamp with oil than
by any of the hitherto known methods; 3, to do away with the offensive
smell hitherto experienced in lamps for burning petroleum, kerosene, or other
similar mineral oils.
In order to make the Invention more readily and completely understood
we will now give a full description of the same, referring thereby to the
annexed Drawings, in the Figures of which the same letters relate to
corresponding parts.
The peculiar features or main principles of the Invention consist in, 1,
causing the bidon, can, or oil cruet intended for selling, carrying, or containing
the petroleum or other mineral oil to be made use of in this lamp, to be con-
structed in such manner that the said bidon, can, or cruet may serve as an
oil vessel for the lamp, be readily affixed thereto, and when empty removed
therefrom and replaced by another similar can already filled with oil; 2,
preventing any possibility of a reversion or impinging down of the flame
towards the oil vessel, and set fire to the oil contained in this latter, by inter-
cepting, according to Davy's principle, any direct communication between the
flame and the said oil vessel, by causing the wick to fill up as tightly and
completely as practically possible the suction or aspirating tube in which the
same is contained, besides which the upper part of the wick is formed of
tightly compressed asbestos and connected by metal hooks. :
In the annexed Drawings, Fig. 1 shows partly a vertical, sectional, and
partly an elevation view of a lamp constructed according to our Invention ;
Fig. 2 shows an outside view of the oil can, bidon, or cruet above mentioned.
As may be observed from the Drawing, the body M, M, M', M', of the
lamp forms a hollow jacket of porcelain, metal, or any other suitable material,
and consists of two separate parts, viz., the lower part M, M, or foot, and the
upper part M³, M', or cap; the inner opening of both parts M, M, and MI, M',,
must correspond about or rather exceed a little in size that of the outside of
the can A, the outside of the neck of which latter is provided with a male

page_text: screw A', which is to fit into a corresponding female screw provided in the
inside of a conical plug C, to be fixed into the mouth or upper aperture of the
cap M³, M; to this plug C are securely connected the burner and chimney
holder or upper parts of the lamp, and also the fixed flat tube or flat socket B
for the wick B', which socket extends downward nearly to the bottom of the
oil can A. When this latter is fixed in the lamp in the manner as represented
in Fig. 1; apertures b, b, b, are provided in the socket B for allowing a
ready ascending of the oil to the upper part of the wick B'; this latter, made
of plaited cotton soaked in a solution of borax, is provided with a top or
suction tube of shirting tightly filled with asbestos, which incombustible
suction part is connected to the wick by thin metal hooks or clamps, whilst in
order to prevent the wick becoming torn up by the teeth of the moving wheel
a thin strip of brass plate is fixed against that side of the wick which other-
wise was to come in contact with the said wheel, besides, for consolidating
the skirting tube, a fine brass wire is sewn through this latter. When not
applied in the lamp the oil can A is to be tightly stoppered by a cork or
plug A or any other suitable means.
The mode of making use of our improved lamp is as follows:-The oil can
having been uncorked, and the cap M', M' removed from the foot M, M, the
socket B is introduced in the can A, and this latter screwed to the plug C,
after which the lower part of the can is entered into the foot M, M. The oil
from the can will immediately rise, in the wick and the asbestos end of this
latter be lighted at once, the moving wheel allowing in the usual manner of
rising the wick more or less high according as required. As soon as the oil
in the can will have become sufliciently exhausted for requiring a fresh supply
of oil, the cap M, M', and can A are to be removed from the foot M, M,
the сар is unscrewed from the plug C and at once replaced by another can
filled with oil; and the lamp again put in working order, in the manner as has
been just described.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
Invention, and the manner in which the same is put into practical effect, we
wish it to be distinctly understood that we do not intend to restrain or restrict
ourselves to the precise details of the Invention above described, as many
variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the main features
or principles of the same; but what we consider to be novel and original, and
therefor claim as the Invention we desire to secure by Letters Patent is, -
1, providing lamps for burning petroleum, kerosene, naphtha, or other
similar mineral oils with a moveable oil vessel or oil holder, which is to serve

page_text: at the same time as an oil cruet, bidon, or can, so as to allow of readily
replacing the said can by another similar one filled with oil.
2, the particular arrangement of the wick for the object of preventing any
reversion or impinging down of the flame towards the oil vessel underneath,
and consequently preventing an explosion of the said vessel.
3, the general arrangement and combination of parts of our improved
lamp, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Boschan, Josef Bindtner, and
William Caffou, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-five.