Improvements in Shields for Water-gauge Tubes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1890-Accepted, 26th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shields for Water-gauge Tubes.
I GEORGE HENRY WALL of Ellesmere, 65 Branksome Road, Brixton, London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Water gauge tubes when under pressure frequently break, and in order to protect
persons from injury through such accidents, the glass tube should be surrounded by a
shield of such a material, and so made as not to obstruct the view of the glass tube
more than necessary.
The shield may be of glass, mica or other transparent material. I make a glass
shield by taking a glass tube, the internal diameter of which is greater than the
glass tube it has to protect and I grind away a sufficient portion of its circumference
throughout its entire length so that it may pass freely over the glass tube side wise;
or a glass tube may be cut or parted into two for the same purpose.
The appliance I adopt for securing this as well as other descriptions of shields to
a water gauge, where no provision has been made to hold or receive a shield consists
of a screwed rod, pointed at one end, and end-pieces (though more than one rod may
be used); these end-pieces have suitable screwed projections and are so arranged and
fitted to the shield that by means of the rod, not only are the end-pieces tied to the
shield, but upon the rod being turned, the length from the pointed end of the rod
to the end of the other end-piece is increased and an end-wise thrust is taken against
and between the stuffing-box nuts of the water gauge, and when the shield is so
secured, it will not be displaced, should the glass tube burst; the end-pieces may be
coned or cupped out so that when they are forced apart by a screwed rod, they take
a bearing on the outside edge of the stuffing-box nuts, and are thus held in position;
the end-pieces may be held to the shield by screws passing through holes in the
shield, or they may be cemented to it, in which latter case the screwed rod may be
dispensed with, and a suitable screw applied to one or both of the end-pieces for
taking the thrust against and between the stuffing-box nuts; by these means, a shield
can be secured to the water gauge without interfering with, or making other or any
alteration to existing stuffing-box nuts; but when stuffing-box nuts are employed
for holding a glass shield in position I make a recess in the top part of one of them
(preferably the lower one) to receive the shield, and on the corresponding part of the
top one I make a hollow projection (round or otherwise) of a suitable length, which
has an opening at the side to allow the shield to pass in, the opening being after-
wards closed by a sliding shutter, which may be either on the outside or in the inside
of the hollow projection, or instead of the shutter, the shield may be kept in position
by means of a bar, pin spring, hinged door or strap, or similar contrivance; the
hollow projection may be screwed on the stuffing-box nuts or it may be made to
swivel, and it may also be on the lower stuffing-box nut; or on the hollow projection
there may be a screwed sleeve or a ring, which is enlarged at, the mouth to receive
the shield, the sleeve or the ring, upon being unscrewed, comes down over the end of
the shield and holds it in position; the shield may be held by bands or springs fitted
on or simply sprung over the shield and over circular or other shaped projections
formed on the stuffing-box nuts; or the stuffing-box nuts may be fitted with a kind
of frame into which the shield is placed sideways, and it is prevented from falling
away by a pin, screw catch or similar contrivance; the frame may be in one piece
with or be screwed or swivelled on the stuffing-box nuts, the advantage of these
stuffing-box nuts is that they can be adjusted without interfering with the shield.
A cheaper form of glass shield, which, if broken, can be renewed by almost any
glazier I make by taking two strips of glass of a length somewhat less than the
exposed part of the glass tube, bedded endwise into suitable top and bottom end.

page_text: pieces of triangular shape cut out so as to partly surround the glass tube; the end
pieces may be of metal or vulcanite or other non-metallic substance, the whole being
bound together endwise by a screwed rod and nut, one end of the rod is made to
project a little beyond the end-piece and on this end. there is a pointed screwed
appliance, which when being unscrewed off the rod, increases the total length from
the point to the other end of the shield, the effect of this is to take a thrust between
the stuffing-hox nuts of a water gauge where no provision is made to hold or receive
a shield in the manner herein before described; the shape of the shield may be
altered by having more than two strips of glass, and instead of the screwed appliance,
the shield may be secured to projections formed on the stuffing-box nuts by any
convenient means or to the glass tube itself. To shape and strengthen a mica shield
I employ a metallic frame, sometimes on both sides of it, of a gutter or other
convenient shape and either of the before mentioned improved means can be adopted
to secure it to the water gauge.
Dat thi 1141
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shields for Water-gauge Tubes.
I GEORGE HENRY WALL of Ellesmere, 65 Branksome Road, Brixton, London,
Engineer, 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:―
Water gauge tubes when under pressure frequently break and in order to protect
persons from injury through such accidents the glass tube should be surrounded by
à shield that does not obstruct the view of the glass tube more than necessary.
The shield may be of glass, mica or other transparent material. I make a glass
shield by taking a glass tube, the internal diameter of which is greater than the glass
tube it has to protect, and I grind away a sufficient portion of its circumference
throughout its entire length, so that it may pass freely over the glass tube side wise,
or a glass tube may be cut or parted into two for the same purpose.
The appliance I adopt for securing this as well as other descriptious of shields to
a water gauge, where no provision has been made to hold or receive a shield, consists
of a screwed rod pointed at one end and end-pieces (though more than one rod may
be used); these end-pieces have suitable screwed projections and are so arranged and
fitted to the shield that by means of the rod not only are the end-pieces tied to the
shield but upon the rod being turned, the length from the pointed end of the rod
to the end of the other end-piece is increased, and an end-wise thrust is taken
against and between the stuffing-box nuts of the water gauge, and when the shield is
so secured, it will not be displaced should the glass tube burst; the end-pieces may
be coned or cupped out, so that when they are forced apart by a screwed rod they
take a bearing on the outside edge of the stuffing-box nuts and are thus held in
position; the end-pieces may be held to the shield by screws passing through holes
in the shield or they may be cemented to it, in which latter case the screwed rod
may be dispensed with and a suitable screw applied to one or both of the end-pieces
for taking the thrust against and between the stuffing-box nuts, by these means a
shield can be secured to the water gauge without making new stuffing-box nuts or
any alterations to existing ones; but when stuffing box nuts are employed for holding
a glass shield in position 1 make a recess in the top part of one of them (preferably
the lower one) to receive the shield, and on the corresponding part of the top one I
make a hollow projection (round or otherwise) of a suitable length which has an
opening at the side to allow the shield to pass in, the opening being afterwards closed
by a sliding shutter which may be either on the outside or in the inside of the hollow
projection, or instead of the shutter the shield may be kept in position by means of
a bar, pin, spring, hinged door or strap, or similar contrivance, the hollow projection
may be screwed onto the stuffing-box nuts or it may be made to swivel and it may

page_text: also be on the lower stuffing-box nut; or it may be formed by an extension outwards
of the gland. The shield may be held by a sleeve or a ring screwed or otherwise
which is enlarged at the mouth to receive the shield. the sleeve or the ring upon
being unscrewed comes down over the end of the shield and holds it in position; the
shield may be held by bands or springs fitted on or simply sprung over the shield
and over circular or other shaped projections formed on the stuffing-box nuts; or the
stuffing-box nuts may be fitted with a kind of frame into which the shield is placed
sideways and it is prevented from falling away by a spring, screw, catch or similar
contrivance; the frame may be in one piece with, or be screwed or swivelled on the
stuffing-box nuts; the advantage of these stuffing-box nuts is that they can be
adjusted without interfering with the shield. A cheaper form of glass shield which,
if broken, can he renewed by almost any glazier I make by taking two strips of glass
and bed them endwise into suitable top and bottom end pieces of triangular shape
cut out so as to partly surround the glass tube, the whole being bound together
endwise by a screwed rod and nut; at one end of the rod there is a pointed screwed
appliance which when being unscrewed increases the total length from the point to
the other end of the shield, the effect of unscrewing is to take a thrust between the
stuffing-box nuts. This form of shield may be secured by the end pieces heing
made to partly surround the stuffing-box nuts, or by any convenient means.
shape of the shield may be altered by having more than two strips of glass.
strengthen a mica shield I employ a metallic frame of a gutter or other convenient
shape and either of the before mentioned means can be adopted to secure it to the
water gauge.
The
To
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front elevation of a water gauge with
a shield made by two strips of glass.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation, enlarged, of the shield shewn in Fig. 1 and
Fig. 3 is a plan of the same shewing a spring for securing it to a wafer gauge.
Fig. 4 shew's a shield with a separate thrust rod for securing it to a water
gauge.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the top and
Fig. 6 is a plan of the bottom of the same.
Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a shield having the screwed appliance which serves
the same purpose as the thrust rod and
Fig. 8 is a
plan of same.
Figs. 9 and 10 shew a curved glass shield and a thrust rod for securing it to a
water gauge.
Figs. 11 and 12 shew the method of securing a shield by means of screwed sleeves
on the stuffing-box nuts.
Fig. 13 shews a shield held in position by a sliding shutter.
Fig. 14 shews a shield secured by passing over the stuffing-box nuts.
Figs. 15 and 16 shew a shield held in position by means of a spring in frame like
projections attached to the stuffing-box nuts.
Fig. 17 shews the method of attaching a shield to stuffing-box nuts having
projections over which the shield is passed and dropped down on an enlarged part of
the same.
In all cases the letter A is the end piece. B the thrust rod, C the spring, 1 the
screwed appliance E the frame piece on stuffing-box nuts. F is the screwed sleeve,
G is the projection on the stuffing-box nut, H is the sliding shutter and J is the
stuffing-box nut.
It is evident that some of the methods described are equally applicable for securing
a metal shield.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
I. The improved water gauge shield formed by strips of glass and end-pieces held
together by a screwed rod or rods substantially as illustrated and described.

page_text: II. The improved water gauge shield having a pointed screw or screws for attaching
it to the stuffing-box nuts of the water gauge, substantially as illustrated and
described.
III. The improved water gauge stuffing-box nuts having attachments for a shield
substantially as illustrated and described.
IV. The improved water gauge shield having attachments as illustrated and
described.
Dated this 20th day of June in the year 1890.