IMPROVE- MENTS IN WET GAS METERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Ferrier, Gas Engineer, of Edinburgh, in the
County of Edinburgh, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WET GAS METERS."
Sealed the 10th July 1868, and dated the 15th January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Ferrier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
January 1868.
I, ROBERT FERRIER, Gas Engineer, Edinburgh, in the County of Edinburgb,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WET GAS METERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of the wet gas meter in such a
manner that the full supply of gas shall be secured until the water in the meter
from any cause falls below its proper level, when the continuous supply of gas
shall be effectually checked or shut off altogether if desired; also an arrange-
ment for securing the steady working of the fountain meter, combined with
à simple plan for regulating the meter to the standard measures, and the
construction of the meter and waste water box, so that no gas can be extracted
unless first registered, and the water in the waste water box may be partly
used to saturate the gas.
According to this Invention a simple fluid syphon is applied to the wet

page_text: meter, easily constructed and certain in its action. This syphon in one modi-
fication is placed at the entrance of the gas to the meter, so that no gas can
pass unless the meter is filled to its proper level with water.
In this arrangement two narrow divisions D, D, are formed in front of the
meter, extending the whole height, or nearly so, and communicating with each
other at the bottom. The funnel pipe for filling the meter with water enters the
first division as at R, and in this case ascends to nearly the top of the second
division R. The gas entrance pipe E is in this case conveyed down the first
division to within a little of the proper water line Q, which in this division
corresponds with that in the body of the meter. The gas then ascends to the
top of this first division by the pipe I, which pipe is then bent round and
carried to the waste water box W, to which the other end of the pipe I is
joined. The gas then enters the cylinder of the meter by the spout K. From
inside the top of the second division D there extends a pipe S, which in the
case of fountain meters dips to or near to the proper water line, but which in
common meters indicates the low water line, and in both, the instant the mouth
of this pipe is unsealed the syphon loses its power, the water which stood at the
top of the second division falls and stands at the same height in each. The gas
entrance pipe is at once, shut, or by a simple arrangement of the two pipes E
and I, with apertures easily made, when desired the lights can be made to
flicker from and above any degree of pressure previously fixed; this arrange-
ment being adapted for those large consumers of gas where the sudden
extinction of the lights is attended with danger. In either case the fluid
syphon valve will faithfully perform its part, while the gas that maintains the
flickering lights will be duly and correctly registered, nor will it be possible to
get steady lights until the meter be refilled with water, when again a full and
steady supply of gas will be maintained until the dip pipe S be unsealed for
want of water.
This Invention also includes an arrangement by which a gentle and steady
action of the fountain meter is obtained. This is effected by introducing into
the front of the meter a small chamber C, C, capable of being raised or lowered
by a simple arrangement, that used being a small screw from inside the index
box, & shewn at the top of the pipe H; the pipe H is closed at the top by
the nut fitting the screw, which is inaccessible when the meter is sealed. The
chamber C, C, is attached to the body of the meter, having free communication
with the inside alone, both above and below the water line, and when working
is therefore partly filled with gas and partly. with water. The dip pipe H projects
through the top of this chamber, and as usual forms the water line of the

page_text: meter. In order to prevent the sudden flow of gas up this pipe, the instant it
is unsealed a small short tube is placed by the side of it, the one end of which
is a little shorter than the mouth of the dip pipe, and the other end of this
small tube H¹ opens into the fountain above the said chamber; this small tube,
or in place of it a small aperture, does not come into action until the water
level reaches the mouth of the larger pipe H, when the small tube or aperture
at allows a small stream of gas to ascend and replace the water in the
fountain without causing the sudden reaction generally termed the bout, which
is always produced by the action of the gas and water when the gas ascends by
the dip pipe H. By this mode there is almost no commotion caused in the
working of the meter, the lights are less affected, and the level of the water in
the meter is sustained more regular and equal. The reaction caused by the
open dip pipe is known to be very considerable, and affects the water line very
decidedly, comparing it in action when the fountain is filled, and when empty
or nearly so of water. This is generally attributed to capillary attraction, but
is not the result of such, it being simply caused by the water in the dip pipe
standing at the same height as that in the fountain; and this column of water
in the dip pipe, especially when the fountain is full, resists so much the more
the ascent of the gas, the water in the dip pipe having a tendency to fall by its
own weight, while the gas has a tendency to blow it up over the top, which it
actually does, hence the commotion or bout, and the difference of the level of
the water in fountain meters when the fountain is filled and when empty.
In this arrangement also the communication from the fountain to supply the
body of the meter is made through the under part of the said chamber, thus
sealing the tube as quickly as possible, and allowing the supply of water from the
fountain to flow chiefly through the chamber to this-body of the meter to sustain
the standard level. The overflow pipe N in fountain meters is made to project
through the bottom of said chamber at N near to the front, and to correspond
with the proper height of the dip pipe; this overflow pipe is then slanted a
a little, and at the distance of a few inches enters the waste water chamber W¹,
the object of the bend being to allow the pipe N to yield a little, that the water
line may be raised or lowered to the proper standard measures, and by joining
the dip pipe S from the syphon with the moveable chamber C, all the
three pipes H, S, and N, may be raised or lowered at once.
In common meters, where there is no fountain, the chamber C is not
required; the overflow pipe N is connected with the dip pipe from the syphon S
at the proper height to secure conformity to the "Sale of Gas Act," and these
can also be regulated to the standards by a screw from within the index box,

page_text: while, by placing the dip pipe S in this case as far back as possible, and the
overflow pipe N as far forward, the danger of tilting the meter forward will be
prevented, as the gas will be liable to be extinguished.
This Invention also includes an arrangement by which no gas can be
extracted from the plugs unless registered. It is evident that no gas can be
extracted from the funnel tube R, as water alone can be extracted from it,
until the syphon pipe S is unsealed, when the gas is shut off, and the syphon
cannot be emptied again by inserting a division D¹ in the waste water box
between W and W', and between the overflow pipe N and the spout K, which
conveys the gas to the cylinder, and by simply introducing a pipe T from the
bottom of W, the entrance side of this division D' to the top of the overflow
side, the unregistered gas will be effectually sealed, and though suction be
applied, none but registered gas can be extracted, and if air be blown into the
meter from an open socket. This syphon tube T in the waste water box, as
well as the syphon legs D, D, on the entrance of the gas to the meter, cannot
be affected, as the pressure on both legs of the syphons is equal, and the water
in each leg remains stationary. It is also contemplated to insert in the
division W of the waste water box a piece of sponge or other fibrous material,
that the water in it may be used for saturating with moisture the gas ere it
reaches the cylinder of the meter. The Drawings accompanying this Speci-
fication are half full size.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, I would observe that I do not
confine myself.to the precise details heretofore described, as variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my
Invention. It is well known that fountains of many different sorts have been
applied to wet meters to compensate for loss of water in them; also that
regulating and adjusting screws have been applied to raise and lower the water
line, and that the hydraulic valve or syphon has been applied to the outlet pipe
of meters to shut off the gas; but what I consider novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction and arrangement of wet gas meters, as herein-
before described.
Second, the application of the fluid syphon on the inlet, or on the inlet &
outlet combined, so that the gas can either be totally extinguished or arranged
to cause the lights to flicker in the manner and for the purposes heretofore
described.

page_text: Third, the application in fountain meters of a sliding chamber having joined
with it the overflow and dip pipe, the dip pipe having a small tube or aperture
attached to it, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
Fourth, the arrangement of the meter and overflow pipes and waste water
chamber, so that no gas can be extracted unless registered.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Ferrier in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
FERRIER, of Edinburgh, in the County of Edinburgh, North Britain, Gas
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Ferrier, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Ferrier, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Ferrier, 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
WET GAS METERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert
Ferrier, 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 same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent.
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Ferrier, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of.
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:

page_text: This Invention relates to the construction of the wet gas meter in such a
manner that the full supply of gas shall be maintained until the water in the
meter from any cause falls below its proper level, when the continuous supply
shall be effectually checked, and if water be not supplied, shut off altogether;
also an arrangement for securing the steady working of the fountain meter,
combined with a simple plan for regulating the meter to the standard
measures, and the constructing of the meter and waste water chamber so that
no gas can be extracted unless first registered; and the water in the waste
water chamber may be partly used to saturate the gas, and prevent it from
drying up the water in the body of the meter.
According to this Invention, a simple fluid syphon is applied on the
entrance of the gas to the meter, so that no gas can pass unless the meter
be filled to its proper level with water or other fluid, which also brings the
syphon into action.
In one arrangement, two narrow divisions D, D, Figs. 1, 2, & 3, are formed
in front of the meter, extending the whole height, or nearly so, and commu-
nicating with each other at the bottom. From inside the top of the second
division a pipe S descends through the front of the meter F, F, a little further
than the water line Q. The funnel pipe for filling the meter with water
enters the first division, and extends to near the top of the second division, as
at R¹. E is the gas entrance coupling; the pipe E¹ conveys the gas down
the first division near to the water line Q, which in this division always stands
when the meter is filled at the same height as the water in the body of the
meter. The gas then ascends to the top of this division, and is conveyed
thence by the pipe I to the top of the waste water chamber W, or the pipe E¹
may be dispensed with, and the pipe I alone used by being bent, as represented
in Figs. 5 & 6, conveying the gas from the water line in the syphon to the
top of the division, and then down to the waste water chamber W, or, as in
Figures 16 & 17, to the top of the spout pipe K, from which in both cases it
ascends to the cylinder of the meter in the usual way; a small cut is made at
the proper height S₁ in the side of the pipe S. In fountain meters this cut
may be a little above the water line, as in Fig. 5.
no reservoir, the cut S¹ is made at the proper low water line, and by placing
over this pipe an enclosing pipe S", Figs. 16 & 17, with a small hole V¹ in
the under part of it to allow the water in this pipe to stand at the same level
as that of the meter, the gradual unsealing of S is effected, or rather it is
unsealed and sealed alternately, until the water in the pipe S falls to S¹, and
thus the water in the second division of the syphon gradually falls and rises
In common meters having

page_text: in the first division, first covering the mouth of the pipe E¹ when the flicker-
ing commences, and if water is not added, the flickering will increase until
the pipe S is wholly unsealed, and the pipe E¹ so deeply immersed that the
gas will be totally shut off. The water may be supplied with perfect safety,
while the lights are flickering, and if the meter is not over filled, steady
lights are at once obtained. Again, by shortening the inlet pipe E¹ in
large meters, an effectual check can be applied to the burning of gas to the
loss of the gas company, without any risk of extinguishing the lights, which
will burn steady while within the range of the "Sale of Gas Act." Before it
exceeds this range the lights will flicker a little, and will continue to do so
until water be supplied, this arrangement being expressly adapted for those
large meters containing no floats used in large factories and other places where
the extinction of the lights is attended with danger.
.
This Invention also includes an arrangement by which there is produced a
more steady and gentle action of the reservoir in fountain meters than has
hitherto been obtained. In one arrangement this is offected by introducing
into the front of the meter a small chamber C, C, capable of being raised and
lowered by a simple arrangement, that preferred being a sinall screw M. from
inside the index box, and which is therefore inaccessible when the meter is
sealed. This chamber, Figs. 1, 2, & 4, is attached by two screws with slots
to the body of the meter, having free communication both above and below
the water line Q, and is therefore partly filled with gas and partly with
water. The dip or air pipe H, which usually projects from the top of the
fountain, projects through the top of this chamber, and forms the water line Q.
A small tube or aperture H¹, a little above the water line, forms the only
communication between this pipe and the reservoir, and the instant the mouth
of the pipe H is unsealed a small stream of gas ascends through El¹ to the
reservoir, gradually displacing the water necessary to seal it again. Tho
action of this comparatively large mouth, combined with the small aperturo
immediately above; is found to be more gentle, regular, and steady than in
the fountains as usually constructed, where the gas or air pipe ascends to the
top of the fountain; there is thereby less commotion produced in the working
of the meter, the lights are less affected, the level of the water in the meter
is sustained more regular and equal, and the flooding of the meter from the
fountain effectually prevented. The reaction caused by the ascent of the gas
through the air pipe, as usually constructed, is known to be very considerable,
and affects the level of the water in the meter very decidedly at the point of
action, contrasting it when the fountain is full and when nearly empty of
water; this difference is generally attributed to capillary attraction, but is not

page_text: the result of such, being simply caused by the water in this pipe always
standing at the same height as that in the fountain, and this column of water
in the air pipe, especially when the fountain is full, resists so much the more
the ascent of the gas, the water in the pipe having a tendency to fall by its
own weight, while the gas has a tendency to blow it up. These two forces
oppose each other until the water in the meter is considerably below the mouth
of the air pipe, and until the strength of the 'upright current is sufficient to
blow the water over the top of the pipe, which it actually does before the pipe
is unsealed; hence the commotion generally termed the "bout," and hence, also,
the difference of the level in fountain meters at the point of action when full
and when nearly empty, for when nearly empty the action is so quick, there
being no resistance, that if the gas is turned off and on a few times, or the
pressure suddenly changed, the meter is frequently flooded. This action has
been carefully observed, and is represented in Figs. 9 & 10, Fig. 9 repre-
senting the appearance of the surface of the water when about to unseal, the
fountain being full, Fig. 10 the same when nearly empty; in Fig. 11 the
action is the same when the fountain is full and when nearly empty. If a
larger pipe is used for Fig. 9, it will act better when full, but it will be
still more apt to be flooded, when nearly empty, by the use of the tube; as
seen in Fig. 11, flooding is impossible. In order to render regulation easy,
the chamber C, C, has a washer of leather or other soft material introduced
between it and the body of the meter. The pipe N forms the overflow pro-
jecting through the bottom of the chamber, and joined to it at its proper
relative height; thence the pipe N slants a little, and enters the waste water
chamber W; the water line may thus be regulated by the screw M.
While the aforesaid arrangement shews one mode of applying this
Invention, there are many other ways by which the same principle may be
carried out. A chamber of different shape may be employed, and in place of
the pipe H', a side or tongue T¹ may form the water line, as in Fig. 19,
the small aperture H³ will be made in the upper part of the chamber,
while the flange of the chamber extends round the spout pipe K, being joined
in two parts by the overlap and two screws, as shewn at K, closing up the
aperture which admits K to the body of the meter, the pipe K being
the overflow in this case. Again, the chamber may be constructed, as in
C, C, Fig. 5. The pipe H in the upper part of this chamber is fixed in a
stuffing box; a small rod joined to the pipe II extends from the screw M to
the pipe K, and is joined to it also to regulate the meter to the standards.
The apertures F¹, F¹, allow free communication with the body of the meter
both above and below the water line.

page_text: This Invention also includes an arrangement by which no gas can be
extracted from the plugs unless registered. Water alone can be extracted
from the funnel tube R until the pipe S is unsealed, when the water imme-
diately falls below the point R¹ of this pipe and the gas is shut off again by
the introduction of the division D₁ in the waste water chamber; having a
syphon pipe T, no gas can be got from P unless registered. The inlet
pressure on the surface of W is always opposed by the outlet pressure on W¹,
and also on T, and any gas. extracted from P, in Figs. 2, 13, & 16, is supplied
through N, and in Figs. 5 & 8 descends to W' from O, and is therefore regis-
tered. Again, if air be forced into the meter from the exit, the water in W
being subject to the same pressure as in T, it remains stationary, and when
the pipe I alone is used, as in Fig. 6, the water remains nearly stationary in
the entrance syphon also; but when the pipe E¹ is used, as in Figs. 2, 13*,
16, any water that may forced up E will lodge in the recess D¹, which
may.be enlarged, as in Fig. 12, 14, as shewn at D₁, allowing free passage
to the current of air while the forcing continues. The instant the forcing is
discontinued the water returns to its place, and shuts off the gas, nor will it
be possible, except by serious tampering, to extract the water from the syphon
once filled.
Another mode of applying the syphon valve is shewn in Figs. 16, 17, & 18.
The two compartments of the syphon are placed the one in front of the other,
and, as in those heretofore described, R is the funnel tube, in this case
enclosed in the second division of the syphon; E¹ & I represent the inlet
pipes, which is conveyed by I to the top of the pipe K. N forms the over-
flow, which is joined to at the proper height, and regulated by the screw M.
It is preferred in common meters to have the overflow pipe in front of the
meter, as in Figs. 13 & 16, and so joined to the pipe S, that the full range of
the "Sale of Gas Act" may be taken advantage of to prevent annoyance from
the want of range; and in order to render regulation more easily a tube
represented by So, with the cut S', is made to slide tight over the pipe S, and
this being joined to N at the proper relative height, both may be regulated at
once to the standards.
As it is of importance to know when the meter and fountain are filled
with with water, this is effected as follows:-In Fig. 1 to 4 the meter is
filled by the funnel pipe R; the water flows over the pipe S, and as the com-
pensating aperture V is too small to allow the stream of water to the body of
the meter, it ascends the fountain, pressing the air over the pipe U, which
descends to near the bottom of the chamber C, and is followed by the water
thence into the body of the meter until it overflows at N, and runs freely at P,

page_text: intimating that both are full. Again, in Fig. 5 to 8, the overflow pipe U,
instead of dipping to the chamber C, C, dips into the bottom of the small
chamber C"; in this case the spout pipe K forms the water line. When the
fountain is filled water will run at the small plug P¹; by. inserting the
screw P¹, the water will then overflow into the body of the meter by the
opening represented at O, Fig. 5, and as soon as the water is at its proper
level, will overflow at P, there being free communication from the body of the
meter through the opening O, over the chamber C", down to the waste water
chamber W, to allow registered gas to press on the syphon T; there can thus
be no doubt in either case when the fountain and meter are both filled. .The
fountain F, F, may be constructed of any shape or size; but what is preferred
is that represented in Figs. 5 to 8, where it enlarges towards the top, not only
to contain a larger supply of water, but also to diminish the risk of injury, in
case of frost, from this shape.
The syphon valve is easily adapted to old meters, and is equally applicable
either with or without a fountain; it can be placed inside the front, as in Fig.
13, or can be placed on the side, as shewn in Figs. 16, 17, & 18. In common
meters it is preferred to convey the gas at once from the entrance to the
waste water chamber W, and by inserting a small piece of common sponge or
other poreous material, so fixed that it cannot reach the mouth of the pipes
I & K, it presents a large surface for evaporation, and remains moist as
long as there is water in connexion with it. By this the gas will be saturated
before it reaches the body of the meter, and the proper level will be much
longer sustained.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would observe that I do not restrict myself to the
precise details heretofore described, as variations may be made therefrom
without deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention, or
one part may be adopted without combining the whole. It is well known
that fountain meters of many varieties have been constructed and used to
compensate for loss of water in them; also that regulating and adjusting
screws have been applied to raise and lower the water line, and that the
hydraulic or syphon valve has been applied to the outlet of gas meters to shut
off the gas; but what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as
the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, is,
First, the general construction and arrangement of wet gas meters, as herein-
before described.
Second, the application of the fluid syphon on the entrance of
gas meters,

page_text: so that when the water in the meter reaches the low water line the lights can
be made to flicker, and, if water be not added, totally extinguished, or
arranged, in the case of large meters only, to flicker until water be supplied,
in the manner and for the purposes heretofore described.
Third, the mode of combining and regulating the water lines in wet gas
meters, as heretofore described.
Fourth, the application in fountain meters of the air-pipe or vent, so con-
structed that while it has a large surface for the regulation of the water line, it
has immediately above it a small tube or aperture leading into the fountain, in
the manner and for the purposes heretofore described.
Fifth, the arrangement of the meter and waste water chamber, so that no
gas can be extracted from the plugs unless registered.
מחזמממ mמתתממ
מנמקת חתם
מחזממח
ROBERT
(U.S.)

page_text: w of Meter. Fig 2. Section through aa. Fig Section through Founta
3. Sides of Divisions.
1. Narrow Divisions.
. Gas entrance pipe to Meter.
do
do
leading to Waste Water box.
7. Spout, leading to Cylinder.
Fountain of Meter.
Dip pipe from Fountain with small Air tube H'attached.
Sliding Chamber.
Overflow Pipe.
Waste Water Plug with Syphon.
Syphon tube for overflow from W to W.'
Dip Pipe from Syphon Valve to Water line.
Water line of Meter.
Recess for Stamp fixing both Index cover & front of Meter.
The above is description of a Fountain Meter. The Common
Meter is similar but has no dip pipe H.nor Chamber C.C.