IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR INDICATING, SIGNALLING, REGISTERING, MEASURING, AND STOPPING ESCAPES OF GAS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Michael Henry, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
November 1864.-A communication from abroad by Edmond Langlois,
Engineer, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR INDICATING, SIGNALLING, REGISTERING, MEASURING,
AND STOPPING ESCAPES OF GAS," communicated to me from abroad by Edmond
Langlois, Engineer, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France, to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to ascertain, indicate, signalize, measure,
register, and stop escapes of gas. For this purpose the action or variation of
pressure of the gas acts on certain working appliances, the pressure moving or
keeping them in certain positions or statess, and the reduction of pressure con-
sequent on an escape works or acts on such appliances so as to cause them to
work visible signals, sounding or acoustic signals, and valves or other appliances
for stopping the flow of gas, also registering tracers and measuring instruments.
Such appliances may be liquids moved by the pressure of the gas, as in a
gauge or otherwise, or they may be moveable chambers, vessels, or diaphragms
or telescopic or sliding cylinders, or other vessels, or floats or hollow plungers,
or flexible discs, or vessels capable of expansion and contraction. They may
be moved by weight caused to act by the effect of the pressure or variation of
pressure of the gas, jointed, revolving, or sliding plates, dises, or arms, may be
used as visible signals and whistles, vibrating tongues actuated by air or other.
acriform fluid; gongs, strings, spirals, or other surfaces, struck or sounded by

page_text: hammers, springs, or other agents, directly or by floats, or peg wheels, or
trundles; also instruments worked by electricity may be used as audible or
acoustic signals.
In one arrangement the pressure of gas raises a column of fluid in a
graduated, bent, or other tube, in which is a float which lifts one arm of a
When the fluid and
lever and depresses a plug, which closes the fluid way.
float descend they work a lever and a plunger. In another arrangement a
box is divided into compartments or stages, into which the gas is admitted
and presses the liquid into a set of corresponding compartments, whence it
expels the air, but on an escape, air enters and works a sounding signal; or
the gas may enter a vessel which it weights and depresses, but on an escape
it passes through the inlet, the liquid returns through the syphon, a vacuum
is produced above the vessel, and a vibrating tongue is worked. A moveable
cover may be added, and one side may be pervious to sound, there may be an
ear piece in the gas way, or gas may flow into a vessel, where it presses on a
flexible diaphragm, plunges it into the liquid, and its air escapes into a fixed
vessel, so that on an escape the diaphragm rises from the liquid and sound is
produced; or the gas presses on the liquid in a drun, which it forces into a
floating vessel and depresses it, and on an escape the liquid as it returns into
the drum causes the float to rise out of the liquid and the air sounds; or the
gas may force liquid into a drum, which causes a float to rise, so that on an
escape the gas leaves the float, and a tongue sounds, or one cylinder which
works telescopically in another descends if there be an escape and works a
whistle, or rack and bell; or there may be an outer annular space in which a
vacuum is produced, or this may be done by a float; the cylinder as it rises
fills with air and works a vibrating tongue. In another, arrangement, a tube
or vessel becomes collapsed or slack in event of an escape; or a plate may be
combined with a flexible. diaphragm or disc, the plate descends in case of an
escape and produces a sound; or a flexible. tube is wound on a revolving
drum, which reverses its motion, when the tube is contracted; or the gas
inflates a ball and thereby compresses the air in a chamber, which ball when
the gas escapes contracts and produces a sound;, or air is caused to enter a
chamber and presses on and contracts a flexible vessel, and inflates another
vessel connected therewith carrying a weight. The reverse would ensue in case
of an escape; or the gas presses on an inflated ball and drives, the air thence
under a receiver or hollow plunger, thereby raising the level of liquid in a
chamber. But in case of an escape the water in the chamber forces back the
air into the ball and works a vibrating tongue. Sounds may be produced by
a rack in gear with a peg wheel or trundle, neting on a hammer striking on a

page_text: gong; or by an aeriform fluid, when allowed to flow by means of the opening
of a valve, by the appliance or by an accumulation of gas or aeriform fluid;
or a weight or spring may be released at certain intervals and act on a peg
wheel or trundle. Sustained sounds may be produced by this following
arrangement:-Mercury is placed in a jointed vessel; another vessel intended
to receive the mercury contains a float, and has at bottom a discharge pipe.
When the appliance rises, it raises the vessel and discharge pipe, and the
mercury falls into the vessel and raises its float, which is connected with a
wheel or whistle. But on an escape the appliance lowers the vessel and by
gearing the discharge pipe remains raised till the vessel completely descends,
so that the fluid from the receiver cannot flow through the discharge pipe,
but the vessel being depressed, the pipe will be released and the fluid will flow
away; the float becomes depressed and moves bell work. The velocity of its
descent will be regulated by the area of outlet. In another arrangement
the appliance moves an apparatus and the exciting fluid passes over a
carbon conductor and bathes the zinc. A zinc plate may be fixed to tlie
working appliance, which plunges into the fluid and produces electricity; the
conductor may be combined with valves. Dipping bells, floats or hollow
plungers, with partitions or telescopic or jointed valves may be used; or the
valves may be vessels containing fluid, which rise or revolve and immerse the
pipe; or they may be solid plugs; or rising and falling weights working against
a rod so as to force down and immerse a float, or cause a ball valve to act;
or a float is released and depressed and works a plug or ball valve, or a cup
containing mercury; or moveable inlet or outlet pipes, plunging in or sealed
by liquid or pipes with bulbs or swellings containing liquids; or drums with
partitions containing liquid and turning about flexible or liquid joints. The
appliances may be put into communication with the main or service pipes by
flexible or other tubes capping the burners or taps, or by small vessels to
which the indicators are attached, the inlet having a plunging pipe attached
to it. When the indicator is taken off the pipe will close. The apparatus
may be regulated by weights, taps, or an air jet. Mercurial or other liquid
joints may be used for the casing and other parts. The escape indicators may
be connected with a small gas holder or cylinder fitted with a shifting valve
and communicating through a small pipe with other gas holders. When the
consumer's tap is turned on the indicator raises the rod and cylinder, which fills
and keeps full of air while there is no escape, being supported by the appli-
ance; but when there is an escape and the cylinder descends and forcés out
its air, it lifts the other gas holders, which work acoustic signals. Or on the
working appliance a small flat receiver may be placed, filled with liquid and

page_text: having a neck to which is a caoutchouc pipe at the end of an upright pipe,
reaching to the extreme point of travel of the appliance. As the small
reservoir rises, the level in the pipe rises to correspond. The pipes may be
stopped by blowing through a pipe on the surface of the liquid, so as to drive
it through a swan neck. When the liquid is drawn out of the neck, the pipes
are opened. A pipe may be plunged into a vessel containing a float and con-
nected with the plug of the tap. Or the appliance may work a rack which
turns a mercury vessel; while the escape is slight, the mercury surface remains
horizontal and the air driven by the whistle escapes through a pipe containing
a vibrating tongue; if the escape is greater, the rack works fast and turns the
vessel, when the centrifugal action hollows the mercury in the centre and opens
the pipe through which compressed air escapes and acts on a vibrating tongue.
Or the appliance may turn a spindle and cause a pendulum to strike on a series
of gongs. A guage or measuring apparatus is sometimes used, connected by
a syphon or tap with a vessel; the liquid which enters the vessel drives the air
through a tube into the test pipe. If the syphon is depressed the fluid comes
out of the vessel and forces out the air through the tube. The rise and fall of
a cylinder may be applied to produce a suction and forcing action. To obtain
a sustained pressure, a flexible pipe and internal chain may be used to vary
the position of the mouth and the height of fall.
To register escapes, a card face and tracer may be used, which may be
worked by the working appliance, bathing one element of an electric battery in
the liquid, which will put an electric bell into action, and cause an electro-
magnet to work on a contact bar or armature carrying a tracer, which marks
on the card, and the bar when drawn back by a spring, acts on a rod, which
through a ratchet wheel turns a drum, or works a rack and nut carrying a
The current may be regulated by a gas or liquid cataract connected
with the armature by a metal weight sliding on poles.
tracer.
The meters may be tested by connecting the inlet joint pipe with the main,
and the outlet joint pipe with the consumer's service pipe by flexible pipes, a
suction action being produced by a graduated vessel, through which liquid is
kept constantly flowing; the air enters through the leak into the meter. Or
they may be tested by turning off the Company's tap and forcing air into
the meter by a liquid or other gauged machine, or apparatus fitted with a
gauge.
An arrangement may be contrived in which when the tap is turned on and
the burner lighted the pressure will be exerted on liquid held in a close
vessel, and will force it into an open chamber, raise a float and telescopic
cylinder, then by an endless screw a wheel is turned which lifts a weighted rod

page_text: and on its releasing it, it drops against a stud, turns a cam disc, and a double
cam coming in contact with a pair of frames, raises two cylinders, and
then releases them. The gas then passes into the service pipe and exerts
pressure in a cylinder, which I call the pressure cylinder, which it keeps up
while the outer air passes into the adjoining compartment. One of the
cylinders lifted by the frame has an orifice through which air enters while
raised, but when it is released the air escapes, when down a curved part on it
is immersed in liquid, which it forces up so that it rises over the edges of a
telescopic cylinder which stops the passage of gas. If there should be no
escape, then while the screw is worked the cam plate will move, and a single
cam thereon will lift the perforated cylinder and free the edges of the tele-
scopic cylinder from water so that the gas can flow through again; but in case
of an escape the pressure cylinder will drop and force the air from the adjoining
air chamber into a tube, in which it will sound a vibrating tongue, and bring
in view a signal marked "Escape," also immersing the plunger which will stop
the gas way, so that though the screw be turned, the gas will not pass as long
as the escape lasts. When the burners are turned off the float will fall and
close the gas way, and by turning the screw the cam will be disengaged from
the stud, and the cylinder will descend and additionally shut off the flow
of gas.