IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING GUAGES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Blair White, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the
County of Northumberland, Doctor of Medicine, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING GUAGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Blair White at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th December 1858.
I, DAVID BLAIR WHITE, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the County of North-
umberland, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING GUAGES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to the construction of new or improved guages
more especially intended for use in ships or vessels, but applicable also in other
situations for indicating) leakage or depth of water or other fluid, and also for
indicating fire or an increase of temperature, to be as follows; and consists in
the employment of a suphon or bent tube or tubes, containing a short column
or columns of mercury disposed or arranged so as to balance a longer column
or columns of water (or other fluid lighter than mercury), the lengths varying
according to their relative specific gravities, the tube or portion thereof con-
taining the column or columns of mercury being intended to be applied in the
"of a ship, or in such other situation as may require leakage or depth
of water or of other fluid to be guaged, and the tube or portion of the tube
containing the longer column of water (or other fluid lighter than mercury),
being intended to be continued upwards into the cabin, or to the deck of a
ship or other situation, at a distance away from the firstly-mentioned situation,
so that the occurrence of leakage or increase of depth of the water or fluid to

page_text: be guaged in or at such firstly-mentioned situation may be indicated at such
secondly-mentioned situation by the disturbance of the equilibrium which before
existed, and the consequent movement of the upper surface of the lighter fluid,
the amount of which may be observed upon a scale which it is intended should
be affixed or placed against or contiguous to such surface.
And my Invention further consists in disposing or arranging the said tube
or portion of the tube containing the water or other fluid, or in disposing or
arranging a pipe or tube, or a combination of pipes or tubes containing water,
or air, or other suitable fluid, within or around the hold, or chamber, or
chambers of a ship, or within or around the chambers or rooms of a house or
other situation (where the existence of fire or of an increased temperature may
require to be indicated or guaged at a distance above or apart from its actual
locality), and in carrying or continuing upwards the said pipe or tube, or a
pipe or tube in communication therewith (filled with or containing water or
air, or other fluid, as above mentioned), and conveying its upper end or further-
most extremity into the cabin or on to the deck of a ship, or into the office i
a warehouse or other situation where the indication is required, so that the
occurrence of fire or of an increased temperature, in or at such firstly-
mentioned situation, may be indicated or guaged at such secondly-mentioned
situation, either by conduction of the heat or increased temperature, or by
expansion of the fluid, the observations being read (in the one case) upon a
thermometer which it is intended should be immersed or placed in and
near to the surface of the fluid in the pipe or tube, or in an air chamber in
connection therewith; or (in the other case) upon a scale which it is intended
should be affixed or placed against or contiguous to such surface.
I would remark that the leakage and fire-indicating arrangements are
intended to be employed separately, as well also as in combination, so far as
combination is practicable, in which latter case the scale referred to would or
might serve to indicate both occurrences. An inspection of the thermometer
would determine to which of them the disturbance of the surface of the fluid
should be attributed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Blair White in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID 3
BLAIR WHITE, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Doctor of Medicine, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said David Blair White, Her special licence that I, the said David
Blair White, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said David Blair White, 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 INDICATING GUAGES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said David Blair White, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Blair White, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by thes
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention has reference to the construction of new or improved gauges.
(more especially intended for use in ships or vessels, but applicable also in
other situations,) for indicating leakage or depth of water or other fluid, and
also for indicating fire or an increase of temperature, and consists, firstly, in
the employment of a syphon or beut tube or tubes, containing a short column
or columns of mercury disposed or arranged so as to balance a longer column
or columns of water (or other fluid lighter than mercury), the lengths.varying
according to their relative specific gravities, the tube or portion thereof con-
taining the column or columns of mercury being intended to be applied in
the "waste" of a ship, or in such other situation as may require leakage or
depth of water or of other fluid to be guaged, and the tube or portion of the
tube containing the longer column of water (or other fluid lighter than
mercury) being intended to be continued upwards into the cabin, or to the
deck of a ship or other situation, at a distance away from the firstly-men-
tioned situation, so that the occurrence of leakage or increase of depth of the
water or fluid to be guaged in or at such firstly-mentioned situation may be
indicated at such secondly mentioned situation by the disturbance of the equi

page_text: librium which before existed, and the consequent movement of the upper
surface of the lighter fluid, the amount of which may be observed upon a
scale which it is intended should be affixed or placed against or contiguous
to such surface.
In the sectional Figures 1 and 2, a, b, and a, b, are the syphon or bent
tube or tubes. a, a, are the portions thereof containing the shorter column
or columns of mercury; and b, b, the portions containing the longer column or
columns of water or other fluid lighter than mercury. The syphon or tube or
tubes a, b, represented by the Figure 1 is intended to be used in situations
affording such a depth of leakage or other water to be guaged, that the said
water may lie or press directly upon the surface of the mercury at c, in con-
sequence of which such pressure will be transmitted by the mercury and water
columns to the "continued upwards" tube, or portion of tube d containing the.
"water or other fluid." (When the leakage water is below the level at c, this
arrangement of guage will cease to indicate the depth.) The syphon or tube
or tubes a, b, represented by the Figure 2, is intended to be used in situations
affording either the same or a less depth of leakage, or other water than as
before mentioned. In the latter case one column of mercury and one of water
are dispensed with, and the leakage or other water, instead of pressing directly
upon the mercury, presses upon the intermediate column of air contained in
the portione of the tubes, and the air transmits the pressure to the mercury,
and this in its turn again transmits the pressure to the "continued upwards
tube d, as before. In both Figures f is the leakage index or scale placed in
the captain's cabin, or other said "secondly mentioned situation," and upon
which the disturbance of the equilibrium is indicated, and may be noted
by an inspection of the altitude attained by the surface of the fluid in tube d.
"
My Invention consists, secondly, in disposing or arranging the said tube or
portion of the tube containing the water or other fluid, or in disposing or
arranging a pipe or tube, or a combination of pipes or tubes containing water
or air, or other suitable fluid, within or around the hold or chamber or
chambers of a ship, or within or around the chambers or rooms of a house; or
other situation (where the existence of fire or of an increased temperature may
require to be indicated or guaged at a distance above or apart from its actual
locality), and in carrying or continuing upwards the said pipe or tube, or a
pipe or tube in communication therewith (filled with or containing water or
air, or other fluid, as above mentioned), and conveying its upper end or
furthermost extremity into the cabin or on to the deck of a ship, or into the
office in a warehouse, or other situation where the indication is required, so
that the occurrence of fire or of an increased temperature in or at such firstly

page_text: mentioned situation may be indicated or guaged at such secondly mentioned
situation, either by conduction of the heat, or increased temperature, or by
expansion of the fluid, the observations being read (in the one case) upon a
thermometer, which it is intended should be immersed or placed in and near
to the surface of the fluid in the pipe or tube, or in an air chamber in
connection therewith, or (in the other case) upon a scale which it is intended
should be affixed or placed against or contiguous to such surface.
The Figure 2 (before mentioned) serves also to illustrate this second part
of my Invention, the arrangement therein represented being one of combination
of the present, or fire or heat indicating guage with a leakage guage, as
already described; but it is distinctly to be understood, that the leakage and
fire-indicating arrangements are intended to be used separately, as well also as
in combination. The several pipes or tubes a*, a*, are those above referred to
as containing water or air, or other suitable fluid, "passing" within or around
the hold or other parts, &c., &c., above mentioned, and when the leakage
guage is combined as in the Figure 2, they are in connection with and
substantially a portion of the tube d "containing the water or other fluid,"
(the upper surface of which indicates the extent of leakage,) being in com-
munication therewith at the point or position marked m in the Figure, and
also in communication or close proximity at or near the (moveable or sliding)
leakage index f, that is to say, they form a junction with each other and the
said tube d by means of the closed cap, bell, or dome n, (a plan of the under
side or horizontal section of which is represented in the Figure 3,) and a
thermometer o is inserted in the tube d, to which heat is communicated by
any of the tubes d or d*. The index or scale s is intended to indicate any
expansion of the fluid, and the index or scale t any rise of temperature.
The leakage index f is represented as slided or moved to its proper position
supposing the temperature to be sixty degrees, and that there is no leakage,
which are the conditions assumed in the illustration I bave furnished in the
Figure; but when the readings upon the scales s and t do not correspond,
that is to say, when the fluid expansion stands higher than it should by the
temperature as shewn by the thermometer, then the difference must be
leakage; to ascertain which the leakage index f should be slided or moved,
so that its zero may stand at or opposite to the same degree upon the scale s,
which is indicated at the time of observation by the thermometer scale t, the
difference or amount of leakage may then be read upon the scale f. When
the fire-indicating guage is not combined with the leakage guage, it is intended
that the lower end of the thermometer should pass through the crown of and
into the dome n, where the pipes d* communicate with each other. p, p, are

page_text: little valves in the pipes d* falling down by their own weight, but easily moved
by any current. The circumstance of fire in any particular part of a ship or
other place through which a pipe d* passed, would be indicated by the course
of the current of the fluid or air passing through that particular pipe (according
to the comparative heat), such current acting upon the small valve p (in the
said pipe) and shewing its course externally by a light rod on the axis of such
valve, which axis passes through to the outside of the pipe. It is to be noted
that it is intended sometimes simply to employ air (as above mentioned) instead
of water in the pipes d*, d*. And I would remark in reference to these pipes
that they may branch out and extend over any convenient parts or lengths of
the vessel or building (where applied), and that any convenient number of
such pipes may be employed..
And, finally, I would remark that the several pipes and tubes to be employed
are intended to be constructed of iron, brass, copper, or other suitable material
excepting the portions near. the scales or indices, which are intended to be of
glass..
In witness whereof, I, the said David Blair White, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
DAVID BLAIR WHITE. (L.S.)