IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Smith, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR
BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS."-A communication from abroad by Louis
Martin, of Paris, France.
Sealed the 20th November 1863, and dated the 23rd May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd May
1863.
I, GEORGE SMITH, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LAMPS FOR BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing lamps for burning hydrocarbon oils
as hereafter explained. The oil is contained in a vessel below the burner,
which is somewhat of the argand form modified to suit this particular class of
oils. An air tube is carried entirely through the vessel and communicates
with the external atmosphere by perforations in a stand on which the vessel is
placed, the top of this tube is about three inches, more or less, from the top of
the supply vessel. The wick is in the form of an elongated tube, and is placed
round this central air tube. The wick elevator is a simple ring, with grippers
on the inner surface, which press portions of the circumference of the wick
against the central tube; a rack is fixed to this ring, and is raised and
lowered by a pinion moved by a spindle extending outwards from the side of
a pipe to which an outer tube is screwed; this outer tube is carried up to

page_text: about the same levél as the top of the air tube, and is curved. inwards at the
top; the top of the wick passes between these two tubes. The gallery carries
a deflecting cone, the height of which is capable of regulation up and down
the second tube herein-before mentioned; but the mouth of the deflector
should be kept slightly above the top of the wick. By the particular arrange-
ment of tubes and cones and the addition of a chimney hydrocarbon oils are
burned without smoke or smell, the deflecting cone being properly regulated
to ensure these effects.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SMITH, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, 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 George Smith, Her special licence that I, the said George Smith, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Smith, 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 LAMPS FOR
BURNING HYDROCARBON OILS," (communicated to me from abroad by Louis
Martin, of Paris, France,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Smith, 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 George Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
say

page_text: My Invention consists in constructing lamps for burning hydrocarbon oils
as hereafter explained. The oil is contained in a vessel below the burner,
which is somewhat of the argand form modified to suit this particular class of
oils. An air tube is carried entirely through the vessel and communicates
with the external atmosphere by perforations in a stand on which the vessel
is placed, the top of this tube is about three inches, more or less, from the
top of the supply vessel. The wick is placed round this central air tube.
The wick elevator is a simple ring, with grippers on the inner surface, which
press portions of the circumference of the wick against the central tube; a
rack is fixed to this ring, and is raised and lowered by a pinion moved by a
spindle extending outwards from the side of a pipe to which an outer tube is
screwed; this outer tube is carried up to about the same level as the top of
the air tube, and is curved inwards at the top; the top of the wick passes
between these two tubes. The gallery carries a deflecting cone, the height of
which is capable of regulation up and down the second tube herein-before-
mentioned; but the mouth of the deflector should be kept slightly above the
top of the wick. By the particular arrangement of tubes and cone and the
addition of a chimney hydrocarbon oils are burned without smoke or smell,
the deflecting cone being properly regulated to ensure these effects.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation, with all the parts"
above the oil reservoir in section, of a lamp constructed according to this
Invention.
a is the oil reservoir or vessel; b is an air tube carried entirely through the
vessel a, and communicating with the external atmosphere by perforations c in
a stand d, on which the vessel a is placed; the wick is placed round the air
tube b; e is the wick elevator, formed of a simple ring, with grippers f on the
inner surface, which press portions of the circumference of the wick against
the tube b; g is a rack fixed to the wick elevator e, and raised and lowered
by a pinion h, moved by a spindle i, extending outwards from the side of a
pipe j, to which an outer tube k is screwed. A detached view of the wick
clevator e, rack g, pinion h, spindle i, and pipe j, is given in Figure 2. The
tube k may be formed of one length or of two lengths fitting into each other;
it is carried up to about the same level as the top of the air tube b, and is
curved inwards at the top, as shewn. The top of the wick passes between
the tubes 6 and k. The gallery l'is, by preference, perforated, and carries a
deflecting cone m, the height of which may be regulated up and down the
tube; the mouth of the deflecting cone should, as before mentioned, be
kept slightly above the top of the wick. Instead of the air tube being carried
through the oil reservoir and communicating with the external atmosphere

page_text: by perforations in a stand on which the oil reservoir is placed, it may only be
carried down to about the level of the bottom of the tube k and communicate
with the external atmosphere through an opening formed in the side of that
tube and through perforations in the gallery. This modification will be
understood by reference to Figure 3, which is a section of the tube k and
parts enclosed by it; n is the aperture by which the external atmosphere is
admitted to the tube b.
And having now, described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the "Improve-
ments in Lamps for Burning Hydrocarbon Oils,"-.
First, constructing such lamps with an air tube carried entirely through the
oil reservoir and communicating with the external atmosphere below the
reservoir, or only carried down to about the level of the bottom of an outer
tube and communicating with the external atmosphere through an opening
formed in the side of such tube, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, forming the wick elevator of such lamps of a simple ring with
grippers on the inner surface, and fixed to a rack which is raised and lowered
by a pinion moved by a spindle, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE SMITH. (L.S.)