IMPROVEMENTS IN RETORT LIDS, MAN-HOLE COVERS, VALVES, AND SUCH LIKE APPARATUS."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brown, of Bill Quay, in the County of Durham,
"
Engineer, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN RETORT LIDS, MAN-HOLE
COVERS, VALVES, AND SUCH LIKE APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brown at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1879.
JOHN BROWN, of Bill Quay, in the County of Durham, Engineer.
"IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RETORT LIDS, MAN HOLE COVERS, VALVES, AND SUCH LIKE APPARATUS."
This Invention consists in improvements in the construction of retort lids, man-
hole covers, flushing valves, covers for doors, water tanks, and such like apparatus,
the object of the improvements being to provide simple and efficient means of closing
such apparatus, air, gas, or water tight, and without necessitating the employment.
or intervention of packing or luting.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a retort mouth.
The lid is suitably hinged to the mouth of the retort, and I form a number of
snugs or wedge shaped projections on the periphery of the lid or cover, and on the .
edge of the mouth of the retort I form or fix a number of lugs corresponding with
the number of wedges on the periphery of the lid, such lugs being formed on their
inner faces with wedge shaped recesses, by which means when the lid is shut down.
and turned, the wedges on the lid will pass into the wedge shaped recesses in the
lugs, and the lid will be pressed and closed down tight over or on the retort mouth..
To open the lid the same must be turned in the opposite direction.
For turning the lid may employ a square boss on the lid, on which I fit a spanner
or key, or I cut a portion of the edge or periphery of the lid with a number of
teeth, and on the edge of the retort mouth I fit a small pinion or worm gearing
with the said teeth, so that if the piuion be turned by any suitable means the lid
will be turned, so as to close the lid or allow it to be opened.
To lessen the amount of friction in closing, the lid may be formed with a V
projection fitting into a V groove in the retort mouth.
Sometimes I form the lid or cover double, the edge of the upper lid working in
recessed lugs, the under lid having a central screw on which the upper lid works;
by this arrangement the turning of the screw will tighten the lower lid firmly over
the retort mouth.
'

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
-by-the-said John Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th January
1880.
-JOHN-BROWN, of-Bill Quay, -in--the County of Durham, Engineer.. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RETORT LIDS, MAN-HOLE COVERS, VALVES, AND SUCH LIKE APPARATUS."
This Invention consists-in improvements in the construction of retort-lids, man-
hole covers, flushing valves, covers for doors, water tanks, and such like apparatus,
the object of the improvements being to provide simple and efficient means of closing
such apparatus, air, gas, water, or steam tight, and without necessitating the
employment or intervention of packing or luting.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a retort mouth.
The lid is suitably hinged to the mouth of the retort, and I form a number of
snugs or wedge shaped projections on the periphery of the lid or cover, and on the
edge of the mouth of the retort I form or fix a number of lugs corresponding with
the number of wedges on the periphery of the lid, such lugs being formed on their
inner faces with wedge shaped recesses, by which means when the lid is shut down
and turned the wedges on the lid will pass into the wedge-shaped recesses in the
lugs, and the lid will be pressed down and closed down tight over or on the retort
mouth. To open the lid the same must be turned in the opposite direction.
For turning the lid I may employ a square boss on the lid, on which I fit a
spanner or key, or I cut a portion of the edge or periphery of the lid with a number
of teeth, and on the edge of the retort mouth I fit a small pinion or worm gearing
with the said teeth, so that if the pinion be turned by any suitable means the lid
will be turned so as to close the lid or allow it'to be opened.
To lessen the amount of friction in closing, the lid may be formed with a bevilled
projection fitting against the edge of the retort mouth.
Sometimes I form the lid or cover double or with a dog, the edge of the upper lid
or dog working in recessed lugs, the under lid having a central screw on which the
upper lid or dog works; by this arrangement the turning of the lid will tighten the
same firmly over the retort mouth.
But to make my Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe the same
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2,
a side elevation ;, and Figure 3, a section of a retort mouth, with my improved lid
applied thereto; Figure 4 is a plan; and Figure 5, a side elevation of the improved
lid; Figure 6, sectional elevation of a retort mouth, with the lid and dog; Figure 7,
-plan-of-the-dog-Similar-letters-in-all-the-Figures-represent.similar_parts..
a is the mouth of the retort; b'is the lid ; c, c, c, the wedge shaped snugs on the
periphery of the same; on the edge of the mouth of the retort I cast a number of
Iugs d, d, d, through the holes of which I pass the screw bolts e, c, e, formed with
wedge shaped recesses on one side as shewn, and held by the screw nuts f. f, f; g is
the hinge of the retort lid fixed to the lid by the central bolt h, formed with a square
head to allow of turning the lid, as hereinafter described. I prefer to bevil down-
wards the inner edge i of the mouth of the retort, and I form a bevilk on the
underside of the cover or lid b, for the purpose of obtaining a tight joint as herein-
after described.
. By this construction it will be seen that if the retort lid b be shut down, and
then turned by means of a spanner passed over the square head of the bolt h (or in
the manner hereinafter described), the wedge shaped snugs c will pass into the..

page_text: corresponding wedge shaped recesses of the lug-bolts e, thereby firmly closing the
lid and the bevilled projections k of the lid scraping or rubbing against the edge of
the retort mouth at a different angle will in its motion remove any tar or other
accumulation thereon, and allow of a tight joint being secured without necessitating
the intervention of packing of luting. To open the lid it will be merely necessary
to turn it in the opposite direction.
Instead of turning the lid by means of a spanner, as hereinbefore described, I
sometimes employ a bar or tommy," the end of which is passed into the hole
drilled in the boss M, cast on the lid.
Or I may form a number of teeth n on a portion of the periphery of the lid, as
shewn in Figure 8, so as to allow of the lid being turned by means of a pinion
spanner, which may be fitted into the boss o forined or fixed on the edge of the
retort, as shewn at Figure 2.
Instead of constructing the lugs as herein before described, they may be cast
wholly on the retort, but I prefer the arrangement shewn in the Drawing, as in the
event of one of the bolts breaking it can be easily, cheaply, and quickly replaced,
and the screw nuts thereon will allow of the adjustment of the lug-bolts if
required.
I will now describe the arrangement shewn in Figures 6 and 7, in which a dog
is employed for effecting the closing of the cover. In this arrangement the lid or
cover is forined without snugs, but is hinged to the side of the retort mouth in the
manner hereinbefore described. p is the central screw of the cover, on which works
the dog q, q, q, the said dog being provided with snugs c, which when the dog is
turned pass into the recesses in the lug-bolts e, but neither the snugs nor the
recesses require to be wedge shaped; r, r, r, are suitable stops on the dog q.
.
To close the lid it is revolved, turning with it the dog q, the snugs c of which
pass into the recesses in the lug-bolts e, the stops allowing the dog only to turn
slightly, and the lid being still turned will form a tight joint with the retort mouth,
the centre of the dog forming the screw nut in which the screw p of the lid
turns.
I have described my Invention as applied to retort lids, and the application of
my improvements to man hole covers, valves, and such like apparatus will not
therefore need description.
Having thus described my Invention and the manner of performing the same, I
wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
laid down and shewn in the Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing
from the peculiar character of my Invention, but what I claim is,—
Firstly. The construction of retort lids (manhole covers, valves, and such like
apparatus), whereby the closing of the lid is effected by means of wedge shaped
snugs or projections on the periphery of the lid, in combination with wedge-shaped
recesses on the retort mouth, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
herein before described and represented in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly. The methods of turning the lid for closing the same, as hereinbefore
described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The combination with a retort lid of a dog (or its equivalent) working
on the central screw of the lid, and provided with snugs or projections which pass
into recesses on the retort mouth for the purpose of effecting the closing of the lid
(when the same is turned) substantially in the manner herein before described and
represented in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying Drawing.
Fourthly. The employment for forming the recesses on the retort mouth of screw
bolts and nuts fitted into lugs cast on the retort mouth, as and for the purposes
herein before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Fifthly. The forming the lids of retorts and like apparatus with a bevilled

page_text: projection or edge bearing against the edge of the retort mouth bevilled at a different :
angle, as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Jobn-Brown, have hereto-set-my-hand-and
seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
_hundred and eighty.
Witness,
G-FREDFERN,
Patent Agent,
4, South Street,
Finsbury,
London.
JOHN BROWN: (L.S.)