IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC LIGHT, AS WELL AS IN THE MATERIALS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC LIGHT, AS WELL AS IN THE MATERIALS AND
MECHANISM EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE" A cominunication from abroad
by Colonel William Fitz Charles McCarty and Baron Raymond Sellière, both
of No. 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris.
Sealed the 10th April 1879, and dated the 13th January 1879.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Morgau-Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th January 1879.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC LIGHT, AS WELL AS IN THE
MATERIALS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE." A communication
from abroad by Colonel William Fitz Charles McCarty and Baron Raymond Sellière,
both of 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris.
The object of this Invention is to overcome the serious difficulties and inconve-
nience which the electric light in its present state of imperfection still offers, and
which are the principal obstacles to its introduction into general use; among these
difficulties the first is the necessity of renewing the burning parts after a compara
tively very short time of actual service, which not only requires hourly attention
on the part of the user and the keeping on hand of a considerable quantity of stock,
but which in cases where a great number of lights is kept burning for any length
of time; for instance, where large factories or the streets of a city are lit by
electricity, is connected with great waste of time of workmen or employés, and
therefore with great expense. These losses are avoided or greatly reduced by a
peculiar arrangement of the burning parts, which permits the introduction of such
parts into the apparatus in much greater lengths than usual, and to dispose proper
springs in such manner that the separate pieces, as they wear and burn off, are
coustantly pushed in contact with each other at the proper place until only a com-
paratively small fraginent of each is left, which fragments being removed before
introducing a new long piece, may be preserved, and when a great number is
collected, worked up again into long pieces.
The electric light produced by the different apparatus now in actual use or pro-
posed has without few exceptions a blucish hue, which not only greatly impairs its
effect for all ordinary purposes, but renders its application for certain special uses

page_text: impracticable. My communicants have found by experiments that by exposing
certain chemicals to the action of the heat produced by the ordinary electric light,
that is to say, by burning such chemicals, or at least by bringing them to a white
heat together with the carbon, a perfectly white light, exhibiting not the slightest
hue of color whatever, can be produced. The application of these chemicals is a
effected also in such manner that their ends as they wear off are constantly pushed
home in the proper position by suitably placed springs.
Another feature of this Invention has reference to the globes by which the light
is ordinarily surrounded. It is a well-known fact that the light produced by
electricity is of such intensity as would, if exposed to the human eye without being
softened or reduced in brilliancy, be extremely dangerous to the latter. For this
reason globes of ground or semi-opaque glass have been used. But the effect of
these is to prevent a certain quantity of the rays from passing through, whereby
the effectiveness of the light is accordingly diminished, that is to say, a certain
quantity of the light produced is utterly lost in the effort of making it useful and
practicable, which obviously is equivalent to a corresponding loss of material and
power expended.
These experiments have shown that by employing hollow globes filled with water
or other translucent fluid, the light, when looking at it is greatly softened, and in
no way injurions or even disagreeable to the eyes, whilst all the rays of the light
pass freely through such globes and become effective in illuminating the surrounding
objects even in a higher degree than if the rays would strike such objects directly
without having passed through this globe. By giving different shapes to the walls
of these globes the light may be collected and thrown all in a certain direction, for
instance, out horizontally, at the height at which the apparatus is placed or thrown
in the shape of a cone upwards or downwards or otherwise.
The accompanying Drawings form a part of this Specification, and represent what
I consider the best means for carrying out the Invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the entire apparatus partly in section, showing
the light surrounded by a globe made according to this Invention. Figure 2 is a
lateral elevation partly in section, showing the bracket which supports one of the
materials for producing the light, and another bracket for supporting the globe, the
globe itself being represented of different shape from that shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan of the bracket which supports the globe, Figures 4 and 5
represent still different shapes, which for certain cases is proposed to be given to the
improved globes.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
1 is a stand which supports all the different parts of the apparatus. It is formed
with a bed plate 2, which may be secured to a lamp post or placed on any other
convenient support. For certain purposes, for instance, when the light is to be used
in houses, it is proposed to give to this bed plate, as also to the other parts of the
apparatus, a more or less ornamental appearance, but I have here represented the
parts as of simple and strong construction; 3 is a double bracket, capable of sliding
up and down on the square part of the stand 1, and when once adjusted in proper
position held firmly by a pinching screw 4. The two arms of this bracket 1,
extending in opposite directions, and preferably a little upward, serve to support the
principal material for producing the light, two rods or candles of a composition of
carbon, platinum, iridium, and magnesium. Their ends are mounted with short
tubes conveying upward at an angle of about 30°. But these tubes, as well as
their supporting arms down to nearly the point where they emerge from the centre
piece of the bracket, which slides on the stand 1 are split, and being made of clastic
metal allow the introduction of hard rubber tubes into the short tubes forming part
of the bracket. Two pinching screws 5 sorve to clamp these rubber tubes 6 after
they have been adjusted at the proper height between the split tubes by drawing
the two parts of each arm firmly together. The rubber tubes 6 enclose the two
candles 7, composed of carbon and other materials, as above stated. They are closed
at their lower ends by screw caps 8, also preferably made of hard rubber, which

page_text: serve as abutments for the spiral spring 9, placed in the lower part of each rubber
tube for the purpose of pushing the two sticks of composition constantly upward.
A small hole formed in each cap 8 admits the conducting wires 10 from the battery,
one of which is attached to each of the composition candles 7. These wires should
be of sufficient length to admit of their being drawn further inward into the rubber
tube 6, when the springs 9 push the composition candles 7 upward as they burn off.
To protect the upper free ends of the coinposition candles, each is surrounded with
a tube of asbestos 11, which is held at the proper elevation by a spring 12 abutting
against the lower end of this asbestos tube 11 on one side, and against the upper
end of the rubber tube 6 on the other. This spring not only serves to keep theso
asbestos tubes in place, but also to push them further up if their upper ends should
by the effects of the heat become brittle, and wear or break off. The effect of the
arrangement thus far described is that the electric current passing from one compo-
sition candle to the other heats the ends of these sticks to a white heat, whereby
the ordinary electric light is produced, whilst the peculiar disposition of the parts
by which they are approached to each other at an angle instead of from opposite
directions permits the introduction and use of much longer candles than has here-
tofore been practicable.
The light resulting from the burning of these candles is purified and rendered
perfectly white by exposing to its action a stick 16 of chemically pure calcium
descending vertically from above and to a pellet 28, composed of an alloy of platinum
and iridium, supported on a short piece of asbestos 13, the top of which is hollowed
out so as to form a sinall cup as represented. A tube 14 screwed on the top of the
staud 1 serves to support and guide the asbestos piece 13, which in case it should
wear or gradually break off at its upper end by the effect of the heat is pushed
upward to the desired level by the action of a spring 15 enclosed in the tubular
extension 14, and acting on the lower end of the asbestos piece 13. The calcium 16
is prepared in the shape of a long rod or stick, and is enclosed in a tube 17 held
adjustably by a pinching screw 18 in the upper end of the bent arın 19, the lower
end of which slides on the stand 1, and is held in position thereon by the pinching
screw 20. A spiral spring 21 placed in the tube 17, and abutting against the cap
screwed on the top of said tube presses the calcium stick constantly downward in
contact with the composition candles 7 as it wears or burns off. The position of all
the parts must be so arranged, and the force of the different springs so calculated,
that the ends of the asbestos covering tubes 11 are constantly in contact and flush
with the asbestos piece 13, and that their interior edges as well as the ends of the
composition candles 7 abut against the end of the calcium stick 16. In order to
more strongly hold the parts in this position I provide another adjustable bracket 22
on the stand 1, carrying two short sections of tubes, in which the asbestos tubes 11
are securely guided.
The hollow globe 23, filled with water through a hole 24 formed in the top, which
may subsequently be closed by any suitable means, is supported on the ring 25,
which is made in halves, hinged together and closed by means of a pinching screw,
Figures 2 and 3. One half of this ring, which may be termed the stationary half,
is formed in one piece with the two-armed bracket 26, which latter is also adjust-
able in the stand 1 by means of a set screw 27. Although I have shown only four
different shapes of the globe it is evident that its form may be varied within wido
limits in order to produce different effects. These effects may even be varied by
adjusting a single globe at different levels respectively to the light.
Many modifications may be made in the details without departing from the
objects of the Invention. The stand 1 may be made round, with a groove in which
the pinching screws operate, instead of square. In some cases the bracket which
forms the guides for the asbestos tubes may be dispensed with, or it may be formed
in one piece with the principal bracket. Springs acting by contraction may be
employed instead of those shown, which act by expansion, especially as regards the
springs g. To effect this the lower ends of the composition candles 7 could be

page_text: placed in cups having two short arms, to which the lower ends of the contracting
springs would be attached, while their upper ends would be fastened to hooks
forined on the split tubes of the brucket 3. In this case it will be seen that
preferably two springs are to be used for cach composition candle.
Where there exists any danger that the water in the hollow globes might freeze,
I fill them with alcohol ether or other non-freezing fluid. To produce various
effects of colour the globe is filled with fluid of one or of different colors.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,―
First. The two long composition candles connected to the two poles of a battery
in combination with the calcium stick and the pellet of iridium and platinum, all so
arranged as to move forwards towards one centre as they burn or wear off, substan-
tially as and for the purposes specified.
Second. As a new article of manufacture the hollow globe, the walls of which
may be made of any desired shape, and which is adapted to be filled with colorless
or colored water or other fluid, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Third. The use of asbestos in conjunction with candles for generating electric
light as above specified, or for equivalent electrical purposes, substantially as and for
the purposes specified.
Fourth. The combination of lime with the other parts of the apparatus, for the
purpose of purifying electric light, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The combination and relative position of the four main parts above
specified for the production of electric light, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
WILLIAM MORGAN-DROWN. (L.S.)