A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING THE EXPLOSION OF COAL-OIL LAMPS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henri Adrien Bonneville at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd February 1881. A communication
from Jules François Delaire, of Haine St. Pierre, Belgium.
HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18,
Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, & 90, Cannon St., in the City of
London, Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING
THE EXPLOSION OF COAL-OIL LAMPS." A communication from Jules François
Delaire, of Haine St. Pierre, Belgium.
The apparatus consists of three tin tubes, of which one called first tube is
soldered horizontally, when the lamp stands upright, to the topmost set of air holes
of the mounting, pierced circularly. The extremity of this tube exceeds the
soldered part, and leaves between this part and the tube for the wick a space of
about two thirds of a centimetre. The second tube passes through the opening of
the first, turning freely within the whole length of the the interior sides of the
latter, and its extremity, having an oblong opening of at least half a centimetre,
touches the tube for the wick. The space left by the first tube is thus filled up.
The elbowed part A of a copper-wire, forming two arms or branches, crosses the
oblong opening and is slightly flattened; they present vis à vis each other two
cavities which maintain it stable at the sides of this opening. One of these two
branches B extends a little beyond the tube for the wick, and is bent horizontally
above the burner by forming a small arm bearing a flat extinguishing cap D,
surrounded with a solid rim or edge, of which it is deprived on the side where it
forms a tube through which the small arm, around which this extinguishing cap
moves, passes. The extension of this arm or branch beyond the tube returns along
the latter and above the extinguishing cap for a length of from two-thirds to one
centimetre, and thus maintains it horizontally. The short arm E which is formed
by the elbow inclines towards the base of the wick tube, and is somewhat curved
between the latter and the mounting of the lamp; it is free in its movement and
supports in a kind of chape the moveable extremity of a copper-wire V, which is
wound up tube-like by means of several successive and contiguous spirals; the
other.extremity rises along the wick-tube, which is surrounded by a moveable tin-
ring, of which a part is bent and formis a small horizontal tube in which this
extremity is engaged bearing the ring; if the burner is round, a convex piece of
the same metal, integral with the ring, is kept as close as possible to the wick-tube
and destined to pass easily between the sides of the rim of the extinguishing cap
where the latter is made without rim, so, that when the extinguishing cap passes
over the wick in slightly razing it, when the wick is at its maximum height to
produce a brilliant flame, there remains nothing of the latter adherent to the wick,

page_text: which is enveloped by the flange of the extinguishing cap in contact on one side with
the burner, which is almost razed by the two other sides of the flange extinguishing
cap, of which the under part of the tube may then be touched by the upper
extremity of the convex piece, or it approaches it always within half a centimetre.
A part of the first tube outside of the mounting enters by friction by the circular
opening of a smaller one called third tube. Upon this latter a spiral brass wire F is
soldered, whose free end enters a lateral eye soldered upon the first tube, which makes
the third one stay immoveable. The arm of formation of the spring, which is
turned as helix on the side of the tubes, takes an oblique direction above these, and
ends in a ring pretty nearly straight. A bent copper wire H enters the circular
opening made on the second tube where one end is retained. The other extromity
ends in a ring which surrounds the arm of the spring near the ring of this arm.
If the curve of the second tube is pressed down, the arm of the spring descends
equally well and takes a horizontal direction, and the second tube turning in the
first places the long branch B which supports the extinguishing cap according to
the dotted line K, which falls between the glass of the lamp and the top of the
wick-tube and remains suspended to the small horizontal arm, the top of the burner
is then entirely uncovered. At the same time the curved arm descends, carrying
with it the arm V, the ring, and the convex piece. To maintain all these pieces in
this position a copper-wire L is soldered upon the third tube and extends
horizontally, then vertically, and again horizontally, by forming a branch or arm M,
around which a first lever N is moveable by its end turned in a tube; the other
end of this lever ends with two opposite recesses O and O¹, after passing through
the ring ending the spring.
The lower recess is applied to the arm of the spring; when the latter is
horizontal, the upper one receives a second lever moveable by its end also turned
into a tube around a copper-wire at P, which is also moveable round the curve R.
The other end of the second lever ends in a ring which is placed loosely between
two rims, the one formed by the strengthening of the bent of the arm S, and the
other at S¹; they do not exceed the thickness of this last ring in height. The
extension of the arm S diverges somewhat from S' and ends circularly at T, where
a small chain is fixed retaining a spheroidal body of lead which is put upon the
ring of the second lever, and which fits into it so that the point arched most may
be about on a level with the under part of the ring. The pressure exerted by this
weight is such that the first and second levers cannot be raised, and the spring be
slackened; these pieces are maintained horizontally, and the tube of the second
lever generally touches the recess of the first, the other pieces accordingly preserve
the position which the hand has given them, as above stated. The weight of the
body necessary for this apparatus is fifteen grammes, and is, moreover, proportioned
to the strength of the spring to approach the moveable part of the second lever.
Without this weight the end of the second lever is raised immediately. The
displacement of the weight, when the lamp is upset or falls in any sense whatever,
or when it is wished to extinguish it, frees the spring which immediately lifts the
first lever, and the second at the same time is thrown to the side, while the curve H
sufficiently causes the second tube to turn so that the arm B reaches the line X (if
not kept back by the flange in contact with the burner) second tube which carries
along the branch to which the extinguishing cap is suspended, which passes above the
burner, and the small curved arm rising from the base of the wick-tube acts upon
the ring, and the convex piece rises by passing between the sides of the flange of
the burner-cap; all these pieces working simultaneously, the extinguishing takės
place instantly and infallibly.