IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL OILS AND ESSENCES
Year: 1868

page_text: DIGITAL
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL OILS AND ESSENCES."
-A communication from abroad by Louis Désiré Defienne, Gentle-
man, and Paul Hyacinthe Girardin, Manufacturer of Bronzes, both
of 13, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris.
Scaled the 6th November. 1868, and dated the 16th May. 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,, with his.
Petition, on the 16th May 1868.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR. BURNING MINERAL-
OILS AND ESSENCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in lamps for burning mineral*
oils provided with a burner of circular form.
The apparatus is formed of several tubes of small diameter placed
around the inside of a cylinder, the size of which is regulated according
to the number of tubes employed. In each of these tubes there is a round

page_text: wick, the lower part of which can when required be placed in contact with
a central wick, which being unravelled and immersed in the oil serves to
constantly feed the small wicks by capillary attraction. These wicks, by
an arrangement hereafter described, may be raised or lowered simulta-
neously and to an equal extent. The oil is supplied to the wicks at the
lower part either by means of a tube perforated with small holes, or
by immersing them directly in the supply of mineral oil or essence.
In this lamp the flame is not enclosed by a cap as in the ordinary
burners, and the air circulating freely between each tube prevents the
heating of the lamp and liquid, giving great security in burning the
latter; the combustion also is complete, and the illuminating power
very great.
In order to further explain the Invention, I have represented it in the
accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a vertical section
of the burner complete taken on the line 1, 2, Figure 3, which is fixed
to the lower part of the lamp; it comprises the burner properly so
called, chimney gallery, and supply tube. Figure 2 is an elevation of
the burner or tubular apparatus detached; Figure 3, a plan of the same.
Figure 4 shows a part used for adjusting the wicks. Figure 5 is a
vertical elevation, and Figure 6 a plan of an instrument used for
cleaning the wicks. In all these Figures the same letters indicate like
parts.
a, a, tubes of small diameter arranged in a circle and soldered to the
interior of the cylinder or socket b; these tubes, which are placed at
equal distances apart, are fitted in a disc or cap c, screw-threaded on
the outside for attachment to the body of the lamp d, d, round wicks
placed within the tubes a, a. e, plate or disc having a corresponding
number of holes to the tubes a, so as to be capable of sliding freely
thereon, for which purpose it is provided with a rack fattached thereto
operated by a pinion g. The disc e carries small sockets h, which bear a
equally on the tubes, the lower part of which latter are provided with
vertical grooves or slots i. All the wicks are attached to the sliding
disc e by small pins traversing both the sockets and the wicks and
sliding in slits i. j, suction wick fixed underneath and in the centre
of the disc e to a knob k; round this wick j are disposed the lower a
ends of the small wicks, so as to be always in contact therewith;
this unravelled wick serves as an auxiliary conductor to feed the small
wicks when they become too short to reach the liquid. 1, tube enclosing

page_text: the wicks fixed to the screw cap c and immersed in the liquid, the oil
being supplied at the holes m; n, knob placed above the centre of the
burner on a stem o fixed to the cap c; this knob 'n serves to give
the hollow flame a tulip form. The tube / may, if desired, be dispensed
with.
In order to clean the ends of the wicks the instrument shown at
Figures 5 and 6 may be employed; it is composed of a cap 8, the
upper surface of which is flat and perforated with as many holes t as
there are wicks. This cap s is applied on the tube b, so that the upper
end of each wick may enter a corresponding hole t in part 8. In this
manner the wicks may be cleaned and the burnt part removed without
risk of its falling into the apparatus.
Instead of using a disc e to carry the wicks as above described I may
employ the arrangement p, seen in Figure 4 in the form of a tube
and furnished with small spring tongues ", which bear against the
wicks and carry them with it in its upward and downward movement.
I also reserve the right of varying the form and arrangement of the
burner as well as the mechanism for adjusting the wicks, but without
departing from the principle of the Invention.
The Invention further consists of an arrangement for operating the
wicks in which the exterior sockets are dispensed with, as also the
vertical grooves or slots in the tubes. Within each of these tubes I
place an inner tube of smaller diameter capable of sliding up and down
therein. In each of these inner tubes is disposed a wick supported in
position by a hook or return piece terminating the upper part of the
said tube, which is bevelled off for the purpose; or the wicks may be
held by a tongue piece or point made in the thickness of the tube and
turned inwards towards the centre. All the inner tubes are fixed at
their lower ends to a disc, which is provided with a rack engaging with
a pinion for raising or lowering the tubes as well as the wicks contained
within the first tubes, which latter are fixed. By this arrangement the
wicks are more securely fixed and do not undergo in their motion any
friction in the tubes; the oil is also supplied direct to the wicks from
the lower part or reservoir of the lamp instead of filtering through holes
in the interior of the said burner, as before, Figure 7 shows a section
of the burner thus arranged taken on the line 1, 2, Figure 8, which is a
plan of the same. Figure 9 is a separate view of the inner tubes. In
these three Figures the same letters indicate like parts.

page_text: a, tubes of small diameter arranged in a circle and soldered at their
lower part to a screwed part b; c, body of the lamp; d, metal ring
enclosing the whole of the tubes a at their upper part and soldered
thereto, so as to fix them in position; e, gallery formed on ring d;
f, inner tubes passing through part b and capable of sliding up and down
in tubes a; g, disc provided with holes which receive the lower ends of
the inner tubes f; h, rack, firmly attached to the disc g and operated on
by the pinioni; j, round or other wick placed within each inner tube.
The upper part of each of these tubes is bevilled, as seen in Figure 3,
the end of which may be turned down towards the centre so as to form
a projecting point to hold the wick in a fixed position in the tube. The
same object may be effected by cutting out points in the thickness of
the tube, which are turned down, as represented at Figure 3. It will
be casily understood that these hooks act on the wicks when the tubes f
are withdrawn within those a, and that they possess the advantage of
leaving the wicks free when the wick carrier or inner tube is at the top
of its course.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
timo 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL OILS AND ESSENCES,"
a communication to me from abroad by Louis Désiré Defienne, Gentle-

page_text: man, and Paul Hyacinthe Girardin, Manufacturer of Bronzes, both
of 13, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hand and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Alexander Melville Clark, 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 the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thercon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in lamps for burning mineral
oils provided with a burner of circular form.
The apparatus is formed of several tubes of small diameter placed
around the inside of a cylinder, the size of which is regulated according
to the number of tubes employed. In each of these tubes there is a
round wick, the lower part of which can, when required, be placed in
contact with a central wick, which being unravelled and immersed in
the oil serves to constantly feed the small wicks by capillary attraction.
These wicks, by an arrangement herein-after described, may be raised or
lowered simultaneously and to an equal extent. The oil is supplied to
the wicks at the lower part either by means of a tube perforated with
small holes, or by immersing them directly in the supply of the oil or
essence. In this lamp the flame is not enclosed by a cap as in the
ordinary burners, and the air circulating freely between each tube
prevents the heating of the lamp and liquid, giving great security in
burning the latter; the combustion also is complete, and the illuminating
power very great.
In order to further explain the Invention, I have represented it in the
accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a vertical section of
the burner complete taken on line 1, 2, Figure 3, which is fixed to the
lower part of the lamp; it comprises the burner properly so called,
chimney gallery, and supply tube. Figure 2 is an elevation of the
burner or tubular apparatus detached; Figure 3, a plan of the same.

page_text: Figure 4 shows a part used for adjusting the wicks. Figure 5 is a
vertical elevation, and Figure 6 a plan of an instrument used for
brushing or cleaning the wicks. In all these Figures the same letters
indicate like parts.
a, a, tubes of small diameter arranged in a circle and soldered to the
interior of a cylinder or socket b; these tubes, which are placed at
equal distances apart, are fitted in a cap or disc i screw-threaded on the
outside for attachment to the body of the lamp d, d, round wicks placed
within the tubes a, a. e, plate or disc having a corresponding number
of holes to tubes a, so as to be capable of sliding freely thereon, for which
purpose it is provided with a rack fattached thereto operated by a
pinion g. The disc e carries small sockets which bear equally on the
tubes, the lower part of which latter are provided with vertical grooves
or slots; all the wicks are attached to the sliding disc e by small pins
traversing both the sockets h and the wicks and sliding in slits i.
j, suction wick fixed underneath and in the centre of the disc e to a
knob k; around this wick j are disposed the lower ends of the small
wicks so as to be always in contact therewith; this unravelled wick
serves as an auxiliary conductor to feed the small wicks when they
become too short to reach the liquid. 1, tube enclosing the wicks fixed
to the screw cap c and immersed in the liquid, the oil being supplied at.
the holes m; n, knob placed above the centre of the burner on a rod o
fixed to the cap c; this knob n serves to give the hollow flame a tulip
form. The tube may, if desired, be dispensed with.
In order to clean the ends of the wicks the instrument shown at
Figures 5 and 6 may be employed; it is composed of a cap s, the upper
surface of which is flat and perforated with as many tubes as there are
wicks. The cap 8 is applied on the tube b so that the upper end of each
wick may enter a corresponding hole t in part 8. In this manner the
wicks may be cleaned and the burnt part removed without risk of its
falling into the apparatus.
Instead of using a disc e to carry the wick as above described I may
employ the arrangement p, seen in Figure 4 in the form of a tube
and furnished with small spring tongues r which bear against the wicks
and carry them with it in the upward and downward movement.
I also reserve the right of varying the form and arrangement of the
burner, as well as the mechanism for adjusting the wicks, but without
departing from the principle of the Invention.
3

page_text: The Invention further consists of an arrangement for operating the
wicks in which the exterior sockets are dispensed with, as also the
vertical grooves or slots in the tubes. Within each of these tubes I
place an inner tube of smaller diameter capable of sliding up and down
therein. In each of these inner tubes is disposed a wick supported in
position by a hook or return piece terminating the upper part of the
said tube, which is bevilled for the purpose; or the wicks may be held by
a tongue piece or point made in the thickness of the tube and turned
upwards towards the centre of the tube. All the inner tubes are fixed
at their lower ends to a disc, which is provided with a rack engaging with
a pinion for raising or lowering said tubes (as well as the wicks contained
within them) in the outer tubes, which are fixed. By this arrangement
the wicks are more securely fixed and do not undergo in their motion
any friction in the tubes; the oil is also supplied direct to the wick
from the lower part or reservoir of the lamp instead of filtering
through holes in the interior of said burner, as before. Figure 7 shows
a section of the burner thus arranged taken on the line 1, 2, Figure 8,
which is a plan of the same. Figure 9 is a separate view of the inner
tubes. In these three Figures the same letters indicate like parts.
I
a, tubes of small diameter arranged in a circle and soldered at their
lower part to a screwed part b; c, body of the lamp; d, metal ring
enclosing the whole of the tubes a at their upper part and soldered
thereto, so as to fix them in position; e, gallery formed on ring d;
f, inner tubes passing through part b and capable of sliding up and down
in tubes a; g, disc provided with holes which receive the lower end of
the inner tubes f; h, rack, firmly attached to the disc g and operated on
by the pinion i; j, round or other wick placed within each inner tube.
The upper part of each of these tubes is bevilled, as seen in Figure 3,
the end of which may be turned down towards the centre so as to form
a projecting point to hold the wick in a fixed position in the tube. The
same object may be effected by cutting out points k in the thickness of
the tube, which are turned down, as represented in Figure 3. It will be
casily understood that these hooks act on the wicks when the tubes f
are withdrawn within those a, and that they possess the advantage of
leaving the wicks free when the wick carrier or inner tube is at the top
of its course.
Lastly Loserve the right of making the tubes used in connection.

page_text: as before described, but of other forms, such as square, oval, lozenge-
shaped, or otherwise.
Figure 10 represents a plan of tlie burner with round tubes a, a. Figures
11, 12, 13, and 14 show plans of burners in which the tubes a, a,
are of the form seen in transverse section. Figure 15 shows an
elevation of a burner in which the tubes a are inclined towards the
centre in the form of a truncated cone. It will be understood that the
sliding sockets or tubes, as also the wicks, are made of similar section to
tubes a.
I also reserve the right of employing any suitable mechanism for raising.
and lowering the wicks, whether by means of a rack disposed at one side,
as shown in the Drawings, or at the centre, or otherwise.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. Constructing the burners of lamps for burning mineral oils and'
essences of a number of tubes arranged in a circle, and each containing
a wick so disposed that air may pass freely between them, 1st, in order
to prevent the heat being communicated from one to the other; and,
2ndly, in order to obtain the necessary amount of air for obtaining.
perfect combustion and to prevent all smell.
Secondly. I claim the use in these improved burners of tubes of round,
square, or other section, with wicks of corresponding form, as also
arranging the said tubes to incline towards the centre, all in the manner
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-
sight
Witness,
JAMES DAISI,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)