Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 15th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 16th Aug., 1887.
We, WILLIAM FERGUSON, and WILLIAM HOOD, both of Swan Street, Brechin,
Forfarshire, Ironmongers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as
follows
―
Our invention comprises improvements in the mode and means of indicating the
quantity of oil or other liquid contained in metallic casks, cisterns or other vessels,
which will be more safe and efficient than any of the methods heretofore in use for
such purposes.
According to our improvements we form the outer side of the cask or vessel with a
vertical recess or groove, down through which we insert and fit a glass tube, open at
the upper end, and having its lower open end jointing into a small stuffing box socket
in the upper part of a lateral tap chamber, which has its inner end screwed and
jointed into a screw bush soldered or otherwise fitted through the cask or chamber at
bottom of groove, the handle of the tap only projecting out in front of the groove.
scale is secured to the side of the vessel close to the groove and tube; so that when
the tap is opened, the liquid flows from the vessel up the glass tube to the level of the
liquid within, and indicates the height of the level of the liquid within on the scale
which is numbered in gallons or inches in height from the bottom of the vessel.
A
In some cases a screw plug valve may be fitted in front of the lower socket
chamber in place of the tap, which may be made to take up less room than the latter.
The whole tube and tap chamber is protected from injury outside the cask or side of
vessel; and the strengthening hoops or bands of the cask or vessel would preferably
pass outside the tube and groove to further protect the whole.
1002

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Liquid Indicators for Metallic
Casks and other Vessels.
We, WILLIAM FERGUSON, and WILLIAM HOOD, both of Swan Street, Brechin,
Forfarshire, Ironmongers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say :-
Our Invention comprises improvements in the mode and means of indicating the
level and quantity of oil or other liquid contained in metallic casks, cisterns or other
vessels, which will be more safe and efficient than any of the methods heretofore in
use for such purposes.
And in order that our said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto
appended an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in both Figures where shown. Figure 1 is a
perspective elevation, and Figure 2 a sectional elevation at right angles to and corre-
sponding to Figure 1, of a metallic cask A as fitted with our new or improved liquid
indicator.
groove a.
Referring to these Drawings ;-according to our improvements we form the outside
of the shell of the cask or vessel A with a vertical recess or groove at a down through
which we insert and fit a glass tube b open at the upper end, and having its lower end
jointing into a small stuffing box socket in the upper branch or chamber of a lateral
tap 6¹ which has its inner open end screwed and jointed into a screw bush soldered or
otherwise fitted through the cask or chamber A at bottom of groove a which is made
larger at a¹ for that purpose, the handle of the tap only projecting out in front of the
An index scale c preferably made of brass, is secured to the side of the
vessel A close to the groove a and tube b; so that when the tap 61 is opened, the oil
or other liquid indicated at O in Figure 2, flows from the vessel A up the glass tube b
to the level of the liquid at o within, and indicates the height of the level of the liquid
within at o in the tube by a dark line in Figure 2, and the quantity on the index
cale C, which is numbered in gallons upwards from the bottom as shown in Figure 1,
but it might be in inches in height from the bottom of the vessel A. In some cases a
screw plug valve may be fitted in front of the lower socket chamber in place of the
tap, which might be made to take up less room than the latter. The whole tube b and
tap 6 within the groove and chamber at bottom is protected from injury outside the
cask or side of vessel A; and the strengthening hoops or bands A¹ of the cask or
vessel A preferably pass outside the tube 6 and groove a, to further protect the whole,
all as shown in the Drawings.
Although the groove a, for the glass tube b, is described as formed of a recess in the
outer sheet metal shell A of the cask, yet will be evident that a separate metal
tube might be jointed vertically within the metal case A, with a groove outside

page_text: for showing the glass and level of the liquid in it, and either soldered or otherwise
secured to the body of the sheet metal case, or to its joint edges where these are put
together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The forming and fitting of metallic casks and other vessels with indicating
arrangements to show the level and quantity of liquid within, all substantially as herein
described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The forming of metallic casks and other vessels with a vertical recess or
groove at their outer surface, in which is inserted a glass tube with tap or valve
through which the liquid from the vessels rises and indicates the level within, and
shows the quantity, on a graduated measurement scale outside, all substantially as
herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.