AN IMPROVED HIGH AND LOW WATER INDICATOR FOR STEAM AND OTHER BOILERS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sylvester Wiggin Warren, of Brooklyn, in the
County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of America,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED HIGH AND LOW WATER INDICATOR FOR
STEAM AND OTHER BOILERS."
Sealed the 16th July 1861, and dated the 31st January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sylvester Wiggin Warren
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
81st January 1861.
I, SYLVESTER WIGGEN WARREN, of Brooklyn, in the County of nings, and
State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED HIGH AND LOW WATER INDICATOR FOR
STEAM AND OTHER BOILERS," to be as follows:-
I make use of a horizontal or nearly horizontal pipe, connected at one end
to the boiler as high as the highest water level required. The other end of
said pipe is connected by an inverted syphon to the lower part of the bolier.
The water or fluid in these pipes will stand at the same level as that in the
boiler. The said horizontal pipe is to be located slightly below the desired
water line, so as to remain full of water unless tho water in the boiler falls
too low, in which case this horizontal pipe fills with steam. This pipe

page_text: usually is almost cold because there is no circulation of water in said pipe,
but when steam takes the place of water, said pipe is heated and expands.
This expansion is applied by means of slings to compress endways a slightly
arched spring that (like a toggle joint) gives considerable sideways movement
at the middle opening a valve to a peculiarly constructed steam whistle or
other alarm to call attention to the want of water in the boiler. If the pump.
or other supply fills the boiler up too high the pipes aforesaid become full,
and a circulation of hot water takes place in them, producing the same
expansion of the pipe and alarm, I make use of a glass inspection gauge
connected to the aforesaid pipes, and also use cocks or valves to shut
off the respective pipes, if at any time necessary, or to empt out any
sediment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sylvester Wiggin Warren in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 81st July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SYLVESTER
WIGGEN WARREN, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New
York, United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Sylvester Wiggen Warren, Her special license that I, the said
Sylvester Wiggen Warren, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Sylvester Wiggin Warren, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time 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
Invention for "AN IMPROVED HIGH AND LOW WATER INDICATOR FOR STEAM AND
OTHER BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Sylvester
Wiggin Warren, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Sylvester Wiggin Warren, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my indicator, some of the parts being shown in
section for the purposes of illustration, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the
improved whistle made use of as an alarm.
My said Invention consists in a metallle tube so arranged relatively to the
water level of the boiler, that the said tube remains full of water that is
comparatively cool while the water is sufficiently bigh in the boiler, but when
the water sinks below the level of said tube then steam passes in and
occupies the pipe, highly heating the same and causing expansion, that acts
to compress a curved spring endwise (like a toggle joint) communicating to
the centre part sufficient motion to give an alarm by a steam whistle or
otherwise. The same effect of expansion and alarm takes place when the
pipes become entirely full in consequence of the water being too high in
the boiler; in that case the circulation of water and the consequent heat
produce the expansion.
In order to cause my steam whistle to be operative when the steam is at
different pressures, I make use of two or more mouths at different distances
from the steam orifice, and also construct that orifice or mouth in such a
manner as not to be affected by condensation.
In the Drawing B is a pipe held firmly at one end by the nuts a, a, and
flange b, upon the plate A that is attached on the front end of the boiler or to
any other convenient place; h is a cross head affixed to the other end of the
pipe B and having rods i, i, to the sliding follower k, k. The flange c
serves to guide the pipe B, but the hole in said flange is sufficiently large
for the pipe to expand or contract freely by any change of temperature;
C is a spring between the flange c and the follower.k, slightly arched upwards,
and near its centre is the valve E for opening or closing the passage way
in the chamber D. between the steam pipe l-and-alarm whistle in. It will
now be seen that if the pipe B is expanded by a considerable increase in the
heat, the distance between the follower & and flange c will be shortened, and
these pressing upon the ends of the spring C will bend the same, giving
considerable movement, and opening the valve. to the whistle m. The pipe
B is to be located slightly below the usual and proper water level, so that
the same will always remain full of water as hereafter described, except
when the water falls in the boiler below the level of said pipe, when steam

page_text: occupying the space of the water will heat said pipe and cause the aforesaid
expansion and alarm. At one end of the pipe B is the pipe e that
passes
down in the form of a syphon and enters the boiler some distance below
the surface of the water. The lower down this connection is made the
better because the water is cooler near the bottom of the boiler. 1 is a
cock or valve by which the pipe e can be shut off from the boiler, and 2 is
a cock by which any sediment can be drawn off from the syphon; d is an
ascending pipe passing into the boiler at 3 where there is a cock or valve
for shutting off said pipe; this connection to the boiler is to be as high as
the greatest level to which it is safe to fill the boiler before any liability
would arise of the water foaming over into the engine and injuring the same
by becoming confined in the steam cylinder and forcing the heads off.
It will now be evident that while the water is at a higher level than the
tube B, the said tube will be comparatively cold because no circulation of
the hot water can take place, except that induced by the hot water formed
by the condensation of steam in the apparatus, and this condensation is very
slight; if however the water falls in the boiler so that the pipe B is filled
with steam the expansion and alarm as aforesaid are given. If on the other
hand the pump is left on too long, and the boiler becomes too full, and
the water rises above the connection 3, the pipes d, e, and B are all full of
water and there is almost an instantaneous circulation of hot water that
expands the tube B, as before indicated, giving an alarm as a high-water
indicator. In addition to the syphon pipe e preventing any circulation of
the water while the pipes are partially filled with steam, it also allows of
the expansion in the pipe B without there being any liability to make said
pipes leak at their joints, the double bend allowing the pipes to spring.
My glass gauge f is inserted in the metallic sockets 9, 9, in the manner
represented and arranged parallel to the pipe d, and n, n, are valves applied
between said pipe d and the gauge f, so that the connection can be
closed for cleaning said glass gauge or for replacing the same; but the
connections of the pipe B with the boiler are not by this operation shut
off, the alarm indicator remains in full operation whether there is a glass
gauge or not.
In Fig. 2, 4 is the steam pipe; 5 is a cap screwed on the end of said
pipe, having two or more diagonal or radial holes 6, passing from the
escape mouths into the steam pipe. These mouths are formed between
the cap 5 and the hollow metallic whistle m that fits over the cap 5 as shown,
and is attached thereto by a set screw or other suitable device; 7, 7, are
the whistling mouths placed at different distances from the top of the cap 5,

page_text: the first of these is immediately above said cap so as to let off any water
of condensation, and act with a comparatively small pressure of steam, and
the next mouth 7 is sufficiently above said cap 5 to act with a higher pressure
and before the first mouth 7 ceases to act and so on; any number of mouths 7
may be used at different heights according to the size of the apparatus, and
the variation of pressure to which the whistle is ever exposed.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, first, the arrange-
ment and combination, substantially as herein shown and described of the
arched or curved spring C, valve E, and tube B, for the purposes specified.
Second, the syphon pipe e in combination with the expansion pipe B,
arranged in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
Third, I claim introducing the pipe d into the steam builer at the level of
the greatest height to which the water is to be supplied, so as to produce a
high-water indicator by the circulation of hot water through the expansion
pipe B, for the purposes set forth.
Fourth, I claim the arrangement of the glass indicating gauge f and valves
or cocks n, n, in combination with the pipes d and B, for the purposes set
forth.
Fifth, I claim the cap m and whistling mouth or mouths 7 connected to
the steam pipe, substantially as specified.
Sixth, I claim placing two or more whistling mouths or edges in the
whistle, at different distances from the orifices for the escape of steam, so
as to adapt one whistle to different pressures without changing the position
of any of the parts, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sylvester Wiggin Warren, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witnesses,
LEMUEL W. SERRELL,
SYLVESTER W. WARREN. (LS.)
121, Nassau St., New York.
THO. GEO. HAROLD,
121, Nassau St., New York.