Improvements in Sulphur Candles and in their Containing Vessels.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 29th May, 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sulphur Candles and in their Containing Vessels.
I, JAMES LUVIAN WADE, of the Firm of J. L. Wade and Company Limited,
Manufacturing Chemists, of 62, Nine Elms Lane, London, in the County of
London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto the burning of sulphur for disinfecting or fumigating purposes has
always involved the use of containing vessels made of iron, sheet tin or other
metal, but the results obtained by me from a series of carefully conducted prac-
tical experiments have demonstrated the superiority of a non-conducting incom-
bustible porous substance as a material for the construction of said containing
vessels.
Further, the appliances employed hitherto to ensure or facilitate the combus-
tion of the sulphur have not been of a permanent nature, but have been subject
to destruction simultaneously with the combustion of the sulphur. My experi-
ments have made clear the advantage, both on the score of economy and con-
venience of having these appliances of a fixed and permanent kind and,
Thirdly, as the free admixture of aqueous vapour with the sulphurous gas
resulting from the combustion of the sulphur has been well ascertained to be an
important factor in augmenting the efficacy of the sulphurous vapour as a dis-
infectant or fumigant, provision is made in my invention for the generation of a
copious supply of this aqueous vapour by an arrangement which brings the water
in a fine state of division and therefore easily vaporised in close proximity to the
heat resulting from the combustion of the sulphur.
The shape of the sulphur candle (determined of course by the shape of the con-
tainer) will preferably be that of a short cylinder.
To facilitate lighting and to give various points which may be ignited simul-
taneously there will be stiff strips of incombustible material placed within the
container and resting upon their edges on its bottom. The breadth of these
strips will be about equal to the height of the sides of the container and in the
finished candle their position will be indicated by ridges standing above the
level of the general surface of the candle. In starting the candle various joints
on these sulphur-coated ridges will be selected as points of ignition.
These strips may either cross each other at right-angles-when there will be
four radial ridges-or, there may be only one annular strip in which case the
sulphur-coated ridge will be concentric with the circumference of the container.
The containing vessel and the strips referred to will be made wholly or par-
tially of asbestos, and there will be a part of the vessel projecting outwards from
its upper edge at the required angle by means of which the candle can be handled
or moved from place to place when necessary.
When the candle is burnt out the vessel may be replenished with sulphur by
simply placing in it the necessary quantity and setting it in an oven to fuse.
Before lighting it is set into any vessel containing a quantity of water. The

page_text: water rises in the asbestos material by capillary attraction and its evaporation and
incorporation with the sulphurous fumes are accelerated by the heat from the
burning sulphur.
Dated this 20th day of August 1800
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Sulphur Candles and in their Containing Vessels.
I, JAMES LUVIAN WADE, of the Firm of J. L. Wade & Company Limited,
Manufacturing Chemists, of 62, Nine Elms Lane, London, in the County of
London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention for improvements in sulphur candles and in their containing
vessels has for its object to generate a copious supply of aqueous vapour at the
same time that the sulphur is being burnt to facilitate the production of hydrated
sulphurous acid, and consists in bringing water in a fine state of division and
therefore easily vaporised in closed proximity to the heat resulting from the com-
bustion of sulphur. In order to facilitate the lighting and burning of the sulphur
one or more broad corrugated wicks having the corrugations vertical are inserted
in the sulphur.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings: Fig. 1 is a sectional eleva-
tion of a candle constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan of
the same.
The
The container for the candle consists of a double vessel comprising the outer
chamber a in which is inserted the inner vessel b containing the sulphur e.
inner vessel b is surrounded by asbestos millboard or wick c or similar porous sheet.
The outer vessel a is partially filled with water e. Corrugated wicks d are
inserted into the sulphur and may be ordinary cotton wick soaked in a solution
of chlorate or nitrate of potash or similar substance.
It will readily be seen that the asbestos wick c will soak up the water and carry
o the top where it will be evaporated by the heat of the burning sulphur.
The outer vessel a may be omitted, the inner vessel 6 with the surrounding
millboard and contained sulphur being inserted in a basin of water before being
ignited.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it
understood that I am aware that it has been previously proposed to construct
containers for sulphur candles of porous materials to increase the production of
aqueous vapour so as to ensure its combination with the sulphurous anhydride
generated by the combustion of the sulphur and I make no claim to such construc-
tion generally, but I declare that what I claim is :-
-
1. In a sulphur candle the improved means for evaporating water during the
burning of the candle consisting of the use of incombustible porous material
substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of May 1899.