IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING OIL OR OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1884

page_text: We ALFRED DAVID TURNER of 34 Rippoth Road Old Ford in the County of
Middlesex Engineer and WILLIAM FLATAU of Lusan House Highbury Quadrant
in the same County Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING OIL OR OTHER LIQUIDS to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is firstly to construct an apparatus whereby the flow
or supply of oil or other liquid to lamp burners can be regulated and whereby
overflow, particularly when the lamp is not burning, is prevented.
For this purpose we place in a chamber from which the wick tube is supplied
a float which carries a vertical rod. On this rod is a nut fitted with a leather or
other washer. The rod passes into the tube which supplies the oil from the
reservoir above, this tube thus acting also as a guide to the rod. When the oil
in the chamber above mentioned reaches a certain given level the washer comes
against the end of and closes the tube and thereby stops the flow of oil; and by
adjusting the position of the nut upon the vertical rod the level of oil in the
chamber at which the supply tube is closed can be regulated as required.
The nut and washer can be arranged to close either the upper or the lower end
of the tube as may be found desirable according to the particular form of lamp
to which the apparatus is fitted. When it is used to close the upper end, the float
has an arm pivoted to a fixed part, the outer end of this arm being jointed to the
lower end of the rod.
Our invention further consists in making lamp wicks of asbestos (or other
unconsumable fibre such as cotton slag) combined with cotton or other like
material in such a way that the part of the wick at which the oil burns is
entirely of asbestos while the cotton acts by capillarity to feed the asbestos which
does not itself possess sufficient capillary power. We enclose the asbestos within
the upper part of the cotton wick but in such a way that the asbestos projects at
the top.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the Applicants,

page_text: We ALFRED DAVID TURNER of 34 Rippoth Road, Old Ford, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and WILLIAM FLATAU of Lusan House, Highbury
Quadrant, in the same County, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING OIL OR OTHER LIQUIDS'
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement
"
The object of our invention is firstly to construct an apparatus whereby the flow
or supply of oil or other liquid to lamp burners can be regulated and whereby
over-flow, particularly when the lamp is not burning, is prevented.
For this purpose we place in a chamber from which the wick tube is supplied
a float which carries a vertical rod. On this rod is a nut fitted with a leather or
other washer. The rod passes into the tube which supplies the oil from the
reservoir above this tube thus acting also as a guide to the rod.
When the oil
in the chamber above mentioned reaches a certain given level the washer comes
against the end of and closes the tube and thereby stops the flow of oil, and by
adjusting the position of the nut upon the vertical rod the level of oil in the
chamber at which the supply tube is closed can be regulated as required.
The nut and washer can be arranged to close either the upper or the lower end
of the tube as may be found desirable according to the particular form of lamp
to which the apparatus is fitted. When it is used to close the upper end, the float
has an arm pivoted to a fixed part, the outer end of this arm being jointed to the
lower end of the rod.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents the application of the
improvement hereinbefore described to regulate the supply of oil to the burner
of a railway carriage or similar lamp. a is the lamp burner fitted with a wick
in any suitable manner. b is an oil chamber for feeding the wick. The chamber b
is supplied with oil from any suitable reservoir above through the tube c. d is
a float in the chamber band carrying au arme which is pivoted at f and is
connected to the lower end of a rod g. The rod g passes through the tube c and
is threaded at its upper end to receive a nut h which is fitted with a leather or
other washer i. When the oil in the chamber 6 has reached a given level the float
has risen sufficiently to draw down the washer against the upper end of the tube c
and therefore to stop the flow of the oil. By adjusting the position of the nut the
level of oil in the chamber b at which the supply tube c shall be closed can be
regulated. Figure 2 represents the application of the improvement to a bracket
lamp. Similar letters of reference to those in Figure 1 indicate corresponding
parts. The washer in this case closes the lower end of the tube c when the
float & has risen to the given level.
Our invention further consists in making lamp wicks of asbestos (or other
incombustible fibre such as cotton slag) combined with cotton or other like material
in such a way that the part of the wick at which the oil burns is entirely of
asbestos while the cotton acts by capillarity to feed the asbestos which does not
itself possess sufficient capillary power. We enclose the asbestos within the
upper part of the cotton wick but in such a way that the asbestos projects at
the top.
Figures 3 and 4 represent in side view and transverse section respectively a wick
of flat form made of cotton and asbestos combined as above described. a is the
asbestos and b the cotton. It will be seen that the part of the wick at which the
oil burns is entirely of asbestos which at its lower part is enclosed by the cotton;
the cotton and asbestos are preferably secured to each other by stitching.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. Constructing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and represented
in Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings for regulating the flow or supply of oil
or other liquid to lamp burners.
2. Making lamp wicks of asbestos or other incombustible fibre combined with
cotton or other like material in such a way that the part of the wick at which the
oil burns consists entirely of the incombustible fibre while the cotton or like
material feeds the incombustible fibre substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in Figures 3 and 4 of the annexed drawings.
Dated this 14th day of October 1884