Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention (a communication
from George Henry Candler of the City of Toronto, in the County of York, in
the Province of Ontario, Canada, Journalist) 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 the invention is to design a device for relighting a gas jet
accidentally extinguished; and it consists, essentially, in suspending a piece of
patinum, or similar infusible metal above the gas jet at such a point that when
the gas is lighted the flame shall be capable of heating the platinum to a white
heat, and that when extinguished, any escaping gas must blow upon the said metal,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.
Figure 1, is a side view, showing this device applied to a gas burner.
Fig. 2, is a front view of the same.
Fig. 3, is a perspective detail of this gas-lighting device.
As illustrated in the drawing, it will be seen that this device consists simply of
a socket, A, made of any suitable material, and fitted onto the burner, B, as shown.
C, is an arm connected to and offset from the socket, A. This arm extends up
to a point corresponding with the top edge of the centre, or what is commonly
called the blue portion, of the flame, which is marked a.
A wire, D, is fixed to and extends substantially at right angles from the top of
the arm, C, to a point in proximity to the flame, preferably at that portion of the
flame marked, b, which is the second, or orange arc.
On the end of the wire, D, I fix a cross-piece of platinum, G, which, to get the
best results, I curve substantially as shown to correspond with the arc of the flame
behind which it is suspended, as shown.
In order to protect the arm, C, from the excessive heat of the gas flame it is
covered with an asbestos shield, E, which is secured to the arm by means of a
strap, F, as indicated.

page_text: It is well known that platinum is extremely infusible, is unaffected by atmo-
spheric action, and does not undergo oxidation in the air at even the highest
temperature. It is also well known that it possesses a remarkable power of
condensing and absorbing gases, and the inventor has discovered that when the
platinum is heated, a jet of ordinary gas blown upon it will raise the temperature
of the platinum to a white heat sufficient to ignite the gas.
The inventor has also discovered that during this change in the temperature the
platinum absorbs the major portion, if not all, the escaping gas, so that the air in
an apartment having gas jets provided with this attachment, will not be polluted
during the operation mentioned. It therefore follows that the application of this
invention to gas burners will effectually prevent the destruction of life so commonly
caused by ignorant people blowing out the gas jets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed' I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A piece of platinum suspended above a gas jet at such a point that when the
gas is lighted the flame shall be capable of heating the platinum to a white heat,
and than when extinguished, any escaping gas must be blown upon the said
platinum, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. A socket, A, fitted onto the burner, B, and having an arm, C, connected to
and offset from said socket, in combination with a wire, D, fixed to the arm, C,
and supporting the platinum wire, G, immediately behind the orange arc, b, of the
flame, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. A socket, A fitted upon the burner B, and having an arm, C, designed to
support the platinum wire, as specified, in combination with the asbestos shield, E,
arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 20th day of October 1886