IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO LAMPS IN ORDER TO CARRY OFF HEAT AND THE PRODUCTS OF COM- BUSTION
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
JOSEPH MECHI, of Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Cutler, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
5. Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Tenth day of November, in the fourth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Joseph Mechi, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Joseph Mechi, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Joseph Mechi, my exors, admors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE
APPLIED TO LAMPS IN ORDER TO CARRY OFF HEAT AND THE PRODUCTS OF COM-
BUSTION;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said John Joseph Mechi, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Joseph Mechi, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
In using lamps, whether gas or oil, in shops, rooms, or apartments, for the
purposes of light, in most cases the heat and products of combustion pass into
and mix with the air of the shops, rooms, or apartments. Thus is the atmosphere
therein not only highly heated, but the same is deteriorated in proportion to
the.number of lighted lamps used with reference to the dimensions of the
shops, rooms, or apartments. In some cases, however, what are called smoke-
consumers, which are inverted bell-shaped vessels, have been employed, placed
over the burners of lamps which consume gas, each such inverted bell-shaped
vessel being suspended from a small tube, seldom having an internal bore of
one inch diameter, such tube passing into the outer atmosphere; and although
such tubes will to a very limited extent carry off some of the heat as well as
the products of combustion of a lamp, it will be found of little use. Now
the object of my Invention is to apply such apparatus to lamps as will
efficiently carry off the heat and also the products of combustion, and at the
same time, in place of highly heating the atmosphere, and materially deterio-
rating it, as heretofore, the apparatus is so constructed as to carry off such
a quantity of air as will beneficially ventilate the shop, room, or apartment
wherein the lamps. are used; and in order most advantageously to apply my
Invention I prefer that the lamps should be placed as near to the ceiling of
the shop, room, or apartment as possible, and then, by the combination of
suitable reflecting surfaces, the light may be thrown downwards towards the
floor; and this will be found by far the most agreeable mode of applying lamps
for the purposes of light, whether consuming gas or oil; but this arrangement
is not necessary where descending tubes or apparatus of the diameter or size
required for carrying off the heat and products of combustion will not be
considered objectionable. In burning gas or oil in lamps I have discovered
that the greatest effect of light cannot be obtained therefrom unless there is
a continuous large supply of pure atmospheric air thereto, and the heat and
products of combustion are carried off with great rapidity, and that this cannot
'be accomplished unless the flame be so circumstanced as to be placed in a
considerable draft from below upwards, and in such manner that the heat
and products of combustion may not pass into and mix with the atmosphere
of the shop, room, or apartment, but be carried away by such draft; and

page_text: after many experiments and trials I have found that the most beneficial effects
of combustion cannot be obtained when consuming gas or oil in lamps unless
the apparatus for carrying off the heat and products of combustion is equal to
offer a sectional area of eighteen superficial inches for each burner capable
of consuming from ten to thirteen cubit feet of gas per hour, and so on for
larger or less size burners; and such is also the case in respect to lamps
consuming oil with burners of like diameters to those above mentioned. for
gas. lamps; and I find. it desirable to obtain a considerable altitude for the
apparatus or flues by which the draft is obtained, say, thirty feet or more above
the point of combustion.. By this means the draft will be very considerable,
and materially aid, and, when combined with the action of the heat, bringing
about, the desired results of carrying off the products of combustion, inducing
a continuous rush of air up to the frame or frames, and thereby ventilating
the shop, room, or apartment, in place of heating and deteriorating the
atmoenhora therein.
Figure represents gas amp
to any part of the ceiling of a shop, room, or apartment, there being a suitable
reflector applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a gas burner with a single burner proper for a standard lamp.
Figure 8 is a gas lamp with three burners, also suitable for a standard
lamp, or to stand against a wall.
Figure. 4. is another arrangement of lamp for. being suspended near the
ceiling.
Figures 5 and 6 shew the description of gas burner and glass chimney I
prefer to use, but the same may be varied.
In each of these Figures, a, a, are the burners of the lamps, and 6 the
reflectors, which may be of metal or glass; c is the gas supply pipe ;
and e, e, the apparatus for carrying off the heat and products of com-
bustion. from the lamps; and it is the mode of applying such apparatus
which constitutes the Invention. The apparatus e, e, consists of a tube
of such a sectional area that there will be about eighteen inches to each
burner, consuming ten to thirteen cubic feet of gas per hour, and so on
in proportion for larger or less burners. By this arrangement the largest
effect will be produced. At the same time I would remark, that a small
variation from such dimensions will not greatly prejudice the effect; but
much less or larger dimensions would injure the effect materially. And I
usually form such tubes or apparatus of sheet iron, though other material

page_text: might be used, and I convey them as quickly into the open air or into a
chimney or other outlet from the shop, room, or apartment as possible; unless
I wish to use the heat of such tubes for warming upper apartments. In such
cases I pass the tubes e through such apartments, taking care that the tubes
e are on a continued rise from their lower to the upper ends, in order that the
draft within may be as rapid as possible, and at the upper end of each tube e I
apply a cowl, as is shewn at d; and I have found when the tubes are of con-
siderable length that they may be somewhat smaller in diameter as they
approach their upper ends than at their lower ends, but they should not be
less than to offer a section equal to fourteen superficial inches for each
burner of the size above mentioned. It may be remarked that in using
apparatus of such dimensions as will effectually carry off the heat and pro-
ducts of combustion of lamps in shops, rooms, and apartments, the atmo-
sphere will not be raised to that high decree of temperature now so much
experienced in shops, rooms, and apartments where a large number of lamps
are necessarily employed to obtain the light required, which is a serious
objection to the using of many lamps, particularly of gas; and from the
products of combustion being effectually removed the atmosphere will from
that circumstance also be retained in a much more healthy condition when
a like number of lamps are used than could be obtained when applied
according to the means heretofore practised.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark, that
although I have been thus particular in describing the exact proportions for
obtaining the most advantageous results, yet I do not confine myself thereto,
so long as the general character of my Invention be retained. At the same
time I would have it understood that I do not claim the application of tubes
or such like apparatus to lamps for carrying off heat and the products of
combustion, in any case where the sectional area of the continuation upwards
of the apparatus e, from the lamp towards the outer atmosphere, and beyond
the inverted bell vessel, if used, is not greater than the glass chimney or chimney's
of the lamp or lamps. And I would have it understood that what I claim
as the Invention secured by the above-recited Letters Patent is the mode of
applying apparatus to lamps in order to carry off heat and the products of
combustion as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Joseph Mechi, have heréunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, in the year of our
· Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
(L.B.) J. J. MECHI.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid John Joseph Mechi came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-one.