AN IMPROVED LAMP FOR BURNING COAL OIL AND OTHER SIMILAR HYDRO- CARBONS WITHOUT THE AID OF A DRAUGHT CHIMNEY
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 58, 'Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED LAMP FOR BURNING COAL OIL AND OTHER SIMILAR HYDRO-
CARBONS WITHOUT THE AID OF A DRAUGHT CHIMNEY."-A communication
from abroad by Woolsey George Sterling and Nathaniel Wheeler, both
of Bridgeport, in the County of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, United
States of America.
Sealed the 12th January 1864, and dated the 12th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
August 1868.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED LAMP FOR BURNING COAL OIL AND OTHER
SIMILAR HYDROCARBONS WITHOUT THE AID OF A DRAUGHT CHIMNEY,"
,"to be as
follows:-"
This Invention consists in, the employment or use of a skeleton bridge
attached to a plate or cap, which is fitted on a cylindrical wick tube, the
plate or cap being provided with a perforated tube which encompasses the
wick tube, and is of sufficient diameter to admit of an air space between
the wick tube and perforated tube, all being so constructed and arranged that

page_text: the flame will be spread over a considerable area at its base, and supplied
with a requisite amount of oxygen to support proper combustion and produce
a good illuminating flame.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents an elevation of the upper
part of the lamp and burner; Fig. 2, an elevation of the upper part of the lamp
with the skeleton bridge, cap, and perforated tube bisected vertically; while
Fig. 3 is a detached view of the skeleton bridge after being cut out prior to
being bent in proper form.
The features of the Invention consist in the employment or use of the
skeleton bridge H, either fixed or hinged, in connection with a draught tube F,
said parts being attached to a detached plate or cap E fitted in the wick tube
D or to the lamp top C, so as to have a proper relative position with the wick
tube and the flame of the lamp to operate as desired, also the application of
the detached plate or cap E provided with a glass G or other material which
is a good-non-conductor of heat, in combination with the skeleton bridge H
and tube F.
-SPECIFICATION "in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight.hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark; my
executors,.administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, 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 LAMP FOR
BURNING COAL OIL AND OTHER SIMILAR HYDROCARBONS WITHOUT THE AID OF A
DRAUGHT CHIMNEY," a con". to me from abroad by Woolsey George Sterling

page_text: and Nathaniel Wheeler, both of Bridgeport, in the County of Fairfield,
State of Connecticut, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the,
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
-
This Invention consists in the employment or use of a skeleton bridge:
attached to a plate or cap which is fitted on a cylindrical wick tube, the plate:
or cap being provided with a perforated tube which encompasses the wick tubė.
and is of sufficient diameter to admit of an air space between the wick tube.
and perforated tube, all being so constructed and arranged that the flame
will be spread over a considerable area at its base and supplied with a-
requisite amount of oxygen to support proper combustion and produce a good
illuminating flame.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents an elevation of the
lamp, showing one side of the burner; Fig. 2, an elevation of the upper:
part of the same, showing one end of the burner; Fig. 3, a plan or top
view of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4, an elevation of the upper part of the lamp,”
with the skeleton-bridge, cap, and perforated tube bisected vertically as.
indicated by the line a, a, in Fig. 8; Fig. 5, a detached view of the
skeleton bridge after being cut out, prior to being. bent in proper form..
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several.
Figures..
.
.
1
A represents the body or fountain of the lamp, which may be constructed
in any of the known frames, and B is the socket at the top of the body or
fountain A, into which the top C is screwed in the ordinary way. Into~
this top C a cylindrical wick tube D is inserted and permanently secured!
These parts are all well known, and do not necessarily vary from the
ordinary lamps which are provided with cylindrical wick tubes. E repre-
sents a plate or cap, which may be. of cylindrical or other proper form….”

page_text: This plate or cap has a perforated tube F attached centrally. to it, and.
projecting upward a suitable distance, the tube F being somewhat larger
in diameter than the wick tube, so as to admit of an air space a between.
The
the two tubes when F is fitted on D, as shown clearly in Fig. 4.
plate E has a hole 6 made centrally through it in line with the perforated
tube F to admit of the plate being fitted on the wick tube; and in order
to isolate said plate from the wick tube, a piece of glass G, or other mate-.
rial which is a good non-conductor of heat, is fitted within or underneath.
the plate, as also shown in Fig. 4. When the plate E is fitted on the
wick tube, the lower edge of the glass G or other non-condnetor rests on
the top C and encompasses the wick tube D, the plate not being in con-
tact with D. H represents what may be termed a skeleton bridge, the ends
of which are attached to the plate Ę near its edge. This bridge approxi-
mates in form to a parabola, as shown in Eigs. 1 and 4, and its centre is
some distance above the top of the wick tube D and perforated tube. F of the
plate E. The bridge may be cut out of a piece of sheet metal in the form
shown in Fig. 5, and then bent in the arch or parabolic form shown in
Figs. 1 and 4.
The bridge, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 5, is composed of two side
strips c, c, which project inward at their centres, so as to leave a narrower
space at the centre of the bridge, and also composed of two end pieces d, d, each
of which is perforated with a hole e, and is provided with a lip f. The lips f
are fitted in holes in the plate E, and are secured therein by solder or other
proper means.
.
This arrangement forms a permanent connection of the bridge to the plate E,
but in certain cases it may be desirable to have the bridge attached .to the
plate in such a manner that it may be turned or folded down to expose the wick
tube and render the same more accessible.than it would otherwise_be: for.the.
purpose of trimming and lighting the wick.
:
To effect this the end pieces d, d, of the bridge may be .attached to the
plate E by means of pivots, and the bridge held in an upright position by.
means of any suitable stop, catch, or fastening, so arranged that it may be
readily adjusted when necessary to release the bridge, and admit of the latter
being turned or folded down. The perforated tube F of the plate E and
the wick tube D have their upper ends on the same level or in the same
horizontal plane, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, and when the wick I is fitted
in the tube D its upper end is adjusted a little above the top of tube D,
the wick being adjusted by the usual serrated wheel placed on a shaft J.

page_text: When the wick I is lighted, the flame K passes up through the" centre:
of the bridge H, the side strips c, c, of which in consequence of projecting.
inward or.toward each other impinge upon or against the flame, causing
the latter to spread at its base, and nearly or quite extend over the whole of
the space included between the side strips c; c, and the end pieces'd, d, of
the bridge, as shown in Fig. 1. As the wick is of cylindrical form, and
quite small in diameter, less than the width of the space at the centre
of the bridge, it will be seen that the flame is very materially extended
or spread out by the bridge, and a large area of the flame exposed to
the air, especially to the current which will pass up through the space a
between the two tubes F, D, the air passing into said space through the
perforations in F, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, by this means
the flame will be supplied with a requisite amount of oxygen to support
proper combustion, and produce a brilliant illuminating flame. The glass
or other non-conducting material G serves to isolate the plate E from
the wick tube D and top C, and prevent heat being transmitted from the
flame down to the oil in the lamp, and the consequent undue evaporation of
the oil.
This non-conducting substance however may not be essential in all cases,
especially when coal oil of a low grade is used; but when oil of a high
grade which vaporizes at a comparatively low temperature is used, the
non-conductor may be an advantage, as undue volatilization causes an
emission of smoke and an unpleasant odor. The plate or cap E may also
be dispensed with, and the bridge and perforated tube attached directly.
to the lamp top C, but it would be preferable to use the plate or cap; and
the perforated tube F can be used without being perforated by elevating
it so as to allow the air to pass under it, but when perforated it gives the
best light.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of.
performing the same, I declare, that what I claim as the Invention to bo
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the employment or use of the skeleton bridge H, either fixed or hinged,
in connection with a draught tube F, said parts being attached to a
detached plate or cap E fitted on the wick tube D or to the lamp
top C, so as to have a proper relative position with the wick tube and the
flame of the lamp to operate, as and for the purpose specified.
Secondly, the detached plate or cap E provided with a glass G, or other
material which is a good non-conductor of heat, in combination with the

page_text: skeleton bridge H and tube F, substantially as & for the purpose
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
58, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)