IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF BURNERS USED FOR ILLUMINATING PURPOSES IN WHICH GAS IS EMPLOYED AS THE ILLUMINATING MEDIUM FOR DIFFUSING LIGHT
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Drake Palmer at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1876.
JOHN DRAKE PALMER, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF BURNERS USED FOR ILLUMINATING
PURPOSES IN WHICH GAS IS EMPLOYED AS THE ILLUMINATING MEDIUM FOR
DIFFUSING LIGHT."
This Invention is designed to effect important improvements in gas lighting, for
example, economizing the quantity of gas consumed, by greatly increasing the
illuminating power thereof, and further, in dispensing with the necessity for
employing lamp posts as now used for lighting streets, roads, and ways, and
generally simplifying the construction of the chandeliers and other means heretofore
used for supporting or suspending the burners from which the light from the gas is
to be emitted or radiated.
The means by which is is proposed to effect these improvements according to this
Invention are as follows, that is to say, in the first place instead of constructing
gas burners as heretofore practised it is proposed to construct them in the following
manner form a ring or band of metal or other suitable material with a vertical
annular groove or channel therein. Into this groove 1 fix and hermetically seal or
enclose the lower edge and part of an oval or elliptical shaped dome or cap of very
finely woven wire gauze made of platinum, iridium, or other metal possessing the
like properties of resisting great heat and non-oxydizable. To the upper part of
the aforesaid wire gauze I affix air-tight a rod of metal or other suitable material,
and the lower end of the said rod I affix to a cross bar fixed by its ends to the
aforesaid ring or band which supports the aforesaid wire gauze cap.
To one part of the under edge of the aforesaid ring or band I fix one end of a
short bent pipe or tube of metal, and the other end of the said pipe or tube I
connect by a screw to the pipe through which the gas passes similarly to the
ordinary argand burner of a gas lamp. Opposite to the before-mentioned bent pipe
another short bent pipe is affixed to the lower edge of the aforesaid annular grooved
band, this last mentioned pipe is either formed open at its lower end or with holes
in the side thereof, or both at the end and side for the passage of atmospheric air
which is intended to mix with gas in the aforesaid wire gauze cap; the gas and air
pass through holes in the aforesaid band, and that part of the groove therein which
is not occupied by the wire gauze and which portion of the said groove should be
left free for that purpose, or the gas and air may be otherwise allowed to pass into
the space within the said cap.

page_text: The operation of a burner constructed as above described is as follows:-Upon
gas being admitted inside of the aforesaid wire gauze cap it will mix with the air
admitted thereinto as before described, and upon a flame being applied to the
outside of the said cap the gas will become ignited and flame for a short time, after
which the flame will disappear and be followed by an intense white luminous body
covering the entire outer surface of the aforesaid wire gauze cap, and thus emit a
brilliant white light produced by the perfect combustion of the gas resulting from
the combination of the air with the gas and its passage through the meshes or
And in this
interstices of the heated wire gauze of which the cap is made.
manner and by these means.economy in gas may be effected, and a pure and brilliant
light obtained.
By this Invention standing lamp posts are not necessary as the aforesaid burner
may be affixed to a projecting arni or bracket fixed to a wall, house, or other build-

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Drake Palmer at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1876.
JOHN DRAKE PALMER, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF BURNERS USED FOR ILLUMINATING
PURPOSES IN WHICH GAS IS EMPLOYED AS THE ILLUMINATING MEDIUM FOR
DIFFUSING LIGHT."
This Invention is designed to effect important improvements in gas lighting, for
example, economizing the quantity of gas consumed, by greatly increasing the
illuminating power thereof, and further, in dispensing with the necessity for
employing lamp posts as now used for lighting streets, roads, and ways, and
generally simplifying the construction of the chandeliers and other means heretofore
used for supporting or suspending the burners from which the light from the gas is
to be emitted or radiated.
The means by which is is proposed to effect these improvements according to this
Invention are as follows, that is to say, in the first place instead of constructing
gas burners as heretofore practised it is proposed to construct them in the following
imanner :-I form a ring or band of metal or other suitable material with a vertical
annular groove or channel therein. Into this groove I fix and hermetically seal or
enclose the lower edge and part of an oval or elliptical shaped dome or cap of very
finely woven wire gauze made of platinum, iridium, or other metal possessing the
like properties of resisting great heat and non-oxydizable. To the upper part of
the aforesaid wire gauze I affix air-tight a rod of metal or other suitable material,
and the lower end of the said rod I affix to a cross bar fixed by its ends to the
aforesaid ring or band which supports the aforesaid wire ganze cap.
To one part of the under edge of the aforesaid ring or band I fix one end of a
short bent pipe or tube of metal, and the other end of the said pipe or tube
connect by a screw to the pipe through which the gas passes similarly to the
ordinary argand burner of a gas lamp. Opposite to the before-mentioned bent pipe
another short bent pipe is affixed to the lower edge of the aforesaid annular grooved
band, this last mentioned pipe is either formed open at its lower end or with holes
in the side thereof, or both at the end and side for the passage of atmospheric air
which is intended to mix with gas in the aforesaid wire gauze cap; the gas and air
pass through holes in the aforesaid band, and that part of the groove therein which
is not occupied by the wire gauze and which portion of the said groove should be
left free for that purpose, or the gas and air may be otherwise allowed to pass into
the space within the said cap.

page_text: The operation of a burner constructed as above described is as follows:-Upon
gas being admitted inside of the aforesaid wire gauze cap it will mix with the air
admitted thereinto as before described, and upon a flame being applied to the
outside of the said cap the gas will become ignited and flame for a short time, after
which the flame will disappear and be followed by an intense white luminous body
covering the entire outer surface of the aforesaid wire gauze cap, and thus emit a
brilliant white light produced by the perfect combustion of the gas resulting from
the combination of the air with the gas and its passage through the meshes or
interstices of the heated wire gauze of which the cap is made. And in this
manner and by these means economy in gas may be effected, and a pure and brilliant
light obtained.
By this invention standing lamp posts are not necessary as the aforesaid burner
may be affixed to a projecting arm or bracket fixed to a wall, house, or other build-
ing or otherwise.