IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINES AND THEIR STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1869

page_text: LEITERS PATENT to Francis William Fox and Edwin Walker, both
of Atlas Iron Works, near Bristol, in the County of Gloucester, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINES AND
THEIR STEAM BOILERS."
Sealed the 18th March 1870, and dated the 27th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Fox
and Edwin Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of l'atents,
with their l'etition, on the 27th September 1869.
We, FRANCIS WILLIAM Fox and EDWIN WALKER, both of Atlas Iron
Works, near Bristol, in the County of Gloucester, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND
OTHER ENGINES AND THEIR STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in an improved arrangement of that class of
locomotive, marine, or stationary engine wherein the gascous products of
combustion or heated air are forced from a closed furnace into and among
the water in the steam boiler so as to mingle with the steam and to pass
with the same into the steam cylinders. For this purpose we construct
a closed fire-box or furnace lined by preference with fire-brick organister,

page_text: into which atmospheric air and liquid hydrocarbon are forced by a pump
worked by the engine, for which purpose the hydrocarbons may be made
to issue from a small pipe situated centrally inside the air pipe, the air
and hydrocarbon being made to pass into one or more perforated tubes
in the bottom lining of the furnace, from the perforations of which tube
or tubes they issue through corresponding perforations in the lining into
the furnace, where they enter into combustion. Or the air and hydro-
carbon may be forced through separate pipes and apertures into the
furnace. In the furnace are arranged walls or loosely piled pieces of
fire-brick with interstices between them into which the flames and hot
gases resulting from the combustion rise so as to heat the fire-brick to a
high degree and thus produce a reservoir of heat. The highly heated
gaseous products of combustion are forced by the pressure maintained in
the furnace or fire-box into a helical or spiral tube situated in the water
space of the boiler, so that as the gases pass along such tube the beat
thereof is rapidly imparted to the water on the outside of the tube,
which is by preference made of copper to facilitate such conduction, and
is of such a length as to cause the gases to be cooled down to a con-
siderable extent before reaching the farther end. At such farther end of
the spiral tube the gases are forced into a box or chamber containing two
self-acting valves one above or in advance of the other, and both opening
against the pressure of steam in the boiler, from which chamber the
gases are conducted into one or more other tubes also situated in the
water space of the boiler and provided with small perforations on its or
their under side through which the gases issue into the water and become
intimately mixed with the steam generated by the heat given off by such
gases. The before-mentioned valves prevent the forcing of the water
from the boiler back through the spiral pipe and into the furnace by the
pressure of the steam, in case such pressure should through the stopping
of the engine or any other cause at any time exceed the pressure of the
gases inside the furnace. This latter pressure would of course slightly
exceed that in the boiler when the engine is at work in order to enable
the gases to be forced into the boiler. The combined steam and gases
after having done duty in the steam cylinders are allowed to escape
through a pipe into feed water tanks, which in the case of locomotive
engines may be conveniently situated at the sides of the boiler in a
similar manner to an arrangement now employed, and tanks containing
the hydrocarbon oil may also be similarly arranged. The pump for
forcing the air and hydrocarbon oil into the furnace may be worked

page_text: either from the steam cylinders of the engine or from a separate steam
cylinder. For getting up steam in the first instance in the engine an
auxilliary or donkey engine or boiler is provided, which either supplies
steam directly to the separate steam cylinder just mentioned so as to set
the pump to work, or the donkey engine is provided with an air pump
for forcing air into the boiler of the engine to a sufficient extent to
actuate the engine and thereby also to set the pumps in motion, for
which purpose in the case of a locomotive engine the driving wheels are
lifted clear of the rails by any known appliance. In place of forcing air
into the boiler by means of an ordinary pump an injector may be em-
ployed for forcing the air into the boiler and at the same time imparting
heat to it bymeans of a jet of steam in a similar manner tothat inwhich an
ordinary injector forces water into a steam boiler; or again the air may
be forced in by an auxilliary pump worked by hand only. For oberving
the state of combustion going on in the furnace or fire-box an aperture
is formed in the front thereof, from which a gradually diminishing
passage or tube passes outwards to a small cyc glass closing the end
of the passage, whereby the intense heat of the furnace is reduced con-
siderably before coming into contact with the eye glass, which may be
further protected by a metal slide or door inside the tube, to be opened
by a handle by the attendant when he wishes to look into the furnace.
For gaining access into the furnace for cleaning out or repairs a man-
hole is provided in the bottom thereof, closed by a door or slide. In
place of employing a closed furnace as described and forcing the gaseous
products of combustion therefrom into the boiler, the furnace may be
made open of the ordinary construction, and atmospheric air may be
forced by the pump through pipes or passages in such furnace, and
thence after becoming highly heated through the before described spiral
tube, valves, and perforated tube into the boiler.
30 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis William Fox and Edwin Walker in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANCIS
WILLIAM Fox and EDWIN WALKER, both of Atlas Iron Works, near
15 Bristol, in the County of Gloucester, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Francis William Fox and Edwin Walker,
Her special licence that we, the said Francis William Fox and Edwin
Walker, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Francis William Fox and Edwin Walker, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at anytime 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE
AND OTHER ENGINES AND THEIR STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Francis William Fox and Edwin Walker,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edwin Walker, on behalf of myself
and the said Francis William Fox, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists in an improved arrangement of that class of
locomotive, marine, or stationary engine wherein the gaseous products of
combustion or air are forced from a closed furnace into and among the
water in the steam boiler so as to mingle with the steam and to pass
with the same into the steam cylinders. For this purpose we construct
a closed fire-box or furnace lined by preference with fire-brick or ganister
into which atmospheric air and liquid hydrocarbon are forced by a pump
worked by the engine, for which purpose the hydrocarbons may be made
to issue from a small pipe situated centrally inside the air pipe, the air
and hydrocarbon being made to pass into one or more perforated tubes
in the bottom lining of the furnace, from the perforations of which tube

page_text: or tubes they issue through corresponding perforations in the lining into
the furnace, where they enter into combustion; or the air and hydro-
carbon may be forced through separate pipes and apertures into the
furnace. In the furnace are arranged walls or loosely piled pieces of
fire-brick with interstices between them, into which the flames and hot
gases resulting from the combustion rise so as to heat the fire-brick to
a high degree and thus produce a reservoir of heat. The highly heated
gaseous products of combustion are forced by the pressure maintained in
the furnace or fire-box into a helical or spiral tube situated in the water
space of the boiler, so that as the gases pass along such tube the heat
thereof is rapidly imparted to the water on the outside of the tube, which
is by preference made of copper to facilitate such conduction, and is of
such a length as to cause the gases to be cooled down to a considerable
extent before reaching the farther end. At such farther end of the spiral
tube the gases are forced into a box or chamber containing two self-acting
valves, one above or in advance of the other, and both opening against the
pressure of steam in the boiler, from which chamber the gases are con-
ducted into one or more other tubes also situated in the water space of
the boiler and provided with small perforations on its or their under side,
through which the gases issue into the water and become intimately
mixed with the steam generated by the heat given off by such gases. The
before-mentioned valves prevent the forcing of the water from the boiler
back through the spiral pipe and into the furnace by the pressure of the
steam, in case such pressure should through the stopping of the engine
or any other cause at any time exceed the pressure of the gases inside
the furnace. This latter pressure would of course slightly exceed that
in the boiler when the engine is at work, in order to enable the gases to
be forced into the boiler. The combined steam and gases after having
done duty in the steam cylinders are allowed to escape through a pipe
into feed water tanks which in the case of locomotive engines may be
conveniently situated at the sides of the boiler in a similar manner to an
arrangement now employed, and tanks containing the hydrocarbon oil
may also be similarly arranged. The pump for forcing the air and
hydrocarbon oil into the furnace may be worked either from the steam
cylinders of the engine or from a separate steam cylinder. For getting
up steam in the first instance in the engine an auxilliary or donkey
engine or boiler is provided, which either supplies steam directly to the
separate steam cylinder just mentioned so as to set the pump to work, or
the donkey engine is provided with an air pump for forcing air into the

page_text: boiler of the engine to a sufficient extent to actuate the engine and
thereby also to set the pumps in motion, for which purpose in the case
of a locomotive engine the driving wheels are lifted clear of the rails by
any known appliance. In place of forcing air into the boiler by means of
an ordinary pump an injector may be employed for forcing the air into
the boiler and at the same time imparting heat to it by means of a jet of
steam in a similar manner to that in which an ordinary injector forces
water in a steam boiler. Or again the air may be forced in by an
auxilliary pump worked by hand only. For observing the state of com-
bustion going on in the furnace or fire-box, an aperture is formed in the
front thereof, from which a gradually diminishing passage or tube passes
outward to a small eye glass, closing the end of the passage, whereby the
intense heat of the furnace is reduced considerably before coming into
contact with the eye glass which may be further protected by a metal
slide or door inside the tube to be opened by a handle by the attendant,
when he wishes to look into the furnace. For gaining access into the
furnace for cleaning out or repairs a man-hole is provided in the bottom
thereof closed by a door or slide. In place of employing a closed furnace
as described, and forcing the gaseous products of combustion therefrom
into the boiler, the furnace may be made open of the ordinary construc-
tion and atmospheric air may be forced by the pump through pipes or
passages in such furnace and thence after becoming highly heated
through the before described spiral tube valves and perforated tube into
the boiler..
Having thus set forth the nature of our Invention, we will now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same, for
which purpose we shall refer to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in
which Figure 1 shows a side elevation, and Figure 2 a longitudinal
section of our improved locomotive engine.
The boiler of the engine is provided with a closed fire-box B lined
with fire-brick or ganister. In the bottom part of this lining are formed
one or more spaces or passages C communicating with the interior of the
fire-box by means of perforations D, D, in the fire-brick. Into these
spaces are forced air and liquid, hydrocarbon, or creosote, the former
being pumped in through the pipe E¹ by means of pumps E on each
side of the engine actuated by cranks F on the axles of the driving wheels
as shewn in Figure 1, while the creosote is pumped in through the small
pipe G³ inside E' by small force pumps G actuated by the slide valve

page_text: rods L of the steam cylinders I, the creosote being made to pass to such
pumps through small pipes G' from tanks J on each side of the fire-box,
while it is conducted from the pumps to the pipe C through the pipe G*.
By thus actuating the creosote pumps by means of the slide valve rods
the quantity of creosote injected will be regulatedexactlyaccording to the
supply of steam required, thus when the engine has not much work to do
the slide valves will be set by means of the link motion and reversing
lever so as to work the steam expansively, and by thus shortening the
stroke of the slide valve rods the stroke of the creosote pumps will be
reduced in a corresponding manner. On issuing into the fire-box through
the perforations D the mixture of air and creosote is made to enter into
combustion, the fire-box being by preference provided either with a wick
or cone of perforated fire-brick (not shewn on the Drawings) or with walls
of perforated or loosely piled pieces of fire-brick, into the perforations or
interstices of which the flames and hot gases resulting from such com-
bustion are caused to pass, thus heating the fire-brick to a high degree,
forming a reservoir of heat and effecting the more perfect combustion of
the creosote. From the fire-box the highly heated gaseous products of this
combustion are forced by the pressure of the pumps E to pass into one
or more spiral copper tubes K situated in the water space of the boiler,
so that in passing along such tubes a great portion of the heat residing
in the gases is imparted to the water so as to raise the steam in the
boiler. Arrived at the end of the spiral tube K the gases now reduced
to a temperature of about 600° are forced through a valve box L con-
taining two valves, one in advance of the other, opening against the
pressure of steam in the boiler, and from this valve box the gases escape
into the tube M. This tube is perforated along its entire length so that
the gases issue into the water space of the boiler in minute bubbles
through such perforations and while imparting any surplus heat they
may contain to the water and steam they become intimately mixed
with the latter in rising up into the steam space. By means of the stop
back valves at L the pressure inside the boiler is prevented from forcing
the water through the spiral tubes into the fire-box, should the force
pumps E at any time get out of order so as to prevent the proper pressure
being maintained in the fire-box. Any small leakage of water through
the valves would be of no consequence as it would be at once converted
into steam in the spiral tubes before it could reach the fire-box. The
combined steam and other gases are admitted to the steam cylinders
through the pipe N and valve O in the usual manner, and after doing

page_text: duty therein the exhaust steam and gases are caused to pass through the
pipe Pinto the feed water tanks Q on each side of the engine so as to
impart their heat to the water, the uncondensed gases being allowed to
escape into the chimney through the pipe P. The exhaust pipe P is pro-
vided with a valve at R by means of which the exhaust gases can be made
at pleasure cither to pass into the water tanks, as described, or direct into
the chimney in a similar manner to that now used with ordinary engines.
For the purpose of inspecting the furnace an eye glass is provided at
the end of the tube S which is surrounded by a jacket through which
water is made to circulate so as to protect the eye glass from the more
intense heat. A further protection may be afforded by a slide (not
shewn on the Drawing to be moved in front of the eye glass when no
inspection is made. An auxilliary or donkey engine and boiler is pro-
vided at T for getting up steam in the engine in the first instance. For
this purpose the donkey engine is made to work an air pump U, by means
of which air is forced into the boiler and thence to the steam cylinders so
as to set the air and creosote pumps in motion, the driving wheels being
for this purpose lifted clear of the rails if desired. The air and creosote
being thus forced into the fire-box they are ignited by the introduction of
a lighted wick through a plugged aperture and the engine is thus put in
action. The fire-box is provided at bottom with a securely closed
man-hole for gaining access to the interior thereof for repairs when
needed.
Having thus described the nature of our luvention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do not
limit ourselves to the precise arrangement of our improved engine
herein-before described with reference to the accompanying Drawing,
nor to the application of our Invention to locomotive engines, as it is
equally applicable to portable, stationary, and marine engines, nor do we
claim generally the system of forcing the gaseous products of com-
bustion or atmospheric air into the steam boiler so as to act together
with the steam in the steam cylinders, as we are aware that this has been
before proposed, but what we claim is,-
First. The construction of locomotive and other steam engines
wherein air and liquid fuel only are introduced by means of pumps into
a closed fire-box lined with fire-brick or other suitable refractory
material, the gaseous products of their combustion being forced from
the fire-box through one or more spiral or other tubes inside the boiler

page_text: offering very extended surfaces, and communicating through stop back
valves with a perforated pipe, through which the said gaseous products
of combustion pass into the boiler so as to mix with the steam thereof,
substantially as herein-before set forth.
Second. The peculiar arrangement of pumps actuated by the engine,
of perforated passages in the bottom of the fire-box or furnace, and of
perforated fire-brick cones, cylinders, or walls inside the furnace for
effecting the introduction and combustion of air and liquid fuel, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.
Third. The employment in conjunction with such aforesaid engines of
an auxilliary boiler and engine working an air pump or an injector for the
purpose of starting the engine, substantially as herein-before set forth.
Fourth. So arranging steam engines having ordinarily constructed
fire-boxes or furnaces with solid or liquid fuel that atmospheric air is
forced through a pipe or pipes heated by the furnace into the boiler
so as when heated to a considerable degree to mix with the steam
therein substantially as hercin-before set forth.
Fifth. The employment of an eye glass at the extremity of a water
jacketted tube for observing the interior of the fire-box or furnace, sub-
stantially as herein-before described.
Sixth. We claim in combination the general arrangement of locomotive
engines worked by combined steam and other gases herein-before des-
scribed with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness to the signature of
Edwin Walker,
HENRY LAWFORD JONES,
1, St. Mark's Terrace,
Lower Easton,
Bristol.
EDWIN WALKER. (L.S.)