IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ramsbottom, of Longsight, near the City of
Manchester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ramsbottom at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
⚫ June 1855.
I, JOHN RAMSBOTTOM, of Longsight, near the City of Manchester, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SAFETY VALVES AND FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in an improved mode of loading safety valves.
Two safety valves connected by a cross bar are placed at such a distance
apart as to admit of a spring or weight being applied between the two, of
sufficient power to resist the pressure of both the valves. This cross bar is
prolonged at one end, or both ends, to serve as a handle or handles by which
the working condition of the valves may be ascertained. By this arrangement
the ordinary spring balance is dispensed with, and the pressure on the valves,
when once adjusted, cannot be increased. Three or more valves may
also be connected, and the pressure applied thereto at one point in the same
manner.
Another part of my Invention consists in supplying the feed pumps of
locomotive engine boilers from a cistern, which may be placed under the
cylindrical part of the boiler or the foot plate, or both. The water from the
Price 811

page_text: tender is conveyed into the said cistern by a pipe projecting from the tender.
By this arrangement the connecting pipes, with ball and socket joints or
flexible tubing, hitherto employed, are dispensed with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ramsbottom in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAMSBOTTOM, of Longsight, near the City of Manchester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Ramsbottom, Her special license that I, the 'said John Ramsbottom, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Ramsbottom, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY
VALVES AND FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Ramsbottom, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said. Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 John Ramsbottom, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings (that
is to say).
My Invention consists, first, in applying a cross bar to two or more safety
valves, and in loading the said valves by a spring or weight connected to the
said cross bar; and secondly, in supplying the feed pumps of locomotive engine
boilers from a cistern, which may be placed under the cylindrical part of the

page_text: boiler or the foot plate, or both. I have in the said Drawings given Figures.
for shewing how my invention may be performed, similar parts in all the
views being marked with similar letters of reference.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 a plan view, of one mode of
constructing my improvements in safety valves. a, a, are two safety valves,
the seatings of which are made in the columns b, b. These columns are
attached to the cover c, which closes the man hole d, fixed on the steam boiler
in the ordinary manner.
The valves a, a, are made with conical recesses to receive the points of the
cross bar e, and they are placed at such a distance apart as to admit of the
spring / between them. This spring is of sufficient power to resist the pressure
of steam on both the valves, and I prefer to make the point el of attachment
of the spring and cross bar e below the bearing points of the said bár on
the valves a. The lower end of the spring fis secured to the cover c, and the
pressure adjusted by the bridle g, or in any other convenient manner. The
columns b,b,are connected by the stays 61, which are bolted to snugs projecting
from the columns. These stays serve to preserve the distance between the
columns; and in case of the spring breaking, they act as a guard to prevent
the blowing away of the cross bar and valves. The cross bar e is prolonged
at one end to serve as a handle for the attendant to ascertain the working
condition of the valves. By depressing the said handle, the valve near the handle
serves as a fulcrum for raising the, other valve off its seating, thereby causingit
to let off steam, and on raising the handle the contrary action takes place.
When the pressure of the steam in the boiler is sufficiently great to over-
come the resistance of the springf, the valves are raised; but if in rising one
of the valves rises more than the other, the cross bar e causes the spring/to
lean towards the valve that has been raised the most, owing to the point of
attachment of the spring being lower than the point of the lever bearing on
the valve, thereby relieving the valve that had risen the least of a part of
its load. This arrangement tends to secure the simultaneous action of both
the valves.
Figure 3 is an elevation partly in section, and Figure 4 a plan, of a modifi-
cation of my improvements in safety valves. In these views the parts marked
a,c,d,e, and fare similar to those above described. The spring in this instance
is applied above the cross bare. This spring bears on the bush h, fitting easily
on the standardi, which is screwed or otherwise fixed to the coverc; the lower
portion of the bush is shaped to fit in a groove in the cross bar e; the upper-
end of the spring f fits in the capj, which is held, down by the lock nuts k.
These lock nuts also serve to regulate the tension of the spring to suit the

page_text: .
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pressure at which it is desired to work the steam in the boiler. The action of
this valve is similar to that above described.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 6 a plan, of another modifica-
tion of my improvements in safety valves. In this arrangement the valves are
loaded by means of the volute spring 1, which is held in a recess or well in the
cover c, by means of the lid m. The spring is connected to the cross bar e by
the rod o and nut n, and the tension of the spring is regulated by the nuts m',
which screw down the lid m. As it may be requisite to provide for the
irregular expansion of the parts, I connect one of the points bearing on one
of the valves by means of a joint pin, as shewn at the left-hand side of
Figure 5. The same arrangement may be applied to the valves shewn in
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Figure 7 is an elevation partly in section, and Figure 8 a plan, of another
modification of my improvements in safety valves. In this instance I have
shewn how three valves may be loaded with one cross bar. The parts marked
a, b, c, and d, are similar to those shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The cross bar
for this arrangement has three arms, to bear upon the three valves, which are
loaded by means of the weight p, suspended to the cross bar e. I wish to
- remark here that a spring may be used instead of the weight to load the three
valves shewn, and weights may be used instead of the springs shewn in
· Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The improved safety valves above described may
.be boxed up, and provided with funnels, to convey away the steam that blows
off as in other safety valves, and the pressure on the valves, when once
-adjusted, cannot be tampered with. When these improved safety valves are
applied to locomotive engines the ordinary spring balances usually employed
are dispensed with.
The second part of my Invention, which relates to supplying the feed pumps
of locomotive engine boilers with water, is represented in Figures 9 and 10.
In these views Figure 9 is an elevation in section of part of a locomotive engine
and tender, and Figure 10-a plan view of the same: q is the foot-board of
the engine, and r is part of the fire box; s is part of the tender; t is a pipe
attached to the tender, and connected by the cross pipe t, with the ordinary
feed valves; u is a cistern attached to the engine, and placed below the foot-
board q; v, v, are pipes for connecting the cistern u with the feed pumps,
which are made in the ordinary manner; w is an overflow pipe, to carry off the
water in case the feed valves are not closed in time. When the pumps are
set to work the water is drawn from the cistern u, which is supplied from the
tender by the attendant opening one or both of the feed valves. The feed
pipe on one side of the engine rises about six inches above the bottom of the

page_text: cistern, whereas the other pipe is level with the bottom. The object of this
is to keep one pump out of play so long as the other will supply the requisite
quantity of water. By this arrangement the connecting pipes, with ball and
socket joints or flexible tubing, hitherto employed forconveying the water from
the tender to the feed pumps, are dispensed with, and in uncoupling the
engine from the tender it is only necessary to take out the draw bar and
safety pins. The waste steam pipe, which under ordinary circumstances is
connected with the feed pipes, is turned into the cistern u, which holds sufficient
water to condense the waste steam that is blown off at any ordinary stoppage.
It is evident that when there is not space for a cistern of sufficient size under
the foot-board an additional cistern may be placed under the cylindrical part
of the boiler.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that various other modifica-
tions might be shewn of my improvements in safety valves. It is also evident
that more than three valves may be connected, and the pressure applied thereto
at one point; and the springs which are represented as single may be com-
pound. The improvements in feeding apparatus for steam boilers is also
capable of being modified, as two separate pipes may be brought from the
tender into the same cistern. I therefore do not limit myself to the details
herein set forth; but what I claim is,―
First, connecting two or more safety valves, and loading the same at one
point, by means of springs or weights acting ou cross bars as shewn and
described.
Secondly, the application and use of a cistern attached to the engine
for supplying the feed pumps of locomotive engine boilers as shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ramsbottom, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
JOHN RAMSBOTTOM. (L.S.).