IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR IGNITING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY, AND IN BATTERIES CONNECTED THEREWITH.
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Archibald James Hallam and James
Walsh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th July 1881.
ARCHIBALD JAMES HALLAM, of No. 1, St. James Street, Trafford Road, Salford,
in the County of Lancaster, Telegraph Engineer, and JAMES WALSH, of Over
Darwen, in the above named County, Cotton Spinner. IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR IGNITING GAS FOR ILLUMINATING BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY,
AND IN BATTERIES CONNECTED THEREWITH.",
"
Our Invention relates to improvements for igniting jets of gas used for
illuminating purposes, and consists in arrangements whereby we are enabled to
rapidly ignite the whole or a portion of the gas jets used in a room, building, or
town.
The first part of our Invention relates to apparatus which we apply to each gas
jet to be ignited. To each gas pipe and near to the jet are two metal pillars,
between each of which and the gas pipe we interpose an electric non conductor.
Through the outer ends of the above named pillars we adapt screwed pins, one of
each of their ends being so placed as to lie in the path of the gas to be ignited as
it issues from the jets above referred to. To the above mentioned pillars we connect
wires, as will hereafter be explained, so that a current of electricity may be caused
to pass between the ends of the screwed pins aforesaid, and thereby ignite the
gas as it issues from the jets above named, the screw threads upon the said pins
being for the purpose of their adjustment.
The above described apparatus for convenience of description we shall hereafter
call the igniting apparatus. The second part of our Invention consists in arrange-
ments by which we are enabled to rapidly ignite the whole of the gas jets used for
illuminating a room, building, or town. With this object we divide the number
of gas jets in a room or building into groups, and to each of the gas jets forming
such groups we affix the igniting apparatus previously described under the first
bead of our Invention, and we connect one set of wires from one group of gas jets
to one pole of a battery situate in any convenient part of the room or building.
The other set of wires proceeding froin the said igniting apparatus we connect to
a wire, and carry it to some convenient part of the room or building where we
attach it to a frame, the said frame being supported in any convenient inanner.
The corresponding wires to those above named proceeding from the other groups

page_text: of burners in the room or building we also attach in like manner to the frame
before named, but not in contact with the others.
The aforesaid frame we provide with a sliding part to which is connected a wire
proceeding from the battery previously mentioned, but from the pole opposite, to
that before referred to; this wire we attach to the slide upon the above named
frame in such manner that when the said slide is moved upward or downward,
such wire is brought into contact with the other wires above referred to attached
to the frame, so that a current of electricity may pass through the igniting
apparatus attached to the burners, and ignite the gas which has been caused to
issue from the before named gas jets in any ordinary manner.
In each of the rooms of a building containing gas jets to be ignited we place a
frame with its slide as previously described, and we connect the slides by means of
a rod, so that upon drawing the aforesaid rod up or down the whole of the gas jets
connected therewith will become ignited. In place of the slide aforesaid for
bringing the wire from the battery into contact with wires from the igniting
apparatus, we also propose to employ a disc or cylinder composed of some electric
non conductor, upon the surface of which we fix strips of metal, such strips of
metal being connected with the before named wire proceeding from the battery
aforesaid.
Upon the said cylinder being rotated. on its axis, the strips of metal thereon
will be brought into contact with the wires before named proceeding from a group
or groups of igniting apparatus previously described.
In the case of a building having a number of stories, we prefer to place the
battery used in connection with the above described apparatus in the basement.
In some cases we propose to use a switch in one set of wires connecting the
battery to the igniting apparatus, by means of which switch we are enabled to
direct the electric current through any of the series of the above named wires as
may be desired.
The next part of our Invention refers to batteries used in connection with the
apparatus aforesaid, and consists in mounting the zinc and carbon or other similar
elements thereof upon a rod, and providing two sets of cells for containing the
fluid used for the battery with either of the above named set of cells, the said zinc
and carbon, or other elements composing the above named battery, may be immersed
for the purpose of producing_an_electric current, so that the fluid in_one_set_of_cells_
shall be ready for use when that in the other set of cells has become too weak and
requires renewing. The rod or bar to which the zinc and carbon plates are
attached we mount so as to slide in guides provided with notches, so that the said
zinc and carbon plates may be placed in either one set of cells above named or the
other, or when desired may be supported clear of such cells by means of the
notches above named.
A further part of our Invention refers to batteries which may be used in con-
nection with the above described igniting apparatus, and consists in the use of
plates of zinc and carbon of small size, each pair of such carbon plates being
placed almost in contact. We thereby lessen the resistance to the electric current
by its having only to pass through a thin stratum of acid, and the cells being
small we require only a small quantity of acid to produce an intense current.