IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGE- MENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM FIRE ENGINES AND IN STEAM BOILERS FOR THE SAME SUCH BOILERS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Shand, of the Firm of Messieurs Shand,
Mason, and Company, of Upper Ground Street, Blackfriars Road, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGE-
MENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM FIRE ENGINES AND IN STEAM BOILERS
FOR THE SAME SUCH BOILERS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PR
Sealed the 8th December 1863, and dated the 13th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Shand at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
*June 1863.
I, JAMES SHAND, of the Firm of Messieurs Shand, Mason, and Company,
of Upper Ground Street, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM FIRE ENGINES AND IN STEAM BOILERS
FOR THE SAME, SUCH BOILERS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
The first part of my Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement
and construction of steam fire engines, and consists in employing a vertical
double-acting steam cylinder, placed in an inverted position directly over and
concentric with a water cylinder, fitted with bucket and plunger; the plunger
is connected direct to the steam piston by two rods, and to a crank (working
between the steam and water cylinders, and also between the said rods) by a

page_text: connecting rod jointed to the bottom of the plunger. The water cylinder has a
vertical frame cast on the top, the upper end of which forms a cylinder bottom, to
which the steam cylinder is bolted; this vertical frame also carries the bearings
of the crank shaft, and on this shaft a fly wheel and eccentric for working the
slide valve and feed pump are fixed. The steam and water cylinders may be
connected by rods or other means besides the method above described. The
water cylinders or fire-engine apparatus is constructed with valves and air
vessels, and the delivery has two outlets for attaching hose, and is fitted with
a stop valve, which can shut off either of the two outlets, but only one at a
time.
This steam fire engine is fitted with a self-acting governor, constructed with
a small cylinder and piston communicating with the water discharge passage
of the fire-engine apparatus on one side and the steam chest on the other side;
this piston is connected to the lever of a regulator, which is acted upon by
variations in the water pressure in the fire-engine apparatus.
The framing of the engine is formed of two metal tubes placed longitudi-
nally, and forming receptacles for branch pipes, stoking irons, or other articles;
to these tubes the boilers and hind springs are fixed; there is also a sheet
metal trough in front on the under side, to which the plate of locking carriage
is fixed, and on the upper side a. tool box, with driving seat and footboard and
seats for firemen; under this box is a receptacle for hose, which can be placed
in coils or wound on a reel. The steam boiler is placed in the front of the hind
axle, and the steam and fire-engine apparatus at the back, but fixed to the
boiler; this admits of better access to all parts of the engine. The hind
springs are made of steel plates in the usual manner, but combined with spiral
springs and india-rubber stops to provide a better action and to reduce weight.
There is a footboard in two pieces at the back, on which the man travels and
attends to the fire. When the engine is in use these boards are placed one on
each side of the boiler to screen the hind wheels from the heat; there is a
furnace door in front and a coal bunker fixed to the fore locking carriage.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to im-
provements in the construction of the steam boilers of steam fire engines, such
boilers being applicable to other purposes. The steam boiler is of vertical
tubular construction, and the outer shell surrounding the tubes is cylindrical;
two detached semicircular chambers made of thin sheet metal are used to fill
up the space between the tubes and outer shell; these chambers communicate
with the steam space by means of tubes, and to the external atmosphere by
cocks, fixing the chambers to the shell of the boiler; these cocks are used to
empty any condensed steam that may accumulate in the chambers. The use
.
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page_text: of the chambers is to reduce the quantity of water in the boiler, causing
steam to be raised more rapidly and to increase the steam space. The
chambers may be of any shape. and number, and are applicable to boilers
other than those of steam fire engines. The boiler is also constructed so that.
the upper part of the shell may be detached by means of bolts or studs and
nuts, thus allowing complete access to the tubes and internal part of the boiler.
the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Shand in the Great Seal Patent Office.
12th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SHAND, of the Firm of Messieurs Shand, Mason and Company, of Upper
Ground Street, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Shand, Her special licence that I, the said James Shand, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Shand, 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 THE
ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM FIRE ENGINES AND IN STEAM BOILERS
FOR THE SAME, SUCH BOILERS BEING APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Shand, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Shand, 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 following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
The first part of my Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement

page_text: and construction of steam fire engines, and consists in employing a vertical
double-acting steam cylinder, placed in an inverted position directly over
and concentric with a water cylinder, fitted with bucket and plunger; the
plunger is connected direct to the steam piston by two rods, and to a crank
(working between the steam and water cylinders, and also between the said
rods) by a connecting rod jointed to the bottom of the plunger. The water
cylinder has a vertical frame cast on the top, the upper end of which forms a
cylinder bottom, to which the steam cylinder is bolted. This vertical frame
also carries the bearings of the crank shaft, and on this shaft a fly wheel and
eccentric for working the slide valve and feed pump are fixed. The steam
and water cylinders may be connected by rods or other means besides the
method above described. The water cylinders or fire-engine apparatus is
constructed with valves and air vessels, and the delivery has two outlets for
attaching hose, and is fitted with a stop valve, which can shut off either of the
two outlets, but only one at a time. This steam engine is fitted with a self-
acting governor, constructed with a small cylinder and piston, communicating
with the water discharge passage of the fire-engine apparatus on one side, and
the steam chest on the other side; this piston is connected to the lever of a
regulator, which is acted upon by variations in the water pressure in the fire-
engine apparatus. The framing of the engine is formed of two metal tubes
placed longitudinally, and forming receptacles for branch pipes, stoking irons,
or other articles; to these tubes the boiler and hind springs are fixed; there is
also a sheet metal trough in front on the under side, to which the plate of
locking carriage is fixed, and on the upper side a tool box, with driving seat
and footboard and seats for firemen; under this box is a receptacle for hose,
which can be placed in coils or wound on a reel. The steam boiler is placed
in the front of the hind axle, and the steam and fire-engine apparatus at the
back, but fixed to the boiler; this admits of better access to all parts of the
engine. The hind springs are made of steel plates in the usual manner, but
combined with spiral springs and india-rubber stops to provide a better action
and to reduce weight. There is a footboard in two pieces at the back, on
which the man travels and attends to the fire. When the engine is in use
these boards are placed one on each side of the boiler to screen the hind
wheels from the heat; there is a furnace door in front, and a coal bunker
fixed to the fore locking carriage.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to
improvements in the construction of the steam boilers of steam fire engines,
such boilers being applicable to other purposes. The steam boiler is of
vertical tubular construction, and the outer shell surrounding the tubes is

page_text: cylindrical. Two detached semicircular chambers, made of thin sheet metal,
are used to fill up the space between the tubes and outer shell; these chambers
communicate with the steam space by means of tubes, and to the external
atmosphere by cocks, fixing the chambers to the shell of the boiler; these
cocks are used to empty any condensed steam that. may accumulate in the
chambers. The use of the chambers is to reduce the quantity of water in the
boiler, causing steam to be raised. more rapidly, and to increase the scam
space. The chambers may be of any shape and number, and are applicable to
boilers other than those of steam fire engines. The boiler is also constracted
so that the upper part of the shell may be detached by means of bolts or studs
and nuts, thus allowing complete access to the tubes and internal part of the
boiler.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and read-iy
carried into practice I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Drawing No. 1 shews three views of a steam engine, arranged and combined
according to my Invention. Figure is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end
view, and Figure 3 a plan. The boiler A is carried in front of the hind axle,
and is attached to the side frames B, which are supported upon springs, as
shown; the inverted steam cylinder C and the pump barrel D are connected
together by a frame L, and are supported by brackets attached to the boiler;
E is the fly wheel. The suction pipe is screwed on at F, and the delivery hose
at G, G; H is the suction air vessel, and I, the delivery air vessel. The
carriage frame bars or tubes B are attached in front to a metal trough K, to
which is fastened the upper wheel or turn-plate, and above it are the seats and
tool box L; the trough K is so made that a reel can be fitted in it for winding
hose upon. Under the front axle the box M is suspended for carrying coals;
this box is in a convenient position to the fire-door in the side of the boiler
when the wheels are partly locked round.
There is also a small fire-door in
the back of the boiler for the purpose of attending to the fire when travelling.
The footboard N is made in two pieces, and attached so as to be readily taken
off and used to protect the wheels from the fire when at work. The exhaust
pipe O from the engine is fitted with a sliding nozzle in the chimney, which is
worked by a screw and hand wheel P. A small tank R is fixed at the back
of the frame to supply the feed pump and injector, and is itself supplied by a
cock from the delivery of the main fire pump.
Figure 1, Drawing No. 2, is a longitudinal section of the steam engine on a

page_text: larger scale, shewing the construction of the boiler, steam engine, and pump.
The fire-box A is of conical form, so as to give space for a large fire-grate or
furnace. The fire-box communicates with the smoke box B, and the chimney
by the vertical tubes C. In order to diminish the water space and increase the
steam space two semicircular metal cases or pockets D are fitted into the
boiler round the space occupied by the tubes C. The casing D communicates
with the steam space by two or more open pipes E, which ascend above the
water level, and small cocks (not shown in the Drawing) are fitted in the
bottoms of the cases D through the sides of the boiler to draw off any water
that may be formed by condensation. The upper shell of the boiler can be
taken off by means of the bolted joints F and G, and the top of the smoke
box can be taken off to repair the tubes, &c. by unscrewing the joint H. The
engine is composed of an inverted steam cylinder I, placed above and con-
centric with a pump K, which parts are framed together by four bars L, which
connect the enlarged head of the pump with the cylinder bottom, and which
frame L also carries the bearings for the crank shaft M. The pump is fitted
with a hollow trunk or plunger N, to which is attached a bucket or piston O,
which is fitted with valves, as shown. At the bottom of the pump barrel
there is a grating P, which is fitted with india-rubber discs, and forms the foot
valve of the pump. In action the suction is drawn in the upstroke by the
bucket O, and in the downstroke about half the water is discharged by the
displacement of the plunger N, and at the next upstroke the remainder of
the water is discharged by the ascent of the bucket. The enlarged head of the
pump K is fitted with a large air vessel Q, and nozzles to take the hose at R.
Over the openings to these nozzles at S is fitted a valve, shewn in plan at
Figure 3, which is so constructed as to admit of both outlet passages being
open, or to close either at pleasure, but not to close both outlet passages at the
same time. The connecting rod T is jointed to the bottom of the pump
plunger N, which is itself attached to the steam piston by two piston rods,
between which the crank works, as shewn in plan in Figure 2; upon one end
of the crank shaft M is keyed a fly wheel, and upon the other end an excentric,
which works the slide valve and the feed pump V. Figure 4 is a section of
the governor, which is constructed with a piston fitted into a cylinder with a
trunk and stuffing box; the connecting link from the piston is attached to the
lever of the regulator; the pipe W is connected with the steam jacket of the
cylinder and the pipe X with the enlarged head of the main pump, so that any
change in the pressure of the water in the pump will cause the piston of
the governor to be moved by the pressure of the steam, and thus regulate the
admission of steam to the steam cylinder of the engine.

page_text: I would remark, that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein
described, so long as the peculiar character of my Invention is retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Shand, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the year of
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
our
Vitness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
JAMES SHAND. (L.S.)