Improvements in Water Gauge Fittings for Steam Boilers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 13th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 16th Nov., 1888
Improvements in Water Gauge Fittings for Steam Boilers.
I JOHN ANTHONY ROWE of 11 Spring Terrace North Shields County
Northumberland Engineer &c., do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
With the view of preventing injury to the crowns of furnaces and combustion
chambers of steam boilers through shortness of water arising from a false height of
water showing in the gauge glass, I fit a special description of cock between the
bottom of the glass and the boiler, that will enable the person in charge of the boiler
to test whether the passages to the steam space and water space are clear by partial
revolutions of this one cock.
It is so constructed that in one position there is a free passage through it from the
water space to the steam space, and in this position the working height of water is
seen in the gauge glass.
In another position, the plug closes the communication between the water and
steam spaces, and opens a passage between the water space and the atmosphere. A
free blow-through proves the water passage to be clear.
In another position the plug closes the communication between the water and
steam spaces, and opens a passage between the steam space and the atmosphere. A
free blow through proves the steam passage to be clear.
In yet another position, all passages in the cock are closed.
This invention may be applied to existing water gauge fittings by simply placing it
between the gauge-glass bottom and the boiler. Where water-gauge columns (hollow
cylindrical vessels) are used, the cock, already described, is fitted between the column
and the water space. Where no column is used, the cock is by preference fitted
immediately below the gauge glass & its upper part receives the lower part of the
glass.
may
This cock may be fitted direct to the boiler in the water space, or it be
connected to a pipe which is connected to the water space by a flange or by the
-a༴l

page_text: A common arrangement on board ship is to fit the water gauges in the following
way. A cock or valve is fitted on the boiler-top & from this a pipe leads down to the
top of the water gauge glass. Another cock or valve is fitted near the boiler
bottom, and a pipe leads upward from it to the bottom of the gange-glass or, more
commonly, to the column. Neglect to occasionally open and shut these cocks or
valves alternately, and thus test the clearness or otherwise of the cocks and pipes, has
brought about many serious calamities.
The cock provided with the passages I have described, and fitted anywhere
between the water-gauge and the water-space of the boiler, enables a man standing
in the stokehole to test the two cocks and the pipes, without touching anything
except its own handle.
000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water-gauge Fittings for Steam Boilers.
I, JOHN ANTHONY ROWE of 11 Spring Terrace North Shields County Northumber-
land, Engineer &c. do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
With the view of preventing injury to the crowns of furnaces and combustion-
chambers of steam boilers through shortness of water arising from a false height of
water showing in the gauge-glass, I fit a special description of cock between the
bottom of the glass and the boiler that will enable the person in charge of the boiler
to test whether the passages to the steam-space and water-space are clear by making
partial revolutions of this one cock.
It is so constructed that in one position there is a free passage through it from the
water-space to the steam space, and in this position the working height of water is
seen in the gauge glass.
In another position the plug closes the communication between the water and the
steam spaces, and opens a passage between the water space and the atmosphere. A
free blow-through proves the water-passage to be clear.
In another position the plug closes the communication between the water space and
steam space, and opens a passage between the steam space and the atmosphere. A
free blow through proves the steam passage to be clear.
In yet another position, all passages in the cock are closed.
This invention may be applied to existing water gauge fittings by simply placing
it between the gauge-glass bottom and the boiler. Where water-gauge columns
(hollow cylindrical vessels) are used, the cock, already described, is fitted between the
column and the water-space. Where no column is used, the cock is by preference
fitted immediately below the gauge-glass, and its upper part receives the lower end
of the glass.
The cock may be fitted direct to the boiler in the water-space, or it may be
connected to a pipe which is connected to the water-space by a flange, or by the
cock commonly employed.
A common arrangement on board ship is to fit the water-gauges in the following
way. A cock or valve is fitted on the boiler-top, and from this, a pipe leads down to
the top of the water gauge glass. Another cock, or valve, is fitted near the boiler
bottom, and a pipe leads upward from it to the bottom of the gauge glass; or, inore
commonly, to the column.
Neglect to occasionally open and shut these cocks or valves alternately, and thus
test the clearness or otherwise of the cocks and pipes, has brought about many serious
calamities.

page_text: The cock provided with the passages I have described and fitted anywhere between
the water gauge glass and the water space of the boiler, enables a man standing in
the stokehold to test the two cocks and the pipes, without touching anything except
its own handle.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I append one sheet of expla-
natory drawings to be hereafter referred to, representing two methods in which it
may be applied.
Figures 1 and 2, are sections of the cock which I employ in water-gauge fittings to
effect a
"double-shut-off" action without touching the cocks fitted on the boiler at
the extremities of the water gauge pipes.
In the plug, Fig. 1, passages 1 and -2 and 3 are shown, and they are also shown in
Fig. 2 in dotted lines.
In passage 1 a hole is made at right angles to the axis of the plug. This hole is in
the same plane as the passages 4 and 5 of the shell: The passages, 1 and 2, of the
plug are open at the bottom. The plug is hollowed in this way for the sake of
lightness and uniformity of expansion and contraction; but, so far as accuracy is
concerned, the action of "double-shut-off," can be effected by merely drilling three
holes through the solid plug, viz. :-one, making the passage 3, 3; another making
the passage 1; and another making the passage 6, Fig. 2.
The shell has a straight-through passage 4 and 5, and a small passage at the
bottom, 7.
In Figures 3 and 4, the "double-shut-off" cock whose sections I have just
described is lettered D SO.
In Fig. 3, A is the steam cock on the boiler-top. B is the water-cock near the
boiler-bottom. C is the upper test-cock of the water-gauge, and G is the gauge
glass.
The "double-shut-off" cock fitted at the bottom of the gauge-glass, has its
passage 4, (Fig. 1) open to the water, from cock B, and its passage 5, open to the
gauge-glass, and therefore to the steam space of the boiler, through the cocks C, and A.
(Fig. 3).
86
With the plug in the position shown in Fig. 1, there is a clear passage vertically
through the double-shut-off" cock, and, as the hole through the cock is made about
as large as the hole in the pipe itself, the water-passage may be regarded as as free
and unimpeded as the water passage in the pipe.
If it be wished to test whether cocks A and C (Fig. 3) and the pipe between
them are clear, the "double-shut-off" cock must be turned 'round until hole 6
(passage 1, Figs. 1 & 2) is opposite passage 5.
L
This action closes the water communication between the top and bottom of the boiler
(cocks A and B) and opens a steam passage from A to the DSO, cock and through
the DSO, cock out into the atmosphere through the passage 7, (Figs. 1 & 2) and
through the drain-pipe K, (Figs. 3 and 4).
To test whether the water-cock B, and the pipe are clear, the DSO cock is turned
until the hole 6, (passage 1, Figs. 1 & 2) is opposite passage 4 (Figs. 1 & 2).
This action closes communication between the top and bottom of the boiler
(cocks A and B) and opens a way for the water to rush through the plug and out
through the drain pipe K, (Figs. 3 & 4).
The action of this cock then is identical with the action of alternately closing
cocks B and A to test for steam and water.
In Fig. 3, the DSO cock is shown connected to the water space of boiler by the
pipe leading to cock B.
Instead of this arrangement it may of course be itself fitted direct to the
boiler.
In Fig. 4, the DSO cock is shown fitted between the gauge-glass-column and
the water cock B. This arrangement is suitable to old boilers fitted with gauges as
shown in Fig. 4.
If necessary I employ a three-way cock closed at the bottom, or a cock with a
partial circumferential groove in the plug, such as exists in the cock described in my

page_text: Provisional Specification No. 12657-1888: but, wherever practicable, I prefer to
use the arrangement I have illustrated. The cock as shown gives a perfectly free
straight passage to the water, & this is preferable to bends or sharp turnings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
The use of a "double-shut-off" cock; substantially as described, fitted to water
gauges of steam boilers, between the gauge-glass and the water-space, the said cock
enabling the steam passages and the water-passages to the boilers to be alternately
tested by simple movements of itself.