IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER LAMPS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Harbottle at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 26th July 1883.
JOHN HARBOTTLE, of Newcastle upon Tyne, Oil Merchant "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY AND OTHER LAMPS "
My invention relates more particularly to Railway lamps such as are in ordinary
use for the lighting of Railway carriages but is also applicable to other lamps for
burning vegetable oils and consists of certain improvements in the burners of such
lamps as hereinafter described whereby a stendier, purer, and better light with
freedom from smoke during the process of combustion is obtained
The satisfactory lighting of Railway Passenger trains by means of the ordinary
roof lamps consuming Colza oil and oils of a similar kind has always been a matter
of great difficulty more especially in the use of lamps with an unenclosed or open
flame-This difficulty arises from a variety of causes, the speed of the train neces-
sitating the use of a lamp more or less close and confined, consequently imperfect
or only partial ventilation is obtained and a great increase of heat internally
together with imperfect combustion, rapid carbonisation of the wick, and conse-
quently smoke and deficient illumination is the result
The object of my Invention is to obviate these defects, which I effect in the
following manner-Instead of making use of a single flat cotton wick, as at present,
I use the ordinary double or circular wicks, woven in the ordinary way and cut
into the requisite short lengths ready for use, preferring wicks of the softer cottons,
and instead of using the ordinary burner or well, which is affixed at right angles
to the feed pipe and projects down in the centre of the glass cover of the lamp
inside the railway carriage, I use a burner or well made of brass, or other suitablo
metal, of a flat narrow shape, in section but curved neatly outwards at the upper
portion or rim of the aperturo at the top; and all round, the edge or mouth of this
flat burner or well which contains the oil to be fed to the wick
In the centre and along the curve of the upper portion of this burner and along
both sides I drill a large number of fine holes to admit as much air as possible to
the edge of the wick under a cap which is fitted onto the top or mouth of this
burner or well-This cap or cover which is slightly dished or bellied outwards fits
closely all round the rim or edge of the burner and is provided with an opening in
the centre to admit the head or upper portion of the wick which when in the lamp

page_text: is situated exactly in the centre of the opening in the cap; this cap, is secured for
convenience by means of a hinge at one end of the burner or well and secured,
when closed down, by means of a catch at the other end. This cap is by
preference divided longitudinally in the centre so that the two halves of the cap
which are hinged together may open sideways to afford facility for placing the
wick in its position in the burner-When the wick is placed in position, the two
halves of the cap or cover are closed and made secure by means of a catch.
Each half of this longitudinal cap may be constructed to swing and open out-
wards separately on neat hinges for convenience-The wick is placed or stretched
upon or over a neatly fitting flat tapered wick holder, which is hollow throughout
but having only a fine slit or aperture at the upper end. This wick holder is in
length a little shorter than the wick itself, and is perforated with a number of
small holes through both sides near the slit or aperture of the upper end of the
wick, and being open at the lower and larger end, it can easily be taken off and
placed-or slid onto another but shorter, hollow or tubular flat tapered holder which
is affixed in an opening exactly in the centre of the bottom of the well or burner,
so that the wick having been placed over the first named tapered wick holder is
placed or slid over the last mentioned tapered holder-A free passage for air is
provided through the slit of the wick holder as before described for perfecting the
combustion of the oil-The edges and inner portion of the wick when placed in
its position on the tapered holder as before described are prevented from adhering
together when carbonization of the edge of the wick takes place, as the fine edge
of the top of the holder keeps the sides of the wick apart during the process of
combustion, whilst the passage of the air through the slit before referred to
supports for a lengthened period the combustion and a white light and more
perfect combustion with freedom from smoke is the result.
The effect of the curvature of the rim or mouth of the burner or well with the
perforations as herein before described allows a free passage of air into the mouth
of the well or burner around the sides of the wick and giving free passage for air
under the cap or cover before described also allowing a free inlet and outlet for a
supply of air over the edge of the wick during combustion
For greater convenience in trimining the lamp for the easier removal of the
tapered wick holder and wick from the burner a piece of grooved brass is fitted to
slide easily up and down the edge of the inner holder fixed in the centre of the well
or burner as herein before described and may be raised and lowered at will vertically
by means of a piece of brass wire nently covered over the edge of the burner
and in order to keep the said piece of wire with the grooved brass attached in
position the wire is made to slide or work vertically in a small brass ring affixed
outside the end of the burner or well
It is obvious that this Invention with slight modification in detail is applicable
to the ordinary lamps in use by Railway Companies for signals and similar
purposes and other lamps wherein Colza oils and other similar oils are used for
illuminating purposes