Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Illuminating Roundabouts and the like with Electric Light.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June,. 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1892
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Illuminating
Roundabouts and the like with Electric Light.
I, FREDERIC WILLIAM DICKINSON, of 16 East Parade, Leeds, in the
County of York, Electrician do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Hitherto in lighting steam round abouts and the like with electricity it has been
customary to place the dynamo and the portable engine employed for driving it
outside the "ring" thus entailing the expense of a separate attendant to attend to
the same.
Now the object of my invention is to save this expense and at the same time to
provide portable and efficient means for lighting round abouts with electricity.
According to my invention I mount the dynamo upon a suitable carriage on
which may also be fixed a suitable engine for driving it; and which may be
arranged to receive the steam from the same boiler that supplies the engine
employed for working the round abouts. The exhaust steam from the second
engine may also be conducted by suitable (jointed, swivelling, or otherwise) pipes
into the chimney of the steam boiler, or when preferred a separate steam engine
and boiler may be employed but in this case the chimneys of the second boiler
would require to be united with the central chimney of the boiler employed for
driving the round about.
In order to convey the electric current from the dynamo to the revolving top of
the round about, I fix to the carriage of the round about engine a suitable upright
carrying one or more insulated conducting discs or brushes, which are made to
come in contact with one or more insulated metal rings mounted on the frame work
(at a suitable distance from the centre) of the revolving top. To the insulated
rings the conductors leading to the electric lamps are attached. The electric lamps
But when the
are hung from or fixed from the frame work of the revolving top.
top carrying the cover of the round about is a fixture then the moving rings may
be dispensed with and the conductors carried on the ground under the moving
portion of the round about, and are attached to one or more of the supports carrying
the stationary top.
Dated the Eighteenth day of June 1891.
FREDERIC WILLIAM DICKINSON,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Means or Apparatus for Illuminating
Roundabouts and the like with Electric Light.
I, FREDERIC WILLIAM DICKINSON, of 16 East Parade, Leeds, in the
County of York, Electrician, 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 :-
Hitherto in lighting steam round abouts and the like with electricity it has been
customary to place the dynamo and the portable engine employed for driving it

page_text: outside the
to the same.
ring: thus entailing the expense of a separate attendant to attend
Now the object of my invention is to save this expense and at the same
time to provide portable and efficient means for lighting round-abouts with
electricity.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1. is a part sectional elevation of a round-about with a fixed top showing
my invention applied.
Fig. 2. a part sectional elevation of a round-about with a revolving top showing
any invention applied.
Fig. 3. a part end elevation of portable engine and separate engine and dynamo
on truck and means for connecting same together.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are details showing the arrangement of the contact brush
holders with the insulated metal rings attached to a moving part of the machine.
Like parts in all the views are marked with similar letters of reference.
A is an outline of an engine usually employed for actuating the round about.
B the top which may either be a fixture as shown at Fig. 1. or revolving as shown
at Fig. 2. C is the track, and D the cars travelling thereon. All the above
mentioned parts and means for actuating the same (though not shown in the
drawings) may be of the usual construction.
E is a dynamo of any suitable construction which may be mounted on or
attached to the roundabout engine A, but I prefer mounting it upon a separate
carriage F and driving it by a second steam engine G of any convenient
make, such as for instance, a horizontal, or vertical-and driven or coupled
direct, or with a belt. At Figs. 1 and 3 I have shown a horizontal engine
mounted on the carriage F for driving the dynamo by a belt.
When this arrangement is employed the steam cylinder of the second engine is
connected to the boiler of the roundabout engine A by means of a pipe G' (fixed,
flexible, jointed or swivelling). A second pipe G2 (fixed, flexible, jointed or
swivelling) is employed for conveying the exhaust steam away to the chimney a of
the roundabout engine A, and it is arranged, if desired, to project a suitable
distance into and up the chimney a, or the exhaust steam from the second engine
may be employed for heating the feed water to the boiler. I would also have it
understood that in some cases a vertical boiler may be mounted on or connected to
carriage F, that carries the engine G and dynamo E; and the chimney of such
boiler may be connected to the chimney a as hereafter described. When this is
done the steam pipe G', would be coupled to the vertical boiler, and the exhaust
pipe G2 connected to the chimney of the vertical boiler or to the chimney a as
shown at Fig. 3. or employed to heat the feed water.
At Fig. 2. I have shown the outline of an engine and boiler of the portable type
with a dynamo attached. In this arrangement as well as when a vertical boiler is
mounted on or connected to a carriage F the chimney G of such second boiler is
bent, jointed, or made to swivel, and to enter the central chimney a below the
working parts of the roundabout in order to avoid coming in contact therewith.
After the chimney G³ has entered the central chimney a its end may be again
turned upwards to any suitable distance to avoid interfering with the draught of
the central chimney.
When this is done suitable flanged castings H, H' is provided on the boilers a',, a²,
for the reception of the chimneys a and G³.
Any of the herein described steam engines employed for driving the dynamos
may be placed within the ring in any convenient position, and connected to the
roundabout engine A. by pipes as described.
In order to convey the electric current from the dynamo E to the revolving
top B of the roundabout as shown at Fig. 2. I fix to the carriage a* or other
convenient portion of the framework of the roundabout engine A an upright J on
which is mounted one or more insulated conducting discs or brushes K. In the

page_text: drawings I have shown two brushes K K, constructed as follows:-The brush
holder consists of a metal clamp & attached to a huo k¹ which is adjustable on the
upright and may be fixed in position by a set screw j. The brush holder is
insulated by means of the ebonite or other suitable rings and k³. The brushes K
are mounted, capable of adjustment, in their clamps & and are set so as to come in
contact with one or more insulated metal rings or conducting strips L, L fixed to
the moving part of the revolving top B at a suitable distance from the centre. In
the drawings two metal rings or strips L L are shown, at a suitable distance apart,
attached to the wooden covering of the "cheese' wheel 1. Figs. 2 and 6.
Although the above described method of fixing the rings L, L is a very convenient
one, and the one I prefer employing, yet any other suitable method of fixing them
may be employed to suit the varying constructions of roundabout tops, such as for
instance, the strips or rings L might be fixed to the spars 12 of the top, or to any
other convenient moving part thereof; and the brushes or dises Karranged either
vertically or horizontally to come in contact therewith. On the ends of the
brush holders K are provided connectors to which are attached the electric
conductors M, M₁ for conveying the electric current from the dynamo to the
strips or rings L L and through them to the electric conductors M M³ attached to
the lamps N, N which may be either are or incandescent, and fixed to the top B
by ordinary means.
But when the top B carrying the cover of the roundabout is a fixture, as in
Fig. 1, then the moving rings L L, may be dispensed with and the conductors M, M
carried on or near to the ground, or in or on suitable casing O laid under the
track C and moving cars D of the roundabout; and the conductors M² M³ are
attached through suitable switch or switches Q, if required, to one or more of
the supports P carrying the stationary top B from which the electric lamps N, N
are being fixed.
I would have it understood that when desired an electrical storeage battery
may be fixed in any convenient position within the "ring" of the roundabout and
used in combination with the herein described mounted dynamo, or alone. Also
that the rings L, L, and brushes K, K, may if desired be connected
to a dynamo or storeage battery, or both, outside the "ring" of the roundabout.
32
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 :-
1. The improvements in means or apparatus for illuminating roundabouts and
the like with electric light, which improvements consist in mounting a dynamo
and a steam engine on a separate carriage placed within the "ring" and coupling
the second engine to the boiler of the roundabout engine as described, said
dynamo being connected by conductors to the lamps, substantially as described
with reference to Figs. 1 to of the accompanying drawings.
2. In the electric lighting of a roundabout with a revolving or stationary top,
the combination with the roundabout engine of a second steam engine and a
dynamo, placed within the "ring," said second engine being supplied with steam
from the boiler of the roundabout engine, or from a separate boiler the chimney
of which is connected with that of the roundabout engine, substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of the roundabout engine with a second steam boiler,
engine, and dynamo placed within the "ring" and the means for uniting their
chimneys, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
4. In the electric lighting of roundabouts having revolving tops, the combination
of the means for conveying the electric current from a dynamo within the "ring,"
or at distance therefrom, to the electric lamps, substantially as described with
reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The arrangement and combination of the various parts forming the means or

page_text: apparatus as a whole for illuminating roundabouts and the like with electric
light substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this Eighteenth day of March 1892.
FREDERIC WILLIAM DICKINSON,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.