IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOLLERS FOR PREVENTING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONSION AND SAVING FUEL
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel James Healey, of Over Darwen, near
Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOLLERS FOR PREVENTING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel James Healey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th April 1854.
I, SAMUEL JAMES HEALEY, of Over Darwen, near Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Machinist, do hereby, declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS, FOR PREVENTING
EXPLOSIONS AND SAVING FUEL," to be as follows:-
I fix a small steam chest on the boiler with two valves inside of it, one to
open inwards, the other outwards; one of these valves is worked by the steam,
the other by a float on the water, so that when the water is too low the depres-
sion of the float will open the valve, and by means of a connection by lever
and stud, allows the steam valve to open and blow off the superfluous steam.
I then cause the said steam or part of it to enter a cylinder, and work a piston
in a similar way to the working of the ordinary piston of a steam engine.
To this piston I attach levers or connecting rods, so as to communicate with
the fire or furnace doors, and the damper, if necessary; by which means the
doors will be opened, and the damper closed by the said self-acting motion in

page_text: case of a deficiency of water or superabundance of steam, and thus avoid the
danger of explosions, as well as to cause a great saving of fuel, because the
unnecessary generation of steam is stopped instantly when a cause for it is
created, as already described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel James Healey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
JAMES HEALEY, of Over Darwen, near Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel James Healey, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel
James Healey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Samuel James Healey, 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO STEAM BOILERS, FOR PRE-
VENTING EXPLOSIONS AND SAVING FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Samuel James Healey, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel James Healey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to certain arrangements of apparatus for the purpose
of reducing the pressure of the steam by a self-acting apparatus acting upon
the fire doors of the furnace, so as to open them when the steam in the boiler
is above a certain pressure, or when the water is below a certain level, and, if
necessary, to act upon the damper. It is thus at once a perfect indicator

page_text: of danger as well as a safety apparatus, because, by opening the fire doors and
an orifice in the cylinder, it indicates that either the steam is of too high a
pressure or the water at too low a level, and at the same time allows the
surplus steam to escape. I obtain these advantages by allowing steam to pass
through valves to a piston working in a cylinder placed on the top of the
boiler, or in any other convenient position, and connecting the piston rod to
the fire doors by means of levers or any suitable connections. My said im-
provements will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, in which the same letters of reference are used to repre-
sent the same parts in all the Figures. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the
apparatus placed on the top of the boiler, part of which is only shewn. Fig. 2
is a transverse section of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal view as it appears
externally; Fig. 4 is a transverse view thereof; Fig. 5 is a transverse.view of
a boiler with the apparatus attached, shewing its connection with the fire
doors; and Fig. 6, a longitudinal view of the same, shewing also how the
damper can be acted upon. a represents part of the top plate of the boiler,
to which is bolted (by the flange ) the valve box and cylinder c, d. The
valve e is guided by the feathers or projections f, connected to the centre plug g,
having studs or projections on two sides; to which are suspended the frames,
holding the weight i at the bottom, and adjusted to the size of the valve and
the safety pressure required. In the plug g is a hole, guiding at the bottom a
smaller valve k, also feathered, and connected to the rod 7, extending through
the weight i to the float n. Connected to the rod lat o is a lever p, working
upon the fulcrum q in the frames h; the lever is turned up at the end 7, so as
to touch the boiler when the valve k has descended sufficiently for the steam
to escape. The lever P is furnished with the weight s, so as to balance the
float n, which is not allowed to be on the surface of the water, but is placed
at a position where further decrease would not be desirable. Thus it will be
seen that the two valves are intended as exits of steam to the cylinder d; the
larger one rises when the pressure of the steam against it overcomes the
resistance of the frames, lever, and weights suspended to it; and the smaller
cnc descends, when from a deficiency of water the float falls lower than the
level at which it was originally placed. In either of these cases, the steam,
having passed the valves, acts upon the piston t, which is pushed to the extreme
end of the cylinder d, passing over the orifice m, through which the steam
escapes. The piston rod u passes through the cylinder cover v and is made
fast to the rod w, which gives motion to the lever and the shaft y, see Figs.
5 and 6; the said shaft works in bearings attached to the front of the boiler.
To the shaft y are connected other levers, the ends of which are in contact

page_text: with the plates a', attached to the fire doors b', which by turning on their
centres are pressed open. On the shaft y is another lever c', which operates
upon the damper d¹, and closes it to stop or reduce the heat from the furnace
when necessary.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Inven-
tion, I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the
exact details herein set forth, as such may be varied or modified without
departing from the principle thereof; but I claim as of my Invention, and
which, to the best of my knowledge and belief, has not been hitherto used
within this realm, the self-acting apparatus for acting upon the fire doors
and dampers of steam boilers to prevent explosions and economise fuel, as such
apparatus is herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, whether such apparatus be placed outside or inside the boiler.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel James Healey, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
SAMUEL JAMES HEALEY.
(L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Samuel James Healey in the
presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.