IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Beattie, of Lawn Place, South Lambeth, in
the County of Surrey; Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 8th April 1859, and dated the 11th October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Beattie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th October 1858.
I, JOSEPH BEATTIE, of Lawn Place, South Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
I construct the fire door or doors of the furnaces of steam engines with a
tube of iron or other suitable metal of cylindrical or other form fixed therein,
and projecting externally and internally beyond the water space surfaces of the
furnace, and I have another tube of iron or other suitable metal to slide
telescopically in or over such first-mentioned tube; the lower or bottom
part of the sliding tube being cut away or perforated so that the atmo-
spheric air which is admitted through the openings in the door or otherwise
may, when the inner tube is pressed or moved forward into the furnace,
pass and strike the solid end of such tube, and be deflected according
to the inclination or form of such end or escape through the perforations
in such tube on or over the fuel in the furnace; and I fit a tube of iron
or other suitable metal of smaller diameter unto the end of the sliding
tube, and such smaller tube is allowed to slide through an aperture in the

page_text: fire door for the purpose, and so form a guide to the sliding tube. The air
passes through perforations in the smaller tube into the sliding one, which
forms a chamber, and it thence passes as before mentioned; and in some
cases I have two or more of such smaller tubes arranged in a similar manner.
In some cases I have the inner end of the sliding tube constructed to move
or work on a centre or hinge, so that its position may be varied as required.
It will be seen that the above-mentioned arrangements may form part of or
constitute the fire door itself.
In some cases I have other openings besides the usual fire doors, and of the
same or other size fitted with the above-mentioned arrangements, and which
may be made to communicate with each other or not, as may be desired.
And in some cases I have iron or other suitable tubes passing through holes
in the shells of the furnaces, and to the ends of such tubes which are in the
furnaces, I have hollow heads of iron or other suitable material of a spherical
or other suitable form and capacity with perforations or inlet, so that the air
which passes through the tube may be dispersed in different directions through
such perforations or inlet, and such tubes may be arranged to slide in and out
as required.
In some cases I have a chamber of iron or other suitable material of
cylindrical or other form with openings or perforations attached or fixed to the
fire door and sides of the furnace, or either of them, so that the air may be
heated in its passage.
And my improvements also consist in cutting or shaping the edges of plates
for boilers and furnaces of steam engines, so that at such distances as may be
desired, there may be projecting pieces to overlap, and through which one or
more rivets may be passed in addition to the usual line of rivets to hold the
plates more firmly together than is done by the ordinary mode of rivetting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Beattie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th April 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BEATTIE, of Lawn Place, South Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of 'Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Beattie, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Beattie,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Beattie, 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 LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Joseph Beattie, 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 Joseph Beattie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, and by reference to the two Sheets of Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
I construct the fire door or doors of the furnaces of steam engines with a
tube of iron or other suitable metal of cylindrical or other form fixed therein,
and projecting externally and internally beyond the water space surfaces of the
furnace, and I have another tube of iron or other suitable metal to slide
telescopically in or over such first-mentioned tube; the lower or bottom part
of the sliding tube being cut away or perforated, so that the atmospheric air
which is admitted through the openings in the door or otherwise, may, when
the inner tube is pressed or moved forward into the furnace, pass and strike
the solid end of such tube, and be deflected according to the inclination or
form of such end, or escape through the perforations in such tube on or over
the fuel in the furnace, and I fit a tube of iron or other suitable metal of
smaller diameter into the end of the sliding tube, and such smaller tube is
allowed to slide through an aperture in the fire door for the purpose, and so
form a guide to the sliding tube. The air passes through perforations in the
smaller tube into the sliding one which forms a chamber, and it thence passes
as before mentioned, and in some cases I have two or more of such smaller
tubes arranged in a similar manner. In some cases I have the inner end of
the sliding tube constructed to move or work on a centre or hinge, so that its
position may be varied as required. It will be seen that the above-mentioned

page_text: In some
arrangements may form part of or constitute the fire door itself.
cases I have other openings besides the usual fire doors, and of the same or
other size, fitted with the above-mentioned arrangements, and which may be
made to communicate with each other or not, as may be desired; and in
some cases I have iron or other suitable tubes passing through holes in the
shells of the furnaces, and to the ends of such tubes which are in the furnaces
I have hollow heads of iron or other suitable material of a spherical or other
suitable form and capacity, with perforations or inlet, so that the air which
passes through the tube may be dispersed in different directions through such
perforations or inlet, and such tubes may be arranged to slide in and out as
required. In some cases I have a chamber of iron or other suitable material
of cylindrical or other form with openings or perforations attached or fixed to
the fire door and sides of the furnace or either of them, so that the air may be
heated in its passage.
And my improvements also consist in having one or both the plates for
poilers and furnaces of steam engines cut or shaped in such form, that at such
distance as may be desired there may be projecting pieces on one or both
plates to overlap, and through which one or more rivets may be passed in
addition to the usual line of rivets to hold the plates more firmly together than
is done by the ordinary mode of rivetting, or the edge of both plates may be
straight and rivetted as herein-after mentioned.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will now describe
the manner of performing the same.
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, represents a furnace door of a locomotive or other steam
engine, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of No. 1, shewing the sliding tubes
of iron or other suitable material, working in and through the door for the
purpose of admission and regulation of air into the furnaces. The sliding
tubes, as shewn, are cylindrical, and applied to the furnace door of the
ordinary oval form, but the sliding tubes may be made oval to suit and occupy
the whole or nearly the whole space of the door; and the door may be made
cylindrical or of other convenient form, and the sliding tubes of similar or
other form. The door A works on a hinge, by which means the quantity of
air to be admitted can be regulated, or slides may be attached to the furnace
door to answer the same purpose. B, Fig. 2, is used for moving the sliding
tube backward and forward, and it may be hollow to admit air through it, or
it may be made solid.
Fig. 8 represents the end of the sliding tube working on a centre, so that
its position may be varied as required, and Fig. 3 A is a modification of it.

page_text: Fig. 4 is a rectangular furnace door, and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of it,
shewing the sliding tubes arranged to work in and out through the door.
Fig. 6 represents a tube with a spherical perforated head, sliding through
tubes, one or more of which spherical heads may be placed in the shell of the
furnace near or around the furnace door, as at Fig. 6 A and Fig. 7 A, or other
convenient positions; it has a perforated spherical head within the furnace for
the purpose of distribution of the air admitted through it, and the quantity of
air may be regulated by a slide or door attached to it, as at A, Fig. 7, which
represents a tube without a spherical head, but has perforations to divide or
scatter the air admitted into the furnace.
Fig. 7 A is an end view of Fig. 7.
Fig. 7 B and Fig. 7 C are modifications of the sliding tubes in Fig. 6 and
Fig. 7; but in Fig. 7 C there is an end e having an arm h working on a
pivot to regulate the quantity and direction of the air on to the fuel.
Fig. 7 D is an end view of Fig. 7 C.
Fig. 8 represents another sliding tube arranged to diffuse or scatter the air
admitted into the furnace for the combustion of the fuel. These sliding tubes
work through the shell of the furnace, and may be placed in the position
required.
Fig. 9 represents a furnace door, to which a chamber of iron or other
suitable material of cylindrical or other form with openings or perforations is
attached or fixed to the fire door.
Fig. 10 is a horizontal section shewing the chamber C attached, having an
opening on the under side within the furnace, and a perforated plate attached,
and a moveable solid plate for the diffusion and scattering of the air
admitted through the chamber C into the furnace.
The chamber C is shewn with slides for the admission of the air, but a door
may be used instead, or both may be dispensed with and have the chamber
open, and the quantity of air may be regulated by working the solid plate D
forward into the furnace, or by drawing it closer to the perforated plate
attached to the end of the chamber C, and with a view of better diffusion of
the air, I propose to make the solid plate revolve on its spindle or handle E
either by hand or by simple machinery, which I need not now describe, in
which case I would in some cases affix vanes or arms to it, so that the air
impinging on them would be thrown in various directions.
Fig. 11 represents a furnace door, in which a chamber is made to move
forward into the furnace.
Fig. 12 is a horizontal section of it, shewing the end perforated.

page_text: Fig. 13 represents a chamber introduced into the sides of the furnace, its
use and operation being similar to that described in Fig. 10.
Fig. 14, Sheet 2, represents the edge of a boiler plate cut in a serrated or
undulating form, so as to allow some portions of it to project or overlap on the
surface of another plate, to which it is to be rivetted, so that additional rivets
may be introduced to secure the two boiler plates together, and thus relieve
the ordinary seam of rivets from the great strain to which it would be
subjected according to the present mode of rivetting. It will be seen that by
this method of rivetting the rivets are placed at a greater distance from each
other and a greater section of iron is obtained between the rivet holes, and
consequently greater strength attained, and the serrated or undulating edge of
the plate can be permanently caulked and made tight. I have shewn the edge
of one of such plates only serrated or undulating, but the edges of both plates
may be formed so that both the inside and outside edges can be caulked.
Fig. 15 is a section shewing the two plates attached or held together by
the rivets.
Fig. 16 is a modification of Fig. 14, and Fig. 17 shews the two plates and
rivets through them.
Fig. 18 represents a plate with straight edges and formed to overlap a
straight seam of rivets fitted to the inside or outside of a boiler (in this
instance it is shewn inside), and rivetted to both plates by rivets placed at a
distance on each side of the line of rivets, by which great strength and security
is given to the boiler by preventing the steam in the boiler acting entirely on
the single seam of rivets. The same system of rivets can also be employed
to rivet plates with serrated or undulating edges or those of other forms.
Fig. 19 represents a section of the two edges and the overlapping plate
rivetted together; it is shewn inside of the boiler, but it may be placed and
attached to the outside, or it may be increased in width and placed within the
boiler, so that it will not require to be curved for the heads of the rivets, but
that portion may be straight and have a plain surface.
Fig. 20 represents an overlapping plate rivetted inside of the boiler with the
edges of the plates welded together instead of rivetting them in the usual way;
and by this arrangement the rivets can be further apart than usual, and that
part of the boiler where it is welded is greatly strengthened.
Fig. 21 represents the overlapping plate, which may be placed either inside
or outside of the boiler. The dotted line d shews the part supposed to be
welded.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which it can or may be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
claim as my Invention any of the parts taken separately, but that what I
claim as my Invention is,―
1st, the combinations or arrangements for the admission and regulation of
air into the furnaces of steam engines, as herein-before described.
And, 2nd, the modes of securing boiler plates together, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Beattie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-nine.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-
named Joseph Beattie, in the presence of
JOSEPH BEATTIE. (L.S.)
H. WICKENS, "Patent" Solicitor,
4, Tokenhouse Yard, Bank,
London.