IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS GAUGES FOR INDICATING THE LEVELS OF LIQUIDS CONTAINED IN VESSELS OF ANY KIND
Year: 1860

page_text: '
James Chandler, of Creek Road, Deptford, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GLASS GAUGES FOR INDICATING THE LEVELS OF LIQUIDS CONTAINED IN VESSELS
OF ANY KIND."
Sealed the 2nd April 1861, and dated the 9th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Chandler at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th October 1860.
I, JAMES CHANDLER, of Creek Road, Deptford, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GLASS GAUGES FOR INDICATING THE LEVELS OF LIQUIDS CONTAINED IN
VESSELS OF ANY KIND," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates principally to gauges employed for indicating: the level
of water in steam boilers, but is applicable likewise to similar gauges for. similar
purposes.
My Invention consists of the following improvements:-First, the employ-

page_text: ment of "flint glass " instead of plate glass in the construction of such gauges,
as I find by experiment that "fint glass" is better suited than the other to
the purpose.
Secondly, the employment in such gauges of glasses or lenses, first cast in
moulds, then thoroughly annealed, and with the faces thereof cut or ground
and polished to the exact shape required, but with the edges thereof remaining
as they come from the mould. These cast glasses or lenses may be formed of
any suitable kind of glass and of any suitable shape.
Thirdly, the employment in such gauges of glasses or lenses ths of an
inch or more in thickness, as I find by experiment, that when such glasses or
lenses are of less than the said thickness (as they have been hitherto), when
they get cracked they leak, whereas my improved glasses or lenses of the
thickness aforesaid do not, or do so to a less extent in proportion to their
thickness.
Fourthly, the employment in such gauges of glasses or lenses, 11th inches
or more in breadth of "sight" (i.e., the breadth visible on the front surface of
the glass when mounted), as I find by experiment, that when such glasses or
lenses are of less than the said breadth their indications are not sufficiently
apparent, or in other words, the "sight" thereof is deficient.
Fifthtly, the method of mounting the glasses or lenses of such gauges, each
in a shield or frame formed with a slot in front and a flange at the back, the
slot allowing the glass to be seen from the front, and the flange providing a
means of attaching the frame or shield to a back piece or to the flanged edge
of a shallow metal chamber, or in some cases to a boiler or other vessel itself;
the surfaces to be brought together being made true and fair in order to
ensure a perfectly tight joint when the flanges or surfaces are screwed or
bolted together.
Sixthly, the employment of a mixture of red and white lead for cementing
or bedding the glasses or lenses in the frames or shields, and for filling in
between the edges of the glasses or lenses and the frames or shields.
Seventhly, the employment of a packing of india-rubber between the edge
of the glass or lens and the frame or shield..
.
Eightly, the method of coating the backs of the water chambers of such
gauges with enamel, tin, silver gilt, or any other suitable, material for the pur-
pose of lighting up the interior of the water chamber, in order to display the
liquid contained therein.
Ninthly, the employment of an ordinary cone plug cock (or of any other
suitable cock or valve) screwed into a boss or projection on the back or side

page_text: of the water chamber at the top, and of a second and similar cock (or valve) at
the bottom; these cocks or valves being for the purpose of opening and closing
communication between the interior of the gauge and the boiler, or other
vessel to which it is attached.
Tenthly, the method of providing for the blowing or clearing out of such
gauges by boring through the shell and plug of each or either of the said
cocks from the outside into the waterway, so that a clear passage into or out
of the gauge, or both may be made, when the plugs are turned into suitable
positions.
Eleventhly, the employment, where convenient, of additional or supplemen-
tary cocks or valves at top and bottom of the gauge for clearing the same out
when necessary.
Twelfthly, the method of applying gauges constructed with any or all of the
foregoing improvements directly to boilers or other vessels without the inter-
position of shut-off cocks or valves of any kind.
Thirteently, the combination with such gauges of a guard to protect the
same from injury.
Fourteenthly, the method of combining two glasses or lenses mounted, as
before described, in a single gauge by placing them opposite each other, and
kept at a short distance apart by an intermediate frame or otherwise, so that
both glasses or lenses and the water between them may all be seen through
simultaneously.
Fifteenthly, the method of connecting a gauge or vessel of any kind, or a
pipe leading from any other gauge or vessel of any kind to any part of gauges
made as before described.
Sixteenthly, the method of combining two or more of such gauges side by
side; a single frame or shield and a single back piece, including all the glasses
or lenses by preference being employed, so that the several indications of these
gauges may check each other. In the event of injury happening to one
glass or lens the water or other liquid may be shut off from the chamber
behind it. * *.
Seventeenthly, the method of providing against derangement of the glass or
lens, in the event of a vacuum being formed behind it, by causing the mixture
of red and white lead, or other cement, or india-rubber to be compressed
between the back of the glass near the edges and the surface to which the
frame or shield is bolted.
Eighteenthly, the method of providing for the clearing out of the waterways
of the cocks or valves by forming opposite the same an aperture, through

page_text: which a wire may be introduced for the purpose, and closing the said aperture
by means of a screw plug or cover, or other suitable contrivance.
Nineteenthly, the employment with such gauges of a loose index for indi-
cating the level of the liquid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Chandler in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th April. 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CHANDLER, of Creek Road, Deptford, in the County of Kent, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Chandler, Her special licence that I, the said James Chandler,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Chandler, 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 GLASS
GAUGES FOR INDICATING THE LEVELS OF LIQUIDS CONTAINED IN VESSELS OF ANY
KIND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Chandler,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 James Chandler, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say :-
My Invention relates principally to gauges employed for indicating the leve

page_text: of water in steam boilers, but is applicable likewise to similar gauges for
similar purposes.
My Invention consists of the following improvements:-First, the employ-
ment of "flint glass" in the construction of such gauges as I find, by experi-
ment, that "flint glass" is better suited than any other to the purpose.
Secondly, the employment in such gauges of glasses or lenses first cast in
moulds, then thoroughly annealed, and with the faces thereof cut or ground
and polished to the exact shape required, but with the edges thereof remaining
as they come from the mould. These cast glasses or lenses may be formed of
any suitable kind of glass and of any suitable shape.
Thirdly, the employment in such gauges of glasses or lenses, 16th of an
inch or more in thickness, as I find by experiment that when such glasses or
lenses are of less than the said thickness (as they have been hitherto), when
they get cracked they leak, whereas my improved glasses or lenses of the thick-
ness aforesaid do not, or do so to a less extent in proportion to their thickness.
Fourthly, the employment in such gauges of glasses or lenses, 11th inches
or more in breadth of "sight," (i.e., the breadth visible on the front surface of
the glass when mounted), as I find by experiment, that when such glasses or
lenses are of less than the said breadth their indications are not sufficiently
apparent, or in other words, the "sight" thereof is deficient.
In the accompanying Drawings that part comprehended between the letters
x and y is intended to illustrate the breadth of sight.
"Fifthly, the method of mounting the glasses or lenses of such gauges, each
in a shield or frame formed with a slot in front and a flange at the back, the
slot allowing the glass to be seen from the front, and the flange providing a
means of attaching the frame or shield to a back piece or to the flanged edge.
of a shallow metal chamber, or in some cases, to a boiler or other vessel itself,
the surfaces to be brought together, being made true and fair in order to
ensure a perfectly tight joint when the flanges or surfaces are screwed or
bolted together.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a section of a glass or lens
mounted in a shield, as just described. a is the glass; b is the shield, open at
front from c to d, and provided with flanges e, e, at back; f is a back piece,
to which the shield 6 is connected by screws, as shewn; the 'space marked g,
between the back piece f and the glass a is that where the water or other
liquid is free to rise, and which is visible through the glass; Figure 2 is a
front elevation; Figure 3, a vertical section on the line L, M ; and Figure 4,
a horizontal section on the line N, O, of Figure 2, illustrating the method just

page_text: described, of connecting a gauge to the boiler. a is the boiler; b, b, are. the
shields flanged at their back, through which screws c, c, pass into the boiler
plate, as shewn; d is the glass, held in the shields b, b, as described with reference
to Figure 1; the space between the glass and the boiler is that where the
water from the boiler is free to rise, as clearly seen in Figure 3; e, e, are holes,
into which the stoppers f, f, are screwed, by which a passage to the interior of
the gauge and boiler is obtained.
Sixthly, the employment of a mixture of red and white lead for cementing.
or bedding the glasses or lenses in the frames or shields, and for filling in
between the edges of the glasses or lenses and the frames or shields.
Seventhly, the employment of a packing of india-rubber between the edge
of the glass or lens and the frame or shield.
Eighthly, the method of coating the backs of the water chambers of such
gauges with enamel, tin, silver gilt, or any other suitable reflecting material
for the purpose of lighting up the interior of the water chamber, in order to
display the liquid contained therein.
Ninthly, the employment of an ordinary cone plug cock (or of any other
suitable cock or valve) screwed into a boss or projection on the back or side
of the water chamber at the top, and of a second and similar cock (or valve) at
the bottom; these cocks or valves being for the purpose of opening and closing
communication between the interior of the gauge and the boiler or other vessel
to which it is attached.
Tenthly, the method of providing for the blowing or clearing out of such
gauges by boring through the shell and plug of each or either of the said
cocks from the outside into the waterway, so that a clear passage into or
out of the gauge, or both, may be made when the plugs are turned into
suitable positions.
Figure 5 is a front elevation, Figure 6 a vertical section on the line C, D,
and Figure 7 a horizontal section on the line A, B, of Figure 2 of a gauge
constructed in this manner. a is the cock fitted to the upper part of the
water chamber, and b is a similar cock fitted to the lower part of the same;
c is a collar on the threaded end of the upper and lower cocks a and b;
d, d', are the shields for holding the glasses e, e. These shields are made in
a similar manner to that shewn at Figure 1, and there marked b. In this
case, however, two glasses are shewn, the second glass taking the place of the
back piece. f is the space between the glasses for the water from the boiler
which enters by the cock b; 9, 9, are handles for opening and closing the
cocks a and b. The cocks a and b are shewn open to the gauge and boiler;

page_text: 5
by giving the handle of the cock 6. a quarter of a turn the passage of water
is closed to the boiler, and opened to the air for blowing through the gauge.
The shield d is formed with a hole at bottom and top, into which the plugs
h, h, are screwed. This hole corresponds with the passage leading from the
boiler, and is also in communication with the interior of the gauge, so that by
unscrewing the plugs h, h, the ways may be readily cleaned.
Eleventhly, the employment, where convenient, of additional or supple,
mentary cocks or valves at top and bottom of the gauge for clearing the same
out, when necessary.
Twelfthly, the method of applying gauges constructed with any or all of
the foregoing improvements directly to boilers or other vessels without the
interposition of shut-off cocks or. valves of any kind.
Figure 8 is a front elevation, and Figure 9 a longitudinal section of a
gauge fitted as described under the Eleventh and Twelfth heads of my
Invention; Figure 10 is a section through the line w, x, of Figure 8, shewing
the gauge fitted with only one glass, and Figure 11 is a section, through the
same line, of the same Figure, but shewing the gauge fitted with two glasses.
a is the cock fitted, as shewn, to the bottom of the gauge, through which cock
water may be let out from the gauge; 6 is the handle for opening and
closing the cock a; c, c, are the glasses. The gauge is screwed, as shewn
at e, or otherwise directly connected to the boiler d, without the interposition
of cocks, as described with reference to Figures 5 and 6.
Thirteenthly, the combination with such gauges of a guard to protect the
same from injury.
Fourteenthly, the method of combining two glasses or lenses mounted, as
before described, in a single gauge, by placing them opposite each other, and
kept at a short distance apart by an intermediate frame or otherwise, so that
both glasses or lenses, and the water between them may all be seen through
simultaneously, as described with reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7.
Fifteenthly, the method of connecting a gauge or vessel of any kind, or a
pipe leading from any other gauge or vessel of any kind to any part of; gauges
made as before described. The object of this part of my Invention is to adapt
glass water gauges, made as before described, to any connection whatsoever.
for glass tubes intended to be used as water gauges for steam boilers and
5 other vessels, that is to say, firstly, that boilers already fitted with the ordinary,
tube gauge may have the said tube removed, and may be fitted with my
gauge in lieu thereof, without stopping the boiler engine, or other incon-
venience; secondly, that my gauge may be fitted to the ordinary glass gauge

page_text: 'tube connections. I do not confine myself to any particular method of
attaching my gauge to the ordinary gauges, as I sometimes fix them by the
side or in front of the glass tube. The glass tube may in some cases be
used in conjunction with my gauge, either as a duplicate or check, as both
gauges would be working at the same time.
Figure 12 is a front elevation, and Figure 13 a view, partly in section,
through the line R, S, of the same, showing one arrangement by which gauges
made in, the manner before described can be fitted to other
gauge connections
in place of the glass tube. a, a, are loose pipes passing through the stuffing
boxes b, b; c, c, are bosses formed on the end of the gauge, and into which
the tubes a, a, screw, thus, by merely screwing on the gauges to the tubes
a, a, they are fitted to the ordinary glass tube connections; e, e, are the shields
for holding the gauge glasses; f, f, are the handles of the cocks of the
ordinary glass tube connections. Figure 14 is a section of the
gauge taken
through the line U, V, of Figure 12, shewing double glasses secured in
shields e, e, which are held together screws, as shown, and as previously
described; Figure 15 is a section, showing a single gauge glass secured in the
manner before described.
Sixteenthly, the method of combining two or more of such gauges side by
side, a single back piece holding two glasses and two single frames or shields,
each holding one glass, being employed, so that the several indications of
these gauges may check each other. In the event of injury happening to
one glass or lens, the water or other liquid may be shut off from the chamber
behind it.
Figure 16 is a front elevation, and Figure 17 a vertical section on the
line E, F, of Figure 16 of a double gauge, as just described; Figures 18, 19,
and 20 are sections respectively, through the lines G, H, and I, K, of
Figure 16, the latter, videlicit, Figure 20, shewing a single glass, and Figure 19,
double glasses. a is the boiler; b, b, are the double gauges in connection at
top and bottom with the boiler by means of branch pipes and stop-cocks or
valves c, c, as shewn in the section Figure 18. The glass is used in this case,
as well as in all the other arrangements before described, either double or
single, as shewn in the sections Figures 19 and 20. d, d, are supplementary
cocks. The object of the use of the double gauge is that one gauge may
check the indication of the other, and provided one gauge be injured, it cau
be shut off, and the other alone used.
Seventeenthly, the method of providing against derangement of the glass or
lens, in the event of a vacuum being formed behind it, by causing the mixture

page_text: of red and white lead, or other cement, or india-rubber to be compressed
between the back of the glass near the edges and the surface to which the
frame or shield is bolted.
Eighteenthly, the method of providing for the clearing out of the waterways
of the cocks or valves by forming opposite the same an aperture through
which a wire may be introduced for the purpose, and closing the said aperture
by means of a screwed plug or cover, or other suitable contrivance.
Nineteenthly, the employment with such gauges of a loose index for
indicating the level of the liquid.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Chandler, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES CHANDLER. (L.8.)