Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting and Extinguishing Gas-lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE CONNELLY-CRITCHLOW COMPANY, of
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Mapufacturers
of Gas Apparatus.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting and Extinguishing
Gas-lamps.
I JOHN THOMSON KING of 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Patent Agent 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 :-
Reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification, in which :-
Figure 1 shows in side elevation a street lamp to which my improved apparatus
is applied.
Figure 2 shows in vertical section and on a larger scale the construction of the
apparatus.
The object of my invention is to provide means for lighting and extinguishing
gas burners from a central point, for example at the central gasworks of a city.
It is especially designed for use in connection with street lamps, and when so
applied it enablos all the lamps of a city, which are equipped with my invention,
to be lighted in the evening and put out in the morning without need of or a work-
man to go the round of the lamps as has heretoforo been the custom. The invention
is applicable, however, not only to use with street lamps, but in connection with
any other burners where the lighting and extinguishing of the flanie from a distant
point is desirable, and although I illustrate the invention as applied to burners
of the well known Wellsbach type, it may be used in connection with burners of
any other construction.
The principle of operation of my improved device is, that in connection with
the main gas burner I use a supplemental constantly lighted gas-supply or jet
(which may be separate from but adjacent to the main jet, or may lead into the
burner proper), and I control the main supply of gas to tho burner by means of a
valve controlled by an automatic cut-off, operated by the pressure of the gas in
the supply-pipe, and so constructed that when subjected to the greater pressure
commonly employed in city mains at night, the valve will open and admit gas to
to the burner, but when the pressure is reduced as is the custom during the day
time, the valve will close so as to cut off the supply of gas to the burner, permitting,
however, its flow to the supplemental jet which remains constantly burning.
In the drawing, 2 represents a gas supply-pipe which in the case of street lights
is frequently enclosed in a hollow post. In the line of thie pipe, preferably at
the top of the post, I place the case 3 of a cut out device, having a chamber 4
communicating directly with the pipe 2, a chamber 5 being connected therewith
by a port 6 and having a valve 7 which controls said port aud which is connected
to a cup float 8 situate in a chamber 9, its lower edge being immersed in mercury
contained in a circular groove 10. B is an air-vent in the chamher 9 above the
diaphragm to permit free motion of the latter. A passage or pipe 11 leads from
the chamber 4 to the chamber below the cup float, a passage 12 leads from the
chamber 5 in the wall of said case 3 to the burner supply passage 13 and a by
pass 14 leads from the pipe 2 or chamber 4 in the wall of said case to the

page_text: passage 13. A screw plug or valve 15 in the by-pass enables the size of its
opening to be regulated so as to permit the passage of any desired volume
of gas.
The operation is as follows:-The passage 11 connecting the chambers 4 and 5
makes the gas pressure on the underside of the float always equal to the pressure
in the supply-pipe 2. The float is weighted so that the day pressure of gas shall
be insufficient to raise it and to unseat the valve, but so that the increase of
pressure in the pipe at night shall be sufficient to raise the float somewhat and
to open the port 6. During the day hours the valve 7 is closed, but the gas from
the pipe 2 passes through the by-pass 14 to the burner and burns there in a
small jet, its size being adjusted once for all by proper setting of the screw or
valve 15. When the pressure in the main is raised to a degree sufficient to move
the float, as will ordinarily happen at night and at a certain hour, the valve will
be unseated and the gas will pass through the port 6 and passage 12 to the burner
Causing the light to burn with its full brilliancy. This will continue until morning
when the pressure in the main is reduced, and then the dropping of the float will
seat the valve, cut off the flow of gas through the port 6 and will permit only the
small jet of gas from the by-pass to burn at the burner. The motion of the valve
is very short, and the device is so simple in its construction that it is not liable to
get out of order and can be cheaply applied with great saving to gas lighting
plants.
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 :-
First. The combination with a gas burner and its gas-supply pipe, of a cut-off
apparatus interposed in the pipe and comprising a case having a by-pass and a
main burner passage leading within the case along its walls, a valve controlling
the main burner passage, and an inverted cup float contained within the case and
dipping within a body of liquid, said float being connected with the valve, and the
chamber on its underside coinmunicating with the main burnor passage, whereby
the valve will be opened when the gas pressure reaches a certain point of elevation
and will be closed when the pressure is reduced.
Second. The combination with a gas burner and its gas-supply pipe, of a cut-off
apparatus interposed in the pipe, and comprising a case having a by-pass and a
main burner passage, a valve controlling the main burner passage, and an inverted
cup float contained within the case and dipping within a body of liquid, said float
being connected with the valve, and the chamber below the cup float having a
Beparate communication with the gas supply pipe whereby the valve will be opened
when the gas pressure reaches a certain point of elevation and will be closed when
the pressure is reduced.
Dated the 4th day of Aunt 1808