IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING GAS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Leigh Clarke and John Leigh, both of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING GAS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Leigh Clarke
and John Leigh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st June
1880.
CHARLES LEIGH CLARKE and JOHN LEIGH, both of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING
GAS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES."
The principal object of this Invention is to construct a convenient, durable, and
portable form of hand lamp or apparatus for lighting gas by means of electric
This land lamp or
spark, sparks, or platinum wire heated by the electric current.
apparatus is especially adapted for use in mills, cotton or other factories, warehouses,
and other places where there is a danger of fire from the dropping of a spark if an
ordinary lamp or lighted taper be employed for lighting the gas; it may also be
used with great advantage in hotels, private dwelling houses, and other places
where it is required to light gas lights without danger from falling sparks. To
employ the electric sparks I employ by preference a battery cell of special con-
struction, to which is connected an induction coil, either with or without a
condenser. This battery is formed of an outer cell containing a zinc cylinder and
exciting fluid; inside this is placed a porous cell containing a carbon block or rod
or other suitable material, together with the necessary fluid, both cells having con-
venient compartments left to allow of the exciting fluids being separated from the
positive and negative elements of the battery when not in use. The porous cell
has its compartment either saturated with some suitable non-conducting substance
or is enamelled or glazed in order to do away entirely with "endosement" when
the cell is out of action, and so prolong the durability of the exciting fluids. If a
condenser is used with the coil I place it by preference round the external surface

page_text: is
of the outer cell to economize space, the induction coil being placed with its adjuncts
beneath it. From the terminals of the induction coil two wires are carried to a
suitable short tube and insulated, their ends being separated by a sufficient space,
across which when the apparatus is working the electric spark or sparks pass; or
instead of the induction coil I employ a fine piece of platinum wire which is (as is
well known) rendered white hot by the passage of the electric current, such
platinum wire being stretched across the above named tube, and connected suitably
with the battery. The tube which carries the ends of the wires from the induction
coil (or in the other case the platinum wire) has a guard of wire gauze attached to
it so that the gas burner cannot be brought into contact with them and displace or
injure them. The apparatus has a suitable "commutator" provided, which breaks
the circuit, excepting when pressed down by the thumb or finger, so that the
whole apparatus is out of action in its normal state. When the "commutator
pressed the circuit is then completed, and a spark (or sparks) will pass from the
end of one wire to the other wire, or the fine platinum wire is heated, and either
may be used for lighting the gas. The above form a battery in the form I prefer,
although I can use in this lamp any of the batteries usually employed for working
induction coils or heating the platinum wire. The fluids I use by preference are
in the outer cell dilute sulphuric acid, and in the inner cell nitric acid. When the
apparatus is out of use for any length of time it is turned over or reversed, so
that the fluids flow into the compartments as described above, and are thus brought
away from the zinc and carbon elements, entirely preventing the wasting of fluids,
also throwing the cell completely out of action until the apparatus is required for
use again. The whole is enclosed in a casing of any convenient material of
portable shape, the only parts necessarily projecting outside being the handle, the
commutator button, and the tube or case containing the terminal wires of the coil
or the platinum wire.
In forming the induction coil for this apparatus instead of using copper wire
insulated by means of a coating of coiled silk or other fibrous substance as usual we
form the coil of plain copper wire and ordinary sewing cotton or other suitable
thread.
The wire and thread are laid or coiled together side by side, so that the cotton or
other thread forms a perfect insulator in a lateral direction between each two coils
of wire, and when this double or alternate coil of wire and thread has been laid
from one end of the bobbin to the other in a single layer it is covered or protected
by a layer of paper soaked in paraffine or by a thin india rubber tube. The wire
and thread are then coiled back to the other end of the bobbin above the paraffine
paper or india rubber, and so on alternately till a sufficient length of wire has been
coiled on.
By this means each coil of wire will be perfectly insulated on all sides, and the
cost of making such insulated coils will be very considerably reduced.
It will be evident that this part of our Invention is also applicable to all other
electrical apparatus where a coil of insulated wire is required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Leigh Clarke and John Leigh in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st December 1880.
CHARLES LEIGH CLARKE and JOHN LEIGH, both of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING
GAS, PART OF WHICH APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES."
The principal object of this Invention is to construct a convenient, durable, and
portable form of hand lamp or apparatus for lighting gas by means of electric
sparks or platinum wire heated by the electric current. This hand lamp or
apparatus is especially adapted for use in mills, cotton or other factories, warehouses,
and other places where there is a danger of fire from the dropping of a spark if an
ordinary lamp or lighted taper be employed for lighting the gas; it may also be
used with great advantage in hotels, private dwelling houses, and other places
where it is required to light gas lights without danger from falling sparks.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention, we will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly understood
we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof. To use the electric sparks we employ by
preference a battery cell of either the special constructions hereinafter described,
to which is connected an induction coil, either with or without a condenser.
If a
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawings is a vertical section and Fig. 2 a sectional plan
view of the under part of the apparatus, showing one modification of battery which
we propose to employ. This battery is formed of an outer cell a, a, containing a
zinc cylinder b, b, and exciting fluid; inside this is placed a porous cell c, c, con-
taining a carbon block or rod d, d, or other suitable material, together with the
necessary fluid, both cells having convenient compartments or spaces a* and c*, left to
allow of the exciting fluids being separated from the positive and negative elements
of the battery when not in use. The upper portion c* of the porous cell c, c, has
its compartment either saturated with some suitable non conducting substance or
is enamelled or glazed in order to do away entirely with "endosement" when the
cell is out of action, and so prolong the durability of the exciting fluids.
condenser is used with the coil I place it by preference round the external surface
of the outer cell a, a, (or beneath the same, as shown at c, Fig. 1) to economize
space, the induction coil e, e, being placed with its adjuncts beneath it. From the
terminals of the induction coil two wires f, f¹, are carried to two points f", fill,
(respectively) in a suitable short tube g, g, and insulated, these two points being
separated by a sufficient space, across which (when the apparatus is working) the
electric spark or sparks pass. Instead of the induction coil I employ a fine piece
of platinum wire, which is (as is well known) rendered white hot by the passage
of the electric current, such platinum wire being stretched across the above named
tube, and connected suitably with the battery. The tube which carries the ends
of the wires from the induction coil (or in the other case the platinum wire) has a
guard h, h, of wire gauze attached to it, so that the gas burner cannot be brought
into contact with them and displace or injure them.
It is sufficient to connect the wire f with any part of the metallic casing of the
apparatus for the current of electricity to pass from the point f¹ and complete the
circuit.
The apparatus has a suitable" commutator" i, i, provided, which breaks the circuit,
excepting when pressed down by the thumb or finger, so that the whole apparatus
is out of action in its normal state. When the "commutator" i, i, is pressed the

page_text: circuit is then completed, and a spark (or sparks) will pass from the end of one wire
to the other wire, or the fine platinum wire is heated, and either may be used for
lighting the gas.
Figs. 3 and 4 show respectively sectional elevation and plan views of another
form of battery, wherein the positions of the zinc and the carbon are reversed, two
carbon plates k, l, being employed, between which is suspended a piece of zinc 1, 1,
of a cruciform section. In this form of battery the bottom of the coil e, e, is in
metallic contact with the outer casing n, n, which in its turn is connected by the
tube g, g, to the terminal wire f *.
The above forms of battery are those which I prefer, although I can use in this
lamp any of the batteries usually employed for working induction coils or heating
the platinum wire. The fluids I use by preference in the battery, Figs. 1 and 2,
are in the outer cell dilute sulphuric acid, and in the inner cell nitric acid, and in
that shown at Figs. 3 and 4 a bichromate solution. When the apparatus shown at
Figs.
and 2 is out of use for any length of time it is turned over or reversed and
stands on the feet m, m, so that the fluids flow into the compartments a*, c*, as
described above, and are thus brought away from the zinc and carbon elements,
entirely preventing the wasting of fluids, also throwing the cell completely out of
action until the apparatus is required for use again. The whole is enclosed in a
casing of any convenient material of portable shape, the only parts necessarily
projecting outside being the handle, the commutator button or spring, and the
tube or case containing the terminal wires of the coil or the platinum wire. In
forming the induction coil for this apparatus instead of using copper wire insulated
by means of a coating of coiled silk or other fibrous substance as usual we form
the coil of plain copper or iron wire and ordinary sewing cotton or other suitable
thread.
The wire and thread are laid or coiled together side by side, so that the cotton
or other thread forms a perfect insulator in a lateral direction between each two
coils of wire, and when this double or alternate coil of wire and thread has been
laid from one end of the bobbin to the other in a single layer it is covered or pro-
tected by a layer of paper soaked in paraffine or by a thin india rubber tube.
The
wire and thread are then coiled back to the other end of the bobbin above the
paraffine paper or india rubber, and so on alternately till a sufficient length of wire
has been coiled on.
By this means each coil of wire will be perfectly insulated on all sides, and the
cost of making such insulated coils will be very considerably reduced.
It will be evident that this part of our Invention is also applicable to all other
electrical apparatus where a coil of insulated wire is required.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention,-
First. The peculiar construction of electric lamp for lighting gas, as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed; and,
Secondly. We claim the peculiar construction of induction coil, as hereinbefore
described, whether applied to the above named electric lamps or to any other
electrical apparatus where a coil of insulated wire is required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Leigh Clarke (on behalf of myself
and the said John Leigh), have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
CHAB. L. CLARKE. (L.S.)