IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS OR STOPPERS FOR TUBES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Jackson Arrowsmith and Hugh Ferguson,
of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS OR STOPPERS FOR TUBES.”
Sealed the 18th January 1876, and dated the 7th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Jackson Arrow-
smith and Hugh Ferguson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 7th October 1875.
We, JAMES JACKSON ARROWSMITH and HUGH FERGUSON, of Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS OR STOPPERS FOR TUBES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object an apparatus (cheap, simple, and not
easily put out of order for temporary insertion into tubes in steam
boilers and other mechanism for the stoppage of accidental leakage,
especially in such cases as when a tube of a marine boiler bursts at sea.
For this object we construct a bolt of any desirable length turned smaller

page_text: at each end, so as to form a shoulder. On this two discs or washers are
threaded nearly the size of the intended tube; these discs are so shaped
that when pressed close together there shall be an annular V groove
between them. Between the washers we insert a ring of india-rubber
with bovelled faces, so as to fit between the washers, and it is of such
thickness as when in position and uncompressed to keep the two washers
about / to % or 1 inch apart.
Sometimes we turn a second shoulder on the bolt at each end, and let
the outer disc go firmly against it and rivet it firmly on, the other disk
being free to slide between the inner shoulder and the stationary disk,
except in so far as it is prevented by the india-rubber ring. Usually
however on one end at least we place a nut, and screw it up (if there be
no second shoulder) till the ring and discs are no longer loose, if there
be a second shoulder, till the outer disc is tight. The screwed end of
the bolt is usually made to project beyond the nut, so as to fasten a
socket handle thereto to withdraw the apparatus when desired. When
a tube leaks the apparatus is inserted and pushed into the tube till one
of the rings of the apparatus passes the leak. The internal pressure of
the escaping water or steam presses against the inner (or sliding) washers,
causing the india-rubber ring between the bevelled surfaces to be pressed
outward against the surface of the tube between the bevelled sides of
the sliding and stationary discs, thus effectually stopping the leak.
Instead of bevelled discs flat ones could be used, but they are not
nearly so good, and the india-rubber too could also be varied; a tubular
india-rubber ring, for instance (that is, the cross section of the ring being
also annular), might do very well, especially with flat washers, but we
prefer the apparatus as first described.
The advantages of this tube stopper over those in which the pressure
of steam gets behind packing rings, and forces them out, is that when
the latter have been in use some days the water and steam corrode a
passage round the packing ring, and leak badly, whereas our apparatus
continues tight till the whole substance of the ring is eaten away, and
will last for many occasions instead of for only one.
We greatly improve even this old style of tube stopper by making the
back of the ring concave; this has a tendency to spread the ring out
against the casting or discs, and thus stop the leakage. It is in fact a

page_text: crude mode of applying our principle, but it is much inferior to our
above-described plan.
We also wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to
india-rubber, but that any other suitable packing is included in our
Invention.
filed by the said James Jackson Arrowsmith and Hugh Ferguson
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
JACKSON ARROWSMITH and Hugh Ferguson, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said James Jackson Arrowsmith and Hugh
Ferguson, Her special licence, that we, the said James Jackson Arrow-
smith and Hugh Ferguson, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Jackson Arrowsmith and Hugh
Ferguson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS OR STOPPERS FOR TUBES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Jackson Arrowsmith
and Hugh Ferguson, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Jackson Arrowsmith and
Hugh Ferguson, do hereby declare the nature of our said 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, and to the figures and letters
of reference marked thereon :-
This Invention has for its object an apparatus cheap, simple, and not
easily put out of order for temporary insertion into tubes in steam
boilers and other mechanism for the stoppage of accidental leakage,
especially in such cases as when a tube of a marine boiler bursts at sea.
For this object we construct a bolt of any desirable length turned smaller
at each end, so as to form a shoulder. On this two discs or washers are
threaded nearly the size of the intended tube; these discs are so shaped
that when pressed close together there shall be an annular groove
between them. Between the washers we insert a ring of india-rubber
with bevelled faces, so as to fit between the washers, and it is of such
thickness as when in position and uncompressed to keep the two washers
about to % or 1 inch apart.
Sometimes we turn a second shoulder on the bolt at cach end, and let
the outer disc go firmly against it and rivet it firmly on, the other disc
being free to slide between the inner shoulder and the stationary disc,
except in so far as it is prevented by the india-rubber ring. Usually
however on one end at least we place a nut, and screw it up (if there be
no second shoulder) till the ring and discs are no longer loose (if there
be a second shoulder) till the outer disc is tight. The screwed end of
the bolt is usually made to project beyond the nut, so as to fasten a
socket handle thereto to withdraw the apparatus when desired. When
a tube leaks the apparatus is inserted and pushed into the tube till one
of the rings of the apparatus passes the leak. The internal pressure of
the escaping water or steam presses against the inner or sliding washers,
causing the india-rubber ring between the bevelled surfaces to be pressed
outward against the surface of the tube between the bevelled sides of
the sliding and stationary discs, thus effectually stopping the leak.
Instead of bevelled discs flat ones could be used, but they are not
nearly so good, and the india-rubber too could also be varied; a tubular
india-rubber ring, for instance (that is, the cross section of the ring being
also annular), might do very well, especially with flat washers, but we
prefer the apparatus as first described.

page_text: The advantages of this tube stopper over those in which the pressure
of steam gets behind packing rings, and forces them out, is that when
the latter have been in use some days the water and steam corrode a
passage round the india-rubber ring, and leak badly, whereas our appa-
ratus continues tight till the whole substance of the ring is eaten away,
and will last for many occasions instead of for only one.
We greatly improve even this old style of tube stopper by making the
back of the ring concave; this has a tendency to spread the ring out
against the casting or discs, and thus stop the leakage. It is in fact a
crude mode of applying our principle, but it is much inferior to our
above-described plan.
We also wish it to be understood that we not confine ourselves to.
india-rubber, but that any other suitable packing is included in our
Invention.
The exact form wo prefor at the present time, as taken altogether, the
best in practice is shown in the accompanying Drawings, of which
Figure 1 shows an elevation; Figure 2, a section. In these A¹, A³, are
the outside rings, A¹ being rivetted tight; A' screwed up hard against
the shoulder; B¹, B³, are the internal or loose discs; C³, C³, the india-
rubber rings; these can be annular tubes, as already suggested, but
we prefer the wedge-form ring, as shown. We find it an improvement
also to let the ring lie on a shoulder D, D, on each disc, as shown, as
without these shoulders we find that the ring has a tendency to be
pressed out more unevenly on one side than the other, or get out of
place before the pressure comes on; E is a projecting screw to enable
the engineer to attach a handle F, shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of
withdrawing the stopper or bringing it back in case it has been shoved
in too far; G, section of tube showing leak at H to be stopped.
Having now described our Invention, and the mode of carrying it
into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not claim any of the
parts of the apparatus herein shown taken separately, as they are nearly
all old and well known; but what we do claim as new and desire to
protect under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. Arranging in a tube stopper a pair of elastic rings between
oblique surfaces in such manner that the internal pressure of the effluent
steam or water from the leak in the tube shall press a disc or other solid
surface against the india-rubber ring in such manner as to squeeze it up

page_text: •
against the surrounding tube, and thus effectually block the exit of the
escaping fluids.
2nd. Arranging a tubo stopper worked on the principle of the internal
pressure from the leak, expanding an elastic ring in such manner that
the fluid escaping from the leak cannot come in contact with or directly
act on the inner surface of the elastic ring.
3rd. The general arrangement of tube stopper, as set forth in the
accompanying Specification and Drawings.
4th. The formation of the india-rubber ring with a concave inner
surface in the old form of tube stopper already described, in which the
fluids from the leak have direct access to the inner surface of the ring,
so that the steam pressing outwards in the annular concavity of the ring
shall press it out on each side against the surrounding discs or groove
sides, and thus prevent the steam and hot water from percolating ]
between the india-rubber and aforesaid disc, sides, or grooves. This is
not a necessary part of our Invention, but we merely add it as a
useful adjunct so to show how to adapt our principle to existing tube
stoppers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Ferguson, on behalf of
myself and the said James Jackson Arrowsmith, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year
of our Lord 1876.
Witness,
EDWARD C. COLTON,
Clerk to W. P. Thompson,
Patent Agent,
6, Lord Street,
Liverpool.
HUGH FERGUSON. (L.S.)