AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING STREET AND OTHER LAMPS, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS CONNECTED THERE WITH
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Welsh, of the City and County of Perth,
North Britain, Superintendent of Police and Inspector of Lighting, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING STREET AND OTHER
LAMPS, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS CONNECTED THERE WITH."
led the 23rd May 1865, and dated the 9th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Welsh, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th January
1865.
I, JOHN WELSH, of the City and County of Perth, North Britain, Superin-
tendent of Police and Inspector of Lighting, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING STREET AND OTHER
LAMPS, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention essentially relates to a very simple apparatus to be used for
the lighting of street and other lamps, and has for its object the doing entirely
away with ladders now in use to enable the lighter to reach the lamps, at the
same time rendering him capable of lighting a much greater number of lamps
than hitherto. The apparatus consists of a hollow stem or tube fixed to a rod
or handle, which the lamplighter carries in his hand. Within the hollow part
of the stem there is arranged a sliding rod, acted upon by a spring also in the

page_text: interior of the stem; this spring maintains the rod by its pressure in the lowest
position which it is capable of assuming within the tube. At the lower part of the
tube a slot is cut, and through this slot a knob or handle passes, connected to
the interior sliding rod, the use of the knob being that the thumb or finger
may be applied to it and an upward motion imparted to the rod. The upper
end of the sliding rod is formed with a vertical hole in it to receive a lucifer
or other match, and the tube is extended above this point and closed over on the
top, its interior surface being roughened, so that when an upward motion is im-
parted to the sliding rod the match is struck against the roughened surface and
at once ignited. When used for lighting street lamps the part of the appara-
tus holding the match is placed through the central opening at the bottom of
the lamp, and when in proximity with the jet the | ercussive action is imparted
to the rod, the match is ignited, and the fire is communicated to the jet. The
top of the rod carrying the lighting apparatus is fitted with a book or key,
which the person carrying the lighting apparatus places upon the usual thumb
handle of the plug of the gas cock, and by giving a lateral or vertical motion
to the rod the cock is turned and the gas ready to be ignited.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Welsh, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WELSII, of the City and County of Perth, North Britain, Superintendent of
Police and Inspector of Lighting, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Welsh, Her special license that I, the said John Welsh, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Welsh, my executors, administrators, or 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF LIGHTING STREET AND OTHER LAMPS, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS

page_text: CONNECTED THEREWITH, upon the condition (amongst others) that the said
John Welsh, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Welsh, 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,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:―
My said Invention essentially relates to a very simple apparatus to be used
for the lighting of street and other lamps, and has for its object the doing
entirely away with the ladders now in use, and not only to enable the lamp-
lighter to reach and light the lamps with greater ease, but also to enable him
to light a much greater number in the same period of time than he has been
able to do hitherto. It has also for its object the enabling of private parties
to light their gasaliers, lobby lamps, stairlights, shop-window lamps, lamps in
front of public and private houses or buildings, and lamps otherwise situated,
without the use of steps, ladders, or chairs, and consequently the doing away of
the great inconvenience and danger now attending these and other modes. The
apparatus consists of a hollow stem or tube fixed to a rod or handle, which the
lamplighter carries in his hand. Within the hollow part of the stem there is
arranged a sliding rod, acted upon by a spring also in the interior of the stem ;
this spring maintains the rod by its pressure in the lowest or uppermost
position which it is capable of assuming within the tube. At the lower part
of the tube a slot is made, and through this slot a knob or handle passes, con-
nected to the interior sliding rod, the use of the knob being that the thumb or
finger may be applied to it, and an upward or downward motion imparted to
the rod. In one modification the upper end of the sliding rod is formed with
a vertical hole in it to receive a lucifer or other match, and the tube is extended
above this point and closed over on the top, its interior surface being roughened,
so that when an upward motion is imparted to the sliding rod the match is
struck against the roughened surface and at once ignited. When used for
lighting street lamps the part of the apparatus holding the match is placed
through the central opening at the bottom of the lamp, and when in proximity
with the jet the percussive action is imparted to the rod, the match is ignited
and the fire is communicated to the jet: When used for lighting the lamps of
public or private houses or buildings the apparatus and the mode of procedure

page_text: is the same as when used for lighting street lamps, but the apparatus is in
general of smaller dimensions. The top of the rod carrying the lighting
apparatus is fitted with a hook or key, which the person carrying the lighting
apparatus places upon the usual thumb handle of the plug of the gas cock, and
by giving a lateral or vertical motion to the rod the cock is turned and the
gas ready to be ignited.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode, or manner in or
under which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, reference being
had to the several Figures upon the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have
hereunto appended, in which cach of the Figures are vertical sections taken
through the centres of each instrument.
In Figure 1, the lower part, handle, or staff A of the instrument is by preference
made of wood, but may be made wholly of metallic tube or other substance, and a
hole is bored longitudinally through it, through which the metallic rod B passes,
a protruding knob C being attached to its lower end, and by means of which
motion is imparted to the rod. A second knob D protrudes from the interior rod
at a higher distance up, which when the instrument is used for lighting lamps
placed nearer the ground or floor level than usual is found convenient. To
the upper part of the handle or shaft A the tube E is screwed or otherwise
fixed. On referring to Figure 1 it will be observed that the rod B extends very
nearly to the top of this tube, and on that portion situated near the lower end of
the tube a collar F is fixed, between which and the upper part of the handle
or shaft the helical spring G is contained, which being maintained in the con-
dition of compression always keeps the rod in its position. The upper part of
the rod B is roughened and flattened out; it is also slightly inclined or bent so
that its roughened surface may stand over the match H, which is kept in place
by its lower end being placed in the socket I, in which there is a nipple or
metallic wire, the use of which is that by being moved upwards the lower part
of the match after the match itself is burnt may be displaced.
Having now described the first modification of my said Invention I shall
proceed to describe the mode of operating with it to be as follows, that is to
say: As soon as the match is placed in the socket I, that portion of the appara-
tus is applied to the burner to be lighted, when in the desired position the
attendant gives a downward movement to the rod B by means of the knob C,
this motion brings the roughened surface over the igniting part of the match,
which immediately inflames, and the fire is communicated to the burner.
Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections of two other modifications of my In-
vention, the chief difference in both of which from the former modification consists

page_text: in causing the match to be placed in the upper part of the moveable rod B,
in which case the rod is moved upwards instead of downwards, as in the last
arrangement. In moving the rod B upwards the match is caused to strike
against the roughened cover H. Figure 8 is in general arrangement similar
to Figure 2, the only difference in which is that the tube is of less diameter
than in the preceeding Figure, which is convenient for allowing the instrument
to be passed through the central openings of lamps made smaller than usual.
Each of the modifications shown in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings are
furnished with a slot or opening K at the top, by means of which the instru-
ment may be applied to gas taps or cocks so as to turn on the gas.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be carried into practical effect, I would observe in con-
clusion that I do not confine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrange-
ments herein-before described and referred to, but what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of apparatus for lighting
street and other lamps substantially as herein-before described, or any mere
modification of the said arrangements.
Second, the system or method of lighting lamps as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Welsh, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
JOHN WELSH. (L.S.)