Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1888
Specification Accepted, 31st Dec., 1888
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 :-
The object of the presont invention is to provide the gauge glasses of boilers with
a casing which protects them against accidental breakage and also protects the
engineer or fireman against injury in case the gauge glass should burst.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a gauge glass provided with the protecting
casing.
Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the protecting casing on a larger
scale.
Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the gauge glass with the casing,
full size.
Fig. 4 represents a modified form of the casing full size.
The protecting casing H consisting of thick transparent glass has a section
in the form of a horseshoe and its inner width is preferably about three times
the diameter of the gauge-glass G. The open side of the casing H is towards
the boiler, so that the level of the water is observed through the casing and
the gauge glass protected on three sides. The gauge glass is therefore protected
against accidental breakage from outside and cold draughts are prevented from
coming in contact with the hot glass. Should however a gauge-glass nevertheless
burst the splinters and the steam intermixed with boiling water will be directed
against the boiler and the engineer or fireman can close the valves without fear of
injury or scalding.
To fasten the glass casing round the gauge-glass, the ends of the former are sur-
rounded with metal shoes provided with noses or projections K formed by suitably

page_text: cutting the shoes and bending the cut parts outwards. The lower shoe U is
formed with a central opening through which passes the gauge-glass G, while
the opening in the upper shoe O is so large that the_nut M of the stuffing-
box can pass through. In this manner the lower shoe U will rest in the lower
stuffing-box nut M which thus carries the whole apparatus. If the apparatus is to
be removed it is lifted, the upper stuffing box nut M being able to pass through the
opening of the upper shoe O. The casing H is held in position by the noses K being
bent against the nuts M. The fitting and removing of the casing is therefore very
simple.
To pross and hold the shoes against the glass casing H two wires D (fig. 2)
pass through the ends of the shoes and are bent." The bent ends of these
wires are prossed over small enlargements B of the shoes and thus hold the shoos
tightly against the glass casing. When the casing is to be removed the bont ends of
the wires D are turned away from the shoes. To prevent the apparatus from coming
off accidentally the lower ends of the wires are fastened to the lower valve by means
of a chain k passing over said ends, so that the apparatus cannot be removed unless
the chain is unfastened. This protecting casing is not only recommended for the
gauge-glasses of stationary boilers, but also especially for those of portable boilers
and locomotives in which the jars and jerks may cause the gauge-glass to break in
addition to the other causes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
A removable apparatus for the protection of the gauge-glasses of boilers, con-
sisting of:
a) A half cylindrical casing such as H of thick and transparent glass, having a
section in the form of a horseshoe the ends of which may be slightly turned out-
wards, which casing surrounds the gauge-glass in front and on the sides.
b) Two metal shoes such as UO surrounding the upper and lower end of the said
cusing and provided with noses K for clamping them to the valves.
c) Two wires D passing through the shoes, and the ends of which are bent so that
they may be turned over the shoes for pressing the latter against the casing, and
d) The chain k for preventing the apparatus from coming off accidentally,
The whole substantially as described.