Improvements in the Lighting of Cycles by Acetylene Gaș.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Lighting of Cycles by Acetylene Gaș.
I, ARTHUR MACLEOD CAREY, of Shirley Villa, North Ormesby, Middlesbro', in
the County of Yorkshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
My invention consists essentially of a cartridge case or brass tube (brass or
other suitable material) divided into two chambers, the lower chamber containing
calcium carbide & the upper chamber containing water which is admitted into the
lower chamber by means of a valve opening or closing at will in the disc between
the two chambers.
This cartridge is put into the handlebars of a cycle which, being made of steel
tubing & having its open ends sealed up the gas which is generated in the car-
tridge cannot escape except at the burner through which it is admitted when
required by means of a properly regulating valve cock which is fixed, with the
lamp at the front of the handlebars."
Improvements in the Lighting of Cycles by Acetylene Gas.
I, ARTHUR MACLEOD CAREY, of Shirley Villa, North Ormesby, Middlesbro', in
the County of Yorkshire, Engineer, 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:-
My invention consists essentially of a case or tube of brass or other suitable
material, divided into two chambers, the lower of which contains the cartridge of
calcium carbide, and the upper the water to be admitted to the calcium carbide
in the said cartridge for generating acetylene gas, the flow of the water from the
said water chamber being regulated by a pin valve opening and closing between
the water and the carbide.
The handle bars of the cycle are made of steel tubing, the usual open ends of
which are blocked or sealed gas tight, the said handle-bars being formed integral
with a second tube adapted to receive the above containing tube and fit into the
steering tube of the cycle and be therein fixed, the gas as generated in the car-

page_text: tridge passing into the inner case or tube and from this into the outer case, and
from the said outer case into the handle-bars, from which it cannot escape except
through a burner provided upon the front of the handle-bars, and governed by
a pin valve in reach of the rider, the said burner being provided with a suitable
reflecting lamp.
In order that my said invention and the manner of its application and use
may be fully understood, I have hereunto appended two sheets of drawings of
which,
-
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a vertical central section of the carbide cartridge according
to my invention, Figs. 2 and 3 being a cross section upon the line A B and an
under plan or bottom view of same respectively.
Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of the outer containing tube enclosing the
inner tube, showing its water chamber and cartridge of calcium carbide as when
in practice.
Fig 5 is an enlarged plan view of the upper end of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig. 4 with the lamp in position upon the burner.
Figs. 7 and 8 Sheet 2 are front elevation and plan respectively of the steering
head of a cycle embodying my invention, Fig. 9 being a sectional view of one
of the ends of the handle bars shewn in Fig. 7.
Similar letters of reference are used throughout the drawings when referring to
the same or like parts.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide of steel or other metal an outer
tubular case A, the lower end of which is blocked gas tight at B, while its upper
en is brazed or otherwise connected to or arranged to provide the handle-bars C
and of the machine, these being made of stout steel with their ends C¹ blocked
ga tight as shewn in Fig. 9, the said ends being enclosed by handles D in the
usual way.
The tube A is adapted for insertion within the upper end of the
steering tube of the machine and be fixed therein by the drawing together of the
divided end of the latter in the usual way.
Within the tube A is placed an inner tube E of slightly less cross sectional
diameter than A, so that a very slight space exists between A and E when the
latter is fixed in position, this being conveniently effected by reason of a male
thread formed upon the upper end of E engaging with a female thread within
the upper end of A as shewn at a in Fig 4. The ends of the tube E are both
open, the upper being closed by a plug F adapted to screw thereinto and make
a firm gas tight joint therewith, the said plug having a central bore for the
admission of a rod G, the upper end of which is provided with a handle or finger
hold H for rotating the same, while its lower end is tapered and enters a tapered
or other hole c in a water tight diaphragm J, formed within and centrally or
thereabouts of the length of E, the said diaphragm having an internally threaded
central boss K, with which engages an external or made thread d, formed upon
the lower end of the rod G, the pitch of the said thread being such that a three
quarter turn or thereabouts of the rod G (or such as represents the travel of the
handle or finger bold H between the studs of the plug cap F Figs. 5 and 8)
will be ample to cause the coned, lower end of G to engage with and fully close,
or disengage from and fully open holes e formed in the boss K, and the tapered
or coned hole in the diaphragm J.
The cartridge M (Fig. 1) is of such dimensions as to fit loosely within the lower
end of the tube E, so that a small space exists between it and the inner face of
the said tube and the said cartridge may be made of any suitable material not
likely to he acted upon by the moistened carbide, preferably zinc, the lower end
of the said cartridge being closed by a perforated disc f (Fig. 3) from which to
its upper end extends a central tube N, which may be constructed of perforated
metal or be provided with any number of holes such as N. In the lower end of
the said cartridge I provide a washer of felt or other equally absorbant material,
and from this to the upper end, I pack the said cartridge with broken carbide or
calcium P, the upper surface of this being covered by a like felt or other

page_text: washer, the latter serving to prevent the broken calcium from falling out should
the cartridge be inverted or laid down.
The lower surface of the diaphragm J in E is provided with a depending
tapered hollow nosing k, the hollow interior of which communicates with, and
forms a downward continuation of, the tapered or coned hole c in J, the said
nosing being of such length as to enter into the upper end of the perforated
tube N of the cartridge when the latter is placed in position in the lower end of
the tube E as shewn in Fig. 4. The cartridge would be retained in position
within the tube E by the means of a perforated grooved plug m as shewn in the
same figure.
The interior of the upper end of the outer tube A communicates with the
interior of the handle-bars CC by means of a small passage n, (Fig. 6) while
upon the outer vertical face of the centre collar P₁ embracing the two said
handles, is mounted and fixed the burner R, the interior of which communicates
with the interior of P by a small gas passage p (Fig. 6). The said burner i
composed of a hollow body r the lower end of which is converged into or has
attached thereto a tube s, which is bent or curved until the nipple end s¹ enters
a hole in the lower surface of a suitable lamp S, when this is mounted upon a
holder therefor provided upon the front of the body r. The upper end of the
body has a central hole which receives a rod ¹, provided with a milled head v
or other handle by which it may be rotated, the said rod t passing through a
suitable gland w has a screw thread formed thereon, which engages with a female
threaded passage formed in the body r, the lower end of the said rod t¹ being
tapered to engage with the like tapered mouth of the passage through the tubes,
the said passage being opened and closed by the raising and lowering of the rod t',
the said mouth and the lower end of thereby constituting a valve within easy
reach of the rider and governing the flow of gas to the nipple s¹. The manner
of operation is as follows.
The cartridge having been placed in position within the inner tube E, and the
handle H placed so that its rod G has closed down the aperture c, the chamber
formed by the upper portion of the tube E would be charged with water through
an aperture T provided in the screw plug F, which may then be closed by a
pivotted cover V.
To generate the gas, the handle H and rod G would be rotated in the direction
that would raise the latter in the boss K, until the water in E trickles down
through the nosing into and down the perforated tube N, through the holes
in which it would percolate to the calcium carbide P, when the generation of
gas would immediately ensue, and this as generated would exude through per-
forations or holes W in the cartridge case M, or through the perforated bottom
of M, or both into the tube E and through the plug m, in the lower end of the
tube E or and through apertures y in the latter into the tube A, and by rising
in A the said gas would pass through the aperture n into the handle bars CC,
from which it would be admitted to the nipple s¹ of the burner by opening the
passage through the burner by rotating the head and raising the rod t.
From the foregoing it will be understood, that the generation of gas is regu-
lated by the quantity of water allowed to trickle through the passage E, this
being governed by the handle H under control of the rider, who, when he or she
finds the light too bright, may entirely or partly close the water passage ck,
thereby keeping the generation of gas entirely under the control of the handle H,
while the amount of gas admitted to the burner and the extent of the flame is
entirely controlled by the head and its rod t¹.
It is obvious that the tubes A and E may be extended or diminished in length
to accommodate the acceptance of cartridges of varying lengths, and that the
length of such cartridge and consequently its holding capacity for carbide would
govern the life of the light, and it will be further understood that by closing
the water passage ck, gas generation would cease, and by closing the gas passage
in the burner by screwing down the rod, that the lamp may be extinguished.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(1) The herein described acetylene gas generator contained in a tube concealed
within the steering tube of a cycle, the handle bars of the said cycle being con-
structed to provide storage reservoirs for the gas generated and to pass the same
to the nipple of a burner by the control of a pin valve forming part of the said
burner, the generation and consumption of the gas being both under the control
of the rider of the cycle, substantially as herein set forth and shown.
(2) In an improved acetylene gas generator and burner for cycles, the com-
bination of a perforated cartridge M for containing carbide of calcium P, and a
perforated tube N passing through the said cartridge, the said cartridge being
enclosed within a perforated tube E, having a central diaphragm J, for forming a
water chamber, charged through an aperture T in a plug F closing the upper end
of the tube E, the said diaphragm having a central water passage ck governed
by a rod G passing upward through F and controlled by a handle H, the said
water passage being the conduit by which water is passed to the carbide P, the
gas as thereby generated passing out of M into E, and from E into an outer
tube A, concealed within the steering tube of the cycle, the said tube A com-
municating with, and carrying the handle bars CC, acting as reservoirs for the
gas substantially as herein set forth and shewn by the drawings.
(3) In combination, the actylene gas generator and reservoir characterized by
the preceding claim, a burner R connected to the handlebars CC and receiving
gas therefrom through a passage p, governed by a pin valve et, for conveying
the gas to a nipples in a lamp S, substantially as herein described and shewn by
the appended drawings.
101
1
1
1000
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.