An IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FEED AND LOW-WATER SIGNAL FOR STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Wood and Charles Leigh Clarke, both
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of “An
IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FEED AND LOW-WATER SIGNAL FOR STEAM BOILERS."
-A communication from abroad by James Harrison, residing at
Hamburg.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Wood and
Charles Leigh Clarke at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 15th May 1873.
We, RICHARD WOOD and CHARLES LEIGH CLARKE, both of Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING FEED AND LOW-WATER
SIGNAL FOR STEAM BOILERS (a communication to us from abroad by
James Harrison, a person residing at Hamburg), to be as follows:-
""
·
This Invention consists of an arrangement of self-acting mechanism
which by means of a float opens or closes certain valves so as to admit

page_text: or shut off the feed water as may be required, and at the same time if
through the pumps being out of order or from any other cause the
opening of the valve by the falling of the float should fail in procuring
the necessary supply of feed water, then the float falling still further
opens another valve, and admits steam to an alarm whistle, and thus
warns the engineer.
The same arrangement is also made available during the night or at any
other time when the engine is not at work to admit steam to work the
donkey pumps as soon as the water in the boiler falls below a safe level.
The float inside the boiler (which may be in the form of a hollow copper
ball or of other convenient form) is connected by means of a rod to
one end of a lever, also inside the boiler. To the other end of this lever
is connected a rod attached to two valves in such a manner that the
falling of the float can raise the first valve at once, but will not act
upon the second valve till it has fallen about six or eight inches.
The lifting of the first valve admits steam to a pipe leading to a
small cylinder placed outside the boiler, and thus raises the piston
therein, and this piston lifts a valve over which the feed water from the
economizers or pumps flows, and admits the feed water into the boiler
(by means of a pipe, the mouth of which is some distance below the
water level), and thus raising the float closes the valve.
If from any cause the supply of water from the pumps or economizers
should fail, then the further falling of the float will raise the second
valve, and admit steam to an alarm whistle placed on top of the water
gauge, or in any other convenient position.
To the steam pipe which leads from the first valve to the small
cylinder is connected a branch pipe provided with a stop-cock. This
branch pipe leads to the donkey pumps which are in direct communication
with the delivery pipes from the ordinary pumps and the feed pipes of
the economizers, and hence if at night or at other times when the engine
is not at work the watchman, engineer, or other person in attendance
leaves the stop-cock open, whenever a boiler requires more water, the
float opens the first valve, and, admitting steam through this branch
pipe, sets the donkey pumps in motion, and fills up the boiler till the
rising of the float closes the valve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Wood and Charles Leigh Clarko in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
WOOD and CHARLES LEIGH CLARKE, both of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Richard Wood and Charles Leigh Clarke,
Her special license that we, the said Richard Wood and Charles Leigh
Clarke, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Richard Wood and Charles Leigh Clarke, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and 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 SELF-ACTING
FEED AND LOW-WATER SIGNAL FOR STEAM BOILERS" (a communication to us
from abroad by James Harrison, a person residing at Hamburg), upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Richard Wood and
Charles Leigh Clarke, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or one of our or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Charles Leigh Clarke, on behalf of
myself and the said Richard Wood, do hereby declare the nature of
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):—
This Invention consists of an arrangement of self-acting mechanism
which by means of a float opens or closes certain valves so as to admit
or shut off the feed water, as may be required, and at the same time if

page_text: through the pumps being out of order, or from any other cause, the
opening of the valve by the falling of the float should fail in procuring
the necessary supply of feed water, then the float falling still further
opens another valve, and admits steam to an alarm whistle, and thus
warns the engineer.
The same arrangement is also made available during the night or at
any other time when the engineer is not at work to admit steam to work
the donkey pumps, so soon as the water in the boiler falls below a safe
level.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention, we will now
proceed to describe more 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 :-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a partial section and Fig. 2 a front
elevation of a two-flued boiler with this Invention shown as applied
thereto.
a, a, represents the end of the boiler. The float b, b, inside the boiler?
(which may be in the form of a hollow copper ball or of other con-
venient form) is connected by means of a rod c, c, to one end of a
lever d, d, also inside the boiler. To the other end of this lever d, d, is
connected a rod e, e, attached to two valves fand 7 in such a manner
that the falling of the float can raise the first valve f at once, but will 2
not act upon the second valve g till it has fallen about six or eight
inches.
The lifting of the first valve ƒ admits steam to a pipe h, h, leading to
a small cylinder i, i, placed outside the boiler, and thus raises tho
piston k, k, therein, and this piston lifts a valve 1, 1, over which the feed
water from the economizers or pumps flows, and admits the feed water
into the boiler (by means of a pipe m, m, the mouth of which is some
distance below the water level), and thus raising the float closes the
valve.
If from any cause the supply of water from the pumps or economizers 3
should fail, then the further falling of the float will raise the second
valve g, and admit steam to an alarm whistle n, n, placed on top of the
water gauge o, o, or in any other convenient position.

page_text: To the steam pipe h, h, which leads from the first valve to the small
cylinder i, i, is connected a branch pipe p, p, provided with a stop-
cock q, q. This branch pipe p, p, leads to the donkey pumps which are
in direct communication with the delivery pipes from the ordinary
pumps and the feed pipes of the economizers, and hence (if at night or
at other times when the engine is not at work the watchman, engineer,
or other person in attendance leaves the stop-cock open), whenever a
boiler requires more water the float b, b, opens the first valve f, and
admitting steam through this branch pipe p, p, sets the donkey pumps
in motion, and fills up the boiler till the rising of the float b, b, closes
the valve.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, we wish it to be understood that
we claim as the Invention communicated to us by the aforesaid James
Harrison, the combined self-acting feed and low-water signal, as
represented on the annexed Drawing and hercin-before particularly
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Leigh Clarke (on behalf of
myself and the said Richard Wood) have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three.
CHARLES LEIGH CLARKE. (L.S.)
Witnessed by
JOHN HUGHES,
Clerk to George Davies, C.E.,
Patent Office,
4, St. Ann's Sq.
Manchester.