IMPROVE- MENTS IN GAS AND OTHER LAMPS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Hickling Parkes, of Birmingham, in thẹ
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS AND OTHER LAMPS."
Sealed the 2nd April 1875, and dated the 9th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Hickling Parkes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th October 1874.
I, SAMUEL HICKLING PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS AND OTHER LAMPS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention has for its objects to correct the color of the light
emitted by gas and other lamps so as to make it approximate to a pure
white light, as well as to absorb the heat evolved by the said lamps, and
charging the atmosphere in which they are burning with such an amount
of vapour of water as will correct the parched character of the air in
the room.
-

page_text: My Invention is especially applicable to gas lamps, but is also
applicable to lamps burning paraffin oil or other volatile or fixed oils.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a fixed gas lamp :-To the
burner of the lamp a horizontal gallery or carrier of large diameter is
fixed, on which a conical metallic or other reflector is supported. This
gallery is glazed with a disk or sheet of light blue glass having a hole in
its centre, through which the burner passes. The whole of the light of
the lamp has to pass through this disk or sheet of light blue glass, and
its yellow or orange color is thereby corrected. That portion of the
light of the flame which is radiated downwards passes directly through
the said disk or sheet of light blue glass, while that which is radiated
upwards and horizontally being received by the reflector is reflected
downwards through the disk or sheet of blue glass.
The said reflector, which may either be made of metal or of a non-
metallic material is kept cool in the following way:-Around the said
reflector or the lower part of it is a rim or flange, which together with
the lower part of the reflector forms an annular vessel or water space,
in which the water is placed, or an independent water vessel may be
employed. The said water by its great capacity for heat and by its
evaporation keeps the reflector cool, and at the same time charges the
atmosphere of the room with watery vapour. The outer rim or flange
of the annular water vessel may either be vertical or inclined inwards so
as to be more or less parallel to the reflector. By giving it the different
figures described it is made to hold more or less water and to charge the
room with more or less vapour of water.
In order to prevent the spilling of the water sponge or other porous
substance may be placed in the vessel, and the water vessel may be
restricted to the lower part of the reflector, and a conical covering of
felt or other absorbent material be placed upon the reflector. The lower
edge of this covering entering the water the whole covering is kept
moist by capillary attraction and the heat of the reflector thus
absorbed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Hickling Parkes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
HICKLING PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Hickling Parkes, Her
special license that I, the said Samuel Hickling Parkes, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Hickling
Parkes, my executors, administrators, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS AND OTHER LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst.
others) that I, the said Samuel Hickling Parkes, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 Samuel Hickling Parkes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
-
My Invention has for its objects to correct the colour of the light
emitted by gas and other lamps so as to make it approximate to a pure
white light, as well as to absorb the heat evolved by the said lamps, and
charging the atmosphere in which they are burning with such an amount
of vapour of water as will correct the parched character of the air in-
the room.

page_text: My Invention is especially applicable to gas lamps, but is also
applicable to lamps burning paraffin oil or other volatile or fixed oils.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a fixed gas lamp :-To the
burner of the lamp a horizontal gallery or carrier of large diameter is
fixed, on which a conical metallic or other reflector is supported. This
gallery is glazed with a disc or sheet of light blue glass having a hole in
its centre, through which the burner passes. The whole of the light of
the lamp has to pass through this disc or sheet of light blue glass, and
its yellow or orange colour is thereby corrected. That portion of the
light of the flame which is radiated downwards passes directly through
the said disc or sheet of light blue glass, while that which is radiated
upwards and horizontally being received by the reflector is reflected.
downwards through the disc or sheet of blue glass; or the lamp chimney
or globe may be made of light blue glass instead of glazing the gallery
or carrier.
The reflector, which may either be made of metal or of a non-metallic
material, is kept cool in the following way :-Around the said reflector
or the lower part of it is a rim or flange, which together with the lower
part of the reflector forms an annular vessel or water space in which
water is placed, or an independent water vessel may be employed. The
said water by its great capacity for heat and by its evaporation keeps
the reflector cool, and at the same time charges the atmosphere of the
room with watery vapour.
In order to prevent the spilling of the water sponge, felt, or other
porous substance may be placed in the vessel, and the water vessel may
be restricted to a part only of the reflector, and a conical covering of
felt or other absorbent material be placed upon the reflector. The lower
edge of this covering entering the water the whole covering is kept
moist by capillary attraction and the heat of the reflector thus
absorbed.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation, Figure 2 in vertical section, and
Figure 3 in plan of upper side a gas lamp constructed according to my
Invention. The same letters indicate the same parts.

page_text: a is an ordinary argand burner supporting the horizontal gallery or
carrier 6 of large diameter. Supported by the said gallery or carrier 6
is a conical metallic reflector e, or an enamelled metal reflector, or a
reflector of a non-metallic material may be used. The reflector e rests
upon the gallery b in the manner represented in the section, Figure 2,
and may be readily lifted therefrom for cleaning and replaced for use.
Resting upon the reflector e is a detachable annular metallic or other
water vessel or dish f, the said water vessel or dish containing a cage g
made of wirework or perforated metal filled with thick felt or other
absorbent material. This perforated cage g fits loosely in the water
vessel or dish f, and by means of the handles g³, 9³, may be lifted out of
and replaced in the said vessel or dish. The perforated cage g containing
the felt is immersed in water before it is placed in the dish or vessel f.
It is removed and immersed in water as often as may be necessary to
preserve it in a thoroughly moist condition.
By the use of felt or other absorbent material in the water vessel, as
described, the spilling of the water in the said vessel is prevented.
By means of the water in the vessel or dish f the reflector e is kept
cool, and by the evaporation of the water by the heat of the lamp the.
atmosphere of the room is charged with watery vapour.
Although I prefer to employ an independent metallic water vessel or
dish f, as represented, yet tho lower part by preference of the reflector e
and the rim or flange of the said reflector may be made to constitute a
water vessel, the said water vessel containing felt either loose or in an
annular perforated cage similar to that represented.
The lamp chimney h is made of light blue glass, the said light blue.
glass being of such a tint that while it will absorb or correct the yellow.
or orange colour of the light emitted from the lamp it will not impede,
or only to a small extent, the passage of the white light through it; or
the lamp glass may be made of colourless glass, and a conical glass of a
light blue colour, indicated in dotted lines and marked i in Figure 2,
may be supported on the ring a³ of the burner and against the rods 6ª of
the gallery 6; or instead of the conical glass at i a sheet or disc of light
blue glass may be supported by the gallery 6 at k. In this case the
burner is supported above the horizontal sheet or disc of light blue glass
at %, while the reflector e is also raised, but only to about half the
distance to which the burner is raised. I prefer however to use the
2

page_text: arrangement represented in the Drawing. When a chimney of a light
blue colour is used the whole of the light of the lamp is corrected of its
yellow or orange colour before it is reflected downwards by the reflector e.
When the gallery or holder 6 is glazed with a disc or sheet of light blue
glass, or supports a conical glass of a light blue colour, the light is
corrected in a like manner by passing directly through the said glass
and being reflected through it by the reflector e.
Figure 4 represents partly in section and partly in elevation, and
Figure 5 in elevation, a lamp globe made of light blue glass, the said
globe supporting an annular metallic water vessel or dish m charged with
water, and containing also felt or other absorbent material. The said
water vessel m is situated within the ornamental rim or ring n, the said
rim having a flange p on its under side which fits in the opening at the
top of the globe l, as seen in the section, Figure 4. By means of the
said globe 7 the light is corrected of its yellow or orange colour, and by
the evaporation of the water in the vessel m by the heat of the lamp the
apartment in which the lamp is burned is charged with watery vapour.
An enamelled or other reflector may be situated underneath the bottom
of the water vessel m, and between it and the top of the globe, or the
bottom of the water vessel itself may be made into a reflecting surface.
A colourless glass shade or globe may be combined with the water vessel
or water vessel and reflector instead of using a glass globe or shade of a
light blue colour.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in gas and
other lamps,-
First. Keeping the reflector of the lamp cool and charging the
atmosphere of the room in which the lamp is burned with watery vapour
by means of an independent metallic or other water vessel or dish sup-
ported on the reflector or on the gallery. or carrier of the reflector, the
said water vessel containing by preference besides water felt or other
absorbent material, as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings; also making the lower part of the reflector
serve as a water vessel instead of using an independent water vessel,

page_text: as described; also supporting the water vessel by the globe or chimney
of the lamp, as in Figures 4 and 5.
Secondly. The combination of the water vessel with a reflector and
gallery glazed with glass of a light blue colour, or with a reflector and
gallery supporting a conical glass of a light blue colour, or a reflector
and gallery with a chimney of a light blue colour, as herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying
Drawings; also the combination of a water vessel or water vessel and
reflector with a globe, shade, or chimney of light blue glass, as illustrated
in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hickling Parkes, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
5 Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
SAMUEL HIOKLING PARKES. (L.S.)