IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMENTATION OF GASALIERS, CHANDELIERS, CANDELABRA, AND OTHER LAMPS, AND IN GAS BRACKETS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Atkins and Charles Walker Torr, of the
Firm of Robert Walter Winfield and Company, of Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Merchants and Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMENTATION
OF GASALIERS, CHANDELIERS, CANDELABRA, AND OTHER LAMPS, AND IN GAS
BRACKETS."
Sealed the 30th July 1875, and dated the 18th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Atkins and
Charles Walker Torr at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 18th February 1875.
We, JAMES ATKINS and CHARLES WALKER TORR, of the Firm of
Robert Walter Winfield and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Merchants and Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND
ORNAMENTATION OF GASALIERS, CHANDELIERS, CANDELABRA, AND OTHER LAMPS,
AND IN GAS BRACKETS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein after decorihed

page_text: lowered without raising or lowering the body, the arm at all heights
preserving its horizontal position. The arms may be balanced or pro-
vided with friction or clamping mechanism to prevent accidental change
of position.
In fixing chandeliers, candelabra, or other like lamps according to our
Invention, we attach to the ceiling plate a valve so acted upon by the
down pipe of the lamp, that in screwing the said pipe to the ceiling
plate the junction is made gas-tight before the end of the down pipe
acting upon the valve which it opens admits the gas through the said
pipe. The advantage of this mode of connection consists in enabling
gasaliers to be placed upon or nearly upon the table, in such a way that
when not in use they may be conveniently removed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Atkins and Charles Walker Torr in the.
Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
ATKINS and CHARLES WALKER TORR, of the Firm of Robert Walter
Winfield and Company, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Merchants and Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said James Atkins and Charles
Walker Torr, Her special license that we, the said James Atkins and
Charles Walker Torr, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said James Atkins and Charles Walker Torr,
our 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 THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMENTATION OF GASALIERS,
CHANDELIERS, CANDELABRA, AND OTHER LAMPS, AND IN GAS BRACKETS," upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Atkins and Charles
Walker Torr, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be 5
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 Walker Torr, on behalf of
the said James Atkins, and myself, do hereby declare the nature of the 1
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, that is to say:--
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described,
which improvements are principally applicable to gasaliers and candelabra, 1
but may also be in part applied to brackets, chandeliers, and other
lamps.
In suspending sliding gasaliers and chandeliers according to our
Invention we fix the pulley frame, pulleys, and parts immediately
connected therewith above the central plate or ceiling rose affixed to the 2
ceiling, the said pulley frame and parts being in consequence of this
position out of sight.
We arrange the balance weights in such a manner that the weights
on descending enter the interior of the vase or hollow ornament pro-
vided for their reception. Or the balance may be expanded at 2
its lower part, its under surface being properly shaped to serve as a
reflector; or a perdifume may be attached to the balance weight made
of glass covered externally with perforated metal. We make the
reflectors of gasaliers and other lamps of perforated metal and place
them upon the glass shade or globe.
<
C
Heretofore balance weights have been made of a stamped shell or
hollow casting of brass, and afterwards filled with lead or iron in order
to give the requisite weight.
According to our Invention we cast in lead, iron, zinc, or suitable
alloy in a solid piece of the requisite weight the body of the balance
weight, to which we afterwards attach ornaments of brass or other
superior metal.

page_text: Our improvements in gas brackets consist in substituting for the
ordinary wooden pattrass a patrass made partly of metal and partly of
wood; the metal forming a cap or cover for the wood filling, through
which filling the attaching screws pass. This improvement is also
applicable to ceiling patrasses.
In order to render it unnecessary to raise and lower the body of a
gasalier, chandelier, or table lamp, when it is required to raise or lower
one or more of the lights, we attach the arms of the gasalier, chandelier,
or table lamp to the body by a system of jointed arms arranged in a
manner somewhat similar to the parallel motion of the ordinary steam
engine. By this arrangement one or more of the arms can be raised or
lowered without raising or lowering the body, the arm at all heights
preserving its horizontal position. The arms may be balanced or pro-
vided with friction or clamping mechanism to prevent accidental change
of position.
In fixing chandeliers, candelabra, or other like lamps according to
our Invention, we attach to the ceiling plate a valve so acted upon by
the down pipe of the lamp that in screwing the said pipe to the ceiling
plate the junction is made gas-tight before the end of the down pipe,
acting upon the valve which it opens admits the gas through the said.
pipe. The advantage of this mode of connection consists in enabling
gasaliers to be placed upon or nearly upon the table in such a way that
when not in use they may be conveniently removed.
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to:
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in section our arrangement for suspending
gasaliers and chandeliers. The pulley frame a, a, supporting the:
pulleys b, b, is situated above or within the central plate or ceiling
rose c, which has a box form. The said box form ceiling rose or plate c
has holes in it at d, through which the chains of the balance weights.
pass as represented. By this arrangement the pulley frame and parts.
thereof are out of sight.
Figure 3 represents a gasalier or chandelier in which the balance
weights on descending enter the interior of vases or hollow ornaments
forming part of the body of the chandelier.

page_text: Figures 4 and 5 represent one of the balance weights and its vase
detached, Figure 4 showing the parts together, and Figure 5 the parts
separated. The balance weights are marked h and the vases or hollow
ornaments fixed on or forming part of the ornamental design of the
body are marked i. The bottom of the weights are in the gasalier
represented hemispherical, and the vases i have a figure proper to receive
the hemispherical bottoms of the said weights. The weights and vases
may be made of any desired shape.
When the body of the chandelier is in its raised position the balance
weights h descend into the vases or hollow ornaments i as represented in
Figures 3 and 4, and the balance weights in this position form a con-
tinuation of the ornamental design of the body of the chandelier instead
of constituting detached or separated parts as usual.
Figure 6 represents a balance weight having an expanded piece
attached to its lower part so as to serve as a reflector or as a perdifume.
The said balance weights are represented in conjunction with the
arrangement Figure 1; k, k, are the balance weights, and 7, 1, are the
expanded convex parts made by preference of glass suspended at the
bottom of the said parts k, k. The upper surface of the glass part 7 is
covered with perforated metal so as to convert the said part into a
reflector. The said part 1 may however be made of metal, and its
under part be made into a reflecting surface. Or the part I made either
of glass, terra cotta, or other material may serve as a perdifume.
Figure 7 represents a gas chandelier or other like lamp in which the
arms are made to move independently of the body; and Figure 8
represents a plan of a portion of the same.
Figures 8 and 8B represent one of the joints on a larger scale. m, m,
are the arms of the chandelier; p, p, are rods, the inner ends of which
are jointed at q to the body of the chandelier, and the other ends of the
said rods are jointed at q² to the cross piece q³, to which cross piece the
arm m of the chandelier is fixed. One of the joints q of the rods is
represented on a larger scale in Figures 84 and 8³. The manner in which
the rods p, p, are jointed to the sides of the blocks u in which the pins
or centres of the joints turn will be readily understood by an examina-
tion of the Drawing. The said rods p, p, form a parallel motion and
work between the parallel parts », », constituting the body of the
chandelier (see the plan, Figure 8). When it is wished to lower one of

page_text: the arms m of the chandelier the said arm is pulled down, as shown on
the left-hand side of Figure 7, the said arm being depressed without
depressing the body of the chandelier, the jointed rods forming the
parallel motion moving between the parallel parts r, r, of the body, and
the arm m preserving a horizontal position during its motion. The arms
of the chandelier or gasalier may either be placed in the horizontal
position represented on the right-hand side of Figure 7, or be lifted
above the body as well as placed in the depressed position represented.
Figure 9 represents in elevation the glass shade or globe of a gasalier
or other lamp provided with a perforated metallic reflector according to
our Invention, and Figure 10 represents parts thereof separately. The
perforated metallic reflector is marked u, and is made to fit upon the
upper part of the glass shade or globe v, which may either be left clear
or be ground or "deadened" at the said upper part. The perforated
reflector u may be used alone or in combination with the dome or cap-
The
like perforated metallic reflector w supported upon the reflector u.
said reflector w has a lining of glass, china, or terra cotta. By the use
of the parts u, w, or the part u alone an ornamental appearance is given
to the glass shade or globe and the light is reflected downwards from
the lamp.
Figures 11 to 15 represent our improvements in constructing the
balance weights of gasaliers, chandeliers, and other lamps.
Figures 11 and 12 represent one arrangement of this part of our
Invention, Figure 11 representing in elevation a complete balance
weight, and Figure 12 the parts of which the same is composed
separately. In this arrangement the body a may be made of cast iron
or other inexpensive metal of the requisite weight. To the lower part
of the body a an ornament 6 of brass or other superior metal is attached
by means of the ornamental terminal screw c screwed into the bottom of
the body a. The top of the body a is completed and ornamented by the
cup-like-ornament & fitting upon and being fixed to the collar e of the
body. The eye f to which the chain of the balance weight is connected
is screwed into the summit of the body a. The body a may be further
ornamented by the additions of brass ornaments screwed at the
parts h, h.
.
In the arrangement represented in Figures 13, 14, and 15, the body
£ the holence weight is made as already described. Figure 13 represents

page_text: balance weight finished by means
the complete balance weight in elevation, and Figure 14 a plan of the
upper side of the same; Figure 15 represents the parts detached. i is
the body ornamented by the ornamental casing marked k, of brass or
other superior metal. This brass casing k is made in three (or more)
pieces or segments, and the said pieces or segments are connected
together and to the body i in the following manner:-When the brass
segments & are made to clip or embrace the body i the parts / constitute
a collar at bottom, and the parts m a collar at top. On the top of each
segment is a lip or clinching pin n. The bottoms of the segments are
secured together, and the base of the
of the ornamental screw p which is screwed upon the screwed rod q cast
in the body. When the screw p is screwed home it screws over the
collar on the bottoms of the combined segments k and fixes the said
segments together at bottom and to the body i.
To fix the upper
parts of the segments an ornamental cup piece is passed on to the
'collar m of the said segments, and the said cup piece is fixed in its place
by clinching the ears or pins n of the segments upon the inside of the
said cup piece, as seen in the plan view, Figure 14. The several parts
of which the balance weight is composed are thereby securely connected
together.
Figure 16 represents in perspective the parts of a compound patrass
for a gas bracket or gasalier constructed according to our Invention.
The said patrass consists of a metal cap or covers and a wood filling t,
the said wood filling being made to fit closely the inside of the metal
cap or cover 8. The said cap or covers may be made by stamping or a
casting, and may be ornamented in any desired manner, or may be plain,
as represented. The attaching screws of the metallic cover of the
patrass pass into the wood filling.
Figures 17 and 18 represent perspective views of a gas chandelier,
candelabra, or other lamp (with its stand) connected to the ceiling
plate according to our Invention; and Figures 19, 20, 21, and 22
represent those parts of the chandelier or other lamp situated near
the ceiling, drawn of the full size, Figure 19 representing a front
elevation of the said parts, portions being in section in the positions
which they repectively occupy when the down pipe of the chandelier a
is attached to the ceiling plate, and gas is being supplied to the said
down pipe; Figure 20 is a side elevation, and Figure 21, a front
elevation of the same (partly in section), the parts being separated,

page_text: and Figure 22 is a plan of the under side of Figure 21. a is the
ceiling plate, and 6 is the removeable down pipe to which the arms
of the chandelier are attached. Between the ceiling plate a and the
down pipe 6 is an intermediate pipe c connected by a swing joint at d
to the ball-and-socket parts e, f, of the down pipe. The upper portion, f,
of the ball joint is furnished with a screw socket f' which is screwed
upon the end of the supply pipe g in the ceiling. In the intermediate
pipe o is a valve / pressed to its seat by the coiled spring i bearing
on the collar / connected to the stem of the valve h.
When the down pipe 6 of the chandelier or lamp is required to be
fixed to the pipe c secured to the ceiling plate a the screwed end 6*
of the said down pipe is screwed into the screwed socket of the pipe c
containing the valve h. As the down pipe 6 is screwed home into the
screw socket of the pipe c the end of the said down pipe 6 bears against
the collar and lifts the valve h from its seat in the pipe c, and com-
presses the coiled spring i, as illustrated in Figure 19. A communication
between the two pipes b, c, is thus established, and gas is admitted
through the open valve h to the down pipe b, the junction of the two
pipes b and c being made gas-tight before the pipe c is opened by the
lifting of the valve. When the down pipe b is screwed from the socket
of the pipe o the valve h is pressed to its seat by its spring i, and the
pipe c is closed gas-tight.
The supply of gas to the intermediate pipe c is regulated and cut off
by the stop-cock 1, which is opened and closed by acting on the arm
or lever m on the plug of the said stop-cock. Below the arms n of the
chandelier on the down pipe b is a dished plate p, which plate p when
the chandelier is in use rests on top of the stand q, the latter being
placed upon the table, the stand 9 constituting a prolongation of the
chandelier. By this means the chandelier can be placed upon the table,
and when not in use may be readily removed by unscrewing the down
pipe from the cut-off arrangement at the ceiling of the room or
apartment, the part c and other parts above it remaining permanently
attached to the ceiling.
We do not confine ourselves to the use of a supporting stand for
the chandelier or lamp as the said stand need not be used unless so
desired.
ho omancement of narts described and represented for admitting.

page_text: and cutting off the supply of gas to the down pipe may be applied
generally to chandeliers, candelabra, and other like lamps where it is
wished readily to remove the said chandeliers and other like lamps from
and refix them to the ceiling plate.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and
illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention of improve-
ments in the construction and ornamentation of gasaliers, chandeliers,
candelabra, and other lamps, and in gas brackets,-
First. The arrangement of parts for suspending sliding gasaliers and
chandeliers herein-before described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say, fixing the pulley frame, pulleys,
and parts connected therewith above the ceiling plate or ceiling rose, 1
which is of a box form to contain the said parts, whereby the said pulley
frame and pulleys are concealed from view.
Secondly. Fixing on the body of the gasalier or chandelier, or forming
part thereof, vases or hollow ornaments, and combining with the said
vases or hollow ornaments balance weights so constructed that when a
the body of the gasalier or chandelier is in its raised position the said
balance weights descend into the said vases or hollow ornaments, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in Figures
3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. Attaching to the bottom of the balance weight an expanded 2
piece made into a reflecting surface, or making the said expanded
bottom of glass and covering it externally with perforated metal,
or making the expanded part serve as a perdifume, as herein-before
described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly. The arrangement of parts, substantially as herein-before 3
described and illustrated in Figures 7, 8, 8ª, and 8³ of the accompanying
Drawings, for jointing the arms of chandeliers, gasaliers, and other like
lamps to the bodies of the same by a series of jointed rods forming a
parallel motion, so that one or more of the lights may be raised or lowered
without raising or lowering the body of the chandelier or other like lamp, 3
as described and illustrated.
✓

page_text: Fifthly. Making the reflectors of gasaliers and other lamps of per-
forated metal, and placing them upon the glass shades or globes of the
said gasaliers and lamps as herein-before described and illustrated in
Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanping Drawings.
Sixthly. The improvements in the construction and ornamentation
of the balance weights of gasaliers and other like lamps herein-before
described and illustrated in Figures 11 to 15, both inclusive, of the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say, making the body of the balance
weight of lead, iron, zinc, or other cheap metal in a solid piece of the
required shape and weight, and afterwards attaching ornaments of brass
or other superior metal to the said body, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Seventhly. Making the patrasses of gas brackets and gasaliers of a
metal cap or cover and a wood filling, as herein-before described and
illustrated in Figure 16 of the accompanying Drawings.
Lastly. The improvements in fixing chandeliers, gasaliers, candelabra,
and other like lamps to the ceiling plates of the said chandeliers and
lamps herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 17 to 22 both
inclusive of the accompanping Drawings, that is to say, placing a valve
in a pipe connected with the ceiling plate, so that when the down pipe
of the chandelier or other like lamp is screwed home it opens the said
valve and admits gas to the said down pipe, the removal of the down
pipe ensuring the closing of the valve and the cutting-off of the supply
of gas, the several parts being constructed, arranged, and used sub-
stantially as herein-before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Walker Torr, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
CHARLES WALKER TORR. (L.S.)
30 Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.