Iм- PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS AND BURNERS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN BRACKETS OR HOLDERS FOR THE SAME.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS AND BURNERS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER
PURPOSES, AND IN BRACKETS OR HOLDERS FOR THE SAME.'
" A com-
munication from abroad by Rufus Spaulding Merrill, of Boston,
County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of
America.
-
5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 3rd January 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting..
.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
LAMPS AND BURNERS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN

page_text: BRACKETS OR HOLDERS FOR THE SAME," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that
the said Invention is communicated to me from abroad by Rufus
Spaulding Merrill, of Boston, County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts,
United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed in and by the following
statement, that is to say:—
The said Invention relates partly to means for adapting Argand lamps
or burners for use in railway carriages, and for preventing the jarring or
shaking and displacement of the chimney or the removable part of the
burner, or of the lamp itself.
Figures 1 and 2 of the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed represent an arrangement drawn in perspective and in vertical
.section respectively for preventing the rotation and the vertical displace-
ment of the removeable part of the burner of an Argand lamp, which is
essential when this portion of the burner is used to raise and lower
the wick.
Around the removeable part B of the burner, which is supported
upon the exterior tube is a ratchet f, and upon the body of the lamp
is a spring c, provided with a double-faced catch or projection h, d, the
one part or face h serving to press down, over, or upon the surface of
the ratchet and prevent the removeable portion of the burner from
rising, the other part d engaging with the ratchet teeth for the purpose
of preventing the rotation of this portion of the burner. The spring
catch can be pressed back at any time by means of a thumb piece k,
and a stationary guard i serves to hold the spring in position, and to
prevent it from being drawn back too far:
Another arrangement for the same purpose is shewn in Figure 5, the
spring catch being placed vertically instead of horizontally.
i
In Figures 3 and 4 I have shewn an improved bracket for holding the
lamp. It consists of a dished or cup-like ring A, which receives the
lamp body B, and is provided with lugs a and a spring ĉ to catch over
the flange or bead 6 on the lamp. The spring keeps the lamp in place.

page_text: and prevents it from rattling, and at the same time admits of the lamp
being readily fitted in or removed from the bracket. The ring is pro-
vided with a suitable stem c and holding plate D for attaching it to the
side of the carriage. When it is desired to entirely enclose the lamp
body I make use of the device shewn in Figures 5 and 6, consisting of a
cylindrical or other shaped vessel B adapted to fit closely around the
sides of the oil reservoir A placed within it. As the bottom of this
vessel is closed, so as to catch whatever drip there may be, I corrugate
the sides of the reservoir, as shewn at a (Figure 5), so as to form air
passages c between the reservoir and vessel B, through which air may
pass down to the central draft tube 6 of the burner; or the oil reservoir
may if desired be a plain cylinder, and the holder B corrugated. In
lieu of these corrugations tubular openings may be formed in the lamp
body or reservoir extending through from the top to the bottom of the
same.
In Figures 7, 8, and 9, I have shewn a lamp which is more especially
adapted for house use. The reservoir A may be of glass or metal,
and the lamp is provided with the usual inner tube a and wick raising
tube b. The outer tube h, see Figure 8, upon which the removeable
part B of the burner fits is, in this instance, a short tube soldered or
otherwise suitably fastened to the screw cap f which screws into the
collar d on the lamp neck c. The object of this arrangement is to
dispense with the separate filling orifice which is usually formed in the
top of the lamp. By attaching the short tube h to the screw cap ƒ so
that both may be removed together from the lamp, an opening will be
left between the tube b and the neck c of sufficient size to allow the oil
to be readily poured therein. It frequently happens that the oil in the
wick and wick tubes will by capillary action be drawn up so as to run
over upon the exterior tube of the burner. This is especially noticeable
in "student lamps," so. called, and should at all times be guarded
against.
Figures 10 and 11 represent the manner in which this defect can be
cured. I place around the exterior tube a of the burner of a student
lamp" (Figure 10) or other Argand lamp (Figure 11) at a short
distance below the top an annular cup 6, which catches the drippings
and returns them to the wick through a small hole c cut in the tube
at the bottom of the cup. By this means the difficulty is obviated
entirely. The top of the "student lamp" shewn in Figure 10 has a

page_text: raised rim or edge X, so that in case any oil should accidentally escape
from the filling orifice it will be retained by the rim X and prevented
from running down the sides of the oil reservoir. The burner shewn
in Figure 11 is of peculiar construction, and contains in itself all the
elements of an Argand burner, at the same time that it is applicable to
any ordinary lamp reservoir. It is composed of an outer case d, to the
top of which is secured the screw cap which screws into the collar of
the lamp reservoir. Within the case d is the outer wick tube a, secured
to the inner wick tube f by a flange or annulus at its bottom, which
serves as the bottom of the annular chamber thus formed between the
two wick tubes. In this annular chamber is placed the intermediate
wick raising tube g in the usual manner. The inner tube f is open at
its lower end, and is attached to the bottom of the case d in any suitable
way. A small tube h passes up through the casing and opens into the
space between the two wick tubes for the purpose of conducting oil
from the reservoir to the wick. There are thus two annular passages
or chambers formed, the inner one between the two wick tubes intended
for the wick, and oil, the outer one between the case d and outer wick
tube intended to supply the centre draft, the air for which passes down
between the case and outer wick tube, and thence up through the inner
wick tube to the flame. The removeable part B of the burner repre-
sented on an enlarged scale in Figure 12, fits over the top of the tube.a
in the usual way, and its imperforate base a constitutes the division
draft plate, the air for the exterior draft passing up above it under the
cone a² to the flame, and the interior draft passing under it and down
through the case d, as above explained. The plate a is essential, as the
drafts must be properly divided in order to produce a good flame. It
may be found desirable in a burner of this kind to put an annular cup
corresponding to the exterior cup 6 upon the interior of the centre
tube fto catch the drip, which might otherwise run down into and fill
I'con-
the bottom of the case d, thus shutting off the centre draft.
template applying these annular cups to the inner and outer tubes of
any Argand burner or lamp.
In Figure 11 I have also illustrated the manner in which I prefer to
attach to the base D of the lamp the drip cup p, which is usually
employed in such Argand lamps as have a centre draft tube extending
up from the said cup through the oil reservoir; this drip cup is made
open at its bottom, and is closed by the top of the lamp base, which is

page_text: inserted in said opening, and soldered or otherwise fastened to the cup.
A firm connection is thus established between the parts, and this portion
of the lamp is made shorter and better proportioned. The inner notched
sleeve m of the removeable portion of the burner (Figures 12 and 13)
which engages with the lugs or studs on the exterior of the wick raising
tube g (Figure 11) is formed with inclined, rounded, or bevelled sides or
edges.n between the notches, the object of this being to allow the lugs
on the tube g to engage readily with the notches in the wick raising
sleeve m.
If when the burner B is applied to the wick tubes the
notches should not engage with the wick raising tube the slightest
rotary movement of the burner will bring them into proper position. .
In Figures 14, 15, 16, is represented an Argand burner in which
I have substituted for the wick raising devices ordinarily employed in
round wick burners the ratchets or toothed wheels usually employed for
flat wicks. The burner consists of an outer tube a and an inner tube b,
the latter being secured to the former by means of a longitudinal ſin c,
and being provided with a horizontal tube or mouth piece d, which
receives the air from the exterior of the lamp and conducts it to the
interior of the tube B. The wick raising devices consist of ratchet or
toothed wheels e working upon the wick through slots in the outer wick
tube, and mounted upon parallel spindles upon opposite sides of such
tube. The spindles are geared together by wheels f, so that they may
be operated from the exterior of the case by a single button or spindle g.
The wheels are enclosed in a chamber h, below or through which the air
for the inner draft passes through perforations i, and thence through the
tube or mouth picce d into the central draft tube, and the air for the
exterior draft passes above the chamber through perforations k in the
upper part of the burner, and thence to the flame. If desired the upper
part of the burner can be made removeable, in which case the perforated
base and the chimney holding springs are carried by a sleeve / which
fits upon the outer wick tube. Any oil that may escape over the top of
the wick tubes will run back into the chamber h, and thence can be
discharged into the lamp reservoir. The chamber serves the same
purpose as the draft plate a¹ in Figure 12, for it serves to divide the air
into the exterior and central drafts. In case therefore the bottom of the
chamber be closed and the central draft be taken in below the bottom,
the top of the chamber may be without a cover; but in case the centre
draft be taken not below, but through the chamber, then the top should
.
t

page_text: be closed. The bottom of the centre tube may be open or closed, but I
prefer to close it, as shewn in the Drawing. The wick used in the
burner is a flat wick, which is bent into circular form, so as to bring its
edges together, and is then inserted in the lower end of the burner
between the two wick tubes.
Figures 17 and 18 represent an improved form of chimney for Argand
or round wick lamps. That part of the chimney below the contracted
neck a is made slightly tapering or conical, being largest at the bottom,
and the chimney is combined with chimney holding springs b, in such
manner that when it is inserted between them the tendency of the
springs owing to the form of the chimney base will be to force and
hold the chimney firmly upon its seat. This construction of chimney
is especially useful for railway carriage lamps, the chimneys of which
are very liable to be shaken and displaced by the motion of the carriage.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention is,―
First. A spring locking device in combination with the removeable
portion of an Argand burner supported upon a tube surrounding the
wick raising tube, for the purpose of preventing the rotation and vertical
displacement, or either of the said portion of the burner, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5, of the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. A lamp bracket provided with lugs and a spring for holding
the lamp in its place, substantially as herein described and illustrated in
Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The combination with the oil reservoir of an Argand burner and
its holder of air passages between the two, as described and illustrated in
Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. The application and use of the exterior tube fixed to a screw
cap which closes the opening in the top of the lamp, as described and
illustrated in Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the Drawings.
Fifth. The peculiar construction and arrangement of an Argand
burner, as herein described and illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 of the
Drawings.

page_text: Sixth. The forming a raised rim or edge on the top of the fountain
or oil reservoir of a "student lamp," as herein described and shewn in
Figure 10 of the Drawings.
Seventh. Connecting the drip cup with the base of an Argand lamp,
in the manner hercin described and shewn in Figure 11 of the Drawings.
Eighth. The combination with either the inner or the outer wick
tube, or both, of an Argand burner of an annular cup arranged upon
the said tube or tubes, so as to catch the oil drippings and return the
same to the wick through one or more openings formed in the wick
tube, as herein described and illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 of the
Drawings.
Ninth. The formation of the notched wick raising sleeve with inclined,
rounded, or bevelled sides or edges between the notches, as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, of
the Drawings.
Tenth. The peculiar construction and arrangement of an Argand
burner, as herein described and illustrated in Figures 14, 15, and 16 of
the Drawings.
Eleventh. The peculiar construction of chimney for Argand burners,
and its combination with external holding springs, as herein described
and illustrated in Figures 17 and 18 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Complete Specification, set my hand and seal, this Second
day of January, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.