IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BOILING SUBSTANCES AND GENERATING STEAM
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BOILING SUBSTANCES AND GENERATING
STEAM." A communication from abroad by Daniel Prindle, of East
Bethany, Genesee County, in the State of New York and United States
of America.
Sealed the 10th October 1861, and dated the 7th May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th May 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR BOILING SUBSTANCES AND
GENERATING STEAM," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to produce a single apparatus, which will be
used at pleasure either as a steam generator or as an apparatus for boiling
substances.
The main parts of the apparatus are the boiler and its support or furnace.
The boiler is made in two hemispherical sections, placed one on the other, so
as to form a sphere or globular vessel, and provided with projecting flanges, so

page_text: that they may be connected together when required. One of the sections rests
upon the support or furnace, and the other on the first section, which is used
separately when articles or substances are to be boiled or heated, and when
thus separately employed it may be called a caldron; when steam is to be
generated and employed for any purpose the upper section is secured to the
lower one, and both together compose a steam generator. One main and
essential condition of construction is, that the open edges or rims of both
sections respectively shall be provided with actually projecting flanges, for the
quadruple purpose of uniting and sustaining the sections, and providing a safe
simple steam joint, which also allows of convertibility, that is to say, of the
ready removal of the top section, as well as its ready connection to the lower
section, and that these flanches shall be upon the widest parts of the respective
sections. Another condition of construction is that the sections shall be of
lessening size or breadth immediately from the flanches, so that the use of all
the parts may be facilitated; both flanches respectively have lips turned at
right angles away from their adjacent surfaces, so as to furnish an annular
trough of sufficient depth to hold a small quantity of water all around the
upper flange. In the edge of either lip is formed a suitable number of notches
gradually inclined on one side, but either abrupt or not on the other side.
These notches are for the purpose of receiving an equal number of clamps, and
of offering wedge-acting surfaces thereto, in order to bind the two sections
closely and securely together, thus making the device readily convertible from
a caldron to a steam generator, and vice versa. The distance between these
hooks or projections is such that after one is placed around the lip of the flanch
the other may be just passed through a notch of the lip of the other flanch in
the deepest part thereof, and then when the clamp is driven up over the
inclined or wedge-acting side of the notch the hooks will hold over the edges
of the lips, and thereby not allow the clamp to get off by accident or otherwise,
except by forcing it back through the notch.
In order to ensure safety in all cases and to protect the packing between
the flanges from excessive heat, the trough of the upper section is kept
partially filled or supplied with water, which by its constant evaporation shall
convey away the excess of heat. A flexible steam pipe extends from the top
of the upper section, and being flexible, this pipe may be more readily applied
to convey steam to different places, vessels, and distances.
The support or furnace dispenses with all mason's work, as it consists of a
thin sheet or cast metal of a cylindrical form, so that its upper edge will closely
fit around the section or caldron just below the flanch; thus, while it affords a
strong and firm support for the caldron proper or complete boiler, it ensures

page_text: portability by its lightness, and does not interfere with the use of the flanches
nor of the clamps, either in clamping or unclamping, or in turning, moving, or
lifting the sections together or separately. In the upper part of the upper
section there is placed a safety valve. This valve is a combined vacuum and
pressure valve, and consists of a tube, which is provided circumferentially with
a flanch fitting or resting on a plane surface on the boiler steam tight. This
tube may have weights or their equivalents applied to it to suit the pressure
required in the boiler or steam generator. Within the tube is placed the stem
of a puppet valve, and round it there is a spiral spring regulated by a nut.
The seat of the puppet valve is at the lower end of the tube, and is the vacuum
valve, which opens under the pressure of the atmosphere when there is a
partial vacuum in the steam generator. Another part of the valve opens under
an excess of steam pressure within the steam generator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William Edward
Newton, iny executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR BOILING SUBSTANCES AND GENERATING STEAM," being a com-
munication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the saine is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention of improved apparatus for boiling substances
and generating steam is to produce a single apparatus which will be applicable
at pleasure, either as a steam generator, or as an apparatus for boiling
substances. The apparatus is so constructed and arranged as to act in a
practical and efficient manner, and at the same time will be rendered portable
so that it can be readily shifted from place to place wherever its use may be
desired; it will also be readily adjustable in place so that it may be applied
in any position in whole or in respect to its parts such as may be required;
the apparatus will also possess strength and durability of construction, so that
it may be used with entire safety and not be liable to require continual repairs,
and from its simplicity of arrangement and action farmers of ordinary
experience and capacity, and with means and tools commonly at hand, may
manage it with ease and readiness. It may be also easily converted from a
caldron to a steam generator. The nature of the Invention consists in such a
construction of all parts and their adaptation to each other that the above
objects and conditions shall be obtained very cheaply and effectually.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of the
Invention taken in the line x, x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the
same; Fig. 3 is a top view of the valve; Fig. 4 is an enlarged section
of the means employed for connecting together the two sections herein-after
described.
The main parts of the apparatus are the boiler and its support or furnace.
The boiler is made in two hemispherical sections A, B, placed one on the
other so as to form a sphere or globular vessel and provided with projecting
flanges, so that they may be connected together when required. The section
A rests immediately upon the support or furnace C, and the other section B
rests on the section A, which may be used separately when articles or substances
are to be boiled or heated, and when thus separately employed it may be
called a cauldron. When steam is to be generated and employed for any
purpose the upper section B is secured to the lower section A, and both
together compose a steam generator of a spherical shape. The form of the

page_text: two sections together should be spherical or spheroidal, that is, of a form so
nearly approximating to that of a sphere as to facilitate and fulfil the conditions
of construction and use of all the parts of the apparatus as herein specified.
One main and essential condition of construction is that the open edges or
rims of both sections respectively shall be provided with actually projecting
flanges e, f, see Fig. 2, for the quadruple purpose of uniting and sustaining
the sections, and also providing a safe and simple steam joint, which also allows
of convertibility, that is to say, of the ready removal of the top section as well
as its ready connection to the lower section, and that these flanches shall be
upon the widest parts of the respective sections. Another condition of con-
struction is that the sections shall be of lessening size or breadth immediately
from the flanches so that the use of all the parts may be facilitated. The
flanches of both sections project outwardly, nearly or exactly the same distance
sufficiently to conveniently accomplish the purposes of their use, and both
flanches respectively have lips turned at right angles away from their adjacent
surfaces, as represented in Fig. 1. The lip on the lower flanch e is required
to project only a very little, but the lip projecting upward from the flanch f
of the section or cover B is required to be of greater height, so as to furnish
an annular trough F of sufficient depth to hold a small quantity of water all
around the upper flange. In the edge of either lip (generally of the lip on
the upper flanch f) is formed a suitable number of notches b, b, gradually
inclined on one side, but either abrupt or not on the other side, as shewn in
the Drawing at Fig. 2. These notches are for the purpose of receiving an
equal number of clamps o, o, and of offering wedge-acting surfaces thereto, in
order to bind the two sections A, B, closely and securely together, thus making
the apparatus readily convertible from a caldron to a steam generator, and
vice versa. The clamps o, o, have their ends turned or bent at right angles,
and the extremities thereof have short hooks or projections i, i, turned toward
each other as seen in Fig. 4. The distance between these hooks or projections
is such that after one is placed around the lip of the flanch e, the other may be
just passed through a notch b of the lip of the other flanch in the deepest part
thereof, and then when the clamp is driven up over the inclined or wedge
acting side of the notch, the hooks i will hold over the edges of the lips, and
thereby not allow the clamp to get off by accident or otherwise except by
forcing it back through the notch. This not only is a very effectual and
simple method of uniting the sections, but one also which is not liable to bo
disarranged in handling or in using the apparatus, and one which does not,
like bolts, interfere with the use of packing necessary to be inserted between
the flanches before clamping. In order to insure safety in all cases, and to

page_text: protect the packing between the flanges from excessive heat, the trough F is
kept partially filled or supplied with water, which by its constant evaporation
shall convey away the excess of heat. A convenient means of supplying
the water continually is to employ a dripping pipe I, Fig. 2, which receives
its water from a vessel. or funnel H, through which also the inclined boiler
is supplied when steam is to be generated. A flexible steam pipe D also
extends from the top of the upper section B, and this pipe may be more
readily applied to convey steam to different places, vessels, and distances.
The support or furnace C dispenses with all mason work, as it consists of thin
sheet or cast metal of a cylindrical form so that its upper edge will closely fit
around the section or caldron A just below the flanch e thereof, thus while it
affords a strong and firm support for the caldron proper or complete boiler, it
insures portability by its lightness, and does not interfere with the use of the
flanches e, f, nor of the clamps o, o, either in clamping or unclamping, or in
turning, moving, or lifting the sections together or separately, because its edge
only being presented thereto it occupies scarcely any appreciable width of
space between the flanches. For the same reason also it keeps nearly all of
the flanche from the contact of the flame in the furnace and of the heated
support, leaving the flanch freely exposed to the open air, and consequently
the packing between the flanches is further protected from injury by excessive
heat. It is evident that no other kind of support than this open top, and
thin edge, and perpendicular support could effect these objects. Any proper
arrangement of fire box J may be employed; K is the smoke pipe which may
communicate with the fire box by any suitable arrangement of flues. In the
upper part of the upper section B there is placed a safety valve L. This
valve is a combined vacuum and pressure valve, and consists of a tube a
which is provided circumferentially with a flanch
resting on a plane surface on the boiler steam-tight.
weights or their equivalents applied to it to suit the pressure required in
the boiler or steam generator. Within the tube a* is placed the stem d* of
a puppet valve ex, and the pressure of a spiral spring f* on the stem is
regulated by a nut g*. The seat of the puppet valve e is at the lower end
of the tube a, and is the vacuum valve which opens under the pressure of
the atmosphere when there is a partial vacuum in the steam generator. The
flanch is the valve which opens under an excess of steam pressure within
the steam generator. The support or furnace C is provided with handles M
to facilitate the removal of the apparatus from place to place.
the latter fitting or
This tube may have
Having now described this Invention of improved apparatus for boiling
substances and generating steam. and having explained the manner of carrying

page_text: the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,―
First, the construction and arrangement of the two sections A, B, so that
the section A may be used separately as a caldron, or both sections be securely
united and employed as a close boiler for generating steam.
Second, the combination of the cylindrical support and fire box C entirely
open at the top with the uniting and supporting flanches e, f, of the spherical
or spheroidal sections A, B, so that by presenting a thin edge only to the
flanches, it allows the utmost facility of clamping and unclamping the sections
and of moving and adjusting the same, and by its lightness secures portability
while it firmly sustains the boiler and shields the packing between the flanches
from the heat of the fire.
Third, the trough F formed by the lip projecting above the upper flanch f
for the purpose of containing water to protect the packing between the flanches
from injury by heat as described.
I also claim the use of the flexible steam pipe D in combination with a
portable steam generator and a vacuum and steam safety valve L.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)