IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFFINE, AND IN FEEDING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: тет
Said
ewitt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
October 1865.
I, LEVI HEWITT, of Highham Ferrers, in the County of North Hants,
5 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFFINE, AND IN FEEDING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING THE
SAME," to be as follows:-
I
In lamps for burning paraffine, as hitherto constructed, a great objection
and inconvenience has been caused by the extensive shadow which the burner
and lamp cast upon the table or other place where it is used, so that in
reading or working by the light of the same it became necessary to have the
book or work at a distance from the lamp. In order to remedy this defect
propose to place the burner and wick of the lamp in a horizontal position,
instead of their being in a vertical position as hitherto invariably practised,
and I make the glass or chimney with the bottom part closed and furnished
with a horizontal tube, which fits on the end of the horizontal burner, the
chimney itself being vertical and of the usual external form. By this arrange-
ment also two or three burners may be applied to one lamp.

page_text: The second part of my Invention consists of a self-feeding apparatus to be
applied to several lamps at once placed on brackets or in other convenient
places. The lamps are all to be fixed at one level, and outside the room to
be lighted I place a double cistern or reservoir to contain the paraffine for
supplying the lamps. This cistern is divided into an upper and a lower com-
partment, the latter being at about the same level as the lamps. The
paraffine is placed in the upper compartment and descends to the lower one
through a tube furnished with a valve; this valve is acted upon by means of
a float in the lower compartment in such a manner that when the level of the
paraffine in the latter falls below that of the lamps to be supplied the float
falls and admits more paraffine into the lower compartment, and as the level
rises the valve closes and shuts off the supply, thus keeping the paraffine in
the lower compartment always at the same level. A pipe leading from this
lower compartment is furnished with branches communicating with each of
the lamps, and thus the latter are kept constantly supplied with paraffine up
to a determined level.
In order to prevent the paraffine from overflowing the lamps in the event
of the valve getting out of order, an overflow pipe is provided at a level
slightly below the tops of all the lamps.
It will be evident that this self-feeding apparatus is equally applicable to
single lamps to prevent the necessity of their being frequently filled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Levi Hewitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEVI
HEWITT, of Higham Ferrers, in the County of North Hants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Levi Hewitt, Her special licence that I, the said Levi
Hewitt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Levi Hewitt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: araffine.
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PARAFFINE, AND IN FEEDING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING
THE SAME, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Levi Hewitt, my
99
executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
5 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 per-
formed, 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.
10
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Levi Hewitt, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to paraffine and mineral oil lamps, and consists of
5 improvements in the forms thereof, and in the mode of supplying the oil or
spirit thereto.
0
The object of the said Invention is, 1st, to increase the light in a vertical
direction immediately under the burner of portable lamps; and, 2ndly, to
dispense with the oil holder under the burner in fixed lamps, and to supply
O any number of the latter from one or more fixed reservoirs as described in
my Provisional Specification dated the 4th day of October, A.D. 1865, which
improvements I now proceed to describe in detail, reference being made to
the accompanying Drawing, to which the following explanation applies.
5
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1, shews one of my improved single burner lamps in side elevation;
Fig. 2, a longitudinal section through the centre thereof; Fig. 3, a transverse
section at the line A, B, Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4, shews a side elevation of one of
my improved double burner lamps.
The following reference applies to each of the foregoing Figs. where the
a, the lamp stand; b, the paraffine or oil
respective index letters appear.
holder; c, a curved flattened tube terminating in a screw collar c' at the
bottom for screwing it into the neck of the holder, and fitted with a three-
legged clip c² at the top for holding the globe and chimney; d, the globe
and chimney.
This globe and chimney may be made entire, or the latter
may be made to separate from the former at the line c³, c³, in which case the
globe should be formed with a flange and metal collar. These globes have
hollow cylinders c' at the side, the ends of which cylinders are formed with
flanges 1, 1, by this means and the clips 2, 2, and screw 3, the globes ar

page_text: held securely in the required position when attached to the lamp; by turning
back the screw 3 the globe can be detached when necessary; e, is a loose
cone which fits over the end of the burner and is fitted to and held in position
by the flange 5, cast or soldered on the three legged clip; f, glass discs let
into the cone e immediately under the end of the wick to allow the light to 5
descend vertically in the direction shewn by the arrow, one, two, or more of
these discs may be fitted round the cones for allowing the light from the end
of the wick to radiate laterally as well as descend vertically when required;
g, g, openings between the wick tube and the inside of the flange 5; h, h, are
openings between the outside of the said flange and the cylinder of the 10
globe, these openings admit the air to the burner and enable the lamp to be
lit by inserting a match as shewn by the feathered arrow, and without it being
necessary to remove any part of the lamp for that purpose; 9, the wick
adjuster which operates in the usual way.
By this mode of forming the lamp the light descends to the surface of the 1
table, &c., vertically as at C, D, Fig. 1; whereas in lamps of this class
when made in the ordinary way in which the light is directly over the
holder the latter throws a shadow for a space equal to E, F, all round the
lamp.
Another advantage of the improved form is that two, three, or more branch 2
lights can be obtained upon the same lamp and be supplied from one and
the same holder.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are intended to illustrate a more extensive application
of the last-mentioned improvement for supplying any required number of
lights from one holder. a is a reservoir or tank for containing the oil or
spirit; b, the lamp feeder supplied therefrom, in which feeder the surface is
always at one and the same level, or nearly so, by the pipe c, tap or
valve d, and float e, which operate upon the ball principle; f, is a descending
pipe or main for conducting the oil to the different burners through the
horizontal main 9, 9, 9, (which can be carried under the floor) and
branches h, h, h; i, i, are pipe brackets, at the top of which enlargements are
ormed for receiving the wicks which pass through flattened tubes into globes
imilar to those before described (these brackets are shewn on the Drawing as
clined on one side, in practice, however, they would stand at right angles to
he wall); j,j, the level of the surface of the oil in the feeder.
I should here observe that all the lamps supplied from the same feede
hould be fixed so that the top of the enlarged part of the brackets i, i, ar
vel with or slightly above the surface of the oil therein. By introducing th
eders at different levels one main reservoir at a sufficient altitude
may
b

page_text: any,
.
f
made to supply lamps of different altitudes; kis an overflow pipe for preventing
the oil from rising above the line j, j; is a tank into which such overflow, if
would be discharged, and for containing the oil in the mains when from any
cause it is required to empty the same; m, a tap on the main ƒ for shutting
5 off the oil from the feeder; n, a tap for drawing off the mains as before
mentioned. An enlarged view of a fixed lamp bracket is shewn at Fig. 6,
and which I propose to use for affixing to the walls of churches, chapels, and
other public or private buildings.
Fig. 7 shews a standard or pillar light, for affixing to pews or seats,
shops' counters, or in any other position where a fixed pillar light is required.
Having thus stated the nature and object of my said Invention, and
described and illustrated the means by which the same may be carried into
effect in practice, without, however, strictly confining myself to the precise
forms, proportions, and applications thereof, shewn upon the Drawing, I
claim the mode of obtaining the vertical light by the side burner or burners
and the mode of supplying the oil from one holder to any number of fixed
lamps as herein described.
hand
In witness whereof, 1, the said Levi Hewitt, have hereunto set my
and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
TEVI UEWITT (LS)