Improvements in Lamps for Burning Mineral Oil.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Lamps for Burning Mineral Oil.
We THOMAS WRIGHT SHAW of Durban, Natal, Inspector of Railways and
THOMAS MORGAN HARVEY of Gresham Buildings, Basinghall Street, London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL OIL," to be as follows:-
"
The object of this invention is to arrange certain details in connection with Roof
lamps that a clear shadowless light shall be produced with perfect ventilation and
supply of air to the flame to support combustion without flickering or jumping of
the flame during rapid travelling.
We provide means by which the oil vessel can be removed from the frame to
facilitate cleaning and trimming, the oil vessel being made with a flat base to enable
it to stand like an ordinary lamp when out of the frame.
We also ensure a coned flame from a straight cut wick without trimming the
corners of the wick off at an angle.
For the purpose of our invention we form preferably two openings in a band
fitted on the top of the oil well with a clear chamber, all round between said oil
well and a perforated cover which leads the air in fine streams to the burner.
through a perforated plate fitted in the body of the burner and thence through
other perforations formed in the top of the burner directly under the cap, the cap
being hinged so as to be thrown over to expose the wick for trimming purposes.
The slot in the cap through which the flame projects has its top edges flattened
down which ensures a cone shaped flame from a straight cut trimming of the wick.
The outer rim of the oil vessel is screw threaded for the attachment of a ring
secured on the lower ends of two air supply tubes which lower ends correspond with
the two openings in the side between the oil vessel and the perforated cover to same
when screwed bome.
The two air tubes project above the reflector within the space covered by the
usual wind guards. The reflector is concave and above it in the central part which
is hollow, we fit a dome which projects into a metal chimney said dome being slotted
for the escape of vapour arising from the flame. In place of fitting the dome above
or to the reflector the metal chimney may have the dome affixed to it, or the dome
may be formed in the chimney itself. by contracting the neck in any suitable
manner.

page_text: We purpose fitting the body edges with rings or flanges to engage within each
other to make the seam airtight or as near so as possible.
The chief points of novelty forming the features of this invention are the method
of attachment of the oil vessel to a ring having the air supply tubes attached.
The perforated plates by which the air to the flame is broken up so as to feed the
flame in a steady manner when the carriage to which the lamp is fitted, is travelling
at a high speed.
The slotted dome within the metal chimney and lastly the combination of those
details in the same lamp.
We are aware that lamps burning mineral oil for railway carriage roof purposes
have had air supply tubes from between the weather guards to the burners and we
are also aware that the oil vessel has been removable from the lamp frame. In the
first of these cases the flame has been very unsteady during ordinary speeds from
the in rush of air not being properly guarded and much inclined to smoke when
the train is standing still the light has however. been entirely extinguished during
high speeds particularly when entering a tunnel from the condensed state of the
atmosphere which checked the proper supply of air passing down the tubes to the
flame and prevented the escape of vapour through the chimney whereby the flame
was choked.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Thomas Wright Shaw
and Thomas Morgan Harvey."

page_text: Improvements in Lamps for Burning Mineral Oil.
We THOMAS WRIGHT SHAW of Durban, Natal Inspector of Railways, and
THOMAS MORGAN HARVEY of Gresham Buildings, Basinghall Street, London,
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to arrange certain details in connection with Roof
lamps that a clear shadowless light shall be produced with perfect ventilation and
supply of air to the flame to support combustion without flickering or jumping of
the flame during rapid travelling.
We provide means by which the oil vessel can be removed from the frame to
facilitate cleaning and trimming, the oil vessel being made with a flat base to
enable it to stand like an ordinary lamp when out of the frame.
We also ensure a coned flame from a straight cut wick without trimming the
corners of the wick off at an angle.
The invention will be clearly understood by reference to the annexed-drawings
in which we show at Figures 1 and 2 part sectional views at right angles to each
other.
A, A, are two air pipes leading from a chamber B supplied with air through
perforations C, C, at the lower portions of the screens D, D, these being doubled
with an annular space to keep them cool. The pipes A A terminate in a ring E
and have spread out mouths therein which when the ring E is screwed on to the
oil reservoir F supply air to a chamber G from which it passes a perforated cover H.
as indicated by the arrows Figure 2 where the air becomes rarified in an upper
chamber I and passes from thence through a more finely perforated plate J to the
flame. These two screens H and J are secured to the wick tube J¹ this being the
only passage from the oil reservoir.
The cap K is hinged at L to enable it to be thrown over when the wick has to
be trimmed.
The top surface M of the cap is flattened down which ensures the highest part
of the flame to be at the centre or what is termed a cone flame from a perfectly
straight cut wick without the wick being cut at the corners as is usual for this
purpose.
The two air supply tubes A are permanently fixed to the dome roof N so that
the burner and oil reservoir are suspended from it and below the dome, and at a
distance from it supported by a band P to the reflector Q of concave shape said
reflector having a slot for the passage of vapour rising from the flame, which
vapour passes into the metal chimney R which is affixed to the dome. This inetal
chimney is of conical shape and tapers upwards and terminates within the weather
screen in the ordinary manner.
Between the dome and the reflector is a chamber S and apertures in the band P
which prevents condensation, or what is usually termed sweating, in the glass T
taking place.

page_text: The button U of the wick elevator is held at any desired position by a spring V
which prevents the wick dropping from the jolting motion of the train while
travelling consequently a steady light of the same intensity is maintained until the
oil in the well is exhausted.
The ring E is made sufficiently large in diameter above the screw portion as to
form an annular chamber for the circulation of air around the cover W of the oil
reservoir, this keeps the oil reservoir cool, and the better fitted for burning, thus
mineral oil of an inferior quality can be used without danger.
We purpose making the oil reservoir, the cap K and air supply pipes A of white
metal or nickelled and so arrange the reflector Q that no down shadows are cast
but an uniform brilliancy within the scope of the reflector which is placed at the
required distance above the burner to accomplish this result.
The lower portion of the inner screen D has an upturned cone shaped ring X
and the dome N is formed with a downturned conical band to rest thereon and by
which the burner and adjacent parts are supported when placed in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First. Fitting air supply tubes to a ring which supports the oil reservoir and the
burner said ring having an annular chamber and with the mouths of the pipes A
opposite apertures above the cover of the oil reservoir by which air is supplied to
the burner finely divided for producing a steady flaine as hereinbefore described
and substantially as shown in the annexed drawings.
Secondly. Fitting perforated screens of different gauged meshes within the burner
for breaking up and regulating the supply to the flame as hereinbefore described
and as shown in the annexed drawings.
Thirdly. Hermetically sealing the oil reservoir except to the wick tube J¹ as
herein before described.
Fourthly. Attaching the air supply tubes A, A, to the dome N so that the oil
reservoir and its appurtenances are connected to a ring forming the bottom of said
air supply tubes as described and as shown in the drawings.
•
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said T. W. Shaw and
T. M. Harvey.