IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Harrison, of Crewe, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 28th April 1854, and dated the 5th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Harrison
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th November 1853.
I, SAMUEL HARRISON, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer,
5 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES" to be as follows:―
My improvements are chiefly applicable where two engines are
coupled together, and consist in the use of slide valves placed between
the pipes that supply the steam to the engine and the steam chests.
These valves are worked by a handle acting on the valve spindle, and
the object of them is to be able to shut off the steam from one of the
engines when anything is out of order, and allowing the steam to enter

page_text: to the engine that is not out of order. When my improvements are
applied to a locomotive engine it is evident that, in case of need, the
driver can instantly close one of the slide valves, and continue to work
the locomotive with one engine; by this means very little stoppage is
required, thereby reducing the chance of accidents.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Saniuel Harrison in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
SAMUEL HARRISON, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Harrison, Her special
license, that I, the said Samuel Harrison, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Harrison,
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 IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Harrisoni, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of. the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be 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 Samuel Harrison, do hereby
declare. the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say:
My Invention consists in the application of a shut off valve to the
steam pipes of coupled engines, whereby in case of accident the supply
of steam
may be shut off from one engine and admitted to the other.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon.
.
:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of a locomotive engine to which my
improvements are applied; Figure 2, is an end elevation of the same
looking at the smoke box; Figure 3, is a plan; and Figure 4, a front
elevation. a, is the boiler; b, the cylinders, shewn in Figure 2; c,
the pipes conveying the steam to the steam chests of the cylinders in
the usual manner; d, is the handle of the regulator; and e, is the double
branch pipe placed within the smoke box, to which the supply pipe from
the interior of the boiler is attached in the usual manner; f, f', are the
boxes of the two slide valves g, g', one of which is placed on each side
of the double branch pipe e; these boxes f, f', are secured between the
flanges of the pipes c, and those of the pipe e; and the valves g, g', are
moved to and fro, when required, by the levers h, h', in the following
manner-The regulator handle d is furnished with a sliding bush d',
to which are jointed two links i, ; these links are also jointed to the
elbow levers j', which are supported on studs fixed to the fire box; to
the levers j, j, are jointed the long rods k, k', which are attached to the
levers h, h; by this means the motion given to the regulator handle
d is transmitted to the slide valves g, g', consequently when the
regulator is closed the slide valves g and g¹ are also closed, and vice
versa. By varying the position of the sliding bush d on the handle d
the amount of traverse given to the slide valves g, g', can be varied.
By this arrangement, if owing to accident or other cause one of the
engines should become disabled, the engine driver, by disconnecting one
of the links i or ', would shut off the supply of steam from one of the
cylinders, and the other engine could be worked alone. The long rods

page_text: ,, instead of being connected to the elbow levers j and j', may be
furnished with handles placed within reach of the engine driver.
When my improvements are applied to a locomotive engine it is
evident that, in case of a train being stopped, owing to an accident
occurring to one of the engines, very little time is required for shutting
off the steam and disconnecting the parts by which the valve is worked,
consequently the danger of accidents is reduced. My improvements
are also applicable to marine or other engines where two are coupled
together.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim as of my Invention the
application of a shut off valve to the supply pipes of coupled steam
engines for the purpose of being able to work one engine independently
of the other.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Harrison, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
SAMUEL HARRISON. (L.S.)
Signed, seal'd, & delivered by the
within-named Samuel Harrison
in the presence of
H. B. BARLOW,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.