IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martin Rae, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LAMPS."
Sealed the 8th November 1861, and dated the 16th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martin Rae at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
September 1861.
I, MARTIN RAE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAMPS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in causing a strong current of air to impinge against
the flame of the lamp by means of a light or lamp placed under a tube or
tubes communicating with the burner. This causes a strong upward current
of air, which coming in contact with the flame as it issues from the burner
produces a good light without the aid of a glass chimney.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Martin Rae in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
March 1862.
5 TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTIN
RAE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Martin Rac, Her special license that I, the said Martin Rae,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Martin Rae, 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
LAMPS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Martin Rae,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under niy, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the naturo 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 mouths next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Martin Rae, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
My Invention consists in causing a current of air to impinge against the
flame of a lamp by means of a lamp, taper, light, or other heat-producing agent
placed within or under a tubo or tubes communicating with the burner,
which on being lighted or heated causes an upward current of air, that
coming in contact with the flame of the lamp produces a white light. This
lamp I call the ventilator lamp.
The oils commonly employed for burning in lamps are of two kinds.
namely, light and heavy oils. These to be burnt in my ventilator lamp
require to be treated in different ways so as to be economically used.
The beavy oils I prefer to have contained in a reservoir, through which
the air tube or air tubes pass, so that they may be heated and thus made
to rise up the wick more freely, and in some cases it may be desirable to
use a chimney glass or other suitable material.
The light oils I prefer to have in a reservoir, inside of which a cold air
space is left between the air tube or air tubes and the oil reservoir, so as
not to heat the oil over much; but my improved lamp with both descriptions
of oil requires an air tube or air tubes, to the bottom or inside of which
is a lamp, taper, light, or other heat-producing agent, which on being lighted
or heated rarifies the air in the tube or tubes and thus causes it to pass

page_text: on to the flame of the wick above. The lamp, taper, light, or other heat-
producing agent regulates the current of air required for the lamp above.
By enlarging the flame, or increasing the heat, more air is rarefied and
passes to the wick above, and by diminishing the flame or heat-producing
agent, and thus lessening the heat, the current of air is reduced. The size of
the flame or the heat-producing agent may vary, but I find that a flame
of the size of a common pea is sufficient to rarify the air of a lamp with a
flame of two inches square.
My improvements can be applied to lamps of various shapes and sizes,
and the air tube or air tubes can be placed not only in a vertical, but in'
a curved or inclined position, and adapted to the form or kind of lamp
required, and whether such lamp is burnt in the open air or confined in a
lantern.
In order that my improvements may be more definitely explained I
have exhibited in the Drawings herewith annexed two forms of lamps which
I have found convenient, and such as are necessary to illustrate their appli-
cation, namely:-
No. 1, VENTILATOR LAMP FOR BURNING HEAVY OILS.
Fig. 1 represents an outside view of a deflector lamp with my improvements
attached so as to form it into a ventilator lamp.
Fig. 2, letter a, represents a vertical section of a deflector Jamp of the
ordinary description with my improvements used for the burning of heavy
oils, which may be varied in length and diameter according to the judgment
of the maker; the flame of such lamp; b, b, is a fountain made of glass,
metal, or other suitable material for the purpose of containing the supply of
oil and communicating with the wick tube g by the pipe h; j, j, is the tube
or shaft forming a ventilating tube or shaft, at the bottom of which a small
lamp is placed for heating the air in the tube or shaft, and causing
it to ascend and supply the wick in the lamp with the air that is
necessary to support combustion; d, d, represents the outside covering of the
lamp.
No. 2, VENTILATOR LAMP FOR BURNING LIGHT OILS.
Fig. 3 represents an outside view of a deflector lamp of the ordinary
description with my improvements attached so as to form it into a ventilator
lamp. Figure 4 is a vertical section of the same lanp used for burning

page_text: fountain made of metal, glass, or other suitable material for the purpose
of containing the suppy of oil and communicating with the wick tube g
by the pipe h; i, i, is the cold air space between the fountain and the air
tube; i, j, is the tube or shaft, at the bottom of which a small lamp f is
placed. This lamp is furnished with a common cotton wick and supplied
with paraffine oil, but other oils, or spirits of wine, or a taper, or any heat-
producing agent may be used. The small lamp on being lighted heats the
air in the tube or shaft and causes it to ascend and supply the wick in the
lamp with the air that is necessary to support combustion; d, d, represent
the outside covering of the lamp.
In Figs. 1 and 3 a, a, shew the outside of the lamp; b, b, represent the
outside of the fountain or reservoir; c, c, the outside of the tube or shaft j;
d, d, the outside covering of the lamp which slides up over the tube or
shaft for the purpose of obtaining access to the small lamp; k, k, openings
in the stand or lower part of the lamp for allowing the admission of air
into the interior. In all the Figures it will be observed that similar letters
of reference are marked upon corresponding parts of the lamps.
Having now described my Invention for improvements in the construction
of lamps, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it
to be distinctly understood in conclusion that I do not desire to claim the
exclusive use of any of the parts of which such lamps may be composed
when separately considered, nor do I intend to confine myself to any of
the dimensions or peculiar forms of such lamps as are shewn in the Drawings
annexed, as I have therein represented such lamps constructed in the manner
above proposed as are best calculated to carry my Invention into effect,
but I claim the novel introduction of the lighted lamp, taper, light, or other
heat-producing agent at the bottom of or into the air tube or air tubes
of the lamp, and the application of such other apparatus to be used in
conjunction therewith for the purposes and in the manner above described,
whether such air tube or air tubes be placed not only in vertical but in
inclined positions.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martin Rae, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
MARTIN RAE. (L.S.)