CERTAIN IMPROVENIENTS IN ARTIFICIAL ILLUMI- NATION, AND IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO HEATING AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I.
ALEXANDER MILLS DIX, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Brewer.
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Seventh day of August, in the sixteenth year of
Her reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousaud eight hundred
and fifty-two, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Alexander Mills Dix, Her especial licence, full power.
scle privilege and authority, that I, the said Alexander Mills Dix, my
exors, aduiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Alexander Mills
Dix. my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVENIENTS IN ARTIFICIAL ILLUMI-
NATION, AND IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO HEATING AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES:" in

page_text: which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
Alexander Mills Dix, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Alexander Mills Dix, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, is particularly described and ascertained in and by the
Drawings hereto annexed, and the following explanation thereof, that
is to say:
My improvements in artificial illumination, and in the apparatus
connected therewith. which improvements are also applicable to heating
and other similar purposes, are applicable in all cases where it is
desirable that the gas or other combustible from which the light or heat
is obtained should be consumed, and the necessary oxygen or atmo-
spheric air supplied thereto to sustain the same, irrespective of the
atmosphere of the apartment or other place to be illuminated or heated.
My Invention consists principally in burning the gas or other combus-
tible in a perfectly close and (if for lighting purposes) transparent
vessel or chamber, to which atmospheric air is admitted by means of a
tube or tubes, and from which the vitiated or exhausted air and other
volatile products of combustion are conducted by another tube or tubes,
so that the vitiated air, &c. from the gas or other lamps or stoves does
not mingle with and contaminate the atmosphere of the room or other
place where it may be applied, and also that no wafting of the atmo-
sphere of the apartment caused by opening or closing doors, &c. will in
any way interfere with the steady burning of the gas or other comi-
bustible. It will also be evident that this said Invention may be
advantageously applied to the lighting of mines, or may be used under
water, or in any other situations where an exposed light might be
impracticable or dangerous, as the light can be sustained entirely
irrespective of the nature of the immediately surrounding medium, being

page_text: pressure of the atmosphere may at all times be equal upon both of them.
The tube ff, is encased in a third tube h, h, the space between the
two tubes ff, and h, h, being filled with water or other suitable fluid.
i. i, is a small tube for conveying cold water to the lower part of the said
space; and k, k, is a similar tube for conveying the water (as it becomes
heated) from the upper part of the said space. These two tubes i, i,
and k, k, terminate in a tank or reservoir, so that a constant circulation
going on, the water in the space between the two tubes f, f, and h, h,
is kept cool; this water being employed as a non-conductor, first to
maintain a dissimilar temperature between the fresh and foul air, and
secondly to preclude the possibility of any danger to the building from
fire. And I would here observe that, if preferred, the foul or hot air tube
may be similarly encased throughout. 1, 1, is the pipe for supplying the
gas, to the lower end of which is attached a burner m, m, which may
be of any ordinary suitable construction. This burner m, m, is sur-
mounted by a glass chimney n, n, which is connected to the exit pipe
ff, by a short sliding tube o, o; this tube o, o, fits loosely into the
lower end of the pipe f,f. The lower end of the tube o, o, is turned
upwards, in order that any vapour that may condense upon the inner sur-
face of the tube f, f, and run down between the two tubes f, f, and o, o,
may lodge there, and be again evaporated instead of passing into the
chamber a, a. The tap p, for admitting or shutting off the gas may
either be placed in the chamber a, a, as shewn in the Drawing, or may
be in any other convenient situation. The tube h, h, is connected to
the tube b, b, and thus supported by means of the screws 7, 9, (see also
horizontal section, Fig. 3). The glass chamber a, a, is held in a metal
ring r, r, by means of screws s, s, and this ring is connected to or dis-
connected from the lower end of the tube b, b, by means of a bayonet
joint (see detached view, Fig. 4). The pipes c, e, and g, y, are furnished
with throttle valves or dampers t, t, for regulating the draught, and the
pipe g, g, is depressed at 9, and furnished with a small pipe », for
conveying away any condensed vapor that may lodge therein.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, 1
would remark, in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention the novel

page_text: perfectly enclosed or isolated, and supplied with oxygen from the
external atmosphere, or from the open air outside the building, or from
the roof or any room or apartment not being that wherein the light or
heat is applied. If it be desired to apply my Invention to the heating
of apartments or other similar purposes, the closed vessel or chamber,
in which the combustion is carried on may be either transparent or
not, as preferred, and may be either plain or ornamental, care being
taken that the ingress of fresh air for combustion, and the egress of
the foul or exhausted air from the vessel, shall be duly proportioned.
And it may be here remarked, that for purposes of heating it is pre-
ferable for the fresh air to be conducted directly to the gas or other
combustible employed, the foul air circulating in the vessel and allowing
the heat to radiate into the apartment or building. And it may be
further remarked, that in cases where a downward draught is required
for the consumed air an artificial current may be required and attained
by the application of heat to the egress or foul air tube or tubes.
In order more fully to illustrate the practical application of my improve-
ments I have attached to these Presents a Sheet of Drawings representing
my Invention as applied to a pendant gas light for ordinary illuminating
purposes. Fig. 1, is an external view of the apparatus, drawn about one
fourth the real scale; and Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the upper and
lower portions of the same, drawn about half the real scale. a, a, is the
closed vessel or chamber in which the combustion takes place, being
formed of glass or other suitable transparent substance, and ornamented
by cutting or otherwise, as may be preferred. b, b, is the pipe for-sup-
plying air to the said chamber. This pipe terminates at its upper end
above the ceiling e, e, of the apartment in a closed box d, d, which
communicates by means of a pipe or tube e, c, to the atmosphere above
the roof, or to the atmosphere of the roof or loft or other convenient
place. ff, is the pipe for the exit of the hot air, &c., communicating
also with the external atmosphere or the roof or other convenient place
by means of the pipe g, g. I would here remark, that it is advisable
that those two tubes e, e, and g, g, should terminate at or near the
same place, the still atmosphere of a loft or other spare room being
preferred, and should open in the same direction, in order that the

page_text: and improved method of lighting and heating apartments and other
places by burning gas or other combustibles in a close vessel or
chamber, to which atmospheric air is supplied by a tube or tubes, and
from which the exhausted or foul air, &c. is conveyed, by means of a
tube or tubes, the said tubes not communicating with the atmosphere
of the room or other place to be lighted or heated; also the application
of a current of water or other suitable fluid to the exterior of the foul or
exhausted air tube or tubes, for the purpose of absorbing any desirable
amount of heat therefrom.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Mills Dix, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
ALEXANDER MILLS (L.s.) DIX.