IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WET GAS METERS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Myers, of Millbank Row, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WET GAS
METERS."
Sealed the 4th May 1866, and dated the 10th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Myers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
November 1865.
I, EDWARD MYERS, of Millbank Row, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WET
GAS METERS," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention relates to improvements in the arrange-
ment of the inlet passage for the gas to the measuring drum in combination
with the waste water chamber. In various arrangements of wet gas meters
it has been usual to pass the gas from the inlet pipe or passage into the
upper part of the waste water chamber, and from it the gas passes through
a pipe or passage into the measuring drum, and it is well known that in
meters so constructed, when the water is drawn off, the unmeasured gas
can be readily passed through the overflow orifice without passing through
the measuring drum. Now the object of the first part of my improvements

page_text: in wet gas meters is to prevent any such fraudulent abstraction of un-
measured gas. For this purpose the inlet pipe or passage conducts the
gas into an internal chamber or passage formed in the upper part of the
waste water chamber, and this internal chamber is in communication with
and conducts the gas to the measuring drum. A pipe descends from the
internal chamber to considerably below the water line in the waste water
chamber, such pipe serving to carry off any condensed water from the
inlet passage. A bent pipe is applied to the overflow orifice, which is at
the upper part of the waste water chamber. The lower end of this bent
pipe is surrounded by another pipe or cylinder closed at the bottom, but
open at the top to permit the waste water to flow into it and up the over-
flow pipe. By this arrangement the waste water line can never descend
below the upper edge of the pipe or cylinder which surrounds the overflow
pipe, thus ensuring the constant sealing of the lower end of the pipe which
descends from the inlet passage or internal chamber previously described.
. Another of my improvements for preventing the fraudulent withdrawal
of unmeasured gas from the waste water chamber consists in conducting
the gas from the inlet pipe into an internal chamber formed in the upper
part of the waste water chamber, into which the gas passes through a valve
having a float attached thereto, and when the water in the waste water
chamber descends by accident or design below a certain level or below the
overflow orifice the float descends and closes the valve in the internal
chamber, thus cutting off the passage of the unmeasured gas to the waste
water chamber, and from it to the pipe, a passage which conducts it to the
measuring drum. To the lower end of the tube which surrounds the stem
of the inlet valve, attached to a float within the fountain chamber, I fix
a stay or bracket to support the tube in its position, and to serve as a guide
for the up-and-down movement of the float.
The second part of my improvements is applicable to wet gas meters,
such as were described in the Specifications of Patents granted to William
Esson, dated August 27th, 1858, No. 1942, to myself and William Richard
Williams, dated June 24th, 1863, No. 1592, and in the Specification of a
Patent granted to me, dated December 8th, 1864, No. 3059, and to other
meters of a similar character wherein a supply fountain is employed, and
these improvements relate to the arrangement of the passages which form
communications between the water reservoir, the measuring drum, and the
chamber in which the "fountain" is situated, and in the arrangement of
the outlet passage for the gas, in order to maintain one uniform level of
the water line in the measuring drum of wet gas meters of this description.

page_text: In the arrangement of compensating apparatus employed for adjusting and
maintaining the proper level of the water described in the Specifications of
the Patents' before referred to, no provision was made to prevent the
frequent unsealing of the air tube caused by the agitation of the water line.
during the revolution of the drum as each quarter or division thereof
descends. This frequent unsealing of the air tube causes an unnecessary
loss or discharge of water from the reservoir or water supply chamber,
through the overflow tube into the waste water chamber, by which the
reservoir becomes rapidly and wastefully exhaused, thereby defeating the
object for which such an arrangement of apparatus is required. An
opening of considerable size between the measuring drum and the air
tube or fountain chamber (extending above and below the water line)
served not only as the means for maintaining the level of the water in the
drum and air tube chamber, but also for the measured gas to pass away
through from the drum to the outlet pipe, so that any agitation of the
level of the water line in the measuring drum at once affected the level of
the water in the air tube or fountain chamber, thereby causing the frequent
unsealing of the orifice in the air tube, and consequent discharge of water
from the reservoir to re-adjust the level of the water line in the measuring
drum. In order to obviate this defect I form two openings between the
measuring drum and the air tube or fountain chamber, one orifice being
comparatively small near the bottom of the chamber below the water line,
communicating with the water in the measuring drum, an opening or
orifice of corresponding size being formed between the drum and 'the
reservoir or water supply chamber to adjust the level of the water in the
two chambers. Another opening of suitable size is formed in the upper
part of the air tube or fountain chamber above the water line for the escape
of the measured gas to the outlet pipe. By this arrangement of the
passages the agitation of the water line in the fountain chamber and the
unsealing of the orifice in the air tube is prevented.
In place of forming a separate chamber within the front or fountain
supply chamber for the air tube and overflow pipe as heretofore in the
construction of wet gas meters furnished with supply fountains, according
to another of my improvements I arrange the air tube and overflow pipe
within the drum case behind the back plate of the front chamber. In this
arrangement a passage is formed between the upper end of the air tubė
and fountain chamber, the lower end of the overflow pipe forming part of
the air tube being arranged so as to communicate with the waste water
chamber.

page_text: In place of forming the air tube with two openings for the admission of
air thereto, as described in the Specification of my Patent before referred
to, I form a long opening from the bottom of the dividing plate to the
level of the overflow passage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Myers in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
MYERS, of Millbank Row, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Myers, Her special licence that I, the said Edward
Myers, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Edward Myers, 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 THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF WET GAS METERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Myers, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or 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
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 Edward Myers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The first part of my Invention relates to improvements in the arrange-
ment of the inlet passage for the gas to the measuring drum in combination
with the waste water chamber. In various arrangements of wet gas

page_text: meters it has been usual to pass the gas from the inlet pipe or passage
into the upper part of the waste water chamber, and from it the gas
passes through a pipe or passage into the measuring drum, and it is well
known that in meters so constructed when the water is drawn off the
unmeasured gas can be readily passed through the overflow orifice
without passing through the measuring drum. Now the object of the
first part of my improvements in wet gas meters of this construction is
to prevent any such fraudulent abstraction of unmeasured gas, and in order
that this part of my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the
Drawings hereunto annexed. For this purpose the inlet pipe or passage a
conducts the gas into an internal chamber or passage b, formed in the
upper part of the waste water chamber c, and this internal chamber b is in
communication with and conducts the gas to the measuring drum by
means of the pipe 6¹. A pipe 63 descends from the internal chamber b to
considerably below the water line in the waste water chamber c, such pipe
68 serving to carry off any condensed water from the inlet passage b. A
bent pipe d is applied to the overflow orifice d', which is at the upper part
of the waste water chamber c; the lower end of this bent pipe d is
surrounded by another pipe or cylinder d* closed at the bottom, but open
at the top to permit the waste water to flow into it, and up the overflow
pipe d. By this arrangement the waste water line can never descend
below the upper edge of the pipe or cylinder d* which surrounds the
overflow pipe d, thus ensuring the constant sealing of the lower end of the
pipe 6 which descends from the inlet passage or internal chamber b
previously described.
Another of my improvements for preventing the fraudulent withdrawal
of unmeasured gas from the waste water chamber is clearly shewn in
Figure 2, Sheet 1, of the Drawings, and consists in conducting the gas
from the inlet pipe into an internal chamber b, formed in the upper part of
the waste water chamber c, into which the gas passes through a valve c¹,
having a float c attached thereto, and when the water in the waste water
chamber c descends by accident or design below a certain level or below
the overflow orifice d, the float c descends and closes the valve c¹ in the
internal chamber, thus cutting off the passage of the unmeasured gas to
the waste water chamber c, and from it to the pipe or passage 61, which
conducts it to the measuring drum. To the lower end of the tube g*,
which surrounds the stem of the inlet valve g attached to the float g
within the fountain chamber f, I fix a stay or bracket g², to support the

page_text: tube gin its position and to serve as a guide for the up-and-down
movement of the float g¹.
The second part of my improvements is applicable to wet 'gas meters,
such as were described in the Specifications of Patents granted to William
Esson, dated August 27, 1858 (No. 1942), to myself and William Richard
Williams, dated June 24th, 1863 (No. 1592), and in the Specification of a
Patent granted to me, dated December 8th, 1864 (No. 3059), and to other
meters of a similar character wherein a supply fountain is employed, and
these improvements relate to the arrangement of the passages which form
communications between the water reservoir, the measuring drum, and
the chamber in which the "fountain" or air tube is situated, and in the
arrangement of the outlet passage for the gas from the drum, in order to
maintain one uniform level of the 'water line in the measuring drum of wet
gas meters of this description.
In the arrangement of compensating apparatus employed for adjusting
and maintaining the proper level of the water, described in the Specifica-
tions of the Patents before referred to, no provision was made to prevent
the frequent unsealing of the air tube caused by the agitation of the water
line during the revolution of the drum as each quarter or division thereof
descends. This frequent unsealing of the air tube causes an unnecessary
loss or discharge of water from the reservoir or water supply chamber
through the overflow tube into the waste water chamber, by which the
reservoir becomes rapidly and wastefully exhausted, choking the meter,
and thereby defeating the object for which such an arrangement of
apparatus required. An opening of considerable size between the
measuring drum and the air tube or fountain chamber (extending above
and below the water line, as described and shown in the Specification and
Drawing of the Patent last referred to) served not only as the means for
maintaining the level of the water in the drum and air tube chamber, but
also for the measured gas to pass away through from the drum to the
outlet pipe, so that any agitation of the level of the water line in the
measuring drum at once affected the level of the water in the air tube
or fountain chamber, thereby causing the frequent unsealing of the orifice
in the air tube and the consequent discharge of water from the reservoir
to re-adjust the level of the water line in the measuring drum. In order
to obviate this defect I form two openings (as shown in Figures 1 and 2,
Sheet 1, of the Drawings) between the measuring drum e and the air tube
chamber i, one orifice e¹ being comparatively small near the bottom of
the chamber i-below the water line and communicating with the water in

page_text: the measuring drum e, an opening or orifice at of corresponding size
or thereabouts being formed to make a communication between the
drum e and the reservoir or water supply chamber f, to adjust the level of
the water the two chambers e and i. Another opening, shown in
Figure 3, of suitable size is formed in the upper part of the air tube chamber
i above the water line for the escape of the measured gas to the outlet
pipe . By this arrangement of the passages the agitation of the water
line in the air tube chamber i and the unsealing of the orifice i* in the air
tube is prevented.
In place of forming a separate chamber within the front or fountain
supply chamber f (as previously described) for the air tube j and overflow
pipe as heretofore in the construction of wet gas meters furnished with
supply fountains, according to another of my improvements I arrange the
air tube j and overflow pipe j (as shown in Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 2, of
the Drawings) within the drum case e, behind the back plate of the front
chamber f. In this arrangement a passage / is formed between the upper
end of the air tube j and the fountain chamber f, the lower end of the
overflow pipe j (forming part of the air tube j, j',) being arranged so as
to communicate with the waste water chamber c by the connecting passage
as shown.
In place of forming the compound air tube j,j, with two openings for
the admission of air thereto, as described in the Specification of my Patent
before referred to, I form a long opening, as shown at js, from the bottom
of the dividing plate to the level of the overflow passage.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Myers, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
D
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
EDWARD MYERS. (L.s.)
W.C.