Extinguishing the Flame in Oil and Spirit Lamps.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 3rd Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1888
Extinguishing the Flame in Oil and Spirit Lamps.
JOHN ROWE 1 Malvern Road Kilburn, Willesden in the County of Middlesex
Mechanical Engineer & Lamp Maker do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
-
For Flat Wicks Lamps.-In the burner I use two tubes of the same shape &
make, one being smaller than the other, (one to work inside the other), the small one
contains the wick which is held in its place by the rack & pinion on one side, in the
usual way, on the other side a small bent arm is fixed, the larger or outside tube has
a.piece of metal cut out on each side to allow the small tube with the arm on one side
and the wheel & pinion on the other to work freely up & down within it. The
bottom of the larger tube is soldered to the burner case in the usual way, and a slot
cut in each side of the burner case allows the pinion to work up & down.
On the top of the larger or outside tube is fixed a small frame to which is con-
nected by means of a joint or joints a shutter with a bent arm having a slot at the end,
a screw or pin passing through this slot connects the same to the bent arm on the
small or inside tube, a rod is also connected to this bent arm and passing through a
tube fixed in the oil reservoir is continued to the foot of lamp where it ends in
a ball or weight which rests on the table or other resting place when the lamp is
in use.
When the lamp is lifted or tilted from its resting place, the rod & weight drops
down & brings with it the inside or small tube & wick, and also closes the shutter at
the top over the wick tube & completely extinguishes the flame, when the lamp is
returned to its resting place the wick tube with the wick returns to its proper
position & the shutter goes back.
An improved arrangement is also made in the stem of lamp & connected with the

page_text: rod so that the lamp can be lifted from the table without going out. This extinguishing
apparatus is also applicable to round or cylindrical wick lainps & oxisting lamps now
in use can be converted to this system.
I do not claim the rod & weight but only use it as it has been before the public for
some years, but I claim the falling of the wick tube and wick with shutter combined,
with the use of the weighted rod.
Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Safely and Securely
Extinguishing the Flame in Oil and Spirit Lamps.
1, JOHN ROWE, at present residing at 224 High Street, Harlesden, Willesden, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Engineer and Lamp Maker do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying two sheets of Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say -
In lamps fitted with automatic apparatus for extinguishing the flame when the lamp
is upset or inclined or tilted to a dangerous extent, the wick-tubes have been, so far as
I am aware, fixed to the lamp body, and the extinguishing appliances only have been
made to move in relation to the fixed wick-tube so as to effect the operation of
extinguishing the flame. Now, according to my present invention, I arrange the
wick-tube, or other wick-holder, so that it is free to slide up and down in the lamp
body, and thereby to co-operate with the extinguishing devices in order to bring about
the extinguishment of the flame in the event of the lamp being overset or inclined or
tilted beyond a certain extent. And, in order that my said invention may be clearly
understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a flat-wick lamp with my
invention applied thereto; Figure 2 is a plan of the burner of the said lamp with the
dome and chimney holder removed; Figure 3 is a partial elevation of the burner
looking from the left in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a section of the upper part of the
burner taken on line Z Z of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of a round
or cylindrical-wick lamp with my invention applied thereto.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, A is the wick-tube containing the flat wick B, and free

page_text: to slide up and down in a larger tube C, the lower end of which is soldered, or other-
wise suitably secured, to the burner case D. E is the pinion or winder for raising and
lowering the wick B in the wick-tube A in the usual way. This pinion or winder E
is carried in a casing F connected to the wick-tube A and projecting through an
opening G in the side of the outer tube C, in which opening the said pinion or
winder E, with its casing F, is free to rise and fall with the wick-tube A. The spindle
of the winder E passes out through, and works up and down in, a'slot cut in the side
of the burner case. His an arm projecting from the other side of the wick-tube A
out through a slot I in the opposite side of the outer tube C. To the outer end of
this arm His connected, by a screw J or otherwise, the upper end of a weighted rod K
which passes freely through a tube L soldered into the bottom of the oil reservoir M.
The weight N, at the lower end of the weighted rod K, rests on the table or other
support of the lamp when the latter is in its normal position, as is now well understood
in connection with automatic lamp extinguishing apparatus. On the top of the outer
and fixed tube C is fixed a frame O to which is hinged at O' an extinguishing
shutter P having an arm Q projecting therefrom. This arm has a slot Q' in its outer
end through which passes a screw or pin R connecting the said arm to the before-
mentioned arm H. T is the dome and U the chimney holder as usual. It will now
be understood that the weighted rod K and the wick-tube A are connected and move
together, and that so long as the lamp stands in its normal or upright position on a
table or other similar support, the wick-tube A is supported in the tube Ċ by the rod K
at a height which brings the top of the wick B somewhat above the top of the tube C,
so as to enable combustion to proceed at that point, the extinguishing shutter P being
held in the position shown in full lines in Figure 4, but in the event of the lamp being
overset, or inclined or tilted beyond a certain extent, the weighted rod K draws down
the wick-tube A in the tube C, and the connection of the arm Q to the wick-tube A,
or, if preferred, to the rod K, causes the extinguishing shutter P to be turned on its
hinge into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 over the top of the fixed
tube C, thereby excluding air from the wick which then stands with its wick-tube A,
or other holder, below the top of the said tube C, and the flame is thereby
extinguished.
When it is desired to lift or remove the lamp from the table or other support
without extinguishing the light, it is raised and carried by the ring Y which, being
connected to the weighted rod K by the cross bar Y¹, prevents the said weighted rod
from falling and drawing down the wick tube A, and from closing the shutter or
extinguisher P over the tube C. This arrangement is well known and forms no part
of my present invention.
In the round or cylindrical wick lamp illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings, the
wick-tube is composed of an inner tube A, and an outer tube A¹, connected together
at the bottom as shown, and free to slide up and down in the body of the lamp, being
guided by the tube L, the lower end of which is soldered, or otherwise suitably
secured liquid-tight, to the bottom of the oil reservoir M. The tube A is perforated
with holes to enable the oil to pass from the reservoir M to the wick B. The wick B
is carried at its lower end by the tube A' or other suitable wick holder free to slide up
and down in the space between the tubes A A¹ forming the wick-tube. A toothed
rack A³ is secured to the tube A, and the pinion or winder E gears with the the said
rack A³ and operates the tube A2 and wick B in the usual way. The spindle E' of
the said pinion E is adapted to turn in the stuffing box F secured to the outer tube A¹
of the wick-tube, and is free to move up and down in a slot D¹ of the burner case D
along with the said wick-tube. K is a tube sliding freely in the tube L and carrying
at its lower end a weight N which rests on the table or other support of the lamp, as
above described in reference to Figure 1. The upper end of the weighted tube K
carries the flame spreader P, preferably screwed into the cross bar P¹, whereby it can
be adjusted to any required height above the top of the tube L by screwing or
unscrewing its stem in the said cross bar P¹. The weighted tube K is connected to
the tube A by means of the pin or screw H passing through the slot I in the tube L
whereby the said weighted tube K and wick-tube A A' are caused to move together.

page_text: -
T is the dome and U the chimney holder as usual. Air is admitted to the interior of
the wick through the tube K by the openings K' at the lower end thereof, and by
the openings in the foot of the lamp, and to the exterior of the wick through the
openings W in the lamp case; the air being guided to the point of ignition over the
upper edge of the tube X screwed to the lamp case and surrounding the upper part of
the tube A'.
It will now be understood that as the weighted tube K and wick-tube A A¹ are
connected together, if the lamp be overset, or inclined or tilted beyond a certain point,
the weighted tube K draws down the wick-tube A A¹ and the flame spreader P so that
they assume the positions, relative to tubes L and X, and body of the lamp, indicated
by dotted lines; that is to say, the wick-tube A A¹ will be lowered relatively to the
tubes Land X, and the flame spreader P will be lowered on to the top edge of the
tube L, and into the interior of the tube X, so as to cut off entirely the access of air
to the wick both from the inside through the tube K, and from the outside over the
top edge of the tube X, thereby acting the part of an extinguisher.
Instead of the tube K, the solid rod K* may be continued up through the tube L,
and be adapted to receive the flame spreader and extinguisher P at its upper end,
suitable provision being made for the guidance of such rod in the tube L, for its
connection to the wick-tube A A', and for the adjustment of the flame spreader P to
the proper height above the tubes L and X.
My improvement in the means for enabling a lamp, fitted with automatic
extinguishing apparatus, to be lifted from the table without the light being
extinguished, is illustrated in Figure 5 as applied to the round or cylindrical wick
lamp but it will be obvious that the same arrangement may be employed in lamps
with flat wicks as in the lamp illustrated in Figure 1 for example, instead of the known
arrangement shown at Y Y in that Figure. The object of this improvement is to
render the device for enabling the lamp to be lifted or removed without extinguishing
the light less unsightly, and its use less liable to be neglected than in the arrangements
at present in use.
In the improved arrangement shown in Figure 5, Y is the tubular pillar of the
lamp screwed to the base as shown. Y' is a guide, disc, or a cross bar, adapted to
slide easily up and down in the tubular pillar Y. Y2 is a length of tube somewhat
larger in diameter than the pillar Y, and free to slide up and down on the outside
thereof, its upper and lower ends passing, by preference, into spaces left between the
pillar Y and the mouldings Y3 Y, or other ornaments of the cap and base, so as to
be hidden thereby. The tube Y2 is connected to the disc or cross bar Y¹ by screws Y
passing through vertical slots Y in the pillar Y. The rod K*, connecting the
weight N to the tube K, or to the flame spreader P and wick-tube A A¹ direct, as the
case may be, passes through a hole in the disc or cross bar Y¹, but is prevented from
moving longitudinally therein by the discs or stops Y7 Y8 secured on the rod K*, one
above, and the other below, the said disc or cross bar Y¹. When it is desired to lift
the lamp without extinguishing the light, the tube Y2 is grasped by the hand and
moved upwards until its upper end comes against the underside of the oil reservoir M,
or other suitable part of the lamp body, and the lamp can then be raised and carried
by it from place to place, the weight N, with the Hame spreader P and the wick-
tube A A¹, being prevented from falling so as to extinguish the light, by reason of the
connection of the rod Kx to the disc or cross bar Y, and that of the latter to the
tube Y by the screws Y. If, however, the lamp is raised by any other means than
by the tube Y, the weight N, tube K, flame spreader P, and wick-tube A A³, fall into
the positions shown in dotted lines, and the light is extinguished in the same way as
if the lamp were overset or tilted. When a guide disc is employed, it must be
perforated with holes for the passage of air through or past it to the inner tube K, or
other provision must be made for the proper supply of air to the interior of the wick
when the latter is cylindrical.
In some cases, the weight N may be dispensed with; the wick-tube and its sup-
porting rod being made of sufficient weight to withdraw the wick below the top of
its surrounding or enclosing tube or tubes, and to apply the extinguishing device when

page_text: the lamp is overset, or inclined, or tilted. And it will be obvious that a spring, or
springs, may be employed instead of, or in addition to, a weight for drawing down the
wick-tube, and operating the extinguishing devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
I make no general claim to the application to a lamp of an extinguisher operated by a
weight arranged in such manner that the lamp is extinguished when the weight ceases
to be supported; but that what I do claim is:-
First In oil or spirit lamps, the automatic extinguishing apparatus consisting of a
sliding wick-tube or holder combined with a device which sustains the said wick-tube
or holder at the proper elevation in the lamp while the latter stands in its normal or
upright position; but which draws down the said wick-tube or holder and the wick,
in the surrounding or enclosing tube or tubes, or allows the same to slide down therein,
when the lamp is overset, or inclined, or tilted, beyond a certain point, substantially
as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second-In oil or spirit lamps, the automatic extinguishing apparatus consisting of
a sliding wick-tube or holder combined with flame extinguishing devices, arranged
and operating as herein before described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereto
annexed.
Third In oil or spirit lamps fitted with automatic extinguishing apparatus, the
device for enabling the lamp to be raised or removed from its support without being
extinguished, consisting of the outer sliding tube Y the ends of which pass into
spaces, between the lamp pillar and the mouldings, or other ornamentation of the cap
and base; the guide-disc or cross bar Y sliding in the interior of the lamp pillar and
connected to the sliding tube Y2 by screws or pins Y passing through slots Y in the
lamp pillar, the said guide disc or cross bar Y being connected to the rod supporting
or operating the wick-tube. or holder and extinguisher, arranged, combined and
operating as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figure 5 of the Drawings
hereto annexed.
Datad this Third day of Lano 1000
J. ROWE.
Per W. H. Beck,
Agent.