IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS LAMPS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Charles Rogers, of Cambridge Street Works,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Designer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS LAMPS."
Sealed the 21st June 1864, and dated the 16th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Charles Rogers
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1864.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES ROGERS, of Cambridge Street Works, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS LAMPS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to such gas lamps as are usually suspended from the
ceiling and which are provided with a globe or glass in which the burner is
situated, the said globe or glass being suspended by chains and counterbalance
weights so as to permit it to be raised and lowered.
In order to light the lamp the globe or glass is lowered and the burner
exposed. Gas lamps of the kind described are commonly employed for
lighting halls, and are called hall lamps. The said lamps may however be
used for other purposes.
My Invention consists of the improvements in gas lamps herein-after de-
scribed, by which improvements the sliding motion of the globe or glass is
made steadier and the chains in part dispensed with.
In making a gas lamp according to my Invention I make the suspending

page_text: frame by which the perdifume is carried as well as the other fixed parts of the
lamp in the ordinary way; but instead of hanging the ring by which the
globe or glass is carried directly to the chains the said ring is connected to
two semi-tubular pieces of metal which slide upon two opposite tubes of the
framing of the lamp. The tops of the said semi-tubular pieces are connected
to chains of about one half the usual length, the said chains passing over
pulleys and having counterbalance weights of the ordinary kind. When the
globe or glass is in its ordinary or raised position the supports of the globe or
glass between the ring of the said globe or glass and the pulleys consist of the
semi-tubular pieces described, the chains proceeding immediately from the tops
of the said pieces over the pulleys to the counterbalance weights. When the
globe or glass is drawn down, as in lighting the lamp, the semi-tubular pieces
slide upon the tubes of the framing, drawing the chains over the pulleys and
raising the weights, and it is only when the globe or glass is lowered that any
chain is visible on the inner sides of the pulleys. Although two semi-tubular
pieces are enough to support the globe or glass, yet more than two of the said
pieces may be employed to carry the globe or glass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Charles Rogers in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHARLES ROGERS, of Cambridge Street Works, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Designer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Charles Rogers, Her special licence that I, the said
William Charles Rogers, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Charles Rogers, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS LAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Charles Rogers, my executors or administrators,

page_text: 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 William Charles Rogers, 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 :-
My Invention relates principally to such gas lamps as are usually suspended
from the ceiling, and which are provided with a globe or glass in which the
burner is situated, the said globe or glass being suspended by chains and.
counterbalance weights so as to permit it to be raised and lowered. In order.
to light the lamp the globe or glass is lowered, and the burner exposed. Gas
lamps of the kind described are commonly employed. for lighting halls, and are-
called hall lamps. The said lamps may however be used for other purposes.
My Invention is also applicable to gas lamps in which the arms supporting.
the globes or glasses are raised and lowered as in the ordinary gasalier.
My Invention consists of the improvements in gas lamps herein-after
described, by which improvements the sliding motion of the globe or glass, or
the part carrying the globe or glass, is made steadier, and the chains in part
dispensed with or more or less concealed.
In making a ball lamp or a lamp to be used for other purposes according
to my Invention, I make the suspending frame by which the perdifume is
carried as well as the other fixed parts of the lamp in the ordinary way. But
instead of hanging the ring by which the globe or glass is carried directly to
the chains, the said ring is connected to two or more semi-tubular pieces of.
metal which slide upon two or more tubes of the framing of the lamp. The
tops of the said semi-tubular pieces are connected to chains of about one half
the usual length, the said chains passing over pulleys, and having counter-
balance weights of the ordinary kind. When the globe or glass is in its
ordinary or raised position the supports of the globe or glass between the ring
of the said globe or glass and the pulleys consist of the semi-tubular pieces,
described, the chains proceeding immediately from the tops of the said pieces
over the pulleys to the counterbalance weights. When the globe or glass is
drawn down, as in lighting the lamp, the semi-tubular pieces slide upon the
tubes of the framing, drawing the chains over the pulleys and raising the
weights; and it is only when the globe or glass is lowered that any chain is.
visible on the inner sides of the pulleys. Although two semi-tubular pieces

page_text: are enough to support the globe or glass, yet more than two of the said pieces
may be employed to carry the globe or glass. Instead of the semi-tubular
pieces described complete tubes may be used, and instead of making the globe
or glass descend, arms carrying the globes or glasses may be connected to and
move with the sliding part of the lamp.
In applying my Invention to gas lamps which are provided with a central
gas slide for supplying the gas, such as ordinary gasaliers, tubes or portions
of tubes are made to cover the said gas slide in the manner herein-after
explained.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a hall lamp, or a lamp to be used for other
purposes, constructed according to my Invention; and Figure 2 represents
the same with the globe or glass lowered for the purpose of lighting the said
lamp or for cleaning the said globe or glass; Figure 8 represents a horizontal
section of the same, drawn to double the scale of Figures 1 and 2, the said
section being taken through the line a, Figure 1. The same letters of
reference are employed to indicate the same parts in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
The suspending frame of the lamp consists of three tubes a, a, a, carrying
at bottom the ornamental ring b, supporting the perdifume c. The said
tubes a carry at top the pulleys d, over which the chains e (indicated by lines
only) pass, and the said tubes a are connected to the central tube f, through
which gas is supplied by one of the tubes a to the burner g; h is the moveable
globe or glass, carried by the ring i. Fixed to the said ring i are three semi-
tubular pieces of metal k, fitting and sliding upon the outer sides of the fixed
tubes a. The top of each of the semi-tubular pieces k is connected to the
chain e, the said chains e being of about one-half the usual length. The said
chains pass over the pulleys d, and their ends are provided with counterbalance
weights d of the ordinary kind. When the globe or glass h is in its raised
position, as represented in Figure 1, the supporting semi-tubular pieces k
cover the outer sides of the tubes a between the pulleys d and ring b, and no
chain is visible on the inner sides of the said pulleys d. When the globe or
glass h is drawn down, as in lighting the lamp, as represented in Figure 2, the
semi-tubular pieces k slide upon the fixed tubes a of the framing, drawing the
chains e over the pulleys d, and raising the weights d. When the lamp has
been lighted, the globe or glass h is raised, when the parts of the lamp resume
the positions represented in Figure 1. If the chains e suppotring the semi-
tubular pieces k should break, the flanges at the top of the said pieces are

page_text: caught upon the ring b, and the breaking of the globe or glass thereby
prevented. In place of the semi-tubular pieces k, complete tubes may be
used encircling the fixed tubes a. In this case the ring b and perdifume c are
connected to the sliding parts or tubes, and rise and fall with the globe or
glass h.
Figure 4 represents a lamp of the kind before described, provided with arms
carrying the globes or glasses. The said arms are marked t, and are connected
to the lower ends, or are continuations of the sliding complete tubes u; v, v,
are the fixed tubes, upon which the sliding tubes u work; w are the balance
weights, and a the chains. In raising and lowering the moveable part of the
lamp the arms t, tubes u, and the vase y all move together. The tubes v are
connected with the tubes u by gas-tight slides.
By constructing gas lamps in the manner described and represented the
motion of the globes or glasses, or the body carrying the globes or glasses, is
made very steady, the chains are in part dispensed with, and the lamp made
more ornamental.
Figure 5 represents in elevation a gas lamp in which the arms carrying the
globes or glasses are supported by a single tube encasing the gas slide of the
lamp; and Figure 6 represents a section of a portion of the same on a larger
scale. is the moveable tube, of a hexagonal figure, supporting the arms m
carrying the shades or glasses n. The said tube / slides upon the fixed inner
tube o of the same Figure as the tube 1, the tube o being secured to the
ceiling of the room. The top of the moveable tube 7 is connected at p to the
chains of the counterbalance weights r, the said chains q passing over the
pulleys 8, carried by the fixed tube o. A fixed gas tube in the inner tube o conveys
the gas to the arms m by means of a tube carried by the sliding part / working
gas-tight in or upon the said gas tube. When the moveable tube 7 of the
lamp is raised to its fullest extent, as represented, no chain is visible on the
inner sides of the pulleys s, the ends of the chains being concealed by the
hollow ornaments of the fixed tube o. In drawing down the tube 7 the tube
conveying the gas is not exposed, the fixed hexagonal tube o appearing like a
continuation of the tube l. Instead of the hexagonal tubes described and
represented tubes of other ornamental figure in cross section may be employed,
and in some cases semi-tubes or other portious of tubes may be employed.
By constructing gas lamps in the manner described and represented in
Figures 5 and 6 the gas slide is wholly concealed, the chains by which the
sliding tube is suspended are not visible on the inner sides of the pulleys
when the moveable part of the lamp is raised, and when the moveable part of
lamp is drawn down the said chains are situated alınost in contact with the

page_text: fixed tube, and are thereby more or less concealed, and the appearance of
the lamp improved; the sliding or moveable part of the lamp also works
much more steadily upon the fixed part than in gas lamps of the ordinary
construction.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described, and represented in the
Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, the improvements in gas lamps herein-before described, and illus-
trated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
the arrangements of parts described and represented for steadying the sliding
parts of gas lamps, and in part dispensing with the chains ordinarily employed
with the said lamps.
Secondly, the improvements in gas lamps herein-before described, and
illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
enclosing the gas slide of lamps in casings of ornamental tubes, substantially
in the manner described and represented, the said casings concealing the
chains on the inner sides of the pulleys when the moveable part of the lamp
is raised, as well as making the moveable part slide very steadily upon the
fixed part.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Charles Rogers, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM CHARLES ROGERS. (L.S.)