Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 19th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1887,
I, HENRY HAWKINS, of the Gas Works, Heywood, in the County of Lancaster,
Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the construction of retort lids, cross bars, screws
and appliances in such a manner as to ensure a gas tight joint being made between
the lid and the mouthpiece with greater facility than is usually done.
The invention consists in making the lid somewhat more convex than usual and in
strengthening it on the concave side by a ring with or without suitable ribs.-The
lid has on its outside a hollow boss to which is bolted a covering plate having a hole
in its centre. The edge of the lid is made angular and fits into a recess formed in the
edge of the mouthpiece. The cross bar having a boss in its centre is made somewhat
thinner but considerably broader than is customary and is forked at one end so as to
make the hinge longer or deeper than is general, the other end of the bar being
bevelled so as to be retained in its place when the lid is closed by a weighted latch
which is hinged to the mouthpiece. Through the cross bar a square threaded screw
works, from one end of which the thread is removed so as to pass through the hole in
the covering plate and enter the hollow boss of the lid. At this extremity of the
screw there is a collar fastened to it by a pin, so that while the screw and collar are
free to revolve in the recess of the hollow boss they cannot be drawn out by turning
the screw through the cross bar. The front end of the screw has the thread also
removed, and is made square so as to pass through a square hole in a weighted lever
to which it is fastened by a split pin passing through a suitable hole.
It will be understood from the foregoing that the lid is therefore pivotted to the
cross bar by a screw, and is free to revolve upon it without turning the screw. When
the lid is open and it is desired that it shall be closed and made tight, the cross bar is
swung home and engaged by the weighted latch. This causes the edge of the lid
to enter the recess in the mouthpiece, when by about half a turn of the weighted
lever and screw the lid is forced close to the mouthpiece thus making
a sound gas
tight joint.

page_text: Improvements in Gas Retort Lids, Cross-bars, and Appliances for
Tightening the said Lids.
1, HENRY HAWKINS of the Gas Works, Heywood, in the County of Lancaster, Gas
Engineer, 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 drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention has for its object the construction of retort lids, cross-bars, screws,
and appliances in such a manner as to ensure a gas tight joint being made between
the lid and the mouthpiece with greater facility than is usually done.
In order that the invention may be easily understood drawings are attached hereto
of which the following is a description. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the mouthpiece,
lid, cross bar and latch, Fig. 2 a plan of the same, the mouthpiece and lid being in
horizontal section, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the latch. In each of the Figs.
similar letters represents the same parts.
The invention consists in making the lid A somewhat more convex than usual and
in strengthening it by a ring B with or without suitable ribs C, C, on the concave
side. The lid has on its outside a hollow boss D to which is bolted a covering plate E
having a hole in its centre. The edge F of the lid is turned true and is made angular,
and enters a recess G accurately turned or formed in the edge of the mouthpiece.
The recess is either right angled in section, or has the outer edges chamfered off as
shown in Fig. 2. The cross-bar H having a boss I in its centre is made somewhat
thinner but considerably broader than is customary and is divided as at J J.so as to
make the hinge very much longer or deeper than in general, the other end of the bar
being bevilled so as to be retained in its place when the lid is closed, by a weighted
latch K which is hinged to the mouthpiece at L. Through the cross har a square
threaded screw M works, from one end of which the thread is removed so as to pass
through the hole in the covering plate E and enter the hollow boss of the lid.
this extremity of the screw there is a collar fastened to it by a pin N so that while the
screw and collar are free to revolve in the recess of the hollow boss they cannot be
drawn out by turning the screw through the cross-bar. The front end of the screw
has the thread also removed, and is made square as seen at O so as to pass through a
square hole near one end of a weighted lever P to which it is fastened by a split pin
passing through a suitable hole. The lid. may have a couple of lugs QQ attached to
it which catch against the cross-bar so as to prevent the lid from turning completely
round when the lid is being tightened up.
At
It will be understood from the foregoing that the lid is pivotted to the cross-bar by
the screw and is free to partially revolve upon it without turning the screw. When
the lid is open and it is desired that it shall be closed and made tight, the cross-
bar His swung home and engaged by the weighted latch K. This causes the edge

page_text: of the lid to enter the recess G in the mouthpiece, when by about half a turn of the
weighted lever P and screw M the lid is forced close to the mouthpiece and by the
peculiar form of the parts coming in contact a sound gas tight joint is made.
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 what I claim is,
1. The construction of retort lids with a ring B and ribs C, C, as herein described
and shown on the drawings.
2. The combination of a lid having an angular edge with a mouthpiece that has a
recess as herein described or as shown on the drawings.
3. Cross-bars made with such forked ends as are herein described and shown on
the drawings.