IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE ADMISSION OF AIR TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Gall, of Halifax, in the County of York,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
REGULATING THE ADMISSION OF AIR TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES."
Sealed the 24th January 1871, and dated the 26th July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Gall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th July 1870.
I, Charles GALL, of Halifax, in the County of York, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
AND APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE ADMISSION OF AIR TO STEAM BOILER AND
OTHER FURNACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a prior Invention, for which Letters Patent
were granted to me, dated the Fifteenth day of February One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six, No. 487, in the Specification of which is
described (and shewn by Drawings) a valve or door hinged under the
fire-bridge (at the back end of the ashes place), which is connected by
rods and levers with the furnace door, so that when it is opened the said

page_text: valve will be also opened, and which valve is so arranged as not to be
closed with the closing of the furnace door, but is gradually closed by
other apparatus placed on the front of the boiler, put into action by the
opening of the furnace door, such apparatus being constructed on the
principle of the hour glass, which is supplied with either water or other
fluid, or sand, shot, or granular substance as a passing medium, thereby
to become a motive power.
Now my present improvements consist, firstly, in constructing a valve,
door, or plate hollow with a partition therein of a V form, or an angular
or zig-zag line to divide the interior into two compartments, and this
partition has a small perforation at the angle or other suitable part, also
a larger one at each end. It is provided with axis, on which it may
hang in equilibrium, or it may be hinged on centre points horizontally,
or otherwise fitted either in a suitable frame. fixed under the bridge, or
fitted in the furnace door, door frame, or other convenient part. The
interior of this valve is supplied with a suitable quantity of quicksilver
or other liquid fluid, or shot, sand, or other granular material capable of
passing through the small perforations in the partition gradually when
the valve is placed in suitable position for that purpose, one of the
apertures in the position being adjustable in size by means of a screw;
pin, plug, or other adjustable means, so that the time for discharge of
the fluid or granular substance from one side of the partition to the
other may be regulated, and thus regulate the time for the closing of
the valve. This valve is connected by rods, levers, and cranks, or chain
and pullies to the furnace door, in such manner that on its being either
opened or closed the valve may be operated upon, and thereby placed in
such position that air will pass through to assist combustion; also that
the fluid or granular material will pass through the small perforation,
and thereby destroy the equilibrium of the valve, causing it to turn self-
actingly upon its own axis, and thus gradually to close the opening in
which it is hinged.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successsor, give
and grant unto me, the said Charles Gall, Her special licence that
I, the said Charles Gall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Charles Gall, 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 "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR RÉGU-
LATING THE ADMISSION OF AIR TO STEAM BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES," upon the
"condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Gall, 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 Charles Gall, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Sheets of Drawings (that is
to say):-
This Invention relates to a prior Invention, for which Letters Patent
were granted to me, dated the 15th day of February 1866, No. 487, in
the Specification of which is described (and shewn by Drawings) a valve
or door hinged under the fire-bridge (at the back end of the ashes place),
which is connected by rods and levers with the furnace door, so that
when it is opened the said valve will be also opened, and which valve is
so arranged as not to be closed with the closing of the furnace door, but
is gradually closed by other apparatus placed on the front of the boiler,
put into action by the opening of the furnace door, such apparatus
being constructed on the principle of the hour glass, which is supplied
with either water or other fluid, or sand, shot, or granular substance as
a passing medium, thereby to become a motive power.

page_text: Now my present improvements consist, firstly, in constructing a valve,
door, or plate hollow, with a partition therein of a V form, or an angular
or zig-zag line to divide the interior into two compartments, and this
partition has a small perforation at the angle or other suitable part, also
a larger one at each end. It is provided with axes, on which it may
hang in equilibrium, or it may be hinged on centre points horizontally,
or otherwise fitted either in a suitable frame fixed under the bridge, or
fitted in the furnace door, or the door frame or other convenient part.
The interior of this valve is supplied with a suitable quantity of quick-
silver or other liquid, fluid, or shot, sand, or other granular material
capable of passing through the small perforations in the partition
gradually when the valve is placed in suitable position for that purpose,
one of the apertures in the partition being adjustable in size by means
of a screw, pin, plug, or other adjustable means, so that the time for
discharge of the fluid or granular substance from one side of the
partition to the other may be regulated, and thus regulate the time for
the closing of the valve. This valve is connected by rods, levers, and
cranks, or chain and pullies to the furnace door, in such manner that on
its being either opened or closed the valve may be operated upon, &
thereby placed in such position that air will pass through to assist
combustion; also that the fluid or granular material will pass through
the small perforation, and thereby destroy the equilibrium of the valve,
causing it to turn self-actingly upon its own axis, and thus gradually
close the opening in which it is hinged.
in order that this Invention may be clearly understood, reference is
given to two accompanying Sheets of Drawings of portions of a Cornish
boiler shewing my said Invention applied thereto.
Fig. 1 is the front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a portion of the longitudinal
section thereof, taken through the dotted line in Fig. 1.
A is the valve door or hollow plate hinged on axes or pivots within a
box B fixed in the bottom part of the bridge C at the end of the ash-pit
or ashes place D. This valve is operated by a rod E connected by an
adjustable coupling and lock nut E¹ to a lever F fixed on the hinge
pin G of the fire-box door H (which is a fixture thereto), a pin E² being
fixed in the said rod E, which takes in betwixt two fingers a and b fixed

page_text: on one of the axes I of the valve.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the valve A
and b and a portion of the rod E
and its frame B with the fingers a
drawn on a larger scale; Fig. 4 is an end view, and Fig. 5 is a cross
section of the same; Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of the valve or hollow
plate; Fig. 7 is the longitudinal section, and Fig. 8. is the cross section
of the same taken through the dotted lines in Fig. 6. This valve is
divided into two compartments by a partition or rib J, which is not
straight or in a right line, but forms and angle about its middle, at which
part a hole is bored through, and in the outer edge of the said hollow
plate opposite the hole is a screw, pin, or plug K, which is pointed, and
can be screwed into or nearer to the hole, so as to partly stop it
up or
reduce the area of the passage. Across the bottom part of the plate is
a channel L, and at each end of the rib is an opening M of much larger
area than the hole in the middle, and which hole is close to the bottom
of the rib, while these larger openings are close to the top of the said
rib. It will be observed that this valve or hollow plate is capable of
containing a suitable or certain quantity of quicksilver or other liquid
or fluid, or shot, sand, or other granular matters or material, and when
the said valve is placed level or at an incline, or one edge higher than
the other, such quicksilver or other matters will by gravitation pass
through the opening or openings to the lowest edge. Now if it be
supposed that the edge marked N be the lowest, as when in position, as
shewn at Fig. 9,' to close the opening in the box B to prevent the ingress
of air to the furnace, then when the fire or furnace door is opened the
rod E will act upon the finger a affixed on the valve and turn it into
reverse position with the edge N uppermost, as shewn at Fig. 10, when
the quicksilver or other matter therein contained will pass through the
openings M to the other side of the rib on the closing of the fire-door,
the pin in the rod acting on the finger b turns the valve back partly,
and it being then left at liberty, and it having been balanced so as to
have a tendency to take the horizontal position, as shewn at Fig. 11,
when the quicksilver or other matter will begin to pass through the
small opening, and the speed of its passage is regulated by the taper
plug K, which, as the weight thereof increases gradually turns the valve
into the first-named position, closing the opening in the box-B, and
thereby preventing a further ingress of atmospheric air to the furnace.
Sheet 2 of these Drawings is intended to illustrate a method of
applying this valve to the fire-door.

page_text: Fig. 12 is a part of the front clevation of a boiler with door frame and
door of the fire-box. The valve A is fitted and hinged in an opening of
the fire-door B upon pivots C. A bell-crank lever D is hinged to the
fire-door, and connected by a rod E to the valve. A bar F is also
hinged at one end on a stud G fixed to the frame, and the other end is
capable of sliding in a loop H fixed to the door, and on this bar is fixed
a stud I, which takes into a slot hole of the lever D. It will now be
readily seen that as the hinges of the door and the bar are in different
positions, or not in the same axial line on opening the said door, the bar
will slide in the loop, and the stud I will be moved in the slot of the
lever D, and thereby operate it, so as to open the valve or place it in
horizontal position, when the quicksilver or other matters therein will
operate as before explained to gradually close it.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and shewn
by Drawings how or in what manner the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical operation, I would have it understood
that I do not confine or restrict myself to any of the details shewn and
described, as these may be varied or modified without departing from the
main feature of the Invention; what I claim as my Invention is, the
construction, application, and use of a valve, door, or hollow plate, and
in supplying same with quicksilver or other suitable matters, to operate
in manner and for purposes substantially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Gall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight-hundred and seventy-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Charles Gall in the
presence of
WILLIAM WHITEHEAD,
Clerk to William Tasker,
Patent Agent,
CHARLES GALL. (L.S.)
Halifax & Bradford.