IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF GAS IN LAMPS, AND OTHER Mediums of Lighting, Portable aND OTHERWISE
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Weston, of No. 5, Lansdowne
Crescent, Lansdowne Road, in the County of Surrey, Gas Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF GAS IN LAMPS, AND OTHER
Mediums of Lighting, Portable aND OTHERWISE.”
Scaled the 21st August 1874, and dated the 5th March 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jolin Henry Weston
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th March 1874.
I, JOHN HENRY WESTON, of No. 5, Lansdowne Crescent, Lansdowne
Road, in the County of Surrey, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the.
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF GAS IN LAMPS, AND OTHER MEDIUMS
OF LIGHTING, PORTABLE AND OTHERWISE," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to increase the lighting power of coal
and other illuminating gas by subjecting it to a purification and volatili-
zation before it reaches the burner where it is consumed in lamps and
other portable and fixed apparatus for lighting.

page_text: 3255
The Invention consists in leading the gas proceeding from the reservoir
into the lower part of the lamp, which forms a chamber, in which a
quantity of hydrocarbon oil or other liquid hydrocarbon is contained.
The chamber is divided into two partitions, one of which I call the
generating chamber, is further subdivided into a number of vertical
divisions by means of perforated plates of metal, porcelain, or other
suitable material. These vertical divisions are filled with cotton, wool,
or other absorbent material, which are saturated by the liquid hydro-
carbon or other volatile material. The gas conveyed into the chamber
proper is caused to pass through the generating chamber by means of
an inlet pipe, a convenient arrangement of valve or valves and levers
being employed to supply the hydrocarbon fluid from the reservoir to
the lower chamber. The gas, after having so passed through the gene-
rating chamber, and being thus caused to deposit some of its impurities,
and to take up some of the volatile properties of the hydrocarbon, is led
to the burner, where on being lighted it consumes with a much whiter
and more brilliant flame than hitherto.
1
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Weston in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 4th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY WESTON, of 5, Lansdowne Crescent, Lansdowne Road, in the
County of Surrey, Gas Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Weston, Her
special licence that I, the said John Henry Weston, my executors,
administrators, and assigns,. or such others as I, the said John
Henry Weston, 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 In-

page_text: vention for "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE ILLUMI-
NATING POWER OF GAS IN LAMPS, AND OTHER MEDIUMS OF LIGHTING, PORTABLE AND
OTHERWISE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Henry Weston, 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 John Henry Weston, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the samo
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to increase the lighting power of coal
and other illuminating gas by subjecting it to a purification and volati-
lization before it reaches the burner where it is consumed in lamps and
other portable and fixed apparatus for lighting.
The Invention consists in leading gas proceeding from a reservoir into
the lower part of a lamp, which forms a chamber, in which a quantity
of hydrocarbon oil or other liquid hydrocarbon is contained. The chamber
is divided by a horizontal partition into two compartments or chambers,:
one, which I call the generating chamber, has a number of perforated
vertical partitions arranged radially from the outer shell, and also in
some cases from a central column. These partitions are of metal, porce-
lain, or other suitable material, and are filled with cotton, wool, or other
absorbent material, which become saturated by the liquid hydrocarbon
or other volatile material placed in the chamber. The gas is conveyed
into the chamber proper, and is caused to pass through the generating
chamber by its own pressure, or an artificial one from an inlet pipe, a
convenient arrangement of valve or valves and levers being employed to
supply the hydrocarbon fluid from the reservoir to the lower chamber."
The gas, after having so passed through the generating chamber, and
being thus caused to deposit some of its impurities, and to take up some
of the volatile properties of the hydrocarbon, is led to the burner, where
on being lighted it consumes with a much whiter and more brilliant.
flame than hitherto.
The Invention is applicable to lamps or similar apparatus of all kinds,
portable or fixed, in or from which coal gas is consumed, such as are)

page_text: way
buildings, and dwelling houses.
My Invention will be well understood on reference to the accompanying
Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a sectional clevation of a table lamp;
Figure 2, a horizontal section on the line X, X.
The apparatus is by the partition (a) divided into two parts or
chambers A and B. The upper division 'or chamber A serves as a
reservoir for the hydrocarbon or other liquid to be used in purifying,
carburetting, and increasing the illuminating power of the gas. The
lower division or chamber B is arranged with vertical radiating dia-
phragms C, C, C, which contain the sponges or other fibrous material D
for holding in absorption the volatile spirit or liquid, the vapours of
which passing through the perforations E in the diaphragms saturate
the gas in its passage through the chamber spaces, as indicated by the
arrows. The bottom of the chamber B is adapted to receive hydro-
carbon liquid, which is taken up by absorption into the sponges or other
fibrous material D contained in the hollow radial diaphragms C, C, C, C.
E' is a pipe for the supply of gas to be acted upon, and F is a pipe by
which the gas passes away from the apparatus to the burner or burners
after it has been carburetted and acted upon to increase its illuminating
power by the volatile liquid in the chamber B.
The gas passing into the chamber B through the pipe E¹ first traverses
in the direction of the arrows over the lower level of the chamber, and
in its passage through the spaces between the diaphragms gradually rises,
until it reaches the lower end of the pipe F. In thus passing the series
of diaphragms in chamber B containing hydrocarbon liquid, and through
the volatile vapour thrown off by the sponges or other fibrous material D
saturated with such liquid, it becomes acted upon so as to have its
illuminating power greatly increased.
The hydrocarbon or other liquid contained in the reservoir or chamber
A is supplied to the chamber B, and thence to the diaphragms C, C, C,
by means of the valve G in the following manner :-When the chamber A
is filled through the opening at H in the top of the apparatus the valve G
is open owing to the absence of liquid in the lower or carburetting
chamber B, and remains open until the level of the liquid in the bottom
of the apparatus raises and lifts the float I, by which means. the valve.

page_text: actuated by the lever J.attached to the float I is closed, and the supply
cut off.
The gas in its passage through the process of purification and car-
buretting takes up the volatile liquid held in absorption, and consequently
reduces the level of the liquid in chamber B. The float I then becomes
depressed, and the feed valve G opened to admit the liquid contained in
reservoir A.
Q is a strainer of finely perforated zinc or other suitable material for
the purpose of protecting the valve from grit and foreign substances
whereby its action might be impeded..
Figure 3 shows a modification, in which the float I and valve G are on
one stem, the valve unclosing its aperture and falling with the float
simultaneously with the lowering of the level of the hydrocarbon or
other volatile liquid with which the chamber may be charged. The
valve and float may be surrounded by a cylinder T dipping below the
level of the liquid, as shown, and the carburetting diaphragms can then
radiate from it, as in Figure 2, as well as from the side walls of the lamp
casing, and so arranged to cause the gas to be acted upon to pass through
the carburetting chamber in a zig-zag or circuitous course.
Figure 4 shows a valve G composed of a shell pivotted on the end of
the stem S like a jewel, so that any inclination given to the lamp will
not interfere with the valve action when it lowers by the diminution of
the liquid in the chamber B. The bottom of this valve G has claws b, b,
which can be acted upon by the disc c when the float I descends should
there be any tendency of the valve to stick in its seat.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my
Invention,―
Firstly. The improved lamp or lighting apparatus shown and described
for the purposes set forth, especially the vertical radiating vessels or
chambers containing porous or absorbent material against which illumi-
nating gas in its passage impinges and becomes carburetted before it
passes out of the chamber to be consumed.
Secondly. I claim the means or apparatus by which a constant or
intermittent supply of hydrocarbon liquid can be admitted or caused to
pass from a reservoir to a gas carburetting chamber, as set forth and

page_text: shown when employed for increasing the illuminating power of gas 'in
lamps and other mediums of lighting, portable and otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Weston, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
}