IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING VOLATILE OILS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert Ernest Newton Mason, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Joseph Price, of Birmingham aforesaid,
Accountant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING
VOLATILE OILS."
ealed the 14th October 1879, and dated the 24th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert Ernest Newton
Mason and Joseph Price at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 24th April 1879.
HERBERT ERNEST NEWTON MASON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and JOSEPH PRICE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Accountant. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING VOLATILE OILS."
Our Invention has reference principally to such lamps for burning volatile oils
as have two or more separate burners on the same level either arranged around a
common centre or otherwise arranged, and either suspended after the manner of å
chandelier or supported on a pedestal or other support.
As the said lamps are ordinarily constructed each burner has a separate oil
reservoir, and each burner and its reservoir are wholly independent of the others,
that is to say, the said lamps consists of a series of individual lamps connected
together only by being supported by a common support. This method of con-
struction involves the necessity of filling and replenishing from time to time as
many small reservoirs as there are burners. In consequence of the shadow thrown
by the reservoirs immediately under the flame it is desirable to keep the said
reservoirs small, and they hence require frequent refilling.
By our Invention the inconvenience and the defects of the said lamps as
ordinarily constructed are obviated.
In constructing the said lamps according to our Invention we employ a large
common reservoir to contain the volatile oil to be burned, and where the burners
are to be arranged around a central axis, as in a suspended chandelier, we connect
the several burners with the reservoir in the following manner-We attach a series
of radial hollow arms at their inner ends to the lower part of the reservoir. To
the outer end of each of these radial.arms we affix a small chamber, on the top of
which the burner and its appliances are fixed. The said chamber constitutes a

page_text: small wick vessel, from which the wick draws up the volatile oil, and need be no
larger than is necessary for the proper working of the wick and parts connected
therewith. The said small chambers or wick vessels are on the same level as the
reservoir, and the volatile oil has the same level in all the wick vessels and the
reservoir. The hollow arms connecting the wick vessels with the reservoir may
have any desired ornamental figure. A stopcock or valve may be interposed
between each arm and the reservoir so as to permit the oil to be cut off from any
of the burners should it be required to do so.
For ordinary uses the said stop-cocks or valves are not necessary. The reservoir
is provided with one or more pipes to permit of the escape of vapour, and may also
be provided with an overflow pipe opening into a vessel below it to prevent the
level of the oil in the reservoir being raised above the proper height.
Our Invention may be applied to lamps in which the burners are arranged in a
row or rows or in any other manner provided that they are all on the same
level.
Our Invention may also be applied to lamps having a single burner, such for
example as reading lamps and lamps to be supported against a wall. The reservoir
is filled by an opening at its top and a float or other indicator may be employed to
show the height of the oil in the reservoir. In lamps constructed according to our
Invention only one reservoir has to be filled and refilled whatever number of
burners the lamp may have, and the size of the shadow under each burner is
reduced to a minimum.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert Ernest Newton Mason and Joseph Price in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 21st October 1879.
HERBERT ERNEST NEWTON MASON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and JOSEPH PRICE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Accountant.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING VOLATILE OILS."
Our Invention has reference principally to such lamps for burning volatile oils
as have two or more separate burners on the same level either arranged around a
common centre or otherwise arranged, and either suspended after the manner of a
chandelier or supported on a pedestal or other support.
As the said lamps are ordinarily constructed each burner has a separate oil
reservoir, and each burner and its reservoir are wholly independent of the others,
that is to say, the said lamps consist of a series of individual lamps connected
together only by being supported by a common support.
This method of construction involves the necessity of separately filling and
replenishing from time to time as many small reservoirs as there are burners.
In consequence of the shadow thrown by the reservoirs immediately under the
flame it is desirable to keep the said reservoirs small, and they hence require
frequent refilling.

page_text: By our Invention the inconvenience and the defects of the said lamps as ordinarily
constructed are obviated.
In constructing the said lamps according to our Invention we employ a large
common reservoir to contain the volatile oil to be burned, and where the burners
are to be arranged around a central axis as in a suspended chandelier we connect
the several burners with the reservoir in the following manner:-We attach a
series of radial hollow arms at their inner ends to the lower part of the reservoir.
To the outer end of each of these radial arms we affix a small chamber, on the top
of which the burner and its appliances are fixed. The said chamber constitutes a
small wick vessel, from which the wick draws up the volatile oil, and need be no
larger than is necessary for the proper working of the wick and parts connected
therewith. The said small chambers or wick vessels are on the same level as the
reservoir, and the volatile oil has the same level in all the wick vessels and the
reservoir. The hollow arms connecting the wick vessels with the reservoir may
have any desired ornametal figure. A stopcock or valve may be interposed
between each arm and the reservoir so as to permit the oil to be cut off from any
of the burners should it be required to do so.
For ordinary uses the said stopcocks or valves are not necessary. The reservoir
is filled by an opening at its top, and a float or other indicator may be employed
to shew the hoight of the oil in the reservoir. The reservoir is provided with one
or more pipes to permit of the escape of vapour, and may also be provided with an
overflow pipe opening into a vessel below it to prevent the level of the oil in the
reservoir being raised above the proper height.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing
the manner in which our Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents partly in elevation and partly in vertical section a portion of
an oil chandelier or suspended lamp constructed according to our Invention, and
Figure 2 represents a portion of the same in horizontal section. We have only
represented in Figure one of the arms and wick dipping vessels of the chandelier,
as all the arms and wick dipping vessels and parts connected therewith are of the
same construction.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
a is the large common reservoir to contain the volatile oil to be supplied to the
several wick vessels of the chandelier. The said reservoir is situated around the
rod or tube b suspended from the ceiling of the room or apartment. The said
reservoir a is fixed within the ornamental casing c, c, of the body of the chandelier
by means of the screw nuts d, d, screwed on the suspending rod b. The lower part
of the ornamental casing c, c, is supported by the screwed terminal cap or ornament e
as represented. At the base of the storing reservoir a is an annular supply
channel f, into which channel the radial supply pipes g, g, open, the said pipes g, g,
being situated in the hollow arms h of the chandelier, and passing to the several
wick dipping vessls. One of the wick dipping vessels is marked i. A horizontal
section of a portion of the annular supply channel and radial supply pipes i, i, is
represented in Figure 2. At one side of the supply channel f is a valve case k, in
which the valve works. The stalk or stem m of the valve works in a screw boxp,
in the top of the valve case, and the said stalk, which is surrounded by a tubular
case, extends upwards to the outside of the ornamental casing c, c, of the chandelier,
and is furnished with a milled head n for turning it. The valve case k opens on
opposite sides at q, q, (see Figure 2) into the supply channel f, and at botton by the
passage to the storing reservoir a. By raising the said valve from the seat over
the passager, by turning the milled head n, oil from the storing reservoir a flows
through the valve case and openings q, q, into the supply channel f, and from
thence passes by the several radial pipes g, g, in the hollow arms h of the chandelier
to the small chambers or wick dipping vessels i, i, on the top of each of which a
burner 8 and its appliances are fixed. The wick or wicks of the lamp dip into the
oil vessel or dipping cup in the ordinary way. The said chambers or
dipping vessels i, i, are on the same level as the storing reservoir a, and

page_text: When
the volatile oil has the same level in all the wick vessels and the reservoirs. After
the several wick dipping vessels have been filled with oil from the storing
reservoir a through the valve case k, annular channel f, and radial pipes g, g, the
valve is closed, and the supply of oil from the storing reservoir a cut off.
the oil in the wick dipping vessel has been burned it is only necessary to again
raise the valve by turning the milled head n, when oil from the storing
reservoir again flows to the several dipping vessels i, the oil in them reaching the
same level as the bulk of oil in the storing reservoir a. Thus, after each
replenshing of the dipping vessels i they are cut off from communication with
the storing reservoir. A stopcock or valve may be placed in each radial supply
pipe in the arm h, so as to permit the oil from the storing reservoir to be cut
off from any of the burners. For ordinary uses however the single supply valve
represented in the storing reservoir a is sufficient.
The storing reservoir a is filled with volatile oil by removing the screw plug or
stopper t, and the escape of vapour from the said reservoir is permitted by the
vertical pipes u, u.
In order to prevent the reservoir a being filled above the proper level an over-
flow pipe in communication with a vessel below the reservoir may be used to
carry away any surplus oil.
Our Invention may be applied to lamps in which the burners are arranged in
a row or rows, or in any other manner provided that they are all on the same
level.
Our Invention may also be applied to lamps having a single burner, such, for
example, as reading lamps and lamps to be supported against a wall.
In lamps constructed according to our Iovention only one reservoir has to be
filled and refilled whatever number of burners the lamp may have, and the size of
the shadow under each burner is reduced to a minimum.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention, the improvements in lamps for burning volatile oils herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, the con-
struction and arrangement or combination of parts, substantially as described and
illustrated, for supplying with oil from a storing reservoir forming part of the lamp
one or more of the wick dipping vessels of the lamp, the several wick dipping
vessels of the lamp when two or more burners are employed being arranged around
a central rod or tube, or arranged in a row or rows, or otherwise arranged on
the same level as the reservoir, whereby the replenishing of the wick dipping
vessel or vessels is effected with great safety, ense, and cleanliness.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Price, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.