IMPROVE- MENTS IN GIVING ALARM IN CASE OF FIRE, AND IN EXTINGUISHING FIRE
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
TAYLOR, of Romsey, in the County of Hants, Surgeon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixth day of August, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Francis Taylor, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Francis Taylor, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Taylor,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GIVING ALARM IN CASE OF FIRE, AND IN EXTINGUISHING FIRE," partly
communicated from abroad and partly invented by myself; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Francis Taylor, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear,

page_text: Francis Taylor, do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
The Invention consists,―
First, in so applying a vessel with fluid therein that by its bursting, by
increase of temperature, it shall be the means of operating on a detonating or
other alarum.
Secondly, the Invention consists in so arranging apparatus that a
weighted or ponderous part thereof shall be retained up by adhesive fusible
cement, which, when released by increase of heat, shall in its descent operate
on a detonating or other alarum. And,
Thirdly, the Invention consists of so applying a valve to a chimney or flue
that the valve shall be kept open by a vessel such as above mentioned, or by
a fusible cement, and in such manner that on the bursting of the vessel or
melting of the cement the valve shall be released and allowed to close, whereby
the draft up the chimney would be stopped, which would tend to extinguish
any fire in a room.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me..
Figure 1 represents one form of the thermoscopic instrument or coupling.
a, b, is a vessel of glass, having a bulb at c. a, d, is a piece of tube united
to it by the blowpipe. Into the cylinder a, b, I introduce mercury
or other suitable fluid, but I prefer mercury, in such quantity that the
said vessel is completely full at about 90° Fahrenheit, but any other tem-
perature may be assumed at pleasure. The tube at d is then hermetically
sealed. By this arrangement whenever the surrounding temperature exceeds
90° by a few degrees, the cylinder is fractured and separates at the bulb by
the expansion of the mercury, as seen in Figure 2. Figure 3 represents the
said vessel, having tapped capsules (into which screws are inserted) cemented
on the ends with shellac, or other suitable material. Figure 4 represents.
another arrangement for the same purpose, in which a fusible cement,
hereafter to be described, is used instead of the mercurial cylinder. a, b, is a
piece of wood, bone, or metal (but I prefer wood or bone), and c, d, is a hollow
metallic cone or cup, of similar shape and dimensions. The cone a, b, having
been covered with a coating of fusible cement, and the hollow cone c, d, having
been gently warmed, the two are to be united together as shewn in Figure 5;

page_text: each cone has an eye or screw at its outer extremity for fixing it in any
required situation. Figure 6 represents another form of the same coupling,
in which two flat plates of wood, bone, metal, or other suitable material are
used instead of the cones, the same being united together by fusible cement
as aforesaid. The exterior surface of the said plates, as well as the exterior
surface of the cones aforesaid, should be blackened with paint or other
material to increase the absorption of heat. The cement which I find to
answer best (though a variety of substances which fuse at a low temperature
may be used) is formed of a mixture of cetine, or pure spermacetti, with
sericine, a substance obtained by treating the oil of mace (called sometimes
butter of nutmegs) with cold alcohol, from which it is slowly precipitated.
The proportion of cetine and sericine may be varied at pleasure, but that
which I prefer for ordinary use consists of two parts of cetine combined with
one of sericine.
I will next proceed to describe the mode of combining these instruments
with detonating alarums. Figure 7 is a front view of the case containing
the detonating alarum as fitted with the vessel with mercury, Figure 8
is a sectional view of the same vessel, with mercury or other suitable fluid,
being fixed in its place by screws e, f, so as to connect together the case
and its top. Figure 9 is a back view of the same. Figure 9* shows the
parts Figs. 7, 8, & 9, after being operated upon by heat, so as to break
the bulb of the vessel of fluid. Figure 10 is a front view of the case when
the fusible cement is used, shewing the thin metallic plate a, b, which is united
to the case by the cement. Figure 11 is a secțional view of the same. Fig.
12 is a front view of the parts separated after being operated upon by heat
as described. d, e, a bracket or arm descending from the top or cover, into
which a screw fis tapped, and which screw passes through a corresponding
hole in the plate a, b, and thus connects the top and the box together. In
both forms of the instrument the top has an eye g (see Figure 9) by which
it may be hung on a nail in any required situation. In both. forms of
the instrument the detonating alarum contained in the box, and seen
in Figures 8 and 11, is attached to about two feet of strong tape, one
end of which is made fast to an eye under the cover of the box at h
(Figures 8 and 11), and the other end to a hole in the back of a box at i.
The mode in which the alarum is discharged is by the fall of the box, which
acts as a falling weight or ponderous part of the apparatus, and that takes
place whenever the vessel is broken or the cement melted by any unusual heat
in the locality where the apparatus is placed.
From the above description it will be seen that the object of the first and

page_text: second parts of the Invention is to give notice or alarm on any fire being
present in any room, so as to raise the temperature above the bursting
temperature of the vessel, or above the melting heat of the cement.
I will now proceed to describe the third part of the Invention. Figure 13
shews a front view of a chimney breast and stove, and Figure 14 a transverse
section of the same. In the flue is fixed a cast-iron frame a, to which is
closely fitted in its rabbit, and attached by hinges or other suitable means,
an iron valve or flap 6, which is held erect in the rabbit of the upper portion
of the frame by the chain c passing over two rollers d, d (or it may be carried
in any other convenient direction), which flap or valve is secured in a cast-
iron frame e, built in the wall of the chimney breast. The chain c is connected
to an apparatus containing a vessel of fluid, or having parts connected by
fusible cement, as above described, by which arrangement, should any part
of the furniture in the room or other matters therein be ignited the increased
heat thereby produced would burst the vessel, or melt the connecting cement,
and the valve would close and thus stop the draft, which would tend to
extinguish the fire.
Having thus described the nature of the apparatus, arranged according
to what I consider the best forms for the purpose of giving alarm, and also
for closing a valve in a chimney or flue, I do not confine myself to the
details shewn and described, as variations may be made, and it will be evident
that other than detonating alarums may be connected with the thermoscopic
parts of the apparatus herein described, but I prefer detonating alarums,
the mode of making which is well known. And I would wish it to be
understood that what I claim is,―
First, the so applying a vessel with fluid therein that by its bursting it
shall put in operation a detonating or other alarum.
Secondly, I claim the so arranging apparatus that a weight or ponderous
part of the apparatus shall be retained up by the adhesion of fusible cement,
which, when released will, by its descent, operate on a detonating or other
alarum. And,
Thirdly, I claim the application of a vessel or of fusible cement connected
in such manner that by the bursting of the vessel or the melting of the fusible
cement, a valve in a chimney or flue may be closed, and thus shut off draft
up a chimney.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Taylor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Francis Taylor, Esquire, came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
3 above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.