Specification of William Crane Wilkins : ventilating apparatus, gas burners, &c. : lamps, gas stoves, and heating apparatus : manufacture of candles.

  • Wilkins, William Crane.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of William Crane Wilkins : ventilating apparatus, gas burners, &c. : lamps, gas stoves, and heating apparatus : manufacture of candles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/32 (page 11)
    Wilkins Impts. in Ventilating, Heating, and Lighting in Lamps, <$•<?. the wicks. cZ is a tube with a spiral groove or thread upon its outer surface; the tube d is secured to the upper end of the wire rod e, which passes down the centre tube c9 and carries a small worm wheel, which gears into and is worked by a worm upon the spindle /; the wick holder is acted upon by the spiral 5 groove tube a, which being turned by the spindle /, the wicks may thus be raised or lowered at pleasure ; a cone g is placed over the top of the burner, and this also if desired supports the glass chimney; the cone has two openings or slots, through which the flame from the burner passes ; by this construction of lamp I obtain a free supply of air from beneath to all parts of the wicks, and 10 also a good supply by means of the cone, and thus secure an effectual combus¬ tion of the material and the developement of high illuminating power. Another of my improvements in body lamps is represented in Sheet C, Fig. 32, which is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 33, a plan of a body lamp. A, the reservoir to contain the oil; up the centre of the reservoir is secured 15 a flat tube c, which at its lower end projects considerably below the bottom of the reservoir, and to its lower end is secured the stem B, by which it may be mounted upon any ordinary pillar or stand; within the flat tube c is contained a flat rod or tube d, capable of sliding up and down within the tube c, the upper end of this flat rod which projects above the top of the reservoir, and 20 carries the two cones o, o9 placed over the wicks, the cones having slots in them through which the flame passes. These cones are removeable at pleasure so as to enable the wicks to be replaced with facility; the lower part of the tube c has a slot in the two sides; upon one of these sides teeth are made forming a fixed rack, and into these teeth the teeth of a pinion g. fixed upon the spindle 25 h gear, the bearings of the spindle being in projections from the flat rod d, and therefore moving with it; thus by turning the spindle h, the flat rod d, and the attached cones o, o, may be raised or lowered so as to increase or diminish the size of the flames. Sheet D, Fig. 34, represents a plan view of a body lamp arranged with four flat wicks, each wick provided with its separate and 30 distinct reservoir for containing the oil; the construction is precisely similar to that shewn in Figures 30 and 31, and previously described, but differing only in the number of wicks. My next improvement relates to the construction of lamps applicable to railway carriages; this lamp is represented in Sheet D, Fig. 35, which is 35 a vertical section of the lamp : a, the reservoir for containing the oil; h9 h, the burners ; c, a rod or stem which passes down through the centre of the reservoir. The lower end carries upon it a leather washer or piston which fits in a fluid- tight manner the lower and cylindrical part of the reservoir, so that when the washer is raised above the openings of the tubes leading to the burners, oil will