Williams v. Rome, W. & O. R.

29 F. Cas. 1394, 15 Blatchf. 200, 3 Ban. & A. 413, 1878 U.S. App. LEXIS 2112

Opinion

BLATCHFORD, Circuit Judge.

This suit is founded on reissued letters patent granted to Irvin A. Williams, December 19th, 1865, for an “improvement in locomotive lamps.” The original letters patent were granted to him April 29th, 1862. The specification of the reissue says:

“The object of my invention is to permit coal oil or kerosene to be used in lamps for locomotive head-lights with success and to obtain full advantage of its great light-producing capacity. In locomotive head-lights, it is important that the greatest amount of light should be concentrated in the smallest practicable space, in order that the light may be as nearly as possible in the focus of the reflector which throws it forward of the locomotive. It is also important, in lamps burning kerosene, that the flame should be protected from irregular currents of air, which tend to produce flickering. The first requirement has been attained to some extent by the use of a tubular wick from which the fluid burns, but the lamps in which such wicks were used did not contain instrumentalities which enable them to burn without smoke all the coal oil which such a wick is capable of supplying. The improvement which constitutes the invention or subject-matter of this patent consists of novel combinations of a circular hollow wick tube, by which I mean a wick tube suitable for holding a tubular wick and admitting air to its interior, with various other instrumentalities, which, when combined as hereinafter described, produce a lamp which is suitable for burning coal oil in a locomotive head-light, and is more efficient for that purpose than any lamp heretofore known, because it furnishes the greatest quantity of light from a wick of a given size, without material flickering. The first of these improvements consists of the combination of a circular hollow wick tube with a perforated air screen to regulate the passage of air to the exterior of the flame, and a cap deflector to form a combustion chamber above the wick, from the orifice of which chamber the flame issues in intimate contact with the exterior and inte•rior currents of air. after it has formed above the wick within its combustion chamber and its carbonaceous constituents have obtained a glowing heat therein. The second improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, perforated air screen for the exterior current of air, and cap deflector, with a lateral reservoir for the oil, by which I mean a reservoir so combined and arranged that the head from which the oil is supplied is at one side of the wick tube and above its lower end, whereby the reservoir can be placed outside of the reflector of the head-light, and the oil can nevertheless be supplied by gravitation at a level sufficiently near the burning part of the wick to keep it freely supplied with oil. The third improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, perforated air screen for the exterior current of air, and cap deflector, with a button arranged above the orifice of the cap deflector, in such manner as to spread the flame after it issues from the orifice of the cap deflector, thereby lessening its height and confining it more nearly to the focus of the head-light. The fourth improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, perforated air screen for the exterior current of air, and cap deflector, with a thimble wick holder for holding and moving the wick in the circular wick tube. The fifth improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube and lateral reservoir with a perforated air screen to regulate the passage of air to the interior of the flame or wick tube. The sixth improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, perforated air screen for the interior current of air, and lateral oil reservoir, with the said cap deflector. The seventh improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, cap deflector, and perforated air screen for the interior current of air, with a button to spread the flame, above the orifice of the cap deflector. The eighth improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, cap deflector, lateral oil reservoir, and perforated air screen for the interior current of air, with a button to spread the flame, above the orifice of the cap deflector. The ninth improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube and cap deflector with perforated air screens for both the exterior and interior currents of air. The tenth improvement consists of the combination of the said circular hollow wick tube, cap deflector, and perforated air screen for the,exterior current of air, with a close gallery to support the chimney, by which I mean a gallery combined with the other members in such manner mat direct currents of air are -not permitted to pass under the chimney and over the deflector, to cause the flame to flicker when the locomotive is in motion. The last of my improvements consists of the combination in a lamp of the following instrumentalities, viz.: The aforesaid circular hollow wick tube, thimble wick hold[1396] .er, cap deflector, bútton, perforated air screen for the exterior and interior currents of air, and lateral oil reservoir.

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Williams v. Rome, W. & O. R., 29 F. Cas. 1394, 15 Blatchf. 200, 3 Ban. & A. 413, 1878 U.S. App. LEXIS 2112 (circtndny 1878).

29 F. Cas. 1394 (Williams v. Rome, W. & O. R.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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Williams v. Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburgh R.
2 F. 702 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Northern New York, 1880)