980

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

May 9, 1913.

the air is carried by the shower of falling water. An
outflow stand-pipe within the vessel has its lower bent end
passed through the side of the chamber near ithe bottom,
and is then bent upwards. A sliding sleeve may be fitted
on the upper end of the outside portion to regulate the
pressure of the gas in the upper part of the chamber; and,
similarly, a sliding sleeve may be fitted to the upper end of
the stand-pipe inside the vessel to adjust the height of the
water above the lower end of the funnel, as may be required
to suit the head of water falling into the funnel. These
sleeves, however, are rarely required. The chamber is
carried in a trough, into which the overflowing water falls.
The air in the annular space at the upper end of the
chamber is led away by a vertical pipe, terminating in a
trap bend to catch any moisture separated from the air
current. A flexible tube leads the air to a tap regulating
the admission to a mixing chamber. Gas from the gas
mains is led through a suitably-loaded Stott's or equivalent
governor, delivering the gas at a constant pressure, to a gas
tap controlling the admission to the gas division of the
mixing chamber. Separate small pipes lead gas and air
respectively from the previously-mentioned gas and air
pipes (close to the just mentioned gas and air taps) to
separate manometer tubes, fixed to a common scale board.
The gas division of the mixing chamber is separated from
the air or mixing division by a fixed diaphragm or partition,
having a semi-circular or curved slot through it. A
rotatable circular plate covers the air side of the diaphragm,
the adjoining or contact surfaces of the two being faced to
fit air and gas tight against each other under a slight
pressure. The rotatable plate is provided with a spindle,
passing through a boss cast on the gas side of the previously-
mentioned diaphragm and through the outer cover of the
gas division. A screwed collar and spiral spring on the

&

projecting part of the spindle enable the pressure of the
rotatable plate against the diaphragm to be adjusted air-
tight, whilst allowing the spindle end of the rotatable plate
to be rotated by means of a hand or milled wheel on the
end of the spindle. A pointer attached to the back of the
wheel moves over a curved index on the outside of the front
cover of the said gas division. The rotatable plate is
provided with a series of pin holes through it, placed at
equal distances apart, the line through them coinciding with
the curved mid line along the slot in the fixed diaphragm,
so that by moving the hand or milled wheel round, one or
two or more of the pin holes may be brought in front of the
slot, admitting first a definite proportion of gas into the air
division, and then doubling or trebling and so on, this
proportion, as two, three or more of the pin holes are
brought in front of the curved slot. It will be evident that
for any given manometer reading and any simultaneously
given pointer reading the ratio of gas to air in the mixture
will be constant, and that by moving the hand wheel so as
to double or treble the pointer reading whilst keeping the
manometer reading or rather the difference of the manometer
readings the same, the ratio of gas to air is doubled or
trebled. If the pointer readings are at equal distances
apart, the ratio obtained will be practically accurate so long
as the proportion of gas to air is relatively small. To obtain
accurate results where the ratio is higher, the pointer
readings require to be properly calibrated. A pipe from the
air or mixing division of the mixing chamber leads the
mixture to the testing chamber. The testing chamber is
provided with two openings in the side, one near the top
and the other near the bottom of the testing chamber. The
mixture may be led to either opening, the other opening
serving for the exit or escape of the air and gas mixture.
The lamp to be tested is placed over a circular opening in
the bottom of the testing chamber, so that the pricker can
be got at from the outside for the purpose of adjusting the
flame. For this reason also the bottom of the chamber is
carried on three or four legs. A weighted lid with rubber
seating covers the otherwise open top of the testing
chamber, so as to keep a fairly still atmosphere within the
lamp, and so that the lamp can be readily introduced and
removed. A glass cylinder surrounding the lamp and
forming part of the wall of the observation chamber, or a
window is provided for observation purposes. Fig. 1 is a
side elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance
with the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line
A A of fig. 1 to a larger scale of the air and gas mixing
device. (Five claims.)

14157 (1912). Improvements in Armoured Electric Cables.
Callender's Cable and Construction Company Limited and

I C. Pipkin, both of Hamilton House, Victoria Embankment,
London, E.C.—This invention relates to a protective device
for preserving armour wires used in connection with wire-
armoured electric cables, with special reference to their use
in collieries. The device is illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which a wire armoured electric cable is shown,
the top view being a sectional elevation, and the bottom

view being a section through the cable. In this drawing the
wires of iron or steel composing the armouring of the cable
are shown at A, while the protective covering of such wires
is illustrated at B. The protective covering consists of
lead, or lead alloy, which is placed on the individual iron
or steel wires under pressure in a press in a similar manner
to that adopted for sheathing the insulation of lead-covered
electric cables. When the iron or steel wires have passed
through the press they are enveloped totally in a sheath
which may be of any desired thickness. Individual wires
so treated are then used to form a protective armouring on
the electric cable, one or more layers being usually applied.
The cable may then be further protected over the wire
armourings by covering same with jute or other non-
metallic material generally as shown at C in the drawing.
(Two claims.)

15093 (1912). Improvements in Water - tube Boilers.
Babcock and Wilcox Limited, of Oriel House, 30,
Farringdon-street, London. (Communicated by the Bab-
cock and Wilcox Company, of New York, U.S.A.)—
The object of this invention is to prevent, disturbance
in circulation of a water - tube boiler of the type
having at some distance below the bottom tubes of the
boiler an extra series of tubes connected into the boiler
circulation, and will be understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which fig. 1 is a central longi-
tudinal section through a boiler embodying the invention;
and fig. 2 a detail vertical section on the plane of the line
2—2 of fig. 1, and figs. 3 and 4, detail views of certain
parts. By the use of diagrams the circulation of the boiler

ll!l

is divided into vertical sections—that is to say, the circu-
lation through any group of two or three of the vertical
headers, as the case may be, together with their heating
tubes, will be independent of the circulation through the
remaining tubes of the boiler. The construction of
diaphragm shown in figs. 3 and 4 comprises a plate to which
a spring plate 11 is secured by means of a bolt and nut 12,
so that when a diaphragm has been inserted through a
suitable hand-hole in one of the boxes the spring plate 11
will be forced against the walls of the box when the nut 12
is tightened up. The diaphragms need not make a perfectly
tight fit—in fact, by allowing a small clearance an advan-
tage is derived through the ability to drain out all water
from the boxes in emptying the boiler without employing a
large number of drainage pipes. (Two claims.)

18136 (1912). Improvement in Briquette Machines. A. E.
Edwards, of Chancery-lane Station Chambers, London,
W.C. (A communication from St. Louis Briquette Machine
Company, 820, Security-building, St. Louis, Missouri,U.S.A.)
—Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved briquette

machine, and fig. 2 is an end elevational view partly in
vertical section. The invention is designed to improve upon
certain types of briquette machines, wherein the material to
be formed into briquettes is first heated and introduced into
a feed box, where it is kept in a state of agitation by a
constantly-moving member, and which agitated material
passes from the feed box into mould cavities in an endless
conveyor, in the form of a chain which passes between the
two sets of revoluble plungers, which latter enter the mould
cavities and compress the material therein, after which the
plungers of the lower set re-enter the cavities to eject

//•< '

the finished briquette. The present improvement consists
principally in mounting the revoluble plungers in pivoted
rocking heads and providing means whereby the particular
set of plungers in action are interlocked with the mould
plate containing the cavities in which the plungers act.
Another feature of the invention resides in the manner of
mounting the set of revoluble plungers, whereby they are
spring-held in operative position, being yielding in an arc
described about the axis of the driving pinion, whereby they
are always kept in proper mesh, even when forced upwardly
by some incompressible substance in the mould cavity.
Another feature resides in the provision of tracks or
housings for the endless chain of mould carriers, whereby
they are guided in their movemen Nine claims.)

24196 (1912). Improvements in and relating to Fuel
Calorimeters. W. W. F. Pullen, Stirling House, 24, Heaton
Moor-road, near Stockport.—According to this invention a
calorimeter is provided with means whereby the sample of
fuel is more completely burnt, with means for more
completely mixing the water which is used to absorb the
heat developed during the combustion of the fuel, thus
rendering the temperature of the water more uniform;
with means whereby the heat in the products of combustion
may be more thoroughly extracted by the water; with
means whereby the instrument may be more readily
handled during an experiment and its parts assembled and
disassembled. The accompanying drawing fig. 1 represents
a vertical section of a calorimeter constructed in accordance
with the invention, in which the crucible C, which contains

B-

JB-

the fuel to be burnt, is constructed of a conical or V shape
so that if the fuel burns faster on one side than another, the
unburnt fuel will fall towards the bottom of (the crucible,
where the stream of oxygen from the tube M will play upon
it and compel • the combustible part of the sample to burn.
The conical shape of the crucible also compels the jet of
oxygen to scour more thoroughly the bottom of the crucible
whatever be the position of the tube M relative to the axis
of the crucible, and thus to carry sufficient oxygen to the
unburnt fuel on all occasions. The tube M by which oxygen
is supplied to the fuel to support combustion is preferably
Cranked or formed with a portion set eccentrically with the
axis of the crucible, so that by turning the tube about the
axis of its upper part, its lower end will sweep across the
top of the crucible, by which means the jet of oxygen may
be directed upon different parts of the sample of fuel. To
permit of the maximum effect of the cranked tube, its axis
is arranged slightly eccentric with the top cover E of the
combustion chamber; or the support D slightly eccentric
with the lower cover F, or both together but in opposite
directions. The crucible C is supported in the end of a
short perforated tube D, which may be slid over a projec-
tion on the lower cover F or it may be made part of it. The