No.

802,085, A, F, PRAHM,
PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905,
LANTERN,
APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,904,

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 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
ADOLPH. F. PRAHM, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
LANERN w s

No. 802,085. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed July 5, 1904, Serial No, 215,298,
To all, Luhon, it nudity concern: , flanges 10, which surround the usual bull's-
Be it known that I, ADOLPH. F. PRAHM, a eyes. The valve-casing 14 may be provided
citizen of the United States, residing at Indian with any suitable form of valve by means of
apolis, in the county of Marion and State of which the passage of fuel from the reservoir
Indiana, have invented certain new and use 15 into the feed-tube 13 may be regulated, in
ful Improvements in Lanterns, of which the the drawings this valve being shown as a com
following is a specification. mon needle-valve 16, provided with a stem 17,
In the maintenance of railway-signals, es which leads up through the reservoir and is
pecially in yards, distant block-signal points, threaded at its upper end and engaged by a
O and other places, the cost of maintenance can suitable adjusting thumb-nut 18, frictionally 65
be materially lessened if provision can be made held in position by a light spring 19. In or
for continuous burning of lamp-signals for a der to prevent turning of the valve and its
considerable period-say a week or such mat stem, the upper end of the casing 14 is pro
ter-so that a single attendant may be able to vided with a pair of opposed vertical slots 20,
5 care for a large number of lamps. With an through which the fuel may pass to the inte 7o -

ordinary burner, where the flame is main rior of the casing, and a pin 21 is passed
tained at the upper end of the wick, such long through the valve 16 and has its ends pro
continued maintenance of the light without jected into the slots 20. The reservoir 15 is
attention has been found to be impossible, made annular in order to permit proper ven
owing to the charring of the wick. Difficulty tilation and air-supply for the flame. In the 75
has also been experienced in attempts of this type shown the air comes in through the open
kind in the supply of fuel, it having been ings 22 in the cap 23 and passes down through
found that if an oil-reservoir be of sufficient the annulus, as indicated by the arrows, and
depth to hold the requisite quantity of fuel it in order to make proper connections with the
25 will be so deep as to make it impossible for proper ventilating-jack 24, which forms a part
the wick to draw up the lower portions of the of the cap 23, and which is described and fully
fuel when the fuel has been nearly exhausted. claimed in my Patent No. 698,053, I arrange
The object of my invention is, therefore, to the tube 25, which is suitably supported con
produce a lamp or lantern in which it is pos centric with the annular reservoir 15, and is
sible to maintain a continuous flame for a long provided at its lower end with a bell 25, which
period of time; and to that end my invention lies above the burner carried by the main
lamp-body 11. The tube 25 fits the proper
consists in an improved burner and also in the portion
provision and arrangement of a supply-reser of the jack 24, but is easily separable
voir and in such improvements in details of therefrom, as is clearly indicated in the draw
35 construction as shall be hereinafter pointed lingS. 9o
out. The provision of the feeding-reservoir, to
The accompanying drawings illustrate my gether with the means by which the flow there
invention. .. from to the main lamp-body may be regulated,
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a standard materially assists in lengthening of time of
signal-lantern equipped with my improve operation of lamp, but does not of itself pro- 95
ment: Fig. 2, a vertical section of my im duce desired results if the burner is of such
proved burner, and Fig. 3 a section on line character that the upper end or active por
33 of Fig. 2. tion of the wick becomes charred. I have
In the drawings, 10 indicates the main body discovered that if a wick of ordinary con
45 of the lantern of any desired type, adapted to struction have its upper end downturned Too
receive the lamp-body 11. This body 11 is of into the lamp or burner and the wick be ar
such size as to hold a fair supply of fuel and ranged within the burner so that the flame
is provided with an opening 12, into which is originates from the doubled portion, or rather
inserted the lower end of a feed-tube 13, which from the line of doubling, charring is elimi
5 O at its upper end is connected with a valve nated, or at least materially delayed. I there- Io5
casing 14, which is carried by and communi fore have provided the burner shown in Figs.
cates with the lower end of an annular fuel 2 and 3. Here the main hollow body 30 is
reservoir 15. The annular reservoir 15 is ar of any desired and usual construction and
ranged to fit in the upper end of the body 10, provided with a lower end 31, which fits the
55 and in the present instance rests upon the upper end of the main body. 11. Passing IIo
 2. 802,085
through the body 30 is the wick-tube 32, consequently will be unreliable in less than
which may be of such size as to be completely thirty-six hours.
filled by the wick 33 in the usual well-known The bell 35 instead of being made in the
manner, so that the wick may be fed and ad usual manner is preferably flared at its upper
justed therethrough by the usual feeding end in the direction of width of the wick
means 34. The tube 32 instead of leading up tube, as shown at 37 in Fig. 2, and a bridge
to the mouth of the cap 35 ends considerably plate 38 run from the outer ends of the open
below said mouth. Forming a continuation ing thus formed downward and inward, so as
from the upper end of tube 32 is the larger to engage the tube 32 at its ends, and thus
O tube 36, which is of the same or substantially prevent air from passing upward through the 55
the same internal width as tube 32, but is of bell at the ends of the flame, but instead com
twice the thickness, as is clearly shown in pels the air to pass upward at the sides of the
Figs. 2 and 3, so that the upper end of the flame only.
wick may be downturned into the tube 36, I claim as my invention
thus presenting an intermediate portion of 1. A lamp-burner having a wick-tube pro
the wick to the position for the generation or vided with a main lower portion and an upper
point of emanation of the flame. portion which is enlarged to at least double
So far as I am aware burners have hereto the cross-section of the main portion, com
fore been provided with vertical wick-tubes; bined with the wick, the main body of which
but in each case the wick to be used with such extends through the lower portion of the tube
burner has always been of such size as to com and the upper end of which is turned down
pletely fill the tube, and so far as I am aware closely against the main body of the wick in
no attempt has heretofore been made to pre the enlarged portion of the tube, whereby the
sent anything but the end of a wick to the line flame burns from the looped portion of the
25 of emanation of the flame. The construction wick which extends from the enlarged portion
shown in the drawings produces entirely sat of the wick-tube.
isfactory results; but the inner vertical wick 2. A lamp-burner having a wick-tube pro
tube may be made of sufficient dimensions to vided with a main lower portion and an upper
permit the wick to be doubled throughout its portion which is enlarged to substantially
entire length, but in that case difficulty would double the cross-section of the main portion, 75
probably be experienced in vertical adjust combined with a wick having a single thick
ment, whereas in the form shown no such diffi ness extending through the lower portion
culty is experienced. I am unable to give of the tube, and the upper end turned down
the precise reason for the result obtained by closely against the main body of the wick in
35 the presentation of an intermediate portion the enlarged portion of the tube, whereby
of the wick, but actual tests have proven be the flame burns from the looped portion of
yond doubt that the result described is at the wick which extends from the enlarged por
tained and that the burner made in the man tion of the wick-tube.
ner described or in any manner as to permit In witness whereof I have hereunto set my
the doubling of the wick throughout the entire hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 1st
length will permit continuous burning of a day of July, A. D. 1904.
lamp for more than a week without attention ADOLPH. F. PRAHM. L. s.
and without charring the wick, while the use Witnesses:
of the end of the same kind of a wick under ARTHUR. M. HOOD,
45 the same conditions will produce charring, and JAMES A. WALSH.