229,134. Morris, N. H. April 3, 1924. Spray burners; liquid fuel supply. - Control mechanism for the burners c, c<1>, c<2> of a liquidfuel furnace comprises a valve f adapted to give graduated control of fuel admission to the several burners, a valve g adapted for giving graduated control of steam admission to the burners, a mechanism j, k, l, m, n, geared with the common control of these two valves and adapted for simultaneously controlling admission of air for supporting combustion, and means in connection with the steam valve for simultaneously controlling admission of steam to an auxiliary steam blast device. Fig. 1 shows the mechanism applied to the fire-box a of a locomotive boiler supplied with air through louvres j controlled by a handle r, gearing o, p, and a link and lever system. The burners in the fire-box are supplied with oil fuel through a valve f, and with steam through a similar valve g, both these valves being operated simultaneously from the handle r. Steam is supplied to the valve g through a pipe h leading, from the top of the boiler. Fig. 2 shows a sectional elevation of the steam valve, comprising a hollow casting g having circular ports leading to pipes e, e', e<2>, and encircling a hollow valve v provided with tapering ports 2, 3, 4 which register in sequence with the circular ports on turning the valve spindle v<1>. On rotating the valve spindle by depressing the handle r, the threaded part v<2> causes the valve v to move longitudinally, so that its reduced end y is lifted off the seating and steam is free to flow from the pipe h into the end chamber, whence it passes through ports 1 to the centre of the valve and issues through the ports 2, 3, 4 when they have been rotated sufficiently to register with the circular ports of the pipes e, e<1>, e<2>. The ports 2, 3, 4 are located on the valve so as to register with the circular ports in sequence, and being tapered, give graduated control. Initial opening of the valve causes port 5 to register with a long narrow port 5<a> opening into the blast nozzle supply pipe u so that steam also passes into the blast nozzle in the smoke box. To give graduated control of all the burners simultaneously, an auxiliary control valve casing 6, Fig. 3, is provided on the valve casing g. The steam supply pipes e, e<1>, e<2> are connected with the casing 6, which contains a revoluble plug valve 7 capable of being turned to either one of two positions by a handle 8, Fig. 1. Between the casings g and 6 are three ports 9, 10, 11, Figs. 3 and 4, in one line, and two other ports 12, 13, in a line inclined to the first line but parallel to the leading ends of ports 2, 3, 4, and communicating with the casing 6 by inclined passages. The plug 7 is formed with an annular groove 14 opposite the ports e and 9. In one position of the plug 7, the ports 10, 11 are masked while the ports 12, 13 and 9 are open, so that rotation of the main valve v causes ports 2, 3, 4 to register simultaneously with ports 9, 12, 13, thus giving simultaneous admission of steam but with graduated control. In the other position of the plug 7, ports 12 and 13 are masked and ports 9, 10, 11 are open, thus giving graduated control in sequence. Fig. 7 shows an alternative arrangement in which one set of elongated ports 2, 3, 4 are turned to open on the circular ports in graduated sequence, and a second set of elongated ports 20, 30, 40 are cut on the same valve cylinder v but are timed to coincide simultaneously with the circular ports, so that to get graduated control in sequence the valve v is rotated in one direction, while to get graduated control in unison the valve is rotated in the other direction. In this case the valve is connected to its spindle by a pin and cam slot 18 which lifts the reduced end y off its seat by rotation in either direction, and dual ports are also provided to admit steam for, the smoke. box blast. Fig. 8 shows another modification in which a disc valve has one set of ports 35, 36, 37 timed to give graduated control of steam admission to all the burners in unison, while another set of ports 32, 33, 34 on the same disc are set to give graduated control of steam admission to the burners in sequence. One of the two passages 39 registers with the elongated port 25 of the pipe u in either direction of turning of the disc 27, to supply steam to the smohe box. A cam 42 may be fixed on the disc 27 to operate the air admission louvres j through a lever system.