USRE9821E - Best available cop - Google Patents

Description

12 Sheets- Sheet I.

V v A B. HOLLY. A APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRICTS IN CITIES AND TOWNS WITH HEAT AND POWER.

No. 9,321. 'Reissued July 26,1881.

[a ve n/0r:

nztnewgs:

Mwka

' 12 Sheets'-Sheet 2.

B. HOLLY.

APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRICTS INFGITIES AND TOWNS WITH HEAT AND POWER? JXM Manx/4% T No. 9,821; Y

Fey 6. Q

7737168306: I v I I v fflkwdmfi I I 4 ,45, 42; v

12 Sheets-Sheet 4.

- B. HOLLY. APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRIGTSIN CITIES AND TOWNS WITH HEAT 'AND POWER. H

No. 9,821. Reissued'Jul 26 1881.

1 gb; I

12 sheetssheet 5. B. HOLLY.

e. DISTRICTS IN'OITIES AND TOWNS WITH APPARATUS ron SUPPLYIN HEAT AND POWER.

Reissued 111 v 12 sham-sum. 6.

, *BLHOLL Y. APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRICTS IN GITIES AND TOWNS WITH I HEAT AND POWER.

Rgissued July- 26; 1881 144 lay/2 Wa'fnsses;

B. HOLLY.

APP ARATUS FOB SUPPLYiNG DISTRICTS IN CITIES AND TOWNS WITH {HEAT AND POWER. No. 9,821. Reissued July 26,1881, F2915.

'12 Sheets-{Sheet 8.

B. HOLLY. APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYINGDISTRICTS IN CITIES AND- TOWNS WITH HEAT ND POWER.

No. 9,821. Reissued July 26,1881., 125 /6;

IVZtnesses: f /IWdOI'EQ ieVn M 12 shetss heet 9. B. HOLLY. I I ABPARATUS FOB. SUPPLYING DISTRICTS IN CITIES AND TOWNS WITH HEAT AND POWER. No. 9,821.

Reissued July 26,1881.

fizz/euro); z

12 'Sheets-Sheet 10.

. y B. HOLLY. APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRICTS IN CITIES AND TOWNS WITH HEAT AND POWER.

I/IIIIIl/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII r 12 Sheets-Sheet 11. 'B. HOLLY. APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRIGTS IN'GITIBS AND TOWNS WITH 1 HEAT vAND POWER. No. 9,821. Reissued July 26,1881;

Wnesses; [QM/7307f:

- 12 sheets shet 12.

B. HOLLY.

ND TOWNS WITH APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING DISTRIG-TS IN CITIES A HEAT AND POWER.

No. 9,821. Reissued July 26,, }881..

BEST AVAILABLE COP:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BIRDSILL HOLLY, or LOCKPORT, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR SUPTLYING DISTRICTS lN CITIES AND TOWNS WlTl'l HEAT AND POWER.

SPECIFICATION fanningpart of Reissued retentive. 9,621, dated Jul 26, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .I, BIRDSILL Honor, of

Lockpcrt, in the county of Niagara and State ofNew York, and a citizen of the United States,

have invented a new and improved apparatus" ing and other purposes, and also with power for driving machinery in suchdistricts ofd wellings or buildings; also, means whereby the fireengines of a city, town, or village may at all times be supplied with power for raising water for the exting'uishment of fires or large conflagrations,-notwithstanding that such engines are constructed without means for getting up power or steam; also, means whereby the hydrants ot' a city, town,.or village may at all times be economically and elieclually protected against freezing; also, a'cheap and readymeans for freeing the streets of cities, towns, and villages ti om accumulated masses of snow and ice also, a means whereby greenhouses, conservatories, and other outhous'ea-Qmay be heated and, finally, a means whereby steam or hot water, or both steam and hot water, may be supplied for culinary and other domestic purposes.

, In carrying out an invention-like that hereinafter described several leading things are csscntiahofavhich afew wiii now be mentioned as being the mostimportan t,to wit: The streetlnain pipes mustbe laid underground in a manner similar to the water and gas pipes of a city, town, or village, and these mains on ght to comprise manifold lines of pipes from which to supply heat and power to buildings on different squares along the streets of a district of buildings in a town or city. All of these mains should be adapted for having service-pipes attached to them on opposite sides of therespective streets; and the aaid'mains should be capable of sustaining a great pressure, and

theirv sections must be connected by joints which are loose, and which will permitof the main pipes expandinglandcontractinglangi- Original No. 193,086, dated July 17, 1871. Application for reissue filed May 24, 1881.

tudiually, vthe expansion and contraction of one section, or of a series of sections, being independent of the other connected sections, and this without liability of breakage or le'a-kage of the joints and mains; and the mains should also be adapted by proper insulation for preventing'a too great loss of heat between the points of supply and consumption of the agent employed for producing-heat and furnishing power. The mains should receive their supply of the heating and power agent from one or more central or principal points of' the city, town, or village.- Provision should; be made. for underground drainage and cond'uctin g oii' surplus water'at the localities where the mains are applied, so as to avoid flooding and other injury to the mains; and a means for reducingthe. pressure of the steam supplied by the mains from a high to a very low pressure before it enters the radiators or other heatin g apparatus of a building or dwelling should "we provided. There should be meters for measuring the quantity of steam used, regulators for keeping the pressure at any desired height, and recording or registering mechanisms, all of which, and many other thingsessential in a. system of this kind, will be found in my apparatus or contrivance, as will be seen'from the following description and-accompanying drawings. With my underground mains and service-pipes, either steam, hot water, or heated air can be conveyed for warming and other purposes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of my invention applied for heating'a district of buildings in a city or i town, and the transmitting steam for use for power in such-districts. 2 is anelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of one of the jnnetiop service-boxes of the street-- mains and the connections thereof, and Fig. 4

' is a vertical longitudinal section of the same in the line in of Fig. 3. Fig.5 is a vertical transverse section through a junction service box of the mains and through a steam -regu therewith, and of a building to he warmed and a fire-engine to be supplied with steam from- "later, and also an elevation of parts connected BEST AVAlLABLE COP 'building, near the front walls thereof. Fig.8

7 His a plan iew of the record-ribbon of the registering or recording mechanism. Fig. 12 is a{ vertical section of the steam-trap shown in Fig. 7. in connection with the radiators of the building. Fig. 13 shows an elevation of the trap and a section through its waste-cock. Fig. 14 is a top view of the trap,with asection through the pipe which leads water of condensation into the trap. Figs. 15 and 16 show a modification of the trap and its manner of application to the building and a greenhouse. Figs. 17 and 18 are a section .and a front elevation of a steam-gage used for indicating the pressure .of steam in the radiators. Figs. 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 are views in which a connection of the service-pipes with the mains is shown, as well as thecasiog of the servicepipes. Fig. 24 is a vertical transverse section of one of the steam-mains, and showing protectin g and heat-insulatin g covering and drain pipe or tile beneath, also in section. Fig. 25 is a section of an ordinary steam-trap which is substituted in some cases 'for the traps shown in Figs. 12, 13, 14', and 17. Fig. 26 is' asection of a portion of Fig. 19. Fig. 27 is an inverted plan view of the junction serviceboxcs, and Fig. 28 is a longitudinal section of the junction service-box-in the line m a. of

Fig. 27. 1

In the plan view of Fig. 1 of the drawings a section or district of a cityor town having streets, as at A, D, (J, D, and E, and at A,

B, O, D, and E, intersecting each other is shown. From a central or nearly central point of such section or district ofa city or town to any given point of its. boundary there may be adistance, say, of about one-half of a mile. At this central point, and within a building designated as atA, are erected the necessary boilerovorks for the generating of steam to be distributed throughout said district for the purposes contemplated in carrying out my in vention. The steam in the building A is conveycd by a proper pipe or pipes from the boilers therein 'to a short street-main pipe, F,which connects with and sup lies steam to all the other main pipes, F w thin the said district. All the steam-main pipes are laid underground on the line of the several streets of the city or town included in such district, and about four feet below the surnicc of the ground end service-pipes," et elso laid underground, convey steam from c said mine into buildings or dwellin situated on difiarcnt sides oi e street, mliosteil in the drawn: 8.

The mains i'lili underground rough the various streets of a city, town, or village in a manner similar to the water or gas supplying mains of a city or town, but differing therefrom in that they are constructed with loose joints, which permit the mains to expand and contract longitudinally without injury to them and without leakage, and also are insulated to prevent condensation of steam and loss of heat. All of the mains are adapted for having service pipes on each side, and both the mains and theservice-pipes are constructed and laid down in such manner that the mains are free to expand and contract longitudinally without danger ofbreakage or liability of leakage. The mains are also capable of sustaining great pressure, and are adapted for preventing too great loss of heat between the places of supply and consumptiou'of the heat and power agent employed.

The capacity of the steam -boilers in the boiler-house A should be sufficient to afi'ord a steady supply of steam to the main pipes F F, or such other number of steam-mains as might be laid down, at a pressure within said pipes of about from forty to sixty pounds to the squareinch of interior surface, which pressure it has been determine'dby experiment will be suflicient for the various uses desired within a district of the dimensions hereinbefore stated.

. pension or contraction, due to changes often]- Heuce it is necesperature and other causes. sary to provide against the effect of such expansion and contraction, in order to avoid .either break-ageof themains, leakage-0t steam, or other damage, which would make. the use of lengthy underground steam-mains impracticable. To this end the' sections of main pipe F mustbe allowed longitudinal movementindependently of one another, either by'sliding IIO in stufling-box joints, as is shown in, Fig. 3,

as will be presently described, or by-attachin g one section F to another section F by means of a short connection, F, as shown in Figs.

' 19 and 26. Thisconnection consists of a ring,-

f and two annular spring-platesjlh Around the central opening of the spring-plates the collars f of the sections F are bolted. With this mode of joining the sections longitudinal movement of the respective sections F F is allowed by the springlates yielding somewhat like the'elastic diap iragm of the regulator shown in Fig. 5 at K. When the plates yield either to a pulling or thrusting longitudinal movement of the sections F they assume a. dishing form and thereby accommodatethemselves to the longitudinal expansion and contraction of sections F, and thus an expansion stesm-tight joint may besecured for the mains F; but the preferable and most practical manner of securing this expansion and contraction Jointis ssfollows: The mains at convenient rss BEST AVAlLABLE coP permanently embedded in the earth, and in which provision is made for the longitudinal movementof the end of a section of a main which enters the expansion -cliamber'of such box, while the chamber being permanently attached to theqpegatanentjunction. service-box, is .hi-suoh movement of the mains. I a I In Fig. 1,'atF, one of the junction service-= boxes is indicated, shown on the underground main F oaths; ineof; the'street (J, and in Bi .2 an and elevation of Figml is shown, while in 'g 3a planand partly-acetic lgview ofisuch junction servic'ebox, to be p maneutly-or immovably in -the ground along the line of the main pipeatiutervals of about one hundred or two hundred feet apart-,is

shown. Each junction serviwbox is made of sulhcicnt size, and with strap-door to be aceessible for repacking and repairing the expansion-joints ot the mains,.also the valves and other parts within the box. Thc'interior of this junction -service-Main at its bottom provided withan open or grate-like metal framework, F, for its proper support, and as a means wherebyit maybeflrmlyembeddedin theearth, so as to hold the box F" and its expansionchamber F immovably in sition.

The expansion-chamber and is firmly seated upon cross-plates cl-and between cross-plates a of the frame F, audit is provided with a metal cover, a?, which lat-- ter, when placed upon the expansion-chamber F", is'held in position by screws 0.; Annular bearings, as at a, which project from two sides of the expansion-chamber, seat themselves in gains aformed in the cross-plates a, and as a portion of this chamber, ,on two sides thereof,

as at a, has aflu'sh bearing against the insidesurface of the cross-plates a a, said -chamber is thus firmly seated in a fixed position in the metal frame F. The inner surface of the beari s c a are screw-threaded and receive,

as in icated in the figure, the ends of servicepipes a a, which thus communicate with the expansion-chamber F, into' the interior of which chamber (indicated at F) steam is admitted from the steam-main F, and thence is passed into a buildingon either side of a street through said service-pipes c a. The expansion chamber F serves a double purpose, to wit: It receives the thrust of the end f of a section of the main F and permits such end to alterj nately move forward and backward 'in said chamber in accord'with the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the main F, and it also serves as a chamber from which the steam from the mains may be distributedthrou'gh-smallf servicepipes to buildings alonga street. This provision for allowing the main sections to expand and contract longitudinally underground without liabilityot breakageor leakag garded by me as broadly new in connection with a system of means for warming districts of buildings ordwellings and furnishing power thereto for driving machinery; and as the mesu'sfor securing this expansion and contrac- I is made of metal,

e is reward ofits curved pc. son a", terminates Ill a tion maybe various without departing fiom- "chninber F, orau equivalent contrivance, may

be used independently of the junctionser'vicebox, either for the sole purpose of" permitting expansion and contraction or to take steam from the mains at other points than the junction service-boxes as, for instance, at a four-way branch, whereone streetconnects with another, butdoes notcross,a service-pipe could be taken out from the fourth orunoccupicd side of the four-way branch; and 1 do not limit myself to an expansion-chamber to receive the ion gitudi- "-nally'expansive;thrust of the main pipe F,

which shall alsoserve as a chamber from which to distribute steam to the service-pipe a, as it may in some instances be desirable to use an expansion-chamber to receive the longitudinally-expansive thrust of the main pipe without having a service-pipe connected therewith.

Ii'iprovidiug for a lengthening and shorten ing of the sections of the mains by longitudi= nal expansion and contraction, it is important that close-fitting joints between the sections be maintained; otherwise there would beleakage of steam and a great loss of heat andpower. When the expansion chamber, as shown, is used for allowing thesections of main g .to expand and contract it maintain'safi'rm immovable position,-aud the joints between it audthe respective sections are suitably packed j its-will be presently described, or Many other equivalentmanner. w

" in connectionwiththesorvice-pipes of the expansion'ohamber F, and also with other servicepipes, gas occasion requires, cut-0d valv es, as at f f. are provided, in order that the flow of steam from the main totho buildings may b e cutoflT with a key-rod,f", when these servicekpipes. of theexpausion-chamber, hoods g and g: areapplied, and -these hoods can .be turned up or-downward more or less,

in order to admit into their open ends ieither dry or wet steam .from the interior of the expansion-chamber F. In ,Fig. 3 of the drawings .the hood '9 is turned with its openingi toward the zenith, and hence dry steam only will pass into its service-pipe, and thence into .a bnildingwhich theservice pipe enters, while the hood gis shown, turned down, to a horizontal position, thus admitting the wet steam,

which will occupy a lower portion'of said expension chamber; and, ifdesired, the hood maybe turned down with its opening 3i toward the nadir, 'in which case the commingledwet steam and water of condensation which may have accumulated in the bottom of the chamdesired. Tothe inner screw-threaded ends of her will be forced through its service-pipe in to I the building connected therewith.

One wall of. the expansion-chamber F for tnbular portion, a, with inwardly-projecting.

shoulders at, which clc. fly lit and receive one end, f, of a sectionof the main F, An annular space is thus formed between the 'por- 353T AVAILABLE COP tionf of a section of a main and the parts o and a of the expansion-chamber for the reception of suitable steam-packing, j, so asto form a steam-tight joint around the'endf of 5 a section of the main pipe F.

metal ring, as at e, is made to seat itselton this packing j, and thus, preventthe escape of steam, as will be hereinafter described.

Projecting from the opposite wall of the ex- 10 pansion-chambcr F are twosets of lugs, g,

which receive eyebolts g, the bblts being retained in position within the lugs by a pin, asat i. The forward ends of these bolts pass, through doubly-beveled bolt-holes made in the 5 rim of a sectional tube, G, the interior of which is flaring, as shown at b, and at the point I), where the inner end of theinhe G adjoins a convex ring, 9, said tube is ber'eled, so as to form a perfect fit to the convexity of the ring 2o 9. Alike fit is made between the opposite convert face of the ring 9 and an annular pro jection, a, of the expansion-chamber F.

The convex ring 9, itwill be seen, is screwed upon the main F, and may be removed at g 5 pleasure by disconnecting the eyebolts g from the sectional tube G, and thus allow of the substitution of a new section ot'main-pipe when necessary. It will also be seen that a section of the main F, which has just been referred to as having the metal ring g screwed thereon, passes through the sectional tube G, and that when the screw-nuts shown upon the bolts g are tightened up the convex ring 9 will be firmly 3 seated against the annular projection a. of the expansion-chamber F, thus forming a steamtight joint between 9' and a l, so that in the passage of the main supply of steamthrough' the mains F no steam will waste through such 40 joint; and, further, it will be seen that owing to the construction of this steam-joint between g and al andthe like joint bet\veen- .the por' tion 9 and sectional tube-G, and'the' beveled portions b on said tube, and thebeveled boltholes in the rim of thetube G through which the bolts g.pass, the main pipe F on this side ot' the expansion-chamber F is capable of deflection from a right line to accommodate it ,to

. the grade of the street, or to meet any other contingency of positioi'nand thus provision is made against a strain falling upon the main pipes at or near their connection with the junction service-boxes, which strain would en sue from a deflection of said main pipes, due to any cause, from their proper position as first laid down, and by this means provision is also made against leakage of steam by reason of such deflection of the main pipes. A short section of main pipe F is shown at 6o 1, havin a screw-thread cut into itsoutersurface, so t mt one end of said section. maybe screwed into a corresponding opening in thewuil of the expansion-chamber, as shown. The opposite end of this section f engages with a 6 metallic gteflm-(lllcllmgligl'llifl, which has apertures it through it admirer the free pulsage of item from the main I into the inte- A removable rior F of theexpansion-chamher. By turning this discharge-ring in one direction it will be moved along upon the section f a'sufiicient distance to allow-of the removal of the metal ring or stoning-box follower e, and thus give access to the packing j, and, should such packing need replacing, facilities therefor are thus afl'orded and also, after the ring a is thus removed, the steam-discharging ring G may itself be removed either for repair or the substitution of a new one, its removal also giving access to the main F. G in an opposite direction to that just named, it will force the metal ring 6 down upon the steam-packing j, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby packing the joint and preventing the escape of steam from the main, as well as from the expansion-chamber' at the t-ndj' of a sect-ion of the main 1 which enters said chamber. The outer surface of the .endf of the last-named section of main is in-tendedto slide (when longitudinal expansion or contraction occurs) in contact with the packing j, and'the forward end,'f, of said section will be projected into the expansiomcham ber F more or less, according to the longitudinal expansion or contraction of the main F between any two junction serviceboxes,or between the sourceot' snppiyct' steam to such mainpipe and a junction service-box, F. This iron section of the main pipe F has send j" plated or coated in a suitable mannerwith nickel plate, for instances The portion coated is that which comes in contact with the steain-packingj. This is done in'ortler to .avoid the great expansion which would occur were the section made of brass or other analogous bearing metal, also to avoid rust or corrosion and to secure a smooth anti-friction surface not subject to great expansion. In this manner simple expansion-joints, orexpansion-joints in connection with steam-distributing chambers or junction service-boxes, or expansionjoints in connection with junctionboxes or expansion-chambers, may be applied at intervals where required throughout the whole system of the street-mains, thus rendering such mains practicable for the purposes herein described, notwithstanding the very considerable longitudinal expansion and contraction to which long lines of such main pipes are subjected by reason of varying temperature or from other causes. v

' The means described for providing against the injurious effects of longitudinal expansion and contraction of the mains and avoiding breakage and leakage thereof may he substituted by others which are the equivalent there of, and thereforemy inventionis not confined to the precise form of construction shown, either of the expansion-joint,expansion steamdistributing chamber, expansion-chamber, or expansion junction service-box.

My invention provides for a longitudinal expansion and contraction of the pipe composing the underground steam street-mains between structures which are immovable, obviates the inconvenience, if not the fatal difficulty, which By turning said ring" lect about the mains from any cause; In Fig. -3 of the drawings the asbestos wrapping is BEST AVAlLABL would ensue were such provision'not made of having the longitudinal expansion'or contraction of any one portion of the main added to the longitudinal expansion and contraction of all the other portions thereof; and while my invention of underground steam supplying streetmains with expansion -joints and stationary insulating media, as at in, embedded in the earth and made to inclosc the mains and still not interfere wi't-htheir expansion and contraction, is broadly new, and is not limitedito the precise construction shown in Fig. 3, still I regard said construction, assho'wn in said figure, as thevery best that, can-be employed, inasmuch as it is a very useful means for dividing up the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the mains, and for insulating, protecting, and sustaining the mains beneath the condensation and loss-of heat.

surface of the earth. 4

The steammains F throughout their entire extent, up to and slightly within the junctionboxes, are surrounded by a wrapping of asbestus, hair-cloth, or any other non-conducting substance, or with both asbestus and haircloth, as shown, thus confining and insulating the steam within the mains, and so preventing As insulating the mains with a suitable non-conducting sub: stance is an essential object sought, I do not con fine m y self to the particular substances mentinned. The insulated mains are inclosed in a water-tight outside pipe, either of wood or iron lined with wood, and this pipeis then embedded in and covered, as in Fig. 24, first with sheetzinc or tile. and thereafter with some porous substance like tan-barki or sawdust, to retain confined air, While underneath such outside pipe suitable drainage-pipes, :c-tiles, for instance, as shown in Figs. 6 and 24-are'properl'y laid and applied for carrying otf'water, which would otherwise collect around the mains in the trcnchesin which they are laid. This pro- .YlBiOll for drainage which I have made is very important, as the mains could not be as successfully used without a drain ofsome sort beneath .tl'iem; andas my invention lies, in this regard, in providing a drain under the mains or in proper relation thereto, I do not confine myself to any particular form of pipe, tile, or drain device for conducting 01f water which may coldesigfoatied by m, the hair-cloth by m, and the water-tight pipe by m, said pipe m being carried i t and connected with parts of the expansi'ou unction service-box,a s shown. The

woodtcoycring-pipe m does not move with the iron mains, and retains a coupled connection with the junction service-box and expansionchamber under the longitudinal expansion and contraction of said mains.

At some convenient point within each junction service-box F and between its steamexpansiou chamber 1 and the source of mapply of steam to the mains F, a main sto waive (indicated at V in Fig, 4,) will be applio to the mains F, in "order that steam may be out of .or covering m of the main.

'from the expansion-chamber F during the not ofrepairs or an adjustment of the mechanism therein. From these mains the service-pipes a conduct thesteam to the buildings on either side of the street along which said mains may be laid,' in which buildings the steam may be 'used for either or all of the purposes heretofore named, and to which my invention relates.

I have described the mainsF as having a longitudinal movement by reason of their expansion andoontraction and now, in order to show that provision is made against undue straining ot' the service-pipes a, whether they pass at right angles from theinains to the building indicated at A, Fig 22, or around corners before reaching a building, 'making themselves a right an gle either to the right or left, or both to the right and left, I will proceed to describe the plan shown in Figs. 19, 20, and 21 and the plans shown by Figs. 22 and 23. F in Figs. 19, 20, and 21 shows the main, which in all respects may be constructed, laid down, and protected as before described; and a is a service-pipe leading out at right angles from .said main to the curb-line, or to the back yard of abuilding. In plan, Fig. 19, thecon- -nection of the service-pipe a with the main F is made by cutting an oblong hole, A of about two inches length through the wooden pipe To close this hole, which is made in order to allow the servicepipe, when longitudinal expansion and contraction take place, to vibrate between its innor end, m,-and its connection with the main F, a wooden 'tubeym, having an internal flaring expansion-chamber, m .is placed around the service-pipe from its inner end, an, to its connection with themain F,and firmlystrapped in place, as illustrated at A and A, Fig. 20.

The joint around the oblong hole A and between the wood pipe or and the wood pipe m is made water-tight in any proper manner.

It is evident that the service-pipe a, if made fast or impacted by earth at its end mi, will still have freedom, by means of the flaring chamber of the wooden tube m and the oblong hole A to vibrate when the steam street-main F contracts and expands longitudinally, and this without much strain upon it, as the great length of the pipe between the; fixed point m and the pointof connection with the main will cause themovernent of the service-pipe at its fixed point m to be exceedingly slight. Now, if the s'ervice-pipea is to be bent so as to form an elbow, as shown in Fig. 22, or is to be united to two elbows, as in Fig. 23, for the purpose of leading the steam into buildings not situated 'for'a service-pipe such as is shown in Fig. 19,

'1 would inclose it in" a water-tight wooden casfat the points m and m in the plan shown n Fig. 22 and at the points m m m in the plan shown in Fig. 23. With eit-herof the con- BEST AVAlLABLE COP I L 9, US I.

structions shown by Figs.22 and'23, the el. bowed portion of the pipe at and all other portions thereof between the points which are impinged upon loosely and the elbows will have freedom to vibrate in the flaring chamber of the casings m and m to any extent that the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the service-pipe a may render necessary. Any

' water in the hydrant P from freezing during the winter season .the conducting-pipe a is equivalent of the means for allowing the service-pipes to move may be adopted.

I will now describe one practical. plan for utilizing the steam from said mains in a dwelling withinthe district of buildings shown in Fig. 1, such description having reference/to Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the drawings.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 8 the road way of the street is indicated at H and the sidewalk at I.

In Fig. 5 a junction service-box,F is shown beneath the street-roadway H, from which box, through one of its service-pipes a, steam is conveyed intoaconductingpipe, n, which leads into a steam-hydrant, P, situated upon the sidewalk. In this figure an ordinary water-- main is indicated at B,'from which, through pipe r, water is supplied to a street-hydrant, P, from which water can befurnished to a city fire-engine, and through said-engine, which is worked by the steam in the mains, elevatedto any desired height and forced upon burningv buildings and other objects being destroyed by fire; andin order to'prevent the made to impinge against such hydrant, as sigaided in Figs. 5 and 7, or in any other equivalent mode. 1 I

At Q in Figs. 5 and 8 a fire-engine is represented which has no boiler or flre,andwhich takes its steam from the steamhydrant P through a steam pipe or hose, 3 simultaneously with its supply of water from the hydrant I? through a water-hose, y. The advantages of this part of the invention are apparent, in that the water in hydrant P is not iable to be frozen, and the steam in the hydrant 1? may always be up and ready for the engine. Besidesthis, the cost and weight of.

a fire-engine may be reduced about one hal-f:

that of any other. At the same time the alarming appearance caused by the fire, smoke, and

noise with ordinary fire-eng|ne, while running to a tire and working the engines, as well as attendant casualties, is avoi p It may be stated herethat the steam admitted to the steam-hydrant P can be at high press and that proper cooks for letting on and cutting ofi steam to and from the same are to be provided. l

In case there should be no ciity hydrant adjacent to the building to which steam is to be supplied, the conducting pipe leading such steam into such building will connect directly with the service pipe a. In this instance a conducting-pipe, it, receives itssteam from the conducting-pipe n, and -theuce-passin g into the building, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 7, may

supply steam directly to a heater or radiator,

L, and-so warm an upper room, as shown in the latter figure ol' the drawings just mentioned, while a branch conductingpipe, n,

connecting with the pipe a, may lead into another heater, as at L, in the same or another apartment. Any equivalent means for those described may be adopted for preventingfreezing of the water-hydrant and for supplying the steam-hydrant and tire-engines with steam, as well as for connecting the radiators with the mains.

It is desirable to regulate the supply of heat to agiven building, and also to ascertain by measurement the amount of steam supplied under a given pressure, as well as record or register such such supply, in order that a uniform proper price may be charged to the occupant or proprietor of the .building or other place for the steam used to heat the sameaud for other purposes. To this end a cut-oficock, d, is applied to the conducting-pipe n, to compel the steam to pass into and through asteammeter, by means of which the pressure and supply of steam may be primarily regulated and measured. The leading feature of this part of my invention for supplying heat and power from the described underground street-mains comprises the means shown in Fig. 9st]: 0 c" c n n, or any equivalent thereof, whereby the pressure of the mains is rednced'as circumstances require and the steau measured.-. An-- other feature comprises thia means shown in 5, as at K, or any equivalent thereof whereby the pressure of the steam is regula with respect to its use, and another feature comprises the means, as shownat M, Fig.9,

for effecting the'recording of the amount of steam used, or any equivalent of such means.

These several features, in connection with the steam-supplying mains hereiubefore described for supplying large districts of dwellings with measured and recorded quantities of ,steam for" heating buildings and other purposes, are novel inconnectiou with such'mains, whether employed therefor singlyor together with such mains, and therefore my invention is not confined tn the combination of all these features, together with such mains, notwithstandingthe fact that the best results will besecnred when a steam-pressure reducing and measuring meter-valve, a recording or registering mechanism, and a regulating mechanism are used in combination with such mains, so as to act anr to tomatically, as hereinafter described, orin any other equivalent manner.

With reference to the special constrnation of I the meter shown in the drawings, the steam-.

pipes'n' and a (see Figs. 7 and 9) connect the valve-chamber c with the pipe 1:, and cocks, as at d and d, are applied to the pipes n and so that when the cock :1 is closed and the cocks d and d are open the steam will pass into the said valve-chamber through pipe a and out of the same through the pipe a back to and within the pipe 1:, and so on to the radiators L and L as well as to other parts hereiuafler described This meter is more clearly BEST AVAILABLE COP laser- -1 shown in Fig. Q'thair in the other figures, and is preferably constructed mainly as shown, thoughother constructions might be used to eflect the same results for which it is intended without departing from the invention which I have made.

In Fig. 9, cis a metal cylinder, having a steamchamber, to receive steam'through. the pipe a which connects with the pipe n',(s'hown in Fig. 7,) hereinbeforedescribed. The ends of this cylinder are closed steam-tight, with a properly-fitting stalling-box, c, at one end, and with a steam-tight tubular valvesstem bearing, 0, at its other end, as shown. Within this cylinder is a valve, c,'which admits the steam from the chamber 0 into the pipes leading to the difl'erent roomsand radiators. This valve,

in. this instance, is of conical form, and it is connected at ode of its ends witha valve-stem, cfiand at the other end with a screw-threaded stem, 0", which takes into a not of the valyestem bearing 1:". Said valve passes through an orifice, c, of an annular partition or diaphragm, 0",01 the cylinder 0. The area of the opening or orifice c, where it surrounds the,

taperingportion of the cone-valve, must be.

ot'sufllcient size to supply all the radiators re- I quired in a given building; or the dread said' orifice should be about threefourths oi asquare inch for every hundred thousand cubic feet of space to. be warmed. The large end of this cone-valve 0 should fill the orifice c ofi-tlie diaphragm, so as to form a close joint. -The through said orifice c. The valve described,

or any equivalent thereotlfor controlling the passage of the steam from the mains into the .40 radiators or other places of use, operatesfor the purpose of measuring the quantity of steam used and reducing the pressure in theradiators or other places of use, whether combined with a recording mechanism, as shown at M, or not, also whether combined with an automatic diaphragm-regulator, as shown at K,- or other equivalent'regulator, or not;

In Fig. 9, M indicates clock-work of a record ing mechanisin regulated to, keep good time, and which gives movement to a ribbon of paper, M. This ribbon passes over and is moved forward by a roller, r, fastened upon an extension er a shaft, which in ordinary clockwork gives movement to the hour-hand of a clock. The ribbon,i n its forward movement, is held down upon the roller r by another roller, r, which revolves loosely, the ribbon, passing between the rollers r and r by reason of the clock mechan ism, slowly rotatiragthe roller r. The ribbon M, as in Fig. 11, is ruled lengthwise with eight or ten black parallel lines. and with a red line on one edge, indicated at 8 8, which is termed the zero-line of the ribbon, and

-on which zero-line the pointer i! will rest'when and with. lines as at e, to represent half-days, with lines e to representhours. 4 Any number of these ribbons maybe provided. in advance of their use, as'the same character of ribbon will answer for all the diflerent sizes of meters 'slidingbur, P, which latter is supported in a horizontal position by the frame of the clocln work, and in such manner as to allow of a 'sidewise movement either to'tlib right'or left. The bar iFha's a clutch, 5, attached to'on'e of its ends, which clutch travels in a circular groove, 1', cut around the valve-stem .c, as shown, and at the opposite end of said bar a flat'spring, as indicated at i", is secured to the bar. The spring moves with the bar to right and left, according as the bar in moved, andupon the plane surface of a metal frame, IF, (shown in Figs. 7 and'8,) which-'incloses the cylinder 0 of the meter','and also supports the clockwork' M. The pointer-s" is so adjusted in position upon the bar? that'its"'pencil' will always press upon th'e ribbon' M at a point where the rihbo'n'is in firm contact with the periphery of the, roller rfi while at the same time the clutcln" is so adjusted on-saidbar as to travel in the groove 1' of the valve-stem c,

.andin these positions said bar and clutch are always heldby the tension of the spring 6 upon theframe L during the forward and back- Ward movements of lhevalve-stem c and conevalve-c. In other words, the pencil-finger a" is automatically held to its work by the spring i, and as the pencil is moved crosswise of the ribbon through the connection of the bar a? with its valve-stem v the slightest movement of the cone-valve a will be felt by the pencil and such movement recorded upon the ribbon M, as indicated by the. zigzag line on said ribbon in Fig. 9. The cone-valve c,-it will be seen in the figures of the drawings, is moved backward or forward through the diaphragm c by a screw-movement, as indicated at c' and (rt-such movement bei-ng uroduced through'suitable mechanism. It is practicable to efiect the opening and closing of the valve as required by alever without revolving the valve. I will here state that while the steam in the mains aswellas" in the valve-cham ,9 is always at a high pressure, yet by being wire-- drawn around the cone-valve through the din phragm the steam is reduced to low pressure,-

and in this condition can be safely used forwarming the building. My object in'usin'g high prcssure-in the mains F and low pressure in the dwellings is to keep the said main as small as possible,.as-by this means expense will beavoided and loose! heat by-oondensa- 1 tion prevented, while with low pressure in the BEST AVAILABLE we buildings there will be less liability of leakage in join ts, valves, and packing, and greater; safety against explosion is secured.

Each difl'eren tly-sized meter should have its number, and each ribbon of paper should be numbered to correspond with the number of the meter on which it'is to be used, and this being done, the value of the steam used indicated between the longitudinal lines will be known by its number. This value may be computed with considerable accuracy by the area of thediaphragmaperture c and the velocity ot' the steam at given pressure. It should be borne in mind that the amount of steam recorded depends on the velocity of the steam through the diaphragm 0 but when greater accuracy is required a company or producer supplyingacityor town with these steam-works should be provided with'an apparatus for that purpose consisting, simply, of a surface-condenser or coil of pipe submerged in cold water, of sufficient size and length to condense all the steam that will pass through the largest meters in agiven time. Then the value is obtained as follows Supposing the meter is to be used with a pressure of forty pounds above the cone-valve c and at or near'the pressure of the atmosphere below thc'conc-valve, as at n, Fig. 9, first close the cone-valve c, and .th us.

station the pencil i on the zero or red lines 8 8 of the ribbon; then open the cone-valve until the pencil reaches the first black line, 7, which runs lengthwise with the ribbon, and

there stop. This will allow a smali quantity of steam to pass into the condenser, (the cons denser being attached to n or other convenient pipe communicating with n,) where it will be condensed and come out pure distilled water- Let the cone-valve remain openonehour, then close it and weigh the water, and by multiplying the weight in pounds by 27.7 the number of cubic inches of water will be ascertained, and as every cubic inch of water was a cubic foot of steam atthepressureof the atmosphere before entering the condenser, a multiplication of thecubic feetr l steam by 24 (the hoursin a day) and this by 30 (the days in the month) will give the number of cubic feet of steam forone month. Then again open the valve 0 till the pencil 1? reaches the second blackline,6,runninglengthwise of the ribbon, and repeat the process at each of such lines until the cone-valve c is wide.

open, the movement of the valve during these operatic s being effected by a hand-key, k, Fig. 8, a pplied to k of the valve-stem c If the result of the above test should show an increaselof one hundred cubic feet of steam for every successive longitudinal line reached by the pencil over the number of. cubic feet shown for the immediately preceding longitudinal line, then the meter would be of proper size for a dwelling or other building containing fifteen thousand cubic feet of space to be warmed. I will suppose this meter to be in operation in a dwelling, and at the end of a month the amount recorded averaged five full spaces, and each of such spaces'bctweeu e a and between 8 to 7, and so on, of the ribbori M rcpresentsthe consumption of one hundred cubic feet of steam for one hour. To obtain the cost for one month or one year is as follows: Example: one hundred cubic feet per hour multiplied by the number of hours in 21 day shows'the consumption of twenty-four hundred cubic feet each day, which, multiplibd by the number of days in a month, shows the consumption ofseventy-two thousand cubic feet for one month, which multiplied by2 (the number of cents charged for a thousand cubic feet-,) will amount to one dollar and forty-four cents per month for each full space, and'such sum multiplied by5 (the number of spaces) willmake a total sum of seven dollars and twenty cents per month, or a grand total of fifty-seven dollars and sixty cents per year if the said value per month is multiplied by 8, 1

which is thc estimated years use of steam for warming the building.

The ribbons M may be collected once a month and any broken spaces indicated by the pencil arranged or computed before they go to the book-keeper, who, having a table with the price per month of each of said full spaces of'the ribbons for the different-size meters, will lznow at once how to eke out his bills.

The meter describ (1 will work practically correct even if the mean pressure of steam should vary five pounds either way from forty pounds-pressure, in which case the loss or gain I to the consumer would not exceed two percent. I have described the meter shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11 only as a meter for steam butit is equally as good for measuring many other fluids,'cither hot or cold, where the pressure below the cone-valve is less than above it, It may be opened or closed by hand, or, after having been slightly opened, it may be more-or less opened or cldsed automatically by the pressure of the steam below the valve, and thus the steam in. the house kept at a. uniform pressure, as will be hereinafter shown. have specially spoken of transmitting steam IlO [also through long linesof underground street-main pipes having expansion-joints; but that part, of my invention-viz., of supplying heat and power through mains such as des'cribed-i s not confined to steam as the heating and power agent, as such mains are equally useful for supplying either hot water or heated air for heating and power purposes; but I prefer to use steam in connection with such main pipes. As the steam passes out of the meter, Fig. 9, through the pipe a, back into the pipe 11' it will be under low pressure, and pass directly into L the radiator L through pipe '10, and into the radiator L through pipe a, the cocks d and dof the radiators being opened for this purpose; also, th rough pipe a into a press'uregage, G to indicate the pressure in thebuilding; also, through pipe a into a diap gm-regulator, K, connected with the key 0 the meter, to regulate the pressure in the building, as will be presently described.

In Figs. 7,12, 13, and 14 a steam-trap is

Images