Untitled record

Application filed November 12,1881. (Xo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Richard F. W. Loper, of Philadelphia, in tbe State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improve5 inents in Illuminating-Candles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to tbe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form io part of this specification, in which—

Figure 1 is a top view of ray improved candle. aud Fig. 2 a vertical section on the linep p of Fig. 1.

This invention relates to an improvement in 15 the manufacture of illnmiuating-candles which are especially designed for use on railroads, steamboats, audfor otherpurposes where great illuminating power is desired, combined with portability and safety; and the object of my 20 invention is to practically employ a broad flat wick in a candle which is composed of any suitable solid hydrocarbon or inflammable matter, as will be hereinafter explained.

In order that others may avail themselves 25 of the benefits of my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction.

A designates a broad flat wick, about which is molded the body B of the candle, which may be composed of stearine, paraffine, sper30 maceti, tallow, wax, or of other suitable hydrocarbon or in flammable substance, or a combination of either one or more of such substances, with or without the addition of animal-charcoal.

It is essential to the success of my flat_:wick candle that the body thereof approximate the form in cross-section of the wick—that is to say, the outline of the candle, when taken in cross-section, should be flattened or elliptical, as represented in Fig. 1, the flattened sides 40 corresponding to those of the wick. By this form it will be seen that the circumference of tbe body is equidistant, or nearly so, from the wick when taken in any radial plane. Consequently the substance composing the body will 45 be consumed equally, as every part of its outline is equidistant from the plane.

It is obvious that if the body of the candle were cylindrical, as candles with rounded wicks have hitherto been made, and the wick were flat, 50 the inflammable material would be unequally supplied to the. flame to support combustion, and it would not be wholly consumed.

The flat wick A will afford a broad flame, like that of a coal-oil lamp. At the same time the 55 danger attending such lamps is avoided. The form of the body of the candle may be slightly varied from that shown in the drawings without departing from tbe nature of my invention, which is the elliptical or oblong contour set 60 forth.