" Roslee " Acetylene Illumination for Commercial Vehicles.
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Messrs. J. T. Williams and Co., 344, Newtown Row, Birmingham, were early in the field with a self-contained equipment for the illumination of commercial-motor vehicles by means of acetylene. The first double-deck motorbuses supplied by Milnes-Daimler, Limited, which were put into service by the Birmingham Motor Express Company, Limited, were fitted with examples of the lighting system by this maker. In 1907 a considerable constructional improvement of the generator was patented by the company, but not until six months ago were the new equipments, embodying this improvement, put upon the market, and then the new lighting sets were only suitable for fitting to pleasure vehicles. So successful, however, did the new arrangements prove to be, that the maker decided further to develop the system in order to render it suitable for application to railway and tramway oars, motorbuses and other commercial vehicles and even to yachts. We reproduce on this page a sectional drawing of the most recent type of generator, as this is the principal unit of the new " Roslee " outfits. The other details comprise the special form of filter and condenser, and the various patterns of lamps and their proper tubing. The generator consists of the main water reservoir, the inner gas-making chamber and the automatic feeding devices. The supply of water to the carbide is opened or closed by means of a small spring-controlled valve, the end of which protrudes through the top of the outer casing. When this valve is pulled off its seat, water finds its way into the central hollow tube, and it then percolates upwards between this tube and the surrounding one, over the top of a mushroom-shaped distributor, whence it drips on to the top portion of the carbide holder. This section of the holder is mounted on gimbal rings, and this is the arrangement which, in an ingenious manner, ensures that the whole surface of the carbide shall receive a proper distribution of water. As the water drips on to a portion of the carbide a local swelling takes place, and this tips the pivoted top half of the holder, so that the water, which drips on to it, will run down on to that part of the charge which has not previously been affected. This action is quite automatic, as is also that. of the bottom half of the holder ; this latter fitting is mounted on a spiral spring so that, as the carbide swells, the whole of the lower half of the carbide container is pushed downwards, and with it the mushroom-shaped water spreader. The dimensions of the whole device have been so proportioned that the bottom half of the carbide container • sinks at exactly the same rate as the level of the water above it. This precaution ensures that there is always a uniform pressure of water upon the gas. The rate of flow of the water into the generating compartment is entirely regulated by the back pressure of the gas in the chamber. As more lamps draw off gas from the reservoir, so more water flows over to the carbide, owing to the reduction in pressure. The new " Roslee " equipment is particularly suitable for use on motorbuses, motoreabs, mail vans, on certain types of delivery vans, and on ambulances.