CILASDELISB19.
Mr. Hughes, of the Atlas Works, Hatton Garden, has recently patented what he call& a gas-escape " indicator." This contrivance is a small whistle applied to the upper part or throat of the outside tube of the telescopic or sliding chandelier, in order to inform the inmates of the house, or the person lighting the chandelier, that an escape of gas is taking place, and that more water is-required in the tube. Water being the joint in the sliding chandelier, it is very likely to be affected in various ways, but in no way so much as by evaporation. When so much of the water has evaporated as to break the joint, the gas rushes up the outer pipe, and escapes into the room to the imminent peril of the whole house. By Hughes's contrivance the gas when escaping rushes through the whistle and makes a shrill noise, the intensity of which is ae the intensity of the rush of gas. The house is alarmed, necessary precautions are taken, and consequently accidents are. prevented.
On the same premises we inspected Hughes's "Patent Safety Atlas Sliding Chandelier," which is so constructed as to dispense with those dangerous weights with which chandeliers are at present kept in their places. These weights being dependent for their suspension on small brass chains, and as these chains are constantly being heated by the burning gas—soon become rotten, the chains snap and down comes the weight, the balance being lost; and as an increased strain is put upon the rest, they too, would be very likely to snap, thereby allowing the chandelier to fall, and the gas to escape from the open end of the tube off which. it had sudden. In Mr. Hughes's invention the counter-balance is in- one piece, in the form of a ring or boss, which encircles the tube, and in the event of the chains giving way, the weight falls on the body of the chandelier, and in falling, it aets upon a valve, which instantly shuts off all escape of gas. In this chandelier the patentee gets his slide of greater length, and consequently is rendered capablee, of being lowered to the table or desk at pleasure, at the same time less gas is required. By the new arrangement a greens!, variety of ornamentation can be given to the chandelier ; besides, the sliding principle can be applied to glass chandeliers, a thing hitherto un- attainable by the old method_ The new mode of suspension may be applied to all existing chandeliers having the ordinary weights.
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