Patent number: 1037979
Issue date: Sep 10, 1912
Inventor: C. PERKINS
... cutting, fusing or melting steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, cast iron or other metals by the combined use of an electric arc and oxygen gas or air with acetylene, hydrogen and oil or other gases in combination with oxygen or air and in connection with the electric arc blow pipe or torch.
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR WELDING - Google Patents This is a patent Yule Brown referes to in his
4081656 arc assist patent.
It sounds to me like it covers the basics of HHO and Brown gas as well as Stan Meyer and Dennis Klein's inventions. There are many others but let us look at Frank today :)
Not sure if this is the same Frank. But this is what I can find about him.
Western Electrician, June 27, 1903, page 503:
Wireless Communication Between Santa Catalina Island and the Mainland. BY FRANK C. PERKINS.
http://earlyradiohistory.us/1903cat.htm http://earlyradiohistory.us/sec007.htm Beautiful certificate from the Pacific Wireless Telegraph Company issued in 1907. http://www.scripophily.net/pawitecowa19.html Improved English Gold Dredge in West Africa. FRANK C. PERKINS.
Mining World - Sept. 4, 1908.
Illustrates and describes construction of gold dredges,comparing advantages in operation. 1200 w.
Gold Dredging by Electric Power. FRANK C. PERKINS.
Electrical Engineer, London - Aug. 17, 1906.
Illustrates and describes method used in the west of applying electrical energy to this work. 1200 w.
A New American Gold Dredge.
http://members.tripod.com/~placerstrike/page4.html and he is mentioned in this pretty doc.
http://dspace.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/3542/1/027_40.pdf