IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLEARING OUT THE INTERIOR OF FOUL CHIMNIES OR FLUES WHEN ON FIRE OR OTHERWISE
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Webster, of New Radford, in the County
of Nottingham, Locksmith, and William Forgie, of Nottingham, in the
County of Nottingham, Lace Cap Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLEARING OUT THE
INTERIOR OF FOUL CHIMNIES OR FLUES WHEN ON FIRE OR OTHERWISE."
Sealed the 18th September 1863, and dated the 19th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Webster and
William Forgie at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 19th March 1863.
We, CHARLES WEBSTER, of New Radford, in the County of Nottingham,
Locksmith, and WILLIAM FORGIE, of Nottingham, in the County of Notting-
ham, Lace Cap Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLEARING OUT THE
INTERIOR OF FOUL CHIMNIES OR FLUES WHEN ON FIRE OR OTHERWISE," to be as
follows:-
The apparatus consists of a series of steel or other hard malleable metal strips
or material, by preference about inch thick and inch broad, and divided

page_text: into eight or other suitable number of equal parts about eight inches long, more
or less, according to the size of the apparatus required. These parts are formed
into semi or half circles upon edge, with saw teeth cut thereon, and attached to
or mounted upon a steel spindle or rod of metal, by preference about an inch
in diameter and about 12 inches long, having joints near each end, to which
the parts previously described are attached, part at one end and part at the
other, so that the unjointed ends of the strips meet and overshoot each other,
and although coupled together they are quite at liberty to expand by means
of self-acting springs, which cause the apparatus, when at liberty to do so, to
expand into a globular shape, but when compressed they contract into a small
compass, and thereby the apparatus adapts itself to the interior form of tho
chimney or flue or any inequalities thereof. The apparatus is worked by
means of a series of rods made of steel or other hard material screwed to the
apparatus, and in succession to one another, by which it is moved up and
down the chimney or flue, and if the same is on fire a lever handle is employed
to work the apparatus to and fro in the flue, by which great power can be
imparted thereto, and at the same time permit the operator to stand at a safe
distance from the burning material as it is discharged from the flue.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Webster and William Forgie in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
WEBSTER, of New Radford, in the County of Nottingham, Locksmith, and
WILLIAM FORGIE, of Nottingham, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Cap
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Charles Webster and William Forgie, Her special licence that we,
the said Charles Webster and William Forgie, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Webster and William
Forgie, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should. and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle, of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLEARING OUT THE INTERIOR OF FOUL
CHIMNIES OR FLUES WHEN ON FIRE OR OTHERWISE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Charles Webster and William Forgie, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the Charles Webster and William Forgie,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The apparatus consists of a series of steel or other hard malleable metal strips
or material, by preference about inch thick and inch broad, and divided
into eight or other suitable number of equal parts about eight inches long, more
or less, according to the size of the apparatus required. These parts are formed
into semi or half circles upon edge, with saw teeth cut thereon, and attached
to or mounted upon a steel spindle or rod of metal, by preference about an
inch in diameter and about 12 inches long, having joints near each end, to
which the parts previously described are attached, part at one end and part at
the other, so that the unjointed ends of the strips meet and overshoot each -
other, and although coupled together they are quite at liberty to expand by
means of self-acting springs, which cause the apparatus, when at liberty to do
so, to expand into a globular shape, but when compressed they contract into a
small compass, and thereby the apparatus adapts itself to the interior form of
the chimney or flue or any inequalities thereof. The apparatus is worked by
means of a series of rods made of steel or other hard material screwed to the
apparatus, and in succession to one another, by which it is moved up and down
the chimney or flue, and if the same is on fire a lever handle is employed
to work the apparatus to and fro in the flue, by which great power can
be imparted thereto, and at the same time permit the operator to stand-
at a safe distance from the burning material as it is discharged from the flue.

page_text: Invention, the parts being in the position they would assume when allowed to
expand to their fullest extent; Figure 2 shows a similar view showing the
position the parts would assume when constructed within a flue in the act of
clearing out or cleaning the same. a and a¹ are a series of curved strips of
metal (by preference made of tempered steel) jointed at their upper ends to
the metal spindle or rod b at b', as shown. The lower ends of these curved
metal strips or arins a, a¹, carry grooved trucks or rollers a³, a², between
which and the pins or studs a³, a³, the ends of the metal arms or levers a', a',
are guided. The lower ends of the metal arms or levers a are jointed to the
spindle or rod b, and are at all times forced outwards or expanded by means
of the springs as, a', fixed on the rod b, acting against the projections aº, aº,
formed on the lever arms a, a, as clearly shown in the Drawing. a', a', are
guide rollers carried by the upper ends of the arms or strips a and a¹, which
are borne outwards by the springs a³, as, fixed to the upper end of the rod or
spindle b. The metal strips or arms a and a¹ are by preference of the shape
shown, being formed with serrated edges or saw teeth cut thereon, so that when
the apparatus is moved up and down within the flue or chimney the edges of
the strips will readily cut away and remove the soot or other matter accumu-
lated therein. The lower end of the rod bis formed with a screw or socket
to connect it to other rods or tubes c, Figure 6, by preference made of steel,
and of suitable length, which rods are in like manner connected to other rods
until the desired length of rod is attached to the apparatus to render it suitable
for the distance it is required to reach. When the chimney or flue is on fire,
or the operator is exposed to excessive heat, the lever or strong plyers, shown
at Figure 7, may be employed to grasp the lower end of the rod, which may
then be actuated by several persons if required. In order to prevent the
burning soot as it descends from the flue or chimney injuring the floor or
contents of the apartment, we prefer to place a trough or other receptacle
containing water as near as possible to the bottom of the flue to receive and
extinguish the same.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, we would have it under-

page_text: stood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact details herein described, so
long as the peculiar character of our Invention be retained, but what we claim
is, the arrangement and construction of apparatus for clearing out the interior
of foul chimnies or flues when on fire or otherwise as herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Webster and William Forgie
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three.
CHARLES WEBSTER. (L.S.)
WILLIAM FORGIE.
(L.S.)
CHARLES WEBSTER. (L.s.)
WILLIAM FORGIE.
(L.S.)