IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, PROMOTING COMBUSTION, AND FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Arena Martin, of 90, Cannon Street, in the
City of London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, PROMOTING COMBUSTION, AND FEEDING
FURNACES WITH FUEL."
Sealed the 12th July 1867, and dated the 22nd January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Arena Martin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd January 1867.
J, WILLIAM ARENA MARTIN, of 90, Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONSUMING SMOKE, PROMOTING COMBUSTION, AND
FEEDING FURNACES WITH FUEL," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its objects improvements in the means of consuming
smoke and of effecting combustion in the furnaces of steam boilers, as also
improvements in the means of supplying furnaces with fuel; for these pur-
poses I employ a fire-door having a horizontal axle at the top, the said
horizontal axle being supported by a bearing at each side on the side plates
herein-after mentioned. By applying a lever to the said horizontle axle and
working it the fire-door will open either inward or outward, and will thus

page_text: either serve to push fuel into the fire or to admit air. The above-men-
tioned fire-door is cased or framed in by side plates, and has underneath it a
curved plate on which the fuel rests while being pushed into the fire by the
said firc-door; the front or greater part of the afore-mentioned curved plate
is fixed on hinges or joints to the side plates herein-before mentioned. In
order to support the said curved plate I fix a piece of iron three sides of a
square to the afore-mentioned side plates so as to swing under the curved
plate, by removing this piece of iron the curved plate is made to drop on
its hinges or joints. I propose also to use a hopper to contain the fuel when
the afore-said fire-door is used for supplying the furnace with fuel. Between
the said hopper and the afore-mentioned fire-door I place a valve or regulator
to regulate the supply of fuel to the furnace; this valve or regulator is so
fixed as to fall close when the hopper is empty; on each side of the said
apparatus is a small door for the admission of air and fire-irons.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Arena Martin in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARENA MARTIN, of 90, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Arena Martin, Her special license that I, the said William
Arena Martin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Arena Martin, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should in any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter 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 CONSUMING SMOKE, PROMOTING COMBUSTION, AND FEEDING
FURNACES WITH FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Arena Martin, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should

page_text: 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 I, the said William Arena Martin, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The Invention has for its objects improvements in the means of consuming
smoke, and of effecting more perfect combustion in the furnaces of steam
boilers; as also improvements in the means of supplying furnaces with fuel.
For these purposes I employ a fire-door having a horizontal axle at the top,
that is to say, that instead of the door being swung vertically it is swung
horizontally, the said horizontal axle being supported by a bearing at each
side on the side plates herein-after mentioned. In addition, instead of the
door having a flange or rebate, and the furnace front having a corresponding
flange or rebate, or either the door or furnace front being thus provided, the
door is so constructed and fixed in a frame or side plates that by applying a
lever to the said horizontal axle, and working it, the door will open either inwards
or outwards, and will thus either by its inward movement serve to push fuel
into the fire, or by either inward or outward movement to admit the quantity.
of air necessary to ensure perfect combustion, and thereby consumption of
smoke. The above-mentioned fire-door is cased or framed in by side plates,
or by a single plate, and has underneath it a curved plate, on which the fuel
rests while being pushed into the fire by the said fire-door. The front or
greater part of the before-mentioned curved plate is fixed on hinges or joints
to the side plates berein-before mentioned. In order to support the said
curved plates I fix a piece of iron, three sides of a square, to the before-
mentioned side plates, so as to swing under the curved plate; by removing
this piece of iron the curved plate is made to drop on its hinges or joints.
Instead of the curved hinged plate I in some cases use only a flat fixed
plate which may form part of the frame of horizontally swung door. I
propose also to use a hopper to contain the fuel when the herein-before
mentioned fire-door is used for the purpose of supplying the furnace with
fuel; between the said hopper and the herein-before mentioned fire-door I
place a valve or regulator to regulate the supply of fuel to the furnace; this
valve or regulator is so fixed as to fall close when the hopper is empty; on
each side of the said apparatus is a small door for the admission of air and
fire-irons.

page_text: In order that the nature of the said Invention and the means by which I
effect the same may be clearly understood and described I append to this
Specification a Sheet of Drawings having figures and letters of reference
marked thereupon, the same letters being used to denote similar parts in each
Figure.
In these Drawings Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of a furnace
having my improved door, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the door and
its frame.
a is the horizontally swung door; b is the axle of same resting in the
bearings c; and d, d, represent balance weights which maintain the door in
any position in which the operator may, by means of the lever or levers e
place it; in these views the herein-before mentioned flat fixed plates f only
are used, the door not being used or employed as a feeder or means of pushing
forward the fuel; r, r, are lugs for the purpose of thereby fixing the door and
frame to furnace front.
Figures 3 and 4 show the application of my Invention with the curved
plate f, as herein-before mentioned, on which the fuel is to rest, when the
door is in addition employed as a feeder of the fuel to the furnace; this
curved plate f¹ is fixed on binges or joints 9, 9, so as to admit of its being
placed in the position, as shewn, when it is desired to stoke the fire or rake
out the same; this having been done the plate may be returned to its usual
position (f, Figure 3), and is there securely held by means of a clipping
piece or frame on hinges or joints i, Figure 4; this clipping piece is repre-
sented by dotted lines in Figure 3. Figure 4 is a front clevation, and
Figure 3 a sectional elevation of this arrangement, as described.
Figures 5 and 6 represent my Invention with the feeding hopper ; and
regulating valve k, as herein-before mentioned, for the purpose of regulating
the supply of fuel to the furnace. The valve is provided at its under side
with the rack and a pinion m supported on a shaft n in bearings o, o; the
valve can thus be moved to and fro by means of the lever p, so as to regulate
the admission of the fuel. When this form of my apparatus is adopted I
place small doors (9, 9, Figure 6) at each side of the main door so as to
allow of the use through them of the fire-irons, or to admit if necessary air.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my Invention, and the
means by which the same is effected, I wish it to be understood that what I
claim is the construction and application and use of my improved door, as
berein in this Specification described, and in the appended Drawings illus-
trated, used either simply by itself or with my curved feeding plates f¹, and
without or with my improved hopper with regulating valve. I use the simple

page_text: horizontally swung door merely for promoting the combustion of fuel and
prevention of smoke, but when it is desired to use it for the purpose of passing
fuel on to the fire I use therewith the curved feeding plates, and in some
cases the hopper and valve for the purpose of regulating the supply of fuel.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Arena Martin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year of
our Lord Ono thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. HUDSON.
WILLIAM ARENA MARTIN. (L.S.)