A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT, OR IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING PITS, SHAFTS, MINES, WELLS, SHIPS' HOLDS, OR OTHER CONFINED PLACES
Year: 1837

page_text: FOURNESS SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FOURNESS, of Leeds, in the County of York, Painter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Sixteenth day of November last, in the first year of Her reign,
did, for, Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Fourness, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege, and.
authority, that I, the said William Fourness, my executors, administrators,,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Fourness, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other,
from time to time; and at all times during the term of years therein.
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, in the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Inven-
tion of "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT, OR IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING PITS,
SHAFTS, MINES, WELLS, SHIPS' HOLDS, OR OTHER CONFINED PLACES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Fourness,.
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as

page_text: in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Fourness, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in the Drawings hereunto annexed, and by the following
description or explanation thereof (that is to say) :-
My improvements in ventilating pits, shafts, mines, wells, ships' holds, or
other confined places, consist in a peculiar construction of apparatus adapted
to such purposes, and in the application of a rotary fan thereto as an
exhauster to draw the foul air therefrom; and in order to facilitate the follow-
ing more particular description of my improvements, I have attached to these
Presents four Sheets of Drawings, and marked the same with figures and
letters of reference.
These Drawings illustrating the details of my improvements are representa-
tions of the apparatus as peculiarly applicable to ventilating shafts and mines,
but it will be obvious that a slight variation in the construction only will be
necessary to apply the same to wells, ships' holds, and other confined places.
Plan 1, Figure 1st is an elevation of my improved apparatus, and Figure
2nd a plan of the same; k, k, k, k, are two side plates enclosing an ordinary
rotary fan, which is made to revolve by means of the speed pullies z, z, z;
around the fan are weather boards or shields A, A, A, to prevent any accidents,
but can be removed if necessary. Between these boards the fan delivers its
air; B, B, two side pipes, which are bolted fast to the side plates k, k, k, k, and
also to the foundation plate m, m; the dotted lines D, D, on the stonework shew
the wind road continued through the same to communicate with the cast-up pit:
C; N, N, is the ground line or the surface of the earth. The apparatus in the.
Drawing is represented out of motion, when required to be used; the door D;
must be closed, and the two valves a, a, a, a, to be set open to any necessary.
extent, and kept open by the catches y, y, affixed to the side pipe, the pit C
having a communication with the whole of the shafts in the mine or part of
them. Each shaft is an opening for the atmospheric air to "cast.down" the.
vacuum formed by the revolutions of the fan, draws the air through the bottom
workings or passages in the mine, sweeping all noxious gases away with it, and
by this means rendering the mines or any other place requiring ventilation
quite clear and wholesome; should any accident happen to any part of the
machinery the ventilation would be stopped. In order to keep up the ventila-
tion the following method is pursued :—b, b, b, b, shews the extremity of a

page_text: passage or cupola making a direct course from the cast-up shaft C to the bottom
of the ngine chimney E; f, f, the passage from the pit to the inside of
chimney; 9, 9, 9, in Figure second represents a steam pipe connected with the
boiler of the engine with holes pierced through it, and covering the surface of
the pipe on that side next the chimney. Shut the valves at a, a, a, a, and
open the door d which leads into the up-cast shaft C; the rarefaction caused by
the boiler fire in the chimney causes a current of air to be drawn to it; the
steam pipe g, g, g, in the plan Figure 2, is represented by e, e, in the elevation.
When the engine is standing the steam in the boiler is useless, turn it into the
pipe above described, and mixing with the gas coming in contact with the fire
or flame in chimney E, it brings the gas below firing point, and prevents it from
igniting; the steam at the same time causing a partial vacuum facilitates the
velocity of the air passing through the works of the mine or any other place
it may be applied to. Should there want new brasses take out the cotter pin
at h, slacken the nuts i, i, i, remove the headstocks sufficiently back to clear
the coupling h; the speed pullies can be then lifted off and the brasses examined
without disturbing the fan or shaft. Plan 2nd, Figure 3, represents at B, B, B, B,
a fan entirely open at its outer diameter; A, A, A, A, the two side pipes,
which are the passages for air; the inlets or air passages through the plates
e, e, e, e, e, e, are exactly the size of the fan in breadth, and of such dimensions
in depth as to allow the throttle valve at s, s, to bed against it; the form and
aperture of the inlet is shewn in Figure 7th, Plan 4th, at x, x, x, x, as also the
fan F; the dotted line d, d, shews the valve supposed to be situated in
the inlet or supply pipe, and can be opened or shut as necessity may require;
c, c, c, c, represents the flange of side pipe for the purpose of bolting it to
e, e, e, e, e, e, in Figure 3rd, Plan 2nd, d, d, the dotted lines shew the wind
roads through the stone work g, g. 9, 9; C, the driving pulley.
Figure 4th, K, K, shews the fan race; W, W, the wind road through the side
pipes; X, X, the throttle or stop-valve; S, S, the stonework for the founda-
tion. Plan 3rd, Figure 5th, represents an horizontal fan F, F, F, F, open at
its extreme diameter, same as Figure 3rd, Plan 2nd; W, W, W, a round iron
or other metal rim with a passage through it the exact size of the fan as a
supply, inlet, or wind road, which forms a communication with the shaft or pit
P, P; r, r, r, r, a ventilator fixed beneath the fan to be of sufficient diameter
to admit of any required quantity of air; G, the step or bearing for the axes of
the fan to run upon.
Figure 6th, L, L, represent the top side or plan view of the ventilator
,, r, r, in Figure 5th.

page_text: The contingent power for keeping up the ventilation in cases of accident,
in Figure 3rd, Plan 2nd; and Figure 5th, Plan 3rd, the same as what is resorted
to and described in Plan 1, Figures 1st and 2nd. This Invention is also
applicable for all purposes of exhausting air, gases, and chaloric. An example
is found on Plan 4th; u, u, u, u, represents a furnace R, R, a fan open all run
its diameter; W, W, W, W, the exhausting pipes delivering into the fan R, R..
Figure 9, t, t, t, t, a stove for the purpose of drying cores, loom, &c.; h, h, h, h,
an opening to the depth of the flue to allow the heat to ascend into the stove
t, t, t, t. The apertures in the sides of the furnace used for the purpose of turning
in the blast in this plan is reversed, namely, the air is drawn down the furnace
through the apertures along the flue represented by darts, which is walled with fire
bricks b, b, b, b, b, b, b, b, b, to the fan R, R, and then delivered into the atmosphere.
By this method metals, especially iron, will be greatly improved in quality;
the metal when in fusion will the more readily take up the carbon of the coke.
The fire is lit on the top of the furnace and drawn down on to the metal, the
weight of the metal, &c., following down as the combustion advances, feeding
the furnace at the top as usual. For the purpose of a blast erect a covering
or building of brick or other substance over either Figure 3rd, Plan 2nd,
or Figure 5th, Plan 3rd, perfectly air-tight; bringing the air from the outside
of the building beneath the floor to connect with the side pipes A, A,
in Figure 3rd, or the inlet W, W, W, Figure 5th, or the side pipes in Plan 1,
Figure 1st and 2nd, opening any unlimited number of openings in the sides of
the said building, and attaching pipes thereto for the purpose of conveying air
to the place required; by this means a superior blast may be got far surpassing
any now in use and with less power.
Having now described my improvements in ventilating, &c. and as above
stated, illustrated the same by shewing its particular application to mines, I
wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the peculiar construction
and application of the above described apparatus for the purposes of ven-
tilation.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fourness, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
W. FOURNESS. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of May, in the
first year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said William
Fourness came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.