Improvements in Firelighters.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Firelighters.
We, WILFRID CAMPBELL LATHAM, of Wothorpe, Leicester Road, New Barnet,
Herts, Manufacturer, MARY ROSENNA LATHAM, of Wothorpe, Leicester Road,
New Barnet, Herts, Married Woman, WILFRED BEECHLEY HOPKINS, of 14, Shaftes-
bury Avenue, New Barnet, Herts, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide an effectual and cheap firelighter
to be complete in itself, i.e. not requiring paper or additional lighting matter
and further so designed that chips, shavings, or other waste wood or the like
may be used in its construction. With this end we take paper, canvas, tape,
or other suitable material, cut into strips of a suitable length and breadth, and
cover or partially cover the same with adhesive matter such as glue, gum, or
the like, and across the said strips we lay a number of pieces of wood side by
When the adhesive matter
side and, for preference, about half an inch apart.
on the aforementioned strips has dried sufficiently to hold the said pieces of
wood, we place some chips, shavings, or other waste of an inflammable nature
upon the construction and roll it all into a bundle, fastening the same together
by means of string or other suitable material.
anter first day of September 1899.
WILFRID CAMPBELL LATHAM,
MARY ROSENNA LATHAM,
WILFRED BEECHEY HOPKINS.
Improvements in Firelighters.
We, WILFRID CAMPBELL LATHAM, of Wothorpe, Leicester Road, New Barnet,
Herts, Manufacturer, MARY ROSENNA LATHAM, of Wothorpe, Leicester Road,
New Barnet, Herts, Married Woman, and WILFRED BEECHEY HOPKINS, of
14, Shaftesbury Avenue, New Barnet. Herts, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of the present invention is to provide a fire-lighter inexpensive in
construction and efficient and economical in use.
In carrying out our invention,. we take a number of wood strips of approxi-
mately even length, and string them together side by side at intervals of about
half an inch. This ladder-like structure is laid around scraps of waste wood
and similar material, and the whole bound up or fastened.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing,
Figs. 1 and 2 shew, respectively in end view and plan, the fire-lighter
complete and ready for use.
a are sticks about 5 inches long, which, for convenience of stringing together,
are provided at their ends with notches or saw-cuts b. care strings of any
suitable material lapped about the sticks, and passed through the notches in
such a manner as to secure the said sticks side by side at short intervals. dd are
shorter pieces of waste wood, which are arranged transversely to the sticks a,
and secured at their opposite ends to two of the latter, preferably by means
of nails.
The space between the pieces of wood dd is available for containing a loose
filling of refuse material of a combustible nature. Two pieces of wood, e, e, are
shewn in the drawing as constituting this filling, which, although loose, cannot
fall out when the structure is folded up, and secured by tying the ends of the
strings c, and by binding around the string f
The firelighter may, if desired, be dipped in rosin or similar material, to
render it more combustible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
°
The firelighter of the form described with reference to the, accompanying
drawing, consisting of sticks strung together in ladder form, and secured around
a loose filling of combustible material, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 25th day of June 1900.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.