CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CON- STRUCTING CHIMNEYS, AND IN THE MEANS USED FOR SWEEPING THE SAME, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER LIKE USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
KITE, of Hoxton, in the County of Middlesex, Coal Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said James Kite, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James
Kite, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said James
Kite, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter, during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within that part of Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CON-
STRUCTING CHIMNEYS, AND IN THE MEANS USED FOR SWEEPING THE SAME, PARTS OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER LIKE USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said James Kite,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, under my hand and seal, 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,

page_text: as 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
James Kite, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Sheets of Drawings marked A, B, C, and D, hereunto annexed, that is to
say-
Figure 1, Sheet A, is a sectional elevation, Figure 2 an external end view,
and Figure 3 an inside end view of the upper portion of a stack of chimneys,,
shewing my improvements in the construction of chimneys, and in the means
provided for sweeping the same. A, A, are the chimneys. B, a roof to the stack
of chimneys, composed of slate or any other suitable material, which extends
over the whole range of chimneys, and takes the place of the ordinary chimney
pots. It is of a three-tiered triangular form, and closed both at the apex and
at the two ends C, C, so as to exclude not only any downward rush of air into
the chimneys, but any longitudinal current which might interfere with their
upward draught. At the parts where the base of the second division or tier
of the roof of the stack projects over the top of the first, and where the base.
of the third or upmost division or tier projects over the top of the second,
there are deflecting openings a, a, for the escape of the smoke. D is an iron
tube, which extends the whole length of the roof of the stack of chimneys, and
has its bearings in the two end plates (C, C). E is a traversing block, which
works to and fro on the tube D. It is formed of two oblong plates b, b, con-
nected transversely by two fluted rollers c, c, (besides other cross pieces) by
which it rests upon and runs along the outside of the tube D when acted
upon in manner to be presently explained. E is a guide piece, consisting of
a ring-formed top, which is inserted within the tube D, and of a shank, which
passes through a slot made in the bottom of the tube (from end to end), and
made fast to the inside of the block E. F is a chain of two pieces, connected
together by the guide piece E. One end of this chain is secured to and wound
several times round a spring barrel F, fixed in the far end of the roof of the
chimney stack, just below the far end of the tube D. The other end passes
through the tube D out at the near end of the roof, over a pulley f, fixed in a
slot immediately below the near end of the tube D, and there hangs freely, as
shewn in Figure 2. The action of the spring barrel F, on one end of this
chain, is such that if not counteracted by an adequate force applied to the
other end it would draw the traversing block quite close to the far end of the
roof of the stack; but, by pulling at the other or free end of the chain (as

page_text: 9,
herein-after more particularly explained) the block can be drawn forward to
any point desired. G is a second chain, which passes at the inner end over a
pulley fixed within the traversing block below the tube D, and has there
attached to it the sweeping brush K, while the opposite end passes out at the
near end of the roof over a second pulley h, fixed in the slot, immediately
below the pulley f, and there hangs also free, as shewn in Figure 2. The
brush K is composed of two circular discs mand n, connected by a middle
block o, made of some heavy material, or suitably weighted; between which
dises and the middle block are inserted all round a number of slips of whale.
bone, cane, or any other material adapted to the sweeping of chimneys, as
shewn in Figures 1 and 3. L is an additional weight, which is attached to
the under side of the brush by means of a swivel joint, so that as the brush
descends it may more readily take towards that side which is lowest, and work
round and bend in the chimney. His a third chain, which works over a
pulley i, inserted in the slot g of the near end of the roof of the stack imme-
diately below the pulley h. At its inner end this chain is attached to a slip
bolt M, which commands the brush K in manner to be hereafter explained,
while the other hangs free on the outside of the roof in the same way as the
chains F and G. The slip bolt M, which has a helical spring attached to it, on
being allowed to go free catches under a conical stop v, which is inserted in
or forms part of the chain by which the brush is suspended from the chain G,
so that by pulling the chain I this slipbolt M can be withdrawn from its hold
of the brush, and the brush allowed to descend into any chimney required;
and when the brush has done its work, and been drawn up from the chimney,
it will catch again in the slipbolt M, and be held fast thereby. In the free
end of the chain F, by which the traversing block E is drawn in the opposite
direction or inwards, there are several large links 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which are
placed at equal distances from one another, which distances correspond exactly
with the distances between the centre lines of the different chimneys
1, 2, 3, 4, 5; and at the point N of the near end of the stack of chimneys
there is a peg fixed, on to which the chain can be hooked by any one of those
links 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, so that supposing the brush to be drawn close to the near
end by the chain F, and that chain F to be then hooked on to the pin N by
the link 1, the brush will be exactly over the chimney 1; and if it be then
drawn further down, and hooked on by the link 2, the brush will be over the
chimney 2, and so on. By this means a person using the apparatus can
always bring the brush with the utmost exactness over any chimney in which
it is desired to insert it.. When the brush has been dropped by the means
thus described into a chimney, it is to be worked up and down by means of

page_text: the chain G. Instead of the traversing block being moved by the means
before described, the same effect may be produced by carrying the far end of
the chain F over a simple pulley, and allowing it to descend on the outside
with a weight attached to it, as shewn at Q; or the chain, after passing over
the pulley, may be doubled back, as shewn at R, and secured to the inner end
of the traversing block, but in that case the piece E must be omitted, and the
chain F must be continuous instead of being divided by the piece E. That
part of the chains which hangs on the outside of the chimney is represented
in the Drawings as being uncovered; but it is recommended, though not
essential, that the three chains should be enclosed in a chamber or loft appro-
priated to the purpose, of size enough to allow a person to work freely in it;
and should a weight be employed at the opposite end to work the traversing
block that should have a shaft or chimney to rise and fall in. Where the
range of chimneys is not of much extent the tube D will not require any stays
or supports to keep it in a horizontal position; but wherever, from the length
of the tube, there is reason to apprehend that it may have a tendency to
yield, the traversing block may be made to run on rollers placed within the
tube D instead of on the top of it (the rollers being curved to suit the tube),
as shown in the longitudinal view Figure 4, and cross section Figure 5, and
the tube be sustained by ties from the apex of the roof of the stack. Or, in the
case of very long ranges of chimneys, the still securer method of working the
traversing block may be adapted which is represented in Figures 6 and 7,
Figure 6 being a longitudinal elevation, and Figure 7 a cross section of a
chimney roof fitted with this modification of my apparatus. E is a support
for the traversing block, which rests on a carriage R with four wheels, which
run on rods on rails 1, 1, which have their bearings in the two ends of the roof,
and may be further supported by struts or stays as required. Figure 8 shews
another method of working the traversing block, in which the spring barrel
and pulley or pullies may be placed inside of the tube D), instead of at the
ends, as in the other cases. When the chimney or chimneys to be swept is or
are of a very tortuous description, a chain of brushes of the form shewn in
Figure 9 may be substituted for that represented in Figure 1, each pair of
brushes in the series having a block inserted between them to keep them a
few inches apart, so as to allow of the chain taking any bend required. To
sweep the roof B, from time to time I make use of a triangular brush, such as
is represented in Figure 10, which may be either worked by means of a chain
similar to F of two parts, connected by an eye bolt y, fixed in the centre of thie
brush (like the guide pièce E before described), and in the same way; or it
may have a handle attached to it, and he worked by hand. To prevent the

page_text: soot resulting from the sweeping of the chimneys of the roof from finding
its ways into the apartments of the house, I make use of an expanding soot
box, such as is represented at, Figure 11, and separately on an enlarged
scale in Figures 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, Sheet D. Figure 12 is an under
view of the bottom of this box; Figure 13, a back elevation of it; Figure 14,
an end elevation and Figure 15 a top view of it in its expanded state
The bottom and sides of the box are made of wood, and connected at the four
corners by loose triangular pieces of leather or cloth, which admit of the sides
being expanded or thrown back to the extent of these pieces, as shewn in
Figure 15, and by the dotted lines in Figure 13. The upper edges or lips of
the four sides are stuffed with wool, hair, or some other elastic material, so as
to bulge out a little beyond the rest of the sides. S, SE, S, S, are four stays
or shoulders pieces, one of which is shewn separately in Figure 16, which are
screwed into the bottom of the box. T, TT, T, are four angle springs,
which are shewn separately without the spirals in Figure 17, which turn on
hinges at the angles, the longitudinal arms of which are passed through the
stays S, and there made fast by nuts, while the vertical arms are secured to
the sides and ends of the box, as shewn in Figure 14. By means of these
springs the box will contract or expand itself exactly, according to the size of
the chimney in which it is inserted, the padded tops adapting themselves
readily to any inequalities in the chinney, and allowing no soot to escape
except down into the box. Where, as in the case of many existing buildings,
the mode before described of constructing chimneys with one continuous roof
to the stack cannot be conveniently adopted, the chimneys may have their
draught much improved, to the extent in most cases of preventing entirely the
nuisance of smoke, by surmounting them with single cowls or tops (I use the
terms as synanymous), or cowls with wind-guards, constructed on the same
principle as the continuous roof. Sheet 13 exhibits several varieties of such
cowls and wind-guards. Figures 18 and 19 represent the triangular roof in
its simplest form without any deflecting side opening or openings. Figures 20
and 21 are roofs surmounted by single deflectors. Figures 22 and 23 are
roofs with double deflectors. Figures 24 and 25 cowls with double deflectors,
surmounted by wind-guards provided with similar deflectors, these wind-guards
being in fact exact counterparts of the cowls to which they are attached, but
fixed in a horizontal instead of a vertical position.
Figures 26 and 27, Sheet C, exhibit a cowl of a lobster-back form, sur-
mounted by a wind-guard; or, instead of eacli chimney being provided with a
separate cowl or cowl and wind-guard, a number of chimneys may be covered
in with one large triangular roof, surmounted by a deflecting cowl of the

page_text: lobster-back or any of the other forms common to the whole, as shewn in
Figure 27. Some of the.deflectors in the Figures from 18 to 27: inclusive
are of a downward-pointed shape, similar to those represented in Figure 1,
and others variously curved, but they all possess the common and distinctive
property of deflecting from their surfaces, and consequently from the chimneys
which they are placed to protect, all downward or horizontal currents of air.
All these cowls or roofs may be made of zink, or any other material usually
employed in the construction of cowls for chimneys.
The improved system of constructing chimneys with continuous roofs before
described may also be applied with advantage to the better ventilation of
churches, chapels, and other public and private buildings. Figures 29,
30, 31, and 32, represent the application of this system to the ventila-
tion of a church. Figure 29. is an external elevation of the church;
Figure 30, a cross section; Figure 31, a cross section of the top portion
on an enlarged scale; and Figure 32 a plan of the top. A is the con-
tinuous roofing with three deflecting openings on each side; B, a longi-
tudinal opening in the ceiling, which may be closed or opened by the
valve C, through which opening the heated and foul air escape into the roof,
and thence into the external atmosphere. The adoption of the continuous
roofing admits of the ventilation of private buildings being also promoted by
the insertion in the chimneys, near to the top at each apartment, of ventilating
.bricks or plates, as shown at a, a, in the sectional view of a house, Figure 11.
A front view, side view, and cross section of one of these ventilating bricks or
plates are given separately in Figures 33, 34, and 34. Each brick or plate
consists of two parallel pieces connected by a pin a, which is inserted in a slot
6, and is free to move to the extent of that slot. The two pieces are
perforated with holes, the holes in the one plate coinciding exactly with those
in the other when the two plates are flush with one another; but by shifting
the relative positions of the picces a little by means of a rope c, which is
attached to the pin a, and runs over the pulleys d², d, and is designed to
hang down within reach of the hand, the solid parts of the one piece may be
brought over the holes in the other to a greater or less extent, or so as to close
them entirely when desired. These ventilating bricks or plates will also be
found to assist materially the up-draught of the chimneys to which they are
applied. When continuous roofs to chimney stacks on my system are adopted
a ready means of escape from fire may be combined with them, where there is
ran opening of sufficient width between the two parts of a stack of chimneys,
as represented in Figure 11, Sheet C, by keeping a ladder or ladders constantly
fixed in it ready for use.

page_text: In Figure 11, Sheet C, A represents a chimney for air or smoke opening
under the kitchen ceiling, and extending to the top of the house, for the
purposes of ventilation and of carrying off any smoke in the rooms. Where
the chimney stack is built as in the above Figure, the top of this air chimney
may be covered with any of the said cowls or roofs for the purpose of creating
a draught up the same. Where the chimney stack has no opening in.
the middle, as in the above Figure, the top of the air chimney may be
carried into and under the roof of the chimney stack, and will thus
partake of the draught created by any roof or cowl to such stack as before
described. The communication between the said air chimney and the rooms
of the house is effected by inserting my said ventilating bricks or plates
in the sides of the air chimney, as at B, B, B, in Figure 11, in the
upper part of the wall of each room. Cowls or roofs of any of the forms
before described may also be applied with effect to the ventilation of light-
houses, as represented in Figure 35, or to single lamps, as in Figure 36. For
such lamps as are employed to light the interior of carriages, cowls of these
forms will be found particularly suitable. Figure 37 shews the application to
railway carriages, supplies of fresh air may be thrown into which, if
requisite, by means of tubes conducted down the backs of the carriages, in the
direction indicated by the dotted lines. In some cases it may be desirable to
cause a current of air to flow downwards, as in a ship when the hold has
become foul; and for this purpose a cowl or roof of any of the forms
described may be rendered equally suitable, by inserting a deflecting plate
(which may be made of the same material as the cowl) within the cowl or
roof, as shewn at f in Figure 38. A general arrangement for ventilating
ships, in which several of the preceding plans are combined, is shown in
Figure 39. The funnel of the cabin stove G is surmounted with a cowl and
wind-guard, of the forms represented in Figures 24 and 25. H, I, are two
glass skylights, made with two deflecting openings on each side, in the same
way as the cowls before described. K, K, are additional funnels for the intro-
duction of cold air, made with a downward deflecting cowl, as represented in
Figure 38. The different modes of working the traversing block E, before
described, are obviously susceptible of many other useful applications. The
one shewn in Figures 5 and 8 would be found particularly applicable to
curtain poles; that is to say, the curtain pole might be made hollow, as there
shewn, and the curtains drawn backward or forward by means of ropes, spring
barrel, and pulleys enclosed in the pole, and worked in the manner before
described.

page_text: And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,―
First, the construction of stacks of chimneys with continuous roofs, having
deflecting side openings for the escape of the smoke, and either with or
without an apparatus for sweeping the chimney's permanently fixed within the
said roofs, and workable from the outside, all as before described.
Second, the chimney-sweeping apparatus, as before described.
Third, the construction of chimneys with cowls, or with cowls and wind-
guards of any of the forms before described.
Fourth, the expanding soot box, before described.
Fifth, the application of the continuous roofs above described with deflecting
side openings, to the better ventilation of buildings, and whether combined or
not combined with my ventilating bricks, as before described.
Sixth, the application of cowls, or cowls and wind-guards, or roofs, with or
without valves, as shewn in Figure 38, to the ventilation of buildings, light-
houses, ships, carriages, and single lamps, of the forms and as before
described.
Seventh, the air chimney shewn in Figure 11, in combination with the said
cowls or roofs, and with the said ventilating bricks, as before described; and,
Eighth, the application of the modes of working the traversing block E to
curtain poles and other like useful purposes, as before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Kite, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-five.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid James Kite came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.