IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Willian Louis Winans, of Dover Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and Thomas Winans, of Baltimore,
.. in the United States of America, but now residing at Dover Street
aforesaid, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
BOILERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Louis Winans
and Thomas Winans at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 23rd June 1863.
We, WILLIAM LOUIS WINANS, of Dover Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman; and THOMAS WINANS, of Baltimore, in the United States of
America, but now residing at Dover Street aforesaid, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS,"
to be as follows:-
"This Invention of "Improvements in Steam Boilers," relates to that
description of boiler known as the vertical boiler, in which the flue tubes are
arranged vertically above the fire-place or furnace. The present Invention
consists in removing or dispensing with a number of the flue tubes near the
centre of the boiler, leaving a vacant or unoccupied space at this part. Above
this vacant central space is made a man-hole in the dome or tube head of the
boiler, so that by removing the man-hole plate or cover a man can get down

page_text: into the boiler into the central space, which is surrounded by the flue tubes,
and can then examine and clean between the tubes. If desired a well may
be made in the lower tube plate for the convenience of standing in while
cleaning the lower tube plate. By this improved mode of constructing
vertical steam boilers their cleaning is greatly facilitated, and the circulation
of the water within them is much improved.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 23rd December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
LOUIS WINANS, of Dover Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
and THOMAS WINANS, of Baltimore, in the United States of America, but now
residing at Dover Street aforesaid, Gentlemen, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, Her special license that
we, the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Louis
Winans and Thomas Winans, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 said William Louis Winans and Thomas
Winans, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings

page_text: hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say)
Our Invention of "Improvements in Steam Boilers," relates to that
description of steam boiler known as the vertical boiler, in which the flue
tubes are arranged vertically above the fire-place or furnace. The present
Invention consists in leaving a space unoccupied by flue tubes in the centre of
the boiler, and sufficiently large to admit of a person getting down through
the man-hole at the top of the dome and through the man-hole, which is made.
in the upper tube plate above the space unoccupied by flue tubes, and by that
means obtaining access to the interior of the boilers at the central space which
is surrounded by tubes. The attendant will thereby be enabled to cleanse,
between the tubes, the tube plates, and other internal parts of the boiler with
facility. The central space will also serve for the purpose of securing a
better circulation of the water in the boiler. The lower tube plate at the
bottom of this vacant space may be arched up into this central vacant space so
as to give greater strength to the tube plate. The upper and lower tube
plates are strengthened by means of long stays, which will tie the two
together. If preferred this lower tube plate may be left straight, instead of
being arched up at the central vacant space; or, if preferred, for greater con-
venience in cleaning the lower tube plate and the lower ends of the tubes, a
well or inverted dome may be made in the lower tube plates at this central
vacant space sufficiently large to admit of a person standing down in it. If
desired the man-hole in the upper tube plate may be fitted with a suitable cap
or cover similar to the oue fitted at the top of the dome, and the dome may
then be placed at any other convenient place in connection with the boiler.
The furnace or fire-place is of the ordinary construction.
Having thus described the general features of our Invention, we will now
proceed to describe in detail the construction of the various parts.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through
the centre of a tubular steam boiler constructed according to our Invention ;
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same.
.
In Fig. 1, a, a, is the furnace or fire-place, which is of the ordinary con-
struction; b, b, are water spaces surrounding the same; c, c, are the flue
tubes which convey the heated gases from the fire-place through the boiler to
the smoke box d, d, in the centre of which is the steam dome e; f is the
cover or cap at the top of the steam dome; 9 is the central vacant space in
the boiler. The lower tube plate at the bottom of this vacant space g is
arched up as shewn at h, for the purpose of strengthening the tube plates;
i, i, are stays attached to the lower tube plate and to the waist of the dome

page_text: for the purpose of staying the upper and lower tube plates; Fig. 2 represents
the tubes c, c, c, c, surrounding the central vacant space g.
Having now described our Invention of "improvements in steam boilers, and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be
understood that we do not mean or intend to confine ourselves to the precise
details or arrangement of parts herein set forth so long as the peculiarity. of
any part of our Invention be retained; but what we do claim as the .Invention
secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid is, the construction of a vertical
tubular steam boiler as herein set forth, with a space in the centre of the
boiler unoccupied by tubes, so as to afford greater convenience for cleaning all
the internal parts of the boiler, and for giving a free and better. circulation.
of water in the boiler than has heretofore been had in the ordinary vertical
tubular boilers.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Louis Winans and Thomas
Winans, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth
day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty three.
W. L. WINANS.
(L.S.).
THOMAS WINANS. (L.S.)