Improvements in or connected with Fire Places or Hearths.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left. 1st Aug., 1894-Accepted. 15th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Fire Places or Hearths.
I, RICHARD BOWES of Darlington in the County of Durham, Solicitor, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a method of and apparatus for doing away
with the present expensive and heat dissipating or abstracting metallic fire
places.
It consists essentially in forming a fire-clay or metal and fire-clay trough
having a series of grate bars supported on the sides of this trough some distance
from the bottom. The bottom of the trough serves as an ashpit, and the trough
itself holds the fire.
In my experimental apparatus, I have formed the back of the trough of
vertical iron plates having a ledge 3 or 4 inches from the bottom. The frout
of the trough is sloping at an angle of about 30 degrees and has a ledge at the
same height as the ledge at the back of the trough upon which the grate bars
rest. An air emission entrance, which can be regulated by a slide, admits air
to the space below the grate bars; this can be closed at any time. The trough,
if desirable, can be sunk level with the hearth, or it can stand somewhat above
the hearth, and have an ornamental front. It can have holes at the sides through
which the air inlet can pass, or it can be built up at the sides with ornamental
tile work, and carry a canopy in the usual form. Above the metal plate at the
back or even in place of the metal plate, I may have a deflecting back of fire-
clay. The entire trough can be arranged so that it can be pulled out when
required. The entrance for air can come from a point below the hearth or
fender in front. The points carrying the iron grid or grate can be of metal, or,
if desirable, the entire trough can be made of metal. It is not essential that the back
and sides should be vertical; they can be sloping to a smaller angle to the front and
sides or any other angle. In my trial apparatus, the trough below the grate is only
3 inches deep, and a further 3 inches above the grate. The grate is about 9 inches
wide from front to back, and the trough at the top is about 12 inches, but this can
be adapted to the size of room, etcetera, required to be warmed; the air inlet is
from the side about an inch from the bottom. This apparatus works admirably.
The trough can, if desirable, be formed in one with the jambs and the canopy,
and the entire apparatus made to fit a chimney piece, and in such manner that
it can be easily and quickly pulled out and inserted. In this case, it is frequently
preferable to have special inlets formed in the hearth and to arrange the trough
to sink below the level of the hearth somewhat, and to have orifices opposite
the inlets from the hearth or fender.
Dated this 31st day of October 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Fire Places or Hearths.
I, RICHARD BOWES of No. 3 Paradise Terrace, Darlington in the County of
Durham, Solicitor, 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:-
This invention has for its object a method of and apparatus for doing away
with the present expensive and heat dissipating or abstracting metallic fire
places.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a parlour fire place:
Figure 2, a sectional front elevation of a kitchen range: and
Figures 3 and 4, two modifications thereof.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2-
A is a fireclay or (in some cases) metal trough having a series of gratebars B
having either flat or convex surfaces and supported on the sides of the trough
some distance from the bottom. The bottom of the trough serves as an ashpit,
and the fire bars in this trough hold the fire. C is an air admission entrance
in any part of the trough below the grate from any convenient source regulated
by a slide D. E is a space surrounding trough communicating with the outside
of the building or with the air in the room supplying a Tobin ventilator or a
pipe leading off to where hot air is required. This portion is not absolutely
necessary and in some cases I prefer to dispense with it. The trough A in a
parlour is preferably sunk below the hearth, in a kitchen it is some distance
above it. It can have holes at the sides or front through which the air inlet
can pass, and it can be built up at the sides with ornamental tile work, and
carry a canopy in the usual form. Above the metal plate at the back or even
in place of the metal plate, 1 may have a deflecting back of fire-clay. The
entire trough can be arranged so that it can be pulled out when required.
The ledges carrying the iron grid or grate can be of metal, or, if desirable, the
entire trough can be made of metal.. It is not essential that the back and sides
should be vertical; they can be sloping to a small angle to the front and sides
or any other angle. In my first trial apparatus, the trough below the grate was
only 3 inches deep, and a further 3 inches above the grate. The grate was
about 9 inches wide from front to back, and the trough at the top about 12 inches,
but the dimensions naturally vary so as to be adapted to the size of room,
etcetera, required to be warmed; the air inlets are from the sides about an inch
from the bottom. This apparatus works admirably. The trough can, if desirable,
be formed in one with the jambs and the canopy, or in sectional parts, and the
entire apparatus made to fit a chimney piece, and in such manner that it can be
easily and quickly pulled out and inserted. In this case it is frequently preferable
to have special inlets formed in the hearth and to arrange the trough to sink below
the level of the hearth somewhat, and to have orifices opposite the inlets from the
hearth or fender going direct into the chimney.
This latter form is shown in Figure 3, in which A is a trough or box formed
preferably of fire-clay and having a ledge part of the way up, or, in some instances,
on the top for fire bars. B are the fire bars: E an air space round the trough,
communicating with the outside of the building or with the air in the room, and also
with a Tobin ventilator: or, in place of a Tobin ventilator, a pipe G leading it off
to any place where warm air is desirable. This portion is not absolutely necessary,
and in the kitchen grate hereafter described, I prefer to dispense with it. From
the space in the bottom of the trough used as an ashpit, an exit or entrance is
arranged, and in some instances I have two of these entrances, one of them C, coming
direct to it from the front of the hearth, and the other, F, passing to the flue N, or,

page_text: in the case of the kitchen range in Figure 4, passing round the oven and boiler.
The entrances C and F and the flue N can be supplied with dampers. In Figure 3,
a single damper I in the flue N is sufficient for all purposes. M is the canopy,
K the chimney, and L the hearth. It will be seen from this that the trough is
placed below the level of the hearth. It can, however, be placed in any other
convenient position, such as a considerable way above it, as set forth in Figures 2
and 4.
The mode of action of Figure 3 is as follows:-
A fire is lit in the grate, the damper I being raised so as to close the flue N, and
the damper in C, if there be one, is opened. The fire now acts in the ordinary
manner and the products of combustion go up the chimney K. When it is fairly
alight and it is desirable to reverse the current, the slide D is preferably closed and
the damper I is shut down on the space M. The flue is now open, and if a large
quantity of coal be now placed on the fire, the smoke formed passes through the
fire into the hot ash-pit and thence up the chimney. If there be a very large volume
of smoke, the damper in the air passage C can be slightly opened, allowing air
into the space below the grate, and thus any carbonic oxide or smoke which is
passed through the fire is burned. In order to utilise the heat in the chimney, the
grate back or canopy M formed of fire brick or metal can be made with a series of
ribs or protuberances radiating out into the room, and, where the fire is intended
always to have a down draught, this chimney back can be brightly polished and
give out a great heat; in that case, the damper I or the hole M₁ can be dispensed
with.
Referring now to Figure 4:-
The air entrance C, mentioned in connection with Figure 3, is replaced by a
small door in front, shown in dotted lines. This door can have adjustable openings
for draught and can be opened to withdraw the ashes, other openings below the
ovens. can also be made in front to scrape out ashes which may accumulate there;
a second door can also open above the grate, if desired, so as to admit air above.
If this be the case, some of the products of combustion rise up in the usual manner,
others pass down through the grate and pass out through the passages F into the
flues surrounding the ovens H where they join near the bottom. The current from
the part above the fire and the two currents pass on together to the usual chimney
at the back of the ovens. The openings from the trough into the flues can be of
some length and divided by longitudinal partitions so as to provide a large surface
f hot fire brick for the gases to impinge on or travel past. The passage to the
flue may be regulated with the usual dampers.
This invention is applicable for almost all fire places or hearths where they are
to be used for domestic heating, for heating boilers, heating apparatus, or for furnaces
or other structures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A fire place formed mainly of a fire brick or metal trough having fire bars
supported therein substantially as described.
2. A fire place having an inlet for air direct into the ashpit below the bars and
the orifice or exit opposite thereto or nearly so, in combination with slides or dampers,
whereby the draught can be regulated and made to go upward or downward, or the
fire allowed to smoulder, or air admitted below to consume the downward proceeding
smoke or to cause an upward draught on first lighting.
3. The special forms of fire place substantially as herein described.
Dated
1001
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.