IMPROVED BELLOWS FOR LIGHTING FIRES
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joachim Fossard at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
June 1870.
I, JOACHIM FOSSARD, of Boulevard de Strasbourg, No. 23, Paris, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVED BELLOWS FOR
LIGHTING FIRES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is an improved bellows which when
used to assist the lighting of fires will obviate the tedious process and
arrangement now necessary for that purpose. This bellows only differs
outwardly from the ordinary ones in consequence of having an enlarge-
ment or receptacle upon the neck or pipe between the body and the
nozzle.
The neck of my bellows is formed of two concentric pipes, the middle
one of which conducts pure air to the nozzle, while the exterior circum-
ferential one leads in the same direction air which has been carburated
by passing through a sponge impregnated with some suitable hydro-
carbon. The simultaneous expulsion of pure and carburated air from
the same nozzle thus forms a blow pipe as it were, and on its being

page_text: applied to a lighted match the latter immediately throws out a jet of
highly calorific flame, which will be maintained so long as the bellows
are worked; and since this flame is strong enough to ignite the coal,
wood, or whatever fuel of which the fire is made, it will be perceived
that in a very few minutes the latter will be ignited without requiring
the use of the paper, wood, or other means now employed to com-
municate the flame from the match to the fuel in chief. My bellows
thus also avoids the noxious smoke produced when fires are lighted in
the old method, and at the same time are economical.
The body of my bellows is preferably formed of two compartments,
one of which forms the regulating reservoir, which tends always to close
under the action of a spring. Two leather valves for the admission of
air are provided as usual. The air contained in the bellows after each
aspiration escapes in a continuous jet, produced by the regulating
reservoir, partly through the central neck or pipe, and partly through
a tube provided with a cock. The air which proceeds through the
central neck is ejected violently through the nozzle, while the air which
has proceeded through the tube just mentioned is led into the enlarge-
ment of the neck, which has before been spoken of, and there takes up
the volatile principles of the hydrocarbon with which the sponge con-
tained in the said enlargement is impregnated. After becoming
carburated this air is forced into the outer pipe of the neck, which
encloses the one through which the pure air flows, and finally proceeds
through the nozzle. If, as before stated, a lighted match be presented
to the double jet thus formed it will be immediately strongly ignited.
The nozzle is covered by a perforated cap to prevent the flame entering
the neck. The carburating liquid is fed to the sponge through a cock
made for the purpose in the enlargement of the neck. In order to
make my bellows act simply, like ordinary ones, it is sufficient to closo
the cock upon the tube which conducts that part of the air which is to
be carburated to the enlargement of the neck.