A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR STEAM BOILERS, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HILLS the younger, of Saint Michael's Alley, Cornhill, in the City of London,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of February, in the third year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Hills the younger, His especial licence that I, the said Thomas Hills
the younger, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Hills the younger, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of fourteen
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR STEAM BOILERS, AND OTHER USEFUL
PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me,
the said Thomas Hills the younger, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be enrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, 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
Thomas Hills the younger, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention

page_text: to consist in causing what is commonly called the apron plate or dead plate in
furnaces, to be kept heated as uniformly as may be to a red heat, by means of
heat applied to the under surface of it, so that coals thrown on it when so heated
may be rapidly decomposed and deprived of their inflammable gas before they
are pushed forward on to the furnace bars. And in further compliance with
the said proviso, I, the said Thomas Hills the younger, do hereby describe the
manner in which my said Invention is to be performed, by the following descrip-
tion thereof, reference being had to the Drawing annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents my said improvement in section, and the mode of heating
the apron plate. A is the apron plate; B, B, side flues for the smoke from the
fire under the apron plate to escape by; C, C, C, C, C, brickwork forming
the side end and bottom of the said flues; D, the foundation plate on which
the said brickwork is raised; E, fire bars for the fire under the apron plate;
F, F, F, F, F, F, support bars for the said fire bars and the foundation plate;
H, the ordinary furnace fire bars; I, I, the bearing bars for the same; G, the
end of the flue B, B, which opens at this point over the fire on the furnace
bars, which further decomposes the smoke before it is carried into the main
boiler flue P, O, which is the ordinary flue passing under and round the boiler.
N is the boiler, and M is a brick arch thrown over the apron plate; L is a
slide door for the furnace.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of my said Invention, T being the door of the
fireplace under the apron plate; and similar letters being used to denote similar
parts in all the Figures, no further description of this Figure will be necessary.
Figure 3 is a plan of my said Invention, with the apron plate removed in
order to show the course of the flues marked B, the line of draft being
marked by arrows. These flues may be furnished with dampers, if thought
desirable, as shown at numbers 1, 2, in this Figure. It should be here observed,
that instead of placing the coals on the apron plate they may be laid in flat
shallow iron troughs placed upon bearers let into the side walls, and having a
fire under each trough.
In order to put my said Invention into practice, the fire under the apron
plate being lighted, and the plate heated to a red heat, fresh coal should from
time to time be spread, about four inches thick, upon the apron plate, and
when the inflammable gas has all been evolved from the portion of coals on the
apron plate, the coke or residuum should be pushed forward upon the ordinary
furnace bars to constitute the ordinary boiler furnace fire, while a fresh layer
of coal should be placed on the apron plate.

page_text: Now whereas I claim as my Invention and improvement the heating of the
apron or dead plate in furnaces, in manner herein-before described, to a red
or such other heat, while the fuel is upon it, as will cause the said fuel to
give out its inflammable gasses, and form coke previously to its being pushed
on to the ordinary furnace bars; and such my Invention being, to the best of
my knowledge and belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part
of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, His said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do
hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily
believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully, and without
reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive
right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hills, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.
Inrolled the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-threc.