IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF DOMESTIC FIRE-PLACES, FLUES, AND GRATES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL AND SPACE, ALSO REDUCING FIRST COSTS OF CONSTRUCTION."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Thompson Dennison, of Halifax, in the
County of York, Drysalter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF DOMESTIC FIRE-PLACES, FLUES, AND
GRATES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL AND SPACE, ALSO REDUCING FIRST COSTS OF
CONSTRUCTION.""
Sealed the 12th August 1873, and dated the 13th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Thompson Den-
nison at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th February 1873.
I, JAMES THOMPSON DENNISON, of Halifax, in the County of York,
Drysalter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF DOMESTIC FIRE-PLACES,
FLUES, AND GRATES FOR ECONOMIZING Fuel and SPACE, ALSO REDUCING FIRST COSTS.
OF CONSTRUCTION," to be as follows:-

page_text: at or near the top, to which is fixed a pipe (by preference of iron) or it
may be of earthenware or other suitable material, and in which pipe
is placed a damper or valve for regulating the draught and passage of
smoke as required. This fire-place is to be placed against any wall in
cither the basement, ground floor, or other floor without chimney breast,
but leaving a space between with an opening or perforations on each
sidė, which openings or perforations may be also on the top thereof for
the passage or circulation of air. The said pipe is caused to run through
the upper upper rooms and out through the roof, so that the heat will be
utilized inside the house by radiation from the pipe, and by the cir-
culation of air in the space left between the wall and the fire back
absorbing the heat passing through the fire back, which will be diffused
in the room and not pass up the flue and out at the chimney as here-
tofore. The pipe I propose to enclose with ornamental perforated metal
or other suitable material.
Secondly. I also utilize the present construction of chimney breasts
by making the passage or space between the fire back and the wall with
an opening on each side. This space is enclosed or covered in so that
it has no connection with the flue or vent. When applied to a partition
wall the pipe may be placed in the centre and open to both sides of the
wall.
I may also apply Venetian plates or a series of hinged metal bars above
the fire and within the sham front so as to regulate the draught and
radiate the best from the fire
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, a
filed by the said James Thompson Dennison in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
THOMPSON DENNISON, of Halifax, in the County of York, Drysalter,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and

page_text: successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Thompson Dennison,
Her special licence that I, the said James Thompson Dennison, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Thompson Dennison, my 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGE-
MENT OF DOMESTIC FIRE-PLACES, Flues, and GratES FOR ECONOMIZING FUEL AND
SPACE, ALSO REDUCING FIRST COSTS OF CONSTRUCTION,” upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Thompson Dennison, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in wirting under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, 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 I, the said James Thompson Dennison, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying Sheets of Drawings,
that is to say :—
My improvements consist,―
Firstly. In the employment of an ordinary sham front and brickwork
back to the height of the opening in the said front with an outlet at or
near the top, to which is fixed a pipe (by preference of iron, or it may
be of earthenware or other suitable material), and in which pipe is
placed a damper or valve for regulating the draught and passage of
smoke as required. This fire-place is to be placed against any wall in
either the basement, ground floor, or other floor without chimney breast,
but leaving a space between with an opening or perforations on each
side, which openings or perforations may be also on the top thereof for
the passage or circulation of air. The said pipe is caused to run through
the upper rooms and out through the roof, so that the heat will be
utilized inside the house by radiation from the pipe and by the circula-
tion of air in the space left between the wall and the fire-back, absorbing
the heat passing through the fire-back which will be diffused in the

page_text: room and not pass up the flue and out at the chimney as heretofore.
The pipe I propose to enclose with ornamental perforated metal or other
suitable material.
Secondly. I also utilize the present construction of chimney breasts
by making the passage or space between the fire-back and the wall with
an opening on each side. This space is enclosed or covered in so that
it has no connection with the flue or vent. When applied to a partition
wall the pipe may be placed in the centre and open to both sides of the
wall.
I may also apply Venetian plates or a series of hinged metal bars
above the fire and within the sham front so as to regulate the draught
and radiate the heat from the fire.
In order that this Invention may be fully understand I have herein
given reference to two accompanying Sheets of Drawings illustrative
. thereof.
Fig. 1 is the front elevation of a domestic fire-place constructed in
accordance with my Invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section; and
Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section of the same.
A is the sham front or front plate, and B the brick back; C is the
outlet and D the iron pipe or vent which is proposed to be carried up 1
through each story and out at the top of the house into the chimney
stack; E is the damper or valve worked by a rack and pinion E¹. The
brick back is placed at a small distance from the wall F, leaving a
space G between which space is open to the room on each side of the
front plate by means of ornamental perforated plates H, shewn in 1
Figs. 1 and 3, so that the air of the room can circulate freely behind
the fire-place, and hinged plates I may be applied so as to be opened or
closed at pleasure to regulate the draught. Or instead of the openings
being in front they may be on cach side of the mantel or chimney piece,
as shewn at H in Figs. 5 and 6. The pipe D may or may not be enclosed
with ornamental perforated plates J, as shewn in Fig. 5, the front being
plain as in Fig. 4.
This construction of fire-place may be applied to existing chimney
breasts by leaving the space behind the fire-back and making it up at
the top to separate the said space from the ordinary flue, so that the a
heated air cannot pass directly up the chimney but must first circulate
in the room. It will also be readily seen that when applying this fire-

page_text: place to a partition wall the pipe may be placed in the wall exposed on
each opposite side towards two adjoining rooms, whereby one fire may
suffice to warm both rooms. The face of the plate A may also be
prepared to receive encaustic tiles K, if desireable.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and shown
by Drawings and description in what manner the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practice, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details in the construction
and arrangement, as shewn and described; but what I claim as my
Invention is, the constructing and arranging of domestic fire-places, in
manner substantially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Thompson Dennison, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
WM. TASKER,
Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agents,
JAS. T. DENNISON. (L.S.)
Halifax, Bradford, & Blackburn.