IMPROVEMENTS In Sairs' FIRE-REARTHS OR BOIDING AND COOKING APPARATUS
Year: 1862

page_text: -LETTERS PATENT to William Bowser, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
In Sairs' FIRE-REARTHS OR BOIDING AND COOKING APPARATUS,"
Sealed the 12th September 1862, and dated the 17th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bowser-at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
March 1862.
I, WILLIAM BOWSER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' FIRE-HEARTHS OR BOILING AND COOKING. APPARATUS,"
to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' fire-hearths or boiling
and cooking apparatus of the class described in the Specification of Letters
Patent for England, granted to William Bowser and William Bowser, junior,
and dated the 8th March 1845 (No. 10,576.)
The apparatus is of a rectangular form in plan, having ordinarily three
boilers of different sizes at one side heated by means of a fire-grate directly
beneath them, whilst at the opposite side there is formed a cooking range with
a separate fire-grate and hot plate, and an oven or ovens occupy the middle.
portion, their doors being in the remaining sides. The flue from what may
...
233

page_text: be termed the cooking or range grate is, according to one modification, made
to immediately descend from the top of the grate down between the grate and
the oven, and to pass thence under the oven, and, finally, to the uptake or
chimney. By these means the oven is more satisfactorily heated than in the
ordinary arrangements in which the heat is applied in some cases to the top
and sides only, and in others to the top and sides prior to being applied to the
bottom.
In another modification, whilst the flue is applied to the oven in the direct
manner already described, there is introduced, in addition a boiler shaped
to receive heat from the bottom of that part of the flue passing under the
oven, such boiler also having a part rising up a short distance between the
grate and the first descending part of the flue. The steam generated in this
boiler may be conducted by pipes to cooking vessels mounted on a light frame
at a sufficient height above the hot plate 'to leave the latter clear. The grate
for heating the boilers is provided with an adjustable partition piece to permit
of contracting the fire space when only one or two of the boilers are in use.
The flue from the boiler grate passes inwards under the boilers, and short
distance up along their inner ends, whence it is continued downwards in a box
or division at one side, and passing round and under the oven, finally, unites
with the flue from the cooking or range grate. The apparatus may be made
with flues similar to those hitherto employed, and dampers or other con-
trivances may be used for diverting the fire gases from either grate into
whichever series of flues niay be desired."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters:Patent, filed
by: the said William Bowser. in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BOWSER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Bowser, Her special licence that I, the said William
Bowser, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Bowser, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should

page_text: +
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 SHIPS FIRE-HEARTHS OR BOILING AND COOKING APPA
BATUS," upon the condition, amongst others, that I; the said William Bowser,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing 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 William Bowser, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying. Draw-
ings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to improvements in ships' fire-hearths or boiling
and cooking apparatus of the class described in the Specification of Letters
Patent for England granted to William Bowser and William Bowser, junior,
and dated the 8th March, 1845 (No. 10;576).
The apparatus is of a rectangular: form in plan, having ordinarily three
boilers of different sizes at one side heated by means of a fire-grato directly
beneath them, whilst at the opposite side there is formed a cooking range
with a separate fire-grate and hot plate; and an oven or ovens occupy the
middle portion, their doors being in. the remaining sides. The flue from
what may be termed the cooking or range grate is, according to one modifi-
cation, made to immediately descend. from the top of the grate down between
the grate and the oven, and. to pass thence under the oven, and, finally, to the
uptake or chimney.. By these means the oven is more satisfactorily heated
than in the ordinary arrangements, in which the heat is applied in some
cases to the top and sides only, and in others to the top and sides prior to
being applied to the bottom.
In another modification, whilst the flue is applied to the oven in the direct
manner already described, there is introduced,, in addition, a boiler to receive
heat from the fire, such boiler having a part rising up a short distance
between the grate and the first descending part of the flue, and passing under
the horizontal part so as also to receive heat from that part of the flue.. The
steam generated in. this boiler. inay be conducted by pipes to cooking, vessels

page_text: mounted on a light frame at a sufficient height above the hot plate to leave
the latter clear. The grate for heating the boilers is provided with an adjust-
able partition piece to permit of contracting the fire space when only one or
two of the boilers are in use. The flue from the boiler grate passes inwards
under the boilers, and a short distance up along their inner ends, whence it is
continued downwards in a box or division at one side, and passing round and
under the oven, finally unites with the flue from the cooking or range grate:
The apparatus may be made with flues similar to those hitherto employed,
and dampers or other contrivances may be used for diverting the fire gases
from either grate into whichever series of flues may be desired.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended two Sheets of
explanatory Drawings, representing different combinations, each embodying
portions or modifications of my improvements. The same reference letters are
used to mark the same or like parts in all the Figures.
G
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings is a vertical section at right angles
to the front of one form of my improved combined cooking apparatus ;
Figure 2 is a sectional plan, and Figure 3 is a front elevation. The section in
Figure 1 is taken as at the line 1, 2, 3, 4, in Figure 2, and the section in the
upper half of Figure 2 is taken as at the lines 5, 6, and 7, 8, in Figure 1.
The construction and arrangement of the parts will be easily understood
from the Drawings, and but little description is necessary. Along the front
there is what may be termed the general cooking fire-grate A, covered by
the usual hot plate B. Along the top of the back this grate A communicates
with a flue C, which descends between the grate and the oven D, and is
continued under the oven at E, from whence the fire gases pass upwards by the
rising flue F at one corner (Figure 2,) and thereby reach the uptake or
chimney G. Along the back of the apparatus there is the fire-grate H for
heating the boilers I, placed over the grate, and the fire gases spread thence
under the boilers in the flue space J, reaching a side flue K (Figure 2,) and
passing thence to the uptake or chimney G. At the left-hand end of the
flue C, from the front grate A there is a damper L, which when open causes
the fire gases from the back grate H to pass round the oven D, and there is
a damper M at the top of the front part of the side flue K; which, when
open, admits the fire gases into flues N, surrounding additional ovens P, the
gases finally passing from these last by the flue pipe Q to the uptake G.
1
Figure 4 is a vertical section, at right angles to the front, of a second
modification of my improved apparatus. In this example a boiler R is intro-
duced between the front grate A and its descending flue C, and extending

page_text: beneath the flue E under the oven D. From this boiler R a pipe S conveys
steam to cooking vessels T, supported on pillars 'above the hot plate B. The
flue J, under the boilers I, communicates with a descending flue U, occupy-
ing only a small space at one side, and the section of which in the Figure is
in a different plane from that of the section of the flue C. This flue U is con
tinued down (to one side of the flue C) to the space E under the oven,
being however separated from the other flue by a division plate which termi-
nates at u.
:
Figure 5, Sheet 2, is a front elevation; Figure 6 is a vertical section at
right angles to the front, and Figure 7 is a sectional plan of a third modifi-
cation of my improved apparatus. In this arrangement there are four boilers,
two, I, at the back corresponding to the ordinary ones, and two others, I',
towards the front, the uptake G being made to spring from flues V between
the back boilers I and the front boilers I. The oven D, as in the other
modifications, is heated by the front descending flue C and bottom flue E.
Two flue spaces W are formed under the front boilers I', being divided by a
middle partition X (seen in the sectional part of Figure 7), and openings and
dampers Y are arranged so that the fire gases may be made to pass over ono
or both of the flues W before descending by the flue C. After passing under
the oven by the flue E, in directions determined by suitable flue plates, the
fire gases from the front fire rise up the corner flue F, and pass round
the back and side of the back boilers to one of the middle flues V. The fire
gases from the back grate H pass diagonally under the back boilers I to the
other side and middle flue V.
Figure 8 is a vertical section of a modification of my improved apparatus
taken parallel to and near the back, showing the arrangement for contracting
the fire space H, under the boilers I, when only one or two of the three
boilers is required to be used. The contracting plate Z, shaped to fit closely
over the corner flue F, at one end of the grate space, is held by front and
back pieces, which projecting below the fire-bars h, are supported on anti-
friction rollers, and are connected by chains to barrels a at each end, and by
turning these barrels in one direction or the other, the contracting piece Z is
adjusted so as to contract the grate space as may be required. The spindles
of the barrels a are formed with square ends to receive handles for turning
them by.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by

page_text: the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is generally the combining or
arranging together of the parts of ships' hearths or boiling and cooking
apparatus, substantially in, the manner herein described and delineated, and
more particularly, the causing of the flue from the front grate to immediately
descend between the grate and the oven, and pass thence under the oven;
the introducing, of a boiler to be heated by the outer and under side of the
said flue, and the introducing of an adjustable partition, for contracting the
boiler grate.
In witness whereof, I, the said. William Bowser, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day. of. September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and.sixty-two.