IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED FOR MELTING SNOW AND ICE IN PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES OR OTHERWISE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Farrand Clarke, Gas Engineer, of Moorgate.
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS AND APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED FOR MELTING SNOW AND ICE IN PUBLIC
THOROUGHFARES OR OTHERWISE."
Sealed the 2nd June 1868, and dated the 4th December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Farrand Clarke at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th December 1867.
I, JOHN FARRAND CLARKE, Gas Engineer, of Moorgate Street, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED FOR MELTING SNOW AND ICE IN
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES OR OTHERWISE," to be as follows:-
According to my Invention I provide a circular fan, bellows, or other appa-
ratus worked by hand or any suitable power by which a blast of air can be
produced and conducted through a tube to a suitable nozzle; this tube is
enclosed in a larger tube connected at one end to a gas supply which may be
obtained from a cock or street lamp, the other end passing to the before-
mentioned nozzle; these tubes may either be flexible or of metal as may be
required. The nozzle is of brass or other metal, and is comprised of an inner
and outer tube connected to the inner and outer tubes before referred to as
containing air and gas. When the gas supply is turned on and ignited and

page_text: the fan or bellows operated a strong blast will be produced by means of which
ice or snow may be quickly melted or reduced, the nozzle being directed by hand
to any point in the manner of a fire-engine hose. I prefer to make the inner
or air tube at the nozzle rather shorter than the outer tube so that the air in
its passage shall produce a draught in the gas tube. Instead of using a nozzle
the
gas and air tubes may each terminate in a chamber one within the other,
from which chambers radiate double fan-like tubes or nozzles. The inner
chamber containing air and the outer chamber containing gas communicate
with the inner and outer tubes of the different nozzles respectively. By these
means a strong blast may be obtained over an extended surface. The bellows
or other blowing apparatus may be mounted in a truck, or otherwise rendered
portable, the connection being made with the gas supply at any suitable tap,
and a meter may be employed to register the amount of gas consumed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Farrand Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th June 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FARRAND CLARKE, Gas Engineer, of Moorgate Street, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Farrand Clarke, Her special licence that I, the said John Farrand
Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Farrand Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should.
at any time agree with and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED FOR MELTING SNOW AND ICE IN
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES OR OTHERWISE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Farrand Clarke, 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

page_text: 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 John Farrand Clarke, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto.
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
According to my Invention I provide a circular fan, bellows, or other appa-.
ratus worked by hand or any suitable power by which a blast of air can be
produced and conducted through tubes to a suitable nozzle; this tube is
enclosed in a larger tube connected at one end to a gas supply which may be
obtained from a cock or street lamp, the other end passing to the before-
mentioned nozzle; these tubes may either be flexible or of metal as may be
required. The nozzle is of brass or other metal, and is composed of an inner
and outer tube connected to the inner and outer flexible or rigid tubes before
referred to as containing air and gas. When the gas supply is turned on and
ignited and the fan or bellows operated a strong blast will be produced by
means of which ice or snow may be quickly melted or reduced, the nozzle
being directed by hand to any point in the manner of a fire-engine hose. I
prefer to make the inner or air tube at the mouth-piece rather shorter than
the outer tube so that the air in its passage shall produce a draught in the
gas tube. Instead of using a nozzle the gas and air tubes may each terminate.
in a chamber one within the other, from which chambers radiate fan-like-
double tubes or nozzles. The inner chamber containing air and the outer
chamber containing gas communicate with the inner and outer tubes.of.the
different nozzles respectively. By these means a strong blast may be obtained
over an extended surface. The bellows or other blowing apparatus may be
mounted on a truck or otherwise rendered portable, the connection being
made with the gas supply at any suitable tap, and a meter may be employed:
to register the amount of, gas consumed.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a part.sectional view of the apparatus showing the arrangement

page_text: theso tubes 6 and d are preferably flexible, or they may be of metal if desired.
The nozzle c is of brass or other metal, and is composed of an inner tube b¹
and outer tubed connected to the inner tube 6 containing air and outer tube d
containing gas, before referred to. When the gas supply is turned on and
ignited and the bellows A operated a strong blast will be produced by means
of which ice or snow may be quickly melted or reduced, the nozzle c being
directed by hand to any point, as shown. I prefer to make the inner or air
tube 6 of the nozzle rather shorter than the outer tube d¹ so that the air in
its passage shall produce a draught in the gas tube d'. Instead of using a
nozzle c I may employ the arrangement seen on an enlarged scale at Figure 2,
in which the air tube b terminates in a chamberf enclosed within an outer
chamber g in which the gas tube d. terminates. From these chambers radiate
nozzles of precisely similar arrangement to nozzle c before mentioned, each
having an inner tube i communicating with chamber f containing air, and an
outer tube k in connection with chamber g containing gas. By these means
a strong blast may be obtained over an extended surface for the purpose
desired. The bellows A or other blowing apparatus may be mounted on a
-truck, or otherwise rendered portable, the connection being made with the gas.
supply at any suitable tap, and a meter may be employed to register the
amount of gas consumed.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same,.
I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The employment of a blast of air in combination with a jet or jets of
gas in ignition for melting ice and snow in public thoroughfares and other-
wise, as herein-before described.
2ndly. I claim the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying Drawing
combined and arranged for the above purpose, or any mere modification
thereof, all as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Farrand Clarke, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN FARRAND CLARKE. (L.B.)
.