CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' CABOOSES OR HEARTHS, AND ALSO FOR APPARATUS TO BE OCCASIONALLY CONNECTED THERE WITH FOR THE PURPOSES GP EVAPORATING AND CON- DENSING WATER
Year: 1822

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
DOWELL MOXON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant and Ship
Owner, and JAMES FRASER, of King Street, Commercial Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-seventh day of September, 1822, in the third year of His reign,
give and grant unto us, the said John Dowell Moxon and James Fraser, our
exors, admiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that we, the said John Dowell Moxon and James Fraser, our
exors, adñiors, and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' CABOOSES OR HEARTHS, AND ALSO FOR APPARATUS TO BE
OCCASIONALLY CONNECTED THERE WITH FOR THE PURPOSES GP EVAPORATING AND CON-
DENSING WATER;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso,
that if we, the said John Dowell Moxon and James Fraser, or one of us, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
our hands or seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, and cause the
same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all li:erties. and advantages

page_text: whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void,
as in and by the same, relation being thereunto, had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Dowell Moxon and James Fraser, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed and
carried into effect, is particularly described and ascertained in manner following
(that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists, first, in a new arrangement and combination of
the parts in a ship's caboose or hearth, by which new arrangement and com-
bination we produce a more efficient cooking apparatus, or ship's caboose, or
hearth, than has been hitherto used, and by means of which improvements
we are enabled to perform the operation of cooking by fresh water or salt
water, or both, at one time, if it should be desired.
.
Secondly, we are enabled, if required, at one operation, and with the same
fire, to effect a distallation of salt or sea water, so as to produce fresh water
therefrom in a more simple and commodious manner than has been hitherto
practised.
Thirdly, we are enabled to perform the operation of ventillating a ship by
employing an improved cooling apparatus for the condensation of the steam>
which apparatus is capable of being placed close to the ship's hearth, or in any
other part of the ship, at a distance from the ship's hearth, as conceiuences may
offer, a communication being established between the two by a pipe or pipes ; at
the same time we may observe that the operation of cooking would not in any
degree be interrupted by the derangement or total absence of the aforesaid
distilling or condensing apparatus, but when used together in a complete state,
the various operations of cooking may proceed regularly, and the evaporation
and condensation of sea water be effected at the same time that the operation of
ventillating the ship would be performed, and all with one fire and without any
material encrease in the consumption of fuel.
The are objects to be attained by our said improvements in ships' cabooses
or hearths; and in order to render this our Specification clear and intelligible,
and that the means we employ to carry our improvements into effect may be
clearly understood by persons conversant with works of a similar nature, we
have hereunto annexed a Drawing, which exhibits one of our improved ships'
cabooses or hearths, with our improved condensing apparatus connected
with it.
Fig. 1 represents a section, supposed to be taken through the middle of the
apparatus to explain its internal construction; Fig. 2 represents a front or

page_text: external view of the caboose or hearth, with a section of the cooling or con-
densing apparatus, supposed to be taken through the middle thereof; and
Fig. 3 shews an horizontal plan of the cooking and condensing apparatus as
they would appear when viewed from above. Note.-The same characters or
letters of reference are used to denote corresponding parts upon all the Figures.
A represents the fire-place, it is formed between the side plates of the hearth,
and projects some distance before the front of the boiler, so as to form an open"
or prominent fire without any incumbrance above, which is found particularly
useful in many operations of cooking; the upper part or top of the fire-place
can nevertheless be closed, when required, by a plate of metal a, a, which is
adapted to move upon a joint, so as to turn up against the front of the boiler
into the dotted position seen at a, when it is held in that situation by a small
latch 7, or when turned down it closes over the fire, and may be used as a hot
plate for stewing; the front of the fire may also be closed up, when required, in
stormy weather; by a moveable door, which is adapted so as to be put upon
shifting joints or hinges attached to one of the side plates; when this door is
put in its place, and the plate a, a, is shut down, it forms a close fire or furnace."
B, B, represents the boiler; its bottom is formed to an inclined plane, at the
front part, as seen at b, in Fig. 1, and is so situated with respect to the fire-
place, that the cool air cannot pass beneath its bottom when the fire-place is
kept properly filled with fuel; but all the air which passes through the body of
the fire and becomes highly heated, rushes immediately under the boiler
bottom at d, it then rises up in contact with the back of the boiler, and passes
off into the chimney or vent D, D; or, if it should be thought advisable, a flue
or passage may be formed on each side of the boiler, and the heated air might
be caused to return again to the front, and then pass off into a close chimney
or vent situated over the fire-place. C represents an oven or baking closet; it
is situated under the boiler, so that its upper surface forms the bottom of the
flue or passage d, through which the flame and heated air pass as before
mentioned; the end of the oven which is next the fire is formed double, as
seen at c in Fig. 1, so that the heat may not be too great, and endanger the
burning of the articles in the oven, at the same time the upper angle, which
the fire lies immediately in contact with, is made very thick, to resist the
intense action of the fire; the oven is closed by a door which is fixed upon
hinges at the bottom, so as to turn down upon the deck of the ship into the
dotted position h, Fig. 2, when it is required to introduce any article into the
The vacant space c is furnished with a small sliding door adapted
to admit a current of fresh air, which is conveyed in a heated state into the
oven through a small opening a, e, at the same time the steam and effluvia
same.

page_text: arising from the baking is suffered to pass off through a short pipe i into the
atmosphere. The boiler B, B, is divided into two compartments by a vertical
partition, and its upper edge or mouth is entirely surrounded by a small trough
or gutter k, k, which trough or gutter also crosses the partition, as represented
in the Plan, Fig. 3; into this gutter the projecting rims or edges of the lids or
covers m, m, of the boiler are adapted to fall, and by the gutter being filled
with water, a perfect junction is formed, and thereby all communication with the
interior of the boiler and the atmosphere is cut off, so that all the steam that
is generated in the boiler may be conveyed off through the pipe E to the con-
densing apparatus, (the construction of which will be herein-after described ;) or
the steam may be conveyed by pipes for the purpose of steam cooking. By
this important improvement in the lids or covers of the boiler, we do not
require any safety valve as in ordinary closed boilers, at the same time the
accumulation of salt within the boiler may be effectually prevented the
ready access afforded at all times to its inside, by merely lifting off the covers
m, m, and withdrawing the internal cases or steamers p, p, which are only
introduced into the boiler to contain in the articles to be boiled, and are caused
to bear simply upon a slight projecting rim formed within the boiler. The steam
pipe E is situated so as to communicate at one end with both the compartments
of the boiler, whilst the other end is connected with the upper part of the
condensing apparatus. This apparatus is constructed in the following manner:
-It is composed of three metal boxes or chambers_F, G, & H, placed over
each other, and connected by screws at the joinings, these chambers have a
square pipe or trunk I, K, proceeding through them in an uninterrupted
manner, being open at both ends, but having no communication with the
interior of the chambers F, G, and H; the steam is introduced from the boiler
into the upper compartment or chamber F, and coming into contact with the
cool surfaces of the metal is partly condensed, the remaining portion passes
through the small pipe q into the second chamber G, and from thence
through the small pipe V, into the lower chamber H, which is represented as
surrounded by an exterior vessel L, L, being adapted to contain cold salt or
sea water, in order to effect a complete condensation of the steam, and cause
it to remain in the lower chamber H, in a state of distilled or fresh water,
from whence it may be occasionally drawn of through the cock l; we some-
times place a similar exterior vessel round the chamber G, as represented by
the dotted lines 9, 9; from this vessel a pipe proceeds to the boiler, having
a cock placed in it so that when the sea water in the vessel g, g, becomes hot
by absorbing the heat of the steam, it may be run off into the boiler in its
heated state, and thereby a saving of fuel would be effected; the vessel J, J,

page_text: should then be refilled with cold water to accelerate the condensation. Our
aforesaid improved apparatus for condensing may be placed in any convenient
part of the ship, by only increasing the length of the steam pipe E; and the
number of seperate vessels or chambers, such as F, G, and II, may be encreased
or diminished according to the size of the apparatus, or as circumstances may
require; the air trunk I, K, tends greatly to accelerate the process of conden-
sation, and by the air passing in contact with the surfaces of the heated metal
becomes rarafied, and causes a rapid draft or current to take place through
the aforesaid pipes or trunks. In some cases we employ more than one
trunk passing through the condensing chambers, and at other times we
surround the condensing chambers, by a wood or metal casing, so as to cause a
current of cool air to pass continually in contact with the exterior of the said
chambers; by this means we are enabled to condense a large quantity of steam
or vapour which passes off from the salt water boiler, and produces fresh
water therefrom, fit for the uses of the ship's company; and when it is desired
that the operation of distallation should be carried on to a great extent, we
connect two or more of our aforesaid improved ships' hearths together, so as
to communicate with one or more condensers, in which case we produce an
extensive cooking apparatus furnished with boilers, ovens, hot plates, with
open or close fires, and at the same time we effect a considerable condensation
of steam to form fresh water at a very small encrease in the expence of fuel,,
which we deem a very important consideration to a ship's company. At other
times we connect one or more of our improved ships' hearths with a close
boiler, having a seperate fire of its own, being capable of being closed up
when required; this boiler must be furnished with safety valves, &c., as it is
intended to be employed for raising steam only to be conveyed off, either
directly to the condensing apparatus or through pipes and cocks properly
arranged for the purpose of steam cooking after the usual method; when we
employ a close boiler in conjunction with our aforesaid apparatus, we cause
the flame and heated air from one of the said fires to pass under the boiler
bottom, (in the manner already described with reference to the annexed Draw-
ings), and rise up behind so as to meet the heated air from the other fire-place,
and then to return along the top of the boiler to the chimney in front, passing
under a plate of metal which we used as a hot plate for performing the
operation of stewing or boiling of kettles.
Having now fully and clearly described the nature of our said improvements
in ships' cabooses and hearths, and also of our apparatus for evaporating and
condensing water, we do hereby declare that our claims of Invention extend
to the following particulars only:-
-

page_text: First, in the new combination and arrangement of the parts of a ship's
hearth as herein-before described and set forth, producing a ship's caboose or
hearth which possesses many advantages over those heretofore in use.
Secondly, we claim the right of employing in every description of ships'
cabooses or hearths, the method herein-before described of closing the mouth
of the boiler or boilers, by loose lids or covers which are adapted to enter into
gutters or channels formed round the mouth of the said boiler or boilers for
the purpose of containing water or other suitable fluid, whereby the said covers
are rendered sufficiently steam-tight to enable the steam which is generated in
the boiler or boilers to be conducted off by a pipe or pipes to a cooling or con-
densing apparatus.
And, thirdly, we claim the application to ships' cabooses or hearths of the
improved condensing apparatus herein-before described, which condensing
apparatus is adapted to operate by a current or currents of air in conjunction
with a supply of cold water, or by currents of air alone, as may be found best
to suit the nature of the situation; all other parts described or mentioned in
this our Specification have been only introduced to explain clearly the nature
and application of our said improvements, reserving the right of varying the
form, size, and proportions of the different parts at the discretion of the manu-
facturer, as well as the materials of which the same may be composed without
departing from the object of our Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Dowell Moxon, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of March, One thou-
sand eight hundred and twenty-three.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of March,
in the year of our Lord 1823, the aforesaid John Dowell Moxon came
before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt accord-
ing to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.