CERTAIN METHODS, ON A NEW PRINCIPLE, EITHER FOR PREVENTING OR CURING SMOAKEY CHIMNIES
Year: 1804

page_text: FETHERS
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PETHER, of the l'arish of Saint Michael, in the City of Bristol, Artist, send
groeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Fourth day of August, in the forty-fourth year of His reign, gave and granted
unto me, the said William Pether, my executors, administrators, and assigns, lis
special licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority that I, the said William
Pether, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by myself
and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said William Pether, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "CERTAIN METHODS,
ON A NEW PRINCIPLE, EITHER FOR PREVENTING OR CURING SMOAKEY CHIMNIES,"
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, in such
manner as to me, the said William Pether, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, or any of them, should in my or their discretion seem meet; and that
I, the said William Pether, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and

page_text: advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason
of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned, to
have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advan-
tages therein-before granted unto me, the said William Pether, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and terin of
fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and imniediately
ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended according to the Statute in such
case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a provisoe
as or to the effect following; that is to say, that if I, the said William Pether,
should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause. the same to be inrolled in the High Court
of Chancery within one calendar month next and inmediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and
become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in any-
wise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with and agreeably to the true intent
and meaning of the said provisoe in the said Letters Patent contained, I, the
said William Pether, do, by this present instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, hereby declare that the following is a particular description of and ascer-
tains the nature of my said Invention of "Certain Methods, on a New Principle,
for Preventing or Curing Smoakey Chimnies," viz':
The new principle or Pethercan system, as applied for the prevention or cure
of smoakey chimnies, operates by placing a machine with valves either in or ou
the top or sides of a chimney, in order that the rising smoak may push or force
open the doors to escape into the air without being able to return, as usual,
down the funnel of a chimney into the house by the pressure of heavy or windy
air, or by the force of a hurricane; for as the machine is well closed at the top,
one or two of the valves therefore will always shut close when opposite to the
wind, and the others will instantly open to the leeward, whereby the smoak
freely issues out and disperses into the atmosphere. On this principle certain
methods have been invented by the patentee to cure all such smoakoy chimnies
as are built with proper sized funnels able to emit smoak in proportion of time
as it arises from the fire, and that are constructed also with narrow or moderate
sized mouths at the fire-places, or such as may hereafter be constructed by any
means to proportionate and adequate dimensions. But for such chimnies as
.

page_text: The copper bent rings or
also the wire pivot or long
between the holes, and also
This part of the machine
are very wide below at the hearth, as or like kitchen chimnies, some improve-
ment on an old principle, by alteration of contracters or concentrators of air, have
been also invented to unite their effect with the machinery that is placed above,
whereby fires are enabled to burn clearer, therefore, with less quantity of
smoak, and by expanding the rarifying force more, increase its power to lift and
drive up the sooty vapour with greater velocity through the valve apertures into
the open element of air. Delineation and description of the upper valvelar
inachines called Petherons: Figure the 1% represents a front view of the valve
machine. It is most eligible to be made of tin ware, constructed with four
sides, and a top projecting over each side for the rain to slide off properly, the
five parts to be solder'd together. To cach of the four sides hangs a valve of a tri-
angular form, suspended at the upper part by a strong brass wire put through two
broad copper holes, which appear thus
holes to be solder'd well to the valve;
piece of brass wire to be fastened on
at the two ends above the valve.
should be well executed to swing very free and easy by the least impulse of
smoak, or by its own power of gravitation or pressure of the air. Over each
valve is a long qudrangular hole, intended for part of the smoak to escape and
prevent undulation of the valves when air arises or descends in the funnel after
fire is extinguished. Under the lower angle of each is a projecting piece of
tin fastened on to prevent the machine sliding down too deep into a chimney;
four or five inches is sufficient to prevent wind from dislodging or blowing it
away; let the machine fit close in, and be farther secured with mortar by a brick-
layer. Figure 2 is an angular view: to shew two sides in perspective of a
similar machine as above described. Figures 3d, 4th, and 5th represent machines
on the same new principle, only varying in the shape of the valves, and a trian-
gular top, for the sake of variety and ornament, to the termination. of the
Petheron. Figure 6th and 7th have their valves suspended below to emit the
smoak upwards to the bottom of each door; some lead or tin is added to make
that part always gravitate and shut the upper close, or easily to open by the
impulse of smoak. The valves suspend on wires, and appears thus
The other parts of the machine like Figures the first and second.
Figure 8th is a valvelar machine to place into the side of a chimney, one to be
on each side, constructed with four sides, á back, and a valve soldered on and
suspended also like the forner, the two first mentioned machines; they are to
be fastened in by brickwork, and a flat stone or other material put and fastened

page_text: close on with mortar to the top of a chimney to prevent vertical pressure of air.
The aforesaid variety of Petherons are described to shew variety of certain
methods on the new principle, and many more might be added if necessary to
the public or the patentee. The machine first described is chiefly used and
recommended, both from theory and experience, to be the best contrived for the
prevention or cure of smoakey chimnics. The said machines may be made of
different metals, even of potter's clay or wood, or constructed of different shapes
and sizes to put on in or to the sides of chimnics, but iron tin'd, usually called
tin ware, is the very best and cheapest, the other sorts, shapes, and sizes, &c. only
mentioned to prevent attempts chiefly to infringe on the property and licence of
the patentee by ignorant and dishonest adventurers. Contractors or concentrators
of air operate by contracting the area of air at the fire-place of a chimney,
thereby concentering its force in, through, and near the fire-place with windy
activity, to enliven or increase it to any degree of heat, diminish smoak, and
give energy to the expansive power of the clement of fire. Figure the 1st,
called an entivener, made of tin ware to fit close to the jambs and mantle of a
fire-place. Figure 2d is called an inflamer, to fit in close to the inner sides and
top of the entivener. This serves as a blower to the fire. Figure the 3d to
put close in to the sides and top of the inflamer only when the fire is to be put
out. It may be called therefore an extinguisher. Figure 4 shews the form
of a foot, six in number, for the apparatus to stand firm. Figure the 5th shews
the three parts put close together as they stand before the front of a chimney
fire-place, may easily be applied or taken away.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pether, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and four, and in the forty-fourth year of
the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, of the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith.
Sealed and delivered (being first duly
stampt) in the presence of
ORTON SMITH,
W PETHER. (L.S.)
Att at Law, Bristol.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-eighth day of
August, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Pether came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Twenty-ninth day of August in the year above written.