IMPROVED APPARATUS POD HEARING AND LION APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, of York Buildings,
in the City of Westminster, Gentleman, for the Invention of
* IMPROVED APPARATUS POD HEARING AND LION"
Sealed the 22nd April 1873, and dated the 2nd November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Bewicke
Blackburn at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd November 1872.
I, ALEXANDER BEWICKE BLACKBURN, of York Buildings, in the City
of Westminster, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to produce a cheap and simple lighter
or apparatus which when ignited will give out light or heat for such a
length of time as will be sufficient for any temporary purpose, such as
heating a small quantity of water, boiling eggs, making tea or coffee,
or producing a light which will burn for, say, 5 or 10 minutes. .
In carrying out my Invention a small quantity of alcohol, spirits of
wine, or inflammable liquid hydrocarbons is hermetically enclosed in a

page_text: capsule or box, made of some substance which is non-combustible or
may be rendered so. This capsule is surrounded by a jacket made of
some porous or absorbent material, such as cotton or bibulous paper.
When the capsule is punctured or broken the liquid contained therein
will escape and be absorbed by the outer porous jacket and can then be
inflamed and will burn until all the spirit is consumed; or the porous
material may be enclosed within the capsule, and when the top of the
capsule is torn off it can be inflamed; or the top of the capsule may be
made of a material which can itself be inflamed, such as paraffin, wax,
or other analogous substance; or it may be provided with a wick, which
can be lighted by means of a match.
The capsule or box containing the alcohol or inflammable liquid and
surrounded by its jacket of porous or absorbent material may be enclosed
in an outer case made of any suitable incombustible substance, so that
the capsule may be protected from accidental injury.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 2nd May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
BEWICKE BLACKBURN, of York Buildings, in the City of Westminster,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Alexander
Bewicke Blackburn, 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 Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, my

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, 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 following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):—
The object of my Invention of Improved Apparatus for Heating and
Lighting is to produce a cheap and simple lighter or apparatus which
when ignited will give out light or heat for such a length of time as
will be sufficient for any temporary purpose, such as heating a small
quantity of water, boiling eggs, making tea or coffee, or producing a
light which will burn for, say, five or ten minutes, or longer if desired.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn the most convenient
mode of producing my improved lighting and heating apparatus. The
lighter consists principally of a porous block (made of plaster of Paris),
which is saturated with alcohol or other inflammable liquid, and is
covered externally with paper coated with paraffine to prevent the escape
of the liquid. The block is further covered with a coating of glue and
slate dust in order to render it uninflammable.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the blocks, which is cast in a
suitable mould, and is made of very liquid plaster of Paris in order to
render it very porous; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. It will
be seen that there is a hole a made through the block for the purpose
hereafter explained. These blocks (when dry) are completely covered
on all six sides by an envelope of paper, which is glued or pasted round
it, as shewn at Fig. 3, so as to close both the ends of the hole or orifice a;
they are then dipped in hot paraffine, wax, or other suitable substance,
in order to render them impervious and prevent the escape of the com-
bustible liquid which is supplied by immersing the blocks in the liquid
after having first punctured one or both sides, with a needle or other
suitable instrument, as shewn at b, Fig. 3, so as to allow the liquid to
obtain access to the plaster block.

page_text: When the plaster block has become completely saturated with the
combustible liquid the punctures 6 are sealed up by means of a hot iron
dipped in paraffine, wax, or in any other suitable manner. The blocks
are then coated with an uninflammable compound, consisting of glue
and slate dust, or other suitable material, so that when the lighters are
ignited they will only burn in the proper manner.
When the lighters are to be used those parts of the paper envelope
which cover the two ends of the hole or orifice a are to be broken
through and a light applied to one end. The vapour of the spirit
escaping from the inner walls of the block will ignite and burn at the
orifice until all the spirit is consumed. In order to confine the flame to
the orifice and prevent it from spreading over the top of the block a ring
or washer of paper or cardboard is adapted to each end of the hole a, as
shewn at c in the finished lighter, Fig. 4.
In order to supply air to the spirituous vapour while burning the
lighter must be placed on a suitable stand or bolder, or constructed that
the air may pass under the block and enter the lower orifice of the hole a
and thus obtain access to the flame. By regulating the quantity of air
that enters the lower orifice the size of the flame and conscquently the
speed of combustion may be regulated as desired. A suitable holder to
effect this object is shewn in side elevation at Fig. 5, and in plan at
Figures 6 and 7. The holder consists of two arms or levers e, e¹, jointed
together on a centre pin flike a pair of scissors or snuffers; on the upper
lever e is fixed a shallow box or table g, provided with raised edges (for
the purpose of holding the lighter in its place) and with feet g¹, g¹, on
which it rests (when placed on a table), so that air can pass under the
box and through an opening g² made in the bottom thereof, as shewn
in the plan views, Figures 6 and 7, and thus obtain access to the bottom
orifice of the lighter; the other arm or lever e' carries a plate h which is
capable of entirely closing the opening 92 at the bottom of the box g,
thereby entirely excluding the air from the flame. It will therefore be
evident that the combustion of the spirit can be regulated by opening or
closing the hole g² at the bottom of the box g to the extent that may be
desired. Fig. 6 represents the hole g² open to the full extent, and Fig. 7
represents it closed.
Another form of holder may be made consisting of a simple tripod
stand having a central opening which may be closed by means of a
sliding plate or shutter.

page_text: If the lighters are only required for heating purposes, such as heating
a small quantity of water, ordinary alcohol or methylated spirit or wood
naphtha will answer the purpose, but as these liquids although capable of
imparting considerable heat give out but a very feeble light it will be
necessary for lighting purposes to mix with these spirits some liquid
hydrocarbon, such as petroleum, camphine, benzole, or other analogous
liquid which is rich in carbon.
I would here remark that although I have stated that a convenient
mode of making the improved lighters (and the mode which I prefer)
consists in saturating blocks of plaster of Paris with some suitable com.
bustible liquid and then covering such porous substance with paper and
some waterproof material in order to prevent the escape or evaporation
of the liquid, I do not mean to confine myself to the use of plaster of Paris
as bibulous paper, cotton, wool, and other substances may be used for the
purpose.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Apparatus for
Heating and Lighting," and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid, constructing apparatus for heating and lighting by
saturating any suitable porous or bibulous substance with any suitable
combustible liquid which when exposed to the action of heat will
vaporize and ignite and burn for some time, as herein set forth.
I also claim in combination with my improved lighters the use of a
holder, so constructed that a regulated quantity of air to support com-
bustion may be supplied to the central part of the lighter so as to obtain
access to the flame, as above shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the First day of April in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.