IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Horton, of the Firm of Joshua and
William Horton, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Boiler
and Gas Holder Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM BOILERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Horton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1869.
I, WILLIAM HORTON, of the Firm of Joshua and William Horton,
of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Boiler and Gas Holder Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of
steam boilers provided with internal flues in the following manner :-
[Price 8d.1

page_text: Through the whole length or part of the length of the boiler 1 construct
an internal flue, rectangular or nearly rectangular in cross section, the
axis of the said flue not being coincident with but somewhat lower than
that of the boiler. The said flue is so situated in the boiler that its sides
are respectively inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to a horizontal plane.
In the said flue several series of tubes are fitted, the said tubes opening
at their opposite ends into the opposite sides of the flue. The tubes of
each series cross or are at right angles to the tubes of the next series.
All the tubes are thus inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to a horizontal
plane, and give great facility to the circulation of the water and the
removal of deposit. The said flue is below the water level of the boiler,
and the flame and heated air from the furnace passing through the said
flue impinge upon the said flue and the tubes therein, and effect a rapid
heating of the water in the boiler. Owing to the large amount of surface
exposed to the heat the boiler may be considerably diminished in length
and great economy thereby secured in its cost. The furnace may either
be situated under the boiler provided with my improved arrangement of
flue and tubes, or the furnace may be situated in the flue itself. In the
former case the flue and tubes extend through the whole length of the
boiler, and the flame and heated air after passing under the boiler return
through the square flue and pass by the ordinary side external flues to
the stack; in the latter case the front end of the flue containing the
furnace is of a cylindrical figure and without tubes, and the flame and
heated air first pass through the square flue, and then through the
ordinary side external flues to the stack.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Horton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HORTON, of the Firm of Joshua and William Horton, of Smethwick, in
the County of Stafford, Boiler and Gas Holder Manufacturers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Horton, Her special licence
that I, the said William Horton, my executors, administrators, and
assigus, or such others as I, the said William Horton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM BOILERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Horton, 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 Horton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging the parts of steam
boilers provided with internal flues in the following manner :-Through
the whole length or part of the length of the boiler, I construct an
internal flue rectangular or nearly rectangular in cross section, the axis
of the said flue not being coincident with but somewhat lower than.
that of the boiler. The said flue is so situated in the boiler that its sides
are respectively inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to a horizontal plane.
In the said flue several series of tubes are fitted, the said tubes opening
at their opposite ends into the boiler at the opposite sides of the flue.
The tubes of each series cross or are at right angles to the tubes of the
next series. All the tubes are thus inclined at an angle of 45 degrees
to a horizontal plane and give great facility to the circulation of the
water and the removal of deposit. The said flue is below the water
level of the boiler and the flame and heated air from the furnace passing
through the said flue impinge upon the said flue and the tubes therein,

page_text: and effect a rapid heating of the water in the boiler. Owing to the
large amount of surface exposed to the heat the boiler may be
considerably diminished in length and great economy thereby secured in
its cost. The furnace may either be situated under the boiler provided
with my improved arrangement of flue and tubes, or the furnace may
be situated in the flue itself.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in end elevation, Figure 2 in longitudinal vertical
section, and Figure 3 in cross section a steam boiler containing my
improvements, the furnace of the said boiler being situated in the tubular
flue thereof. The longitudinal section, Figure 2, is taken on the line c, d,
of Figure 3, and the cross section, Figure 3, is taken on the line a, b, of
Figure 2. The same letters indicate the same parts in each Figure.
e is the boiler, and f, f, is the internal flue thereof. The front end f
of the said flue is cylindrical in cross section, and contains the furnace g,
while the hind part f of the flue is rectangular or nearly rectangular in
cross section, the axis of the said flue not being coincident with but
somewhat lower than that of the boiler, as best seen in the cross section,
Figure 3; none of the sides of the rectangular flue f are situated
vertically in the boiler e but are respectively inclined at an angle of 45
degrees to a horizontal plane. By the position of the rectangular flue
with respect to the axis of the boiler there is greater water space above
the flue where it receives the greatest amount of heat than below it where
it receives the least amount of heat. Moreover the position of the flue
is such that the whole of it is below the normal water level of the boiler.
In the said flue f several series of tubes are fitted, the said tubes
opening at their opposite ends into the boiler at opposite sides of the
flue. The tubes of each series cross or are at right angles to the tubes
of the next series. The several series of tubes which cross the flue in
the same direction are marked h, and those series which cross the flue at
right angles to the tubes are marked i. By an examination of Figure 3
it will be seen that all the tubes h, i, are inclined at an angle of 45
degrees to a horizontal plane, each alternating series of tubes being
situated parallel to opposite sides of the flue f. The inclinations repre-

page_text: sented of the series of tubes h, i, in the tube f give great facility to the
circulation of the water and the removal of deposit. The flame and
heated air from the furnace 7 pass through the internal flue f to the
external side flues k, l, around the said flues to the bottom flue m, and from
thence to the stack as usual. In passing through the internal flue ƒ the.
flame and heated air impinge upon the said flue and tubes h, i, therein
and effect a rapid heating of the water in the boiler e. Owing to the
large amount of surface exposed to the heat the boiler may be consider-
ably diminished in length as represented in the Drawing, and great
economy thereby secured in its cost. Instead of placing the furnace g
in the internal flue as represented in the Drawing, the said furnace may
be situated under the boiler. In this case the whole of the flue is made
of the rectangular figure represented with respect to the part f, Figures
2 and 3, and the several series of tubes h, i, extend through the whole
length of the said rectangular flue instead of through only a portion of
the flue as represented. When the flue f and tubes h, i, extend through
the whole length of the boiler the flame and heated air after passing
under the boiler return through the internal rectangular flue and pass
by the ordinary side external flues to the stack.
My improvements may be applied to marine, stationary, and portable
steam boilers provided with an internal flue or internal flues.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Inven-
tion; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in steam boilers
provided with an internal flue or internal flues herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the
whole length or part of the length of the internal flue of a rectangular
or nearly rectangular figure in cross section, and so situated in the
boiler that its sides are respectively inclined at an angle of 45 degrees to
a horizontal plane, the axis of the said flue being situated below the
axis of the boiler, substantially as described and illustrated.

page_text: tubes of the next series, and all the tubes being inclined at an angle of
45 degrees, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Horton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM HORTON. (L.S.)