A Portable Field Cooking Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Portable Field Cooking Apparatus.
RICHARD CRUDASS Sergt. Master Cook 4th Bn. Rifle Brigade North Camp
Aldershot Soldier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A portable field cooking apparatus, consisting of 1 (one) oven, and three hot
plates all collapsible, made to suit the Service.
The oven consists of the following parts;-one bottom, two sides, one top; two
end sliding doors; also one grid fitting inside of oven. One top hot plate with
holes for camp kettles fixed on stud supports.
Two side hot plates with holes for camp kettles; fixed on the sides of the oven,
with legs to support the same.
All fitting together and making one complete appuratus.
J
A Portable Field Cooking Apparatus.
1. RICHARD CRUDASS, Sergt. Master Cook 4th Bn. Rifle Brigade, North Camp,
Aldershot, Soldier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention refers to a cooking apparatus having an oven to which heat is
applied at the bottom, top, and upon both sides thereof, while at the same time,
convenient means are provided for the accommodation of a large number of vessels,
such as so-called "camp-kettles" wherein food may be cooked or kept in a heated
condition, a feature of the invention being that the apparatus is composed of parts
which are readily and quickly fitted together for use and may with equal facility be
separated and packed for transport or otherwise.
My invention will be readily understood by the following description having
reference to Figures 1 to 10 inclusive of the accompanying drawings, whereon is
illustrated an example of the construction and arrangement of a field cooking
apparatus according to my said invention.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
The oven proper consists of a base or bottom part A shown detached and in
plan view at Figure 1, a top part B shown detached in inverted plan at Fig. 2,
two side parts CC, one of which is shown detached at Figure 3 in interior side
view, and two doors D D adapted to close the ends, one of which doors is shown at
Fig. 4 in elevation detached.
The base part A is composed of plate metal and is adapted to be supported
(when in use) a short distance from the ground upon blocks or bricks E as will be
observed by reference to Figure 5 which is a vertical transverse section of a com-
plete apparatus. Upon the upper surface of the base part A, Figure 1, are
longitudinal ribs A' A' near each edge, to form two grooves or recesses to take and

page_text: hold the sides C C when in position, the inner ribs A being cut off at the ends to-
allow for the descent of the bottom edges of the vertically sliding doors DD, Fig. 4,
which are to close the ends, while the ribs A A' form a front support to same; the
central rib A strengthens the plate A laterally. The side parts C C, Figs. 3 and 5
are each provided with end vertical ribs C¹ to form side guides for the sliding
doors and a central rib to support a grid F (when the sides C are in position) as
shown at Fig. 5 and also at Fig. 6 which is a perpective view of an apparatus
as erected.
..
I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to any particular section of
metal for what I have called the "ribs" as such may be of square, angle, or other
suitable section all as found most convenient for stiffening the various parts or for
forming the grooves; or the strengthening ribs and grooves may be otherwise
forined if desired.
The top part B, Fig. 2, has longitudinal ribs B¹ B' at or near the edges, and
interior ribs B extending transversely, (or diagonally as shown by the dotted lines)
to stiffen the plate, the latter being cut at the ends as shown in order to permit the
doors being inserted from above. The sides C C having been placed in position,
Figs. 5 and 6, in the grooves of the base A, the top B is placed upon the sides C ()
so that the edges of the latter take into the grooves of the said top B. Supported
at a proper distance from the top B is a plate G, Figures 5 and 6, a detached view
of which is shown by the inverted plan, Fig. 7; this plate G is formed with a
suitable number of apertures, say 8, of a size to suit the utensils which are to be
supported upon the plate; hinged or jointed onto the under side and near the
corners of the plate, Fig. 7, are support rods G₁ and a central support G³, all of
which fold onto the plate as at Fig. 7 when out of use. The support rods G' may
conveniently be hinged to the plate G as shown by the detached transverse section
Fig. 8 and longitudinal section Fig. 9, where the rods are illustrated turned at right.
angles to the plate G as hereafter mentioned.
I further provide two side hot plates H one of which is shown detached and
inverted at Fig. 10, and to the outer edge of each plate H there is hinged two
legs H shown folded onto the plate. The plates H when in use occupy positions
shown at Fig. 5, the inner edges overlaying the top B of the oven and the outer
edges supported by the legs H'.
When the parts are fitted together as at Figs. 5 and 6 the rods G¹ hinged to the
plate G are passed through coinciding holes J in the side plates H, and the oven
top B, the lower reduced ends of the rods G¹ entering holes J in the base plate A
thus holding the whole structure together, while the central support G³, Fig. 7, is
turned down to stay the centre of the plate G.
The apparatus is put into working order in the following manner :-
Take four bricks, stones or turf and place on the ground, (these should be about
6 inches thick) they should be placed at such distance as to enable the four corners
of the oven bottom A to rest upon; take next the two sides C C and place them
into the grooves made for that purpose in the bottom A of the oven, then take the
grid F and place it on the ledges made on the oven sides C for its support, then
take the top B of oven and fit the sides C into the grooves :-next slide the end
doors D into their places; then take the two side hot plates H and place them into
position so that the holes J made for the top legs G₁ are immediately over the
holes J, made for the same purpose in the top B of oven; then take the top hot
plate G and let each corner leg G¹ be passed through the holes J mentioned above,
and pressed down until the ends fit into the holes J made in the bottom A of the
oven for their reception.
The camp-kettles K can now be placed into position for cooking; the top hot
plate G affords room for 8 kettles, two side hot plates H H room for 8 kettles, then
place 3 kettles at each side on the ground as at Fig. 6, keeping them close to the
side supports H¹; now place 3 more kettles at each side on the top of the above-
mentioned kettles; now place one kettle at the one end of each side on the ground;
then place one more kettle on the top of these latter placed kettles.

page_text: The fires are now to be lit in the following places: one fire on top B of oven,
which fire must always be kept evenly spread all over the top of the oven, so as to
ensure heat being kept inside the oven. Now light a fire at each side from the
ends left open for that purpose between the sides of the oven and camp kettles,
which forms the side fire places.
After the fires have been going some little time spread a few burning embers
from each side fire under the oven.
The oven affords facility for baking food for 200 men, holding 8 of the Service
baking dishes, each of which contains rations for 25 men. Four dishes are placed
on the grid F inside the oven, and the other 4 on the bottom of oven. The contents
of the dishes on the top will bake brown, whilst the contents of the bottom dishes
are boiling; after the top ones are brown, they should be exchanged with the
bottom ones.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. A portable field cooking apparatus composed of readily separable parts and
whereby heat may be applied exteriorally on top, bottom, and sides of the oven,
while cooking vessels may be heated upon the sides, top, and at one end of the
apparatus, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
2. The combination with a camp oven composed of separable parts, of the plate G
arranged above the oven and the lateral plates H H for supporting cooking vessels,
together with the hinged legs G' H' all substantially as and for the purposes
described.
3. A portable field cooking apparatus having an oven composed of a base and
top part with grooves to receive longitudinal side parts, end doors received by
guides on the side parts, and an interior grid supported by the said side parts, an
upper plate adapted to support cooking vessels carried at a distance above the oven
by legs, hinged to the upper plate, passing through the top and base plates of the
oven and through horizontal laterally projecting plates, adapted to support cooking
vessels, all arranged substantially as described, whereby the parts of the apparatus
may be readily detached for transport, or erected for use, as set forth.
4. The general arrangement and combination of parts composing the improved
collapsible, and portable field cooking apparatus, all constructed and acting sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings, and particularly with reference to Figs. 5 and 6 thereof.
Dated this 19th day of March 1895.
BREWER & SON,
London & Leeds, Agents for Applicant.