IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS-HEATING OR COOKING STOVES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denis, of the Town of Arras, in the Empire
of France, Gaswork Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GAS-HEATING OR COOKING STOVES."
Sealed the 16th December 1864, and dated the 25th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th June 1864.
I, CHARLES DENIS, of the Town of Arras, in the Empire of France, Gas-
work Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS-HEATING OR COOKING STOVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in using as stove a chest or box closed at its bottom,
and through the top sides of which small shoots or jets of lighted gas are
caused to run, by this means the air contained in the chest is rarefied, and the
small shoots of lighted gas draw in the outer cool atmospheric air, which is
thus compelled to run in through special holes suitably cut, and this air is
heated by its running around the blazing gas before being mixed with it.
This arrangement produces a natural efficacious and powerful blowing means
or draught, which throwing the heat in a horizontal direction allows its
intenseness to be regulated at pleasure. Any piece of meat placed in it will be
quickly, cheaply, and perfectly roasted without spreading any bad smell, as is
the case with any other gas-cooking stove, when the meat laying over the
blaze, its melted fatty particles fall down upon the blaze holes, stopping and

page_text: clogging them, producing nauseous and infectious vapours, which by their
passage through the brass gas pipes can give unwholesome and even dangerous
qualities to the meat, whilst with the gas-cooking stoves of my Invention
nothing of the kind is to be dreaded.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Denis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DENIS, of the Town of Arras, in the Empire of France, Gaswork Manager,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ine, the said Charles Denis, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Denis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the
said Charles Denis, 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 GAS-HEATING OR COOKING STOVES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Denis, my executors
nistrators, 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.
or admi-
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Denis, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed and forming part of this Specification, and to the letters of reference
marked on the several Diagrams drawn thereon :-
The gas-heating or cooking stove, the subject of this Invention, is repre-

page_text: sented on the annexed Sheet of Drawing to a scale of half size. The Invention
consists in a new method of obtaining a more perfect combustion of gas,
whether for heating, cooking, or industrial purposes, while causing the said
gas to produce a greater amount of heat without any greater consumption,
and permitting the intenseness thereof to be regulated with exactness.
The said advantages are obtained naturally from the new arrangements which
I have adopted, without either a previous mixture with atmospheric air
through a wire cloth or any other artificial means, whatever may be the shape
of the chest, box, or chamber used, and also whatever may be the shape or
direction of the flame. My system of burning is based on the rarefying of
the air, which is obtained by causing jets of blazing gas to cross through the
sides of a chamber or box tightly closed at the bottom part; the said blazing
jets suck in the cool outer air, and cause it to run through a regular combi-
nation of apertures or holes to be heated by its running round the flame and
its mixture with it. This produces a natural and powerful blowing means or
blast, which helps the conveyance of the heat in a horizontal direction, and
permits its intenseness to be regulated with great precision; for this reason
I call this apparatus "gas-heating or cooking stove with blast."
In the annexed Sheet of Drawing, Figure 1 shews the upper part of the
apparatus with a grate and without the covering piece; Figure 2 is a plan of
the roasting stove, shewing one-half with the covering or top piece, and the
other half in section through the line A, B, Figure 5; Figure 3 shews the
top part of the stove without the covering piece, and with a fowl on the spit;
Figure 4 is an end view, shewing cock or tap; Figure 5, front view of the
whole gas-cooking stove; Figure 6, end view of the jack side; Figure 7,
vertical cross section, shewing the entrance of the flame, the gridiron, and the
dripping from; Figure 8, vertical longitudinal section in the middle of the
stove with a fowl on spit; Figure 9, vertical cross section, shewing the spit S,
dripping pan, and each guide of the flame in jets. In all the Figures the
same parts are indicated by the same letters of reference. C, chamber or
chest of the gas stove; D, covering piece cut with holes a, a, for the escape of
the vapours arising from the cooking meat; F, roasting fowl; HI, bottom
piece of the stove; R, turn-spit; S, iron spit; G, feed pipe, which can be
connected with the main pipe either by means of an india-rubber or any other
suitable pipe; I, dripping pan; J, aperture for the gravy to run out; K,
running pipe perforated for gas jets; K¹, connecting end pipes; M, inlet
cock; N, handle to take out the dripping pan; N¹, hook studs for holding
fast the upper chest; p, p, little caps or burners screwed fast or perforations
in the longest pipes R; 9, 9, apertures cut through the sides, and by which

page_text: the gas passes into the cooking chamber C. To have the apparatus set in
motion the tube G is connected with the running pipe, the cock M is opened,
the gas flows in the connecting pipes K' and tubes K, and rushes out through
the small caps or burners p (or, if preferred, mere perforations); each jet of
gas is kindled by passing a light before the apertures q, either inside or
outside of the roasting chamber or chest; the flame rushes in the said
chamber and suddenly a sucking of air takes place, which air by surrounding
each jet of flame forms a blast producing a very intense heat, which can be
moderated or increased at pleasure by turning the cock M. For culinary
purposes with the apparatus used by the process just described, meat and
fish can be broiled on a common gridiron with all desirable perfection.
The gridiron being taken out, an iron spit may be used for roasting
fowls, legs of mutton, or other articles. The gravy is nicely gathered
without being spoiled by running on the brass tube of the burners, and
cannot fall on the outlets of gas to stop them up. Whatever may be the
abundance of the gravy the heat is not altered, and it remains clear, giving
neither smoke or bad smell. For industrial purposes, for instance, singeing
stuffs and other, my process gives a more regular degree of heat than any
other process hitherto employed, the singeing not being altered by the falling
in of grease, dust, or any other particles of any kind. The number of burners
or flame jets may be increased almost without limit, the blast of air being
increased in proportion, thus a considerable degree of heat can be obtained
with perfect regularity, especially for industrial purposes; the heating power
of gas used in my gas stove might be increased to a great degree by the intro-
duction of either a mixture of air entering freely or forced in. For heating
apartments, each gas burner being disposed outside, so that it is fed by a
special and proportionate blast of air, the heating is more healthy because the
combustion is more perfect, producing neither smoke nor bad smell, provided
the gas has been previously well purified.
My Invention being now described, I declare that I do not restrict myself
to the precise arrangement of gas stove represented on the annexed Sheet of
Drawing, which can be modified in several ways; but what I claim as my
Invention is, the construction of a heating or cooking gas stove composed of a
chamber or chest entirely closed at the bottom, and surrounded outside by
gas pipes or tubes connected with the running feed pipe, the said surrounding
gas tubes being at a little distance apart from the chest, and fitted with small
caps or burners screwed fast into them in the direction of the sides of the
chest or chamber, which has itself small apertures corresponding to each
burner through which the blazing gas rushes, and by its rarefying the internal

page_text: air causes a suction, by which the outside air is made to rush in the chest,
and by its running around the burning gas to become heated and mix with
the gas, increasing its combustion and producing a greater degree of heat.
I claim also the application of the said stoves to cooking, heating, or
industrial purposes by modifying them according to requirements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
N. BAR.
CH. DENIS. (L.S.)