IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-PLACES AND FIRE-BACKS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark of the firm of A. M and W. Clark of 53
Chancery Lane in the county of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-PLACES AND FIRE-BACKS
communicated to him from abroad by James Henry Burnam of Fayetteville
in the county of Lincoln and State of Tennessee United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th August 1883.
WILLIAM CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-PLACES AND FIRE-BACKS." [Communicated to him from abroad by James
Henry Burnam of Fayetteville in the county of Lincoln and State of Tennessee,
United States of America]
This Invention relates to moans for heating two adjoining rooms on the same
floor with one fire, and it consists first of a fire place or frame enclosed in a chimney
in a partition wall between two adjoining rooms on the same floor, the opening in
the fire place extending through it and into the adjoining room and a metallic heat
conducting fire back inserted into said opening in the fire place or frame and
provided with a grato, so that a fire made in the grate in one room will heat it and
also the adjoining room on the same floor. The Invention further consists in
certain details of construction.
The fire place or frame is preferably made of cast iron, cither in one piece or in
sections and enclosed in a chimney built in the partition wall. The foundation of
the chimney is prepared to receive the fire place or frame at a level with the floors
of the adjoining rooms to be heated, and the chimney is continued up of nearly or
the same thickness as the frame enclosing the latter at its sides and continues
upward through the roof, leaving a smoke flue in the chimney corresponding with
the opening in the top of the fire place or frame for the escape of the products of
combustion. The fire place is preferably provided with extended flanges on its
back and front faces forming side recesses in which the walls of the chimney are

page_text: built. The central opening in the fire place or frame extends entirely through it
and into the adjoining room and the middle of the sides and bottom of the opening
in the fire place or frame is provided with a continuous flange against which the
flanges of the fire back rest, being held in place by a fastening pin or other
equivalent means. The fire back is formed of metal preferably iron, so that its
heat conducting power will be great and its body is made concave so that its body
will project through the opening in the fire place partly into the adjoining room.
The concave portion of the fire back terminates near its upper end in an inclined
plane, the upper edge of which rests on one of the longitudinal sides of the upper
opening of the fire place or frame for the passage of the products of combustion
into the chimney. Inclined springs or projections are provided at the upper part
of the fire place to hold the fire back in position. This inclined plane closes the
draught opening of the adjoining room so that none of the radiated heat from the
back of the concave metallic fire back can pass into the chimney.
The side vertical bars of the grate are hooked and removably secured in holes
made in the front and back faces of the frame. The rear end of the bottom of the
grate is inclined in wardly and upwardly and rests against the front concave face of
the fire back, the weight of the fuel being thus exerted to hold the fire back in
position. Hoods are placed over the tops of the opening in the fire place on its
opposite faces.
The fire back is readily detached and can be inserted in the opening in the fire
place from either room, so that a fire can be made in either room and at the same
time both rooms can be heated by ono fire.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Clark in the Patent Office on the 7th February 1884.
WILLIAM CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-PLACES AND FIRE-BACKS" A communication to me from abroad by James
Henry Burnam, of Fayetteville, in the County of Lincoln and State of Tennessee,
United States of America
This Invention relates to means for heating two adjoining rooms on the same
floor, with one fire, and it consists first of a fire place or frame enclosed in a chimney
in a partition wall between two adjoining rooms on the same floor, the opening in
the fire place extending through it and into the adjoining room and a metallic heat
conducting fire-back inserted into said opening in the fire-place or frame, and
provided with a grato, so that a fire made in the grate in one room will heat it and
also the adjoining room on the same floor.. The invention further consists in
certain details of construction.
In the drawings figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved fire-place, grate
and fire-back. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the fire-back. Figure 3 is a
central vertical section, through the fire place and fire-back, and Figure 4 is a
similar section with the fire-back removed.
a represents a fire place or. frame preferably made of cast iron and either in one
piece or in sections and enclosed in a chimney built in tho partition wall between
two adjoining rooms on the same floor..
The foundation of the chimney is prepared to receive the fire place or frame at a
level with the floors of the adjoining rooms to be heated by one fire, and the chimney
is continued up of nearly or the same thickness as the frame enclosing the latter at
its sides and continues upward through the roof leaving a smoke flue in the
chimney corresponding with the opening t in the top of the fire place or frame a
for the oscape of the products of combustion.
The fire place a is preferably provided with extended flanges b on its back and
front faces, forming side recesses c in which the walls of the chimney are built.
e represents the central opening in the fire place or frame which extends entirely.
through it and into the adjoining room on the same floor and the middle of the sides
and bottom of the opening e in the fire place or frame a is provided with a
continuous flange h against which the flanges m see figure 2 of the reversible fire
backrest and may be held in place by a fastening pin or other equivalent means
applied to the bottom flange m and the lower flange h.
The fire back is formed of metal, preferably iron, so that its heat conducting
power will be great, and its body is made concave, so that its body will project
through the opening e in the fire place partly into the adjoining room.
The concave portion of the fire-back terminates near its upper end in an inclined
plane g, the upper edge of which rests on one of the longitudinal sides of the
opening & for the passage of the products of combustion into the chimney.
By this construction it will be seen that the fire-back is readily detached and
can be inserted in the opening in the fire place from either room, so that a fire can
be made in either room and at the same time both rooms can be heated by one fire.
It will also be seen that the inclined plane q of the fire-back closes the draft
opening of the adjoining room so that none of the radiated heat from the back of
the concave metallic fire-back can pass through the draft opening t in the fire-place
and thence into the chimney and will be utilised in the adjoining room.
represent inclined springs or projections secured to the upper ends and opposite
88

page_text: sides of the longitudinal flanges h the function of the springs being to hold the fire
back in place at its upper end.
n represents a grate the side vertical bars of which are hooked and are removably
secured in holes made in the front and back faces of the frame a. The rear end p
of the bottom of the grate is inclined inwardly and upwardly and rests against the
front concave face of the fire-back, the weight of the fuel being thus exerted to
hold the fire back in position.. d d represent hoods placed over the tops of the
opening in the fire place. on its opposite faces. This construction is extremely
simple and cheap. Two adjoining rooms on the same floor can be readily heated
by one fire, one room being heated by the fire back and the other by the open
fire; and the fire-back being readily reversed a fire can be made in either roon as
desired.
I am aware that a fire place having an opening extending centrally through it
and provided with a revolving vertical fire back carrying a grate adapted to bo
swung in the fire place from a room, to one adjoining it, the chimney of the firo
place being provided with two hinged dampers, connected by a chain and operated
by an eccentric to close the draft opening in the room opposite that in which the
grate is employed, is old, and I therefore lay no claim to such construction this
invention being different simpler and cheaper than that disclaimed, in that I
dispense with the hinged dampers, chain and eccentric of that construction and
employ a concave fire-back provided with an inclined rigid. extension at its
upper end.
Having described the said Invention and the manner of performing the same I
declaro-that what I.claim as the Invention to be protected by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is :
1 The combination with a fire place having an opening extending through it of
a reversible concave metallic fire-back, having an inclined plane at its upper end
forming a rigid extension thereof said-fire-back being-thus-adapted-to-project into
the adjoining room and close the draft opening in the fire place of said room
substantially as described.
2nd The combination with the fire place a provided with the central opening e
extending centrally through it and having the flanges h of the reversible concave
metallic fire back having flanges m and inclined plane q substantially as described,
and for the purpose set forth.
3rd The combination with the cast iron fire-place or frame a having the flanges b
recesses c smoke passage t and opening e extending centrally through it, and
provided with the flanges h of the reversible concave metallic fire-back having
Hanges m and inclined upper end q and removable grate n substantially as described
and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Seventh day of February A.D. 1884.
IV CLARK (10)