THE PREVENTION OR CURE OF SMOKY CHIMNEYS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Woodford, of Taunton, in the County of
Somerset, Gentleman, for an Invention for "THE PREVENTION OR CURE
OF SMOKY CHIMNEYS."
Sealed the 24th December 1856, and dated the 24th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Woodford at:
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th October 1856.
I, WILLIAM WOODFORD, of Taunton, in the County of Somerset, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "THE PREVENTION OR
CURE OF SMOKY CHIMNYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in forming apertures in the different sides of a
chimney near the top, or in a cowl fixed upon the top, and placing in each
aperture a three-leaved vane turning upon a vertical spindle, one leaf pro-
jecting outwards from the face of the chimney, and the other two being
situated within the chimney. or cowl, as shown in the accompanying Sketch,
which represents a plan in section of the apparatus. a, a, is the chimney;
b, b, the apertures; c, d, e, the three-leaved vane, turning upon a vertical
spindle or centre f. The Drawing represents all the apertures open, but.
should the wind impinge upon the leaf e the vane would turn upon its centre.

page_text: into the position shewn by the dotted lines, the leaf d would close one half of
the aperture, leaving the other half open, and which would be protected from
the wind by the leaf e.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Woodford in the "Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WOODFORD, of Taunton; in 'the County of Somerset, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six; in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Woodford, Her special licence that I, the" said William Wood-
ford, my executors, 'administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Woodford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with,' and'o 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;

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "THE PREVENTION OR
CURE OF SMOKY CHIMNEYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that: I, 'the said
William Woodford, my executor's 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..t! -7
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"NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Woodford, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner.the same is to be per
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say":
My Invention for the prevention or cure of smoky chimneys consists
in forming apertures in the sides of a chimney near the top; or in the sides of
a cowl, placed on the top of a chimney (the top of the chimney or cowl being
closed), and in placing in each of the said apertures a three-leaved vane
turning upon a vertical spindle or axis, one leaf of each vane projecting
outwards from the face of the chimney or cowl, and the other two leaves being
situated within the chimney or cowl, as shewn in the accompanying Drawings,
in which Figure 1 represents an elevation of a cowl constructed according
to my Invention, and Figure 2 a plan in section. a, a, is the body of the
cowl; b, b, the lateral apertures therein; and c, c, c, the three-leaved vanes,
placed one in each aperture and turning upon the vertical spindle d. The
internal leaves c¹, c", should preferably form a right angle or nearly so (when
the cowl is straight-sided) with each other, and the external leaf should
stand at an equal angle with each of the leaves c¹, c", and the area of the
external leaf should exceed that of an internal leaf; and to produce smooth-
ness of action one of the internal leaves of each vane may be connected with
one of the internal leaves of the opposite vane by a rod passing diagonally from
the one leaf to the other, as shewn at e, e, so as to cause the movement of the
weathermost vanes to produce a similar movement of the opposite vanes.
The operation of the Invention will be readily understood by reference
to Figure 2, which represents all the apertures as open; but supposing the
wind to come from the quarter indicated by the arrows it would, by its action
upon the external leaves c, c, cause the vanes to turn upon their centres and
assume the position shewn by the dotted lines, the leaves c¹, c', closing
one half of the apertures, leaving open the other half, which would be pro-
tected from the wind by the position of the external leaves c, c.

page_text: The cowls or chimney tops may be made of any suitable shape, as cylindrical,
square, hexagonal, &c.
Having thus described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I would observe that I do not limit myself to the precise details
herein described, as they may be modified without departing from the principle
of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention for the prevention or cure of
smoky chimneys, the application of three-leaved vanes, each vane turning upon
a vertical spindle, to lateral apertures formed near the top of a chimney, or in
a cowl placed on the top of a chimney (the top of such chimney or cowl being
covered), so that by the action of the wind upon the external leaf of a vane
one of the internal leaves of the said vane shall be made to close one half of
the aperture, whilst the other half remains open, but protected from the wind
by the external leaf of the vane, as herein above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Woodford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
FREDK. CLARKE,
Bookseller, &c., Taunton.
WILLIAM WOODFORD. (L.S.)