IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE CURE OF SMOKING CHIMNEYS, FOR THE PREVENTION OF BACK DRAFT, AND FOR THE MORE PERFECT CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Douglass and Joseph Douglass both of Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR THE CURE OF SMOKING CHIMNEYS, FOR THE PREVENTION OF BACK
DRAFT, AND FOR THE MORE PERFECT CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Douglass and
Joseph Douglass at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th
March 1881.
RICHARD DOUGLASS and JOSEPH DOUGLASS, both of Coventry, in the County
of Warwick. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE CURE OF SMOKING
CHIMNEYS, FOR THE PREVENTION OF BACK DRAFT, AND FOR THE MORE PERFECT
CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE."
Our Invention has for its object the prevention of smoke or sulphur returning
back into rooms from chimneys where there is a back draft, and for the more
perfect consumption of smoke.
We effect this desirable object in the following manner :- -We construct a box of
sheet metal or other material with a semicircular or other shaped top, which would
be regulated according to the design of the fire place, which we secure by projections
and spring sides or other convenient means to the front of any existing fire place.
On the front of this box is a plate which may be arranged to slide up and down
or to take out when desired, or it may be fast to the box. In this plate we mount
one, two, or more whirligig ventilators according to the design and size of the fire
place. This box is therefore a little above the fire, and as the current of air enters
the chimney it is whirled round by the vanes of the wheel and meets any down-
draft or tendency there might be to such in a chimney.
These whirligigs, or one or more of them, may also be so fixed as to throw a
slight current of air down upon that part of the fire where the smoke commences
to rise, and so cause it to ignite and be consumed instead of rising up the chimney
in an unconsumed state. The whirligigs may be arranged so as only to work when
[Price 6d1

page_text: the wind may be adverse to any particular chimney, or they may be left so as to
continuously revolve. They may also be either hidden by ornamental front plates
or they may be visible to the eye, or they may be partly or wholly exposed to the
current of air as desired, and thus the draft may be either increased or decreased
at pleasure..
Our apparatus may when desired be made one with the fire grate and provision
provided for fixing the whirligigs in the front plate or other convenient position.
The apparatus may be mounted in brass, polished steel, sheet iron, or other metal,
and the design may be made to suit any taste, and may be made removable or fast
as desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Douglass and Joseph Douglass in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th September 1881.
RICHARD DOUGLASS and JOSEPH DOUGLASS, both of Coventry, in the County
of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE CURE OF SMOKEY
CHIMNEYS."
Our Invention has for its object the prevention of smoke or sulphur returning
back into rooms from chimneys where there is a back draft, and for the more
perfect consumption of smoke.
We effect this desirable object in the following manner :-We construct a box of
sheet metal or other material with a semicircular or other shaped top which would
be regulated according to the design of the fire place, which we secure by pro-
jections and spring sides or other convenient means to the front of any existing
fire place. On the front of this box is a plate, which may be arranged to slide up
and down or to take out when desired, or it may be fast to the box. In this plate
we mount one, two, or more whirligig ventilators, according to the design and
size of the fire place. This box is therefore a little above the fire, and as the
current of air enters the chimney it is whirled round by the vanes of the wheel,
and meets any down draft or tendency there might be to such in a chimney.
These whirligigs or one or more of them may also be so fixed as to throw a
slight current of air down upon that part of the fire where the smoke commences
to rise, and so cause it to ignite and be consumed, instead of rising up the chimney
in an unconsumed state. The whirligigs may be arranged so as only to work when
the wind may be adverse to any particular chimney, or they may be left so as to
continuously revolve. They may also be either hidden by ornamental front plates
or they may be visible to the eye, or they may be partly or wholly exposed to the
carrant of air as desired, and thus the draft may be either increased or decreased
at pleasure.
Our apparatus may when desired be made one with the fire grate and provision
provided for fixing the whirligigs in the front plate or convenient position.
The apparatus may be mounted in brass, polished steel, sheet iron, or other
metal, and the design may be made to suit any taste, and may be made removeable
or fast as desired.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawings will make my improvements quite clear.
Figure 1 is a simple application of my improvements to a fire place, where one .
or more of the whirligigs A and B are fixed in recesses in the front of the grate.
These whirligigs may be covered by ornamental work of various kinds, with pro-
vision to admit the air around the edges or other parts, or they may be exposed as
shown on the Drawing.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sheet metal box which is loose from the grate,
and is designed in this case to apply to a grate having flat hobs and a flat back.
The foot c and d stand on the hobs, and the plates e projecting from the sides f rests
against the back of the fire place. Where boxes are required to fit against grates,
such as shown by Figure 1, the projecting plates e would not be required, as the
sides would spring inside the grate with a suitable hook projection at the top of
the flange to hold the box in position. These boxes may be made either with or
without the front draft sliding plate which is shown drawn down in Figure 3.
When this plate H is down, the whirligigs K and L act equally well, and when
the plate Ĥ is up the holes M and N leave the whirligigs exposed as seen by
Figure 2.
It will be clearly understood that the whirligigs might be fixed in the sliding
plate H, so that the current or currants of air could be directed upon the back of

page_text: the fire, and which would facilitate nice adaption of the box to varying circum-
stances, such as changes of wind.
A sliding shutter or shutters may be provided to cover the whirligigs, and to
stop them from turning, or to regulate the amount of air admitted. Indeed,
in some cases, the boxes are made without either the sliding plate or the whirligigs,
but in other respects substantially as shown on the Drawings. Or the plain boxes
without the whirligigs may be made a part of the grates.
Having therefore now described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into practical effect, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the designs shown, as they may be greatly varied without
departing from the nature of the Invention, but what we do claim is,-
First. Fire places constructed with one or more whirligigs in the front, for the
purpose herein before explained and as also shown.
Second. Portable draft boxes mounted with one or more whirligigs, and as
shown and described.
Third. Portable draft boxes without the whirligigs, and with or without the
slide, otherwise substantially as illustrated.
Fourth. Fire grates constructed with the plain boxes (without the whirligigs)
forming part of the grates.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Douglass and Joseph Douglass, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.