IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND VENTILATING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Walker Muir, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, Scotland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WARMING AND
VENTILATING."
Sealed the 29th June 1855, and dated the 3rd January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Walker Muir
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1855.
I, GEORGE WALKER MUIR, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Scotland,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WARMING AND VENTILATING" to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to forming the jambs and mantle-piece in connection
with open domestic register or other grates hollow, and all of metal, in order
that, the external air being admitted into the chambers thus formed, it may
be thereby heated and discharged into the room from the mantle-piece.
Also, to protecting the ends of the iron pipes employed in heating air
from the action of the fire by joining a short piece of clay pipe thereto.
Also, to dividing a cylinder or shaft into 3 or more parts longitudinally,
partly constructed of perforated sheets of metal or other suitable substances,
which sheets are set at various suitable distances from each other. The said
cylinder or shaft to be used for the ingress and egress of air to and from

page_text: buildings, with provision for the collection and escape of water, and with valves
to open and shut.
Also, to the arrangement of a shaft for the abstraction of air from stoves or
buildings into and by the draft of the furnace used in heating the same.
Also, the use of two or more sheets of perforated metal or other suitable sub-
stances for the ingress and egress of air to buildings at or near to the ridge of
the roof thereof, with provision for the collection and escape of water.
Also, to the construction of chimneys or shafts double throughout their
whole height, for the abstraction of vapour from drying stoves or apartments,
and the smoke & gases from the furnace used for heating the same; the
inner chimney being of metal, and the outer of brick or stone.
Also, to the construction of a double cowl to be fixed upon the top of the
double shaft.
Also, to the use of cowls. for..the ingress.and.ogress of air into and from
buildings, the cowls used for the admission of air having the vanes so placed
as to keep the opening of the cowls towards the wind, and those used for
the egress having the vanes set in the usual way; the cowl used for ingress
having the mouth covered by two or more sheets of perforated metal or other
suitable substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
..by the said George. Walker Muir in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WALKER, MUIR, of Glasgow,, in, the County of, Lanark, Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her,most Excellent, Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand-eight. hundred, and, fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and. grant unto me, the said.
George Walker Muir, Her special licence, that I, the said George Walker
Muir, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Walker Muir, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WARMING AND VENTILATING," upon the condition (amongst others).

page_text: that I, the said George Walker Muir, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Walker Muir, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
The Invention relates, firstly, to forming the jambs and mantle-piece, in
connection with open, domestic, register, or other grates, hollow, and all of
metal, in order that, the external air being admitted into the chambers thus
formed, it may be thereby. heated and discharged into the room from the
mantle-piece.
Secondly, the improvements relate to protecting the ends of the iron pipes
employed in heating air from the action of the fire by joining a short piece of
clay pipe thereto.
Thirdly, the Invention relates to dividing. a cylinder or shaft into three or
more parts longitudinally, partly constructed of perforated sheets of metal
or other suitable substances, which sheets are set at various suitable distances
from each other; the said cylinder or shaft to be used for the ingress and
egress of air to and from buildings, with provision for the collection and escape
of water, and with valves to open and shut.
Fourthly, the improvements relate to the arrangement of a shaft for the
abstraction of air from stoves or buildings into and by the draft of the furnace
used in heating the same.
Fifthly, the improvements relate to the use of two or more sheets of per-
forated metal or other suitable substances for the ingress and egress of air to
buildings at or near to the ridge of the roof thereof, with provision for the
collection and escape of water.
Sixthly, the improvements relate to the construction of chimneys or shafts
double throughout their whole height, for the abstraction of vapour from
drying stoves or apartments, and the smoke and gases from the furnace used
for heating the same; the inner chimney being of metal, and the outer of
brick or stone.
Seventhly, the improvements relate to the construction of a double cowl to
be fixed upon the top of the double shaft.
Eighthly, the improvements relate to the use of cowls for the ingress and
egress of air into and from buildings; the cowls used for the admission- of air

page_text: having the vanes so placed as to keep the opening of the cowls towards the
wind, and those used for the egress having the vanes set in the usual way;
the cowl used for ingress having the mouth covered by two or more sheets of
perforated metal or other suitable substance.
But that the nature of my said Invention may be fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me.
Figure 1 shows a front view, Figure 2 a plan in section, and Figure 3 a
vertical section, of a stove with the jambs and mantle-piece arranged according
to the first part of these improvements.
a, a, are the checks and parts of the stove; b are the parts forming the
jambs; and c, the mantle-piece. These parts b and c are, in carrying out my
improvements, made of iron or other metal, and they are hollow, to admit of air
freely circulating therethrough. It will be seen by the sectional plan that the
chambers d, thus formed in the jambs, continue only to that part of the stove
which is not exposed to the direct action of the heat produced by the coal or
other fuel being consumed in the stove, and I consider this important, as, whilst
the air in passing through such passages becomes sufficiently warmed, it is
prevented from becoming too dry. The air is admitted to these passages dat
the lower part of the jambs from the exterior of the room or other apartment
by passages d', one on each side of the fire-place; it thence passes upwards
and escapes into the room or other apartment through perforations e, e, formed
in the front projecting edge of the mantle-piece.
'
Figure 4 shows a section of a portion of piping arranged according to the
second part of the improvements. In conducting flame from a furnace through
metal pipes, the parts of such pipe contiguous to the furnace soon become
destroyed by the heat thereby generated. To remedy this inconvenience, I
employ a short piece of clay pipe, by preference Stourbridge clay, at that part
of such pipe which first receives the flame as it passes from the furnace. a is
a portion of such clay pipe; and b, a portion of the metal pipe; c is a collar
or ring, forming the connecting means between the two portions of pipe.
Figure 5 shows a vertical section, and Figure 6 a plan, of parts arranged
according to the third part of the improvements. d, d, are two cylinders of
perforated metal, placed one to surround the other concentrically. In the
space between these two concentric cylinders are boards or plates of metal
e, e, placed in an angular direction, in the manner of "louvre" boards, so
that, whilst air may be allowed to pass freely into or out from the interior of
such cylinders, rain will be prevented from passing therein, but will be collected
on the surface thereof, and thence escape.

page_text: I would state that, although I have shown the cylinder or shaft of a cylin-
drical form, I do not confine myself.thereto, as the same may be of a square
form in its vertical section, or of other form; and in carrying out my improve-
ments it is divided longitudinally into three or more parts.
In these Figures I have shown it divided into four parts f, g, h, i; I do
not, however, confine myself to that number. These parts f, g, h, i, are sepa-
rated from each other by means of the partitions j, so that they are thus
distinct from, and to a certain extent independent of, each other. A cylinder
or shaft thus constructed and placed upon the roof of a house or other
building will be capable of receiving fresh air through one or more of its
passages, and conducting it into the apartment to be ventilated, and of con-
ducting away from such apartment the vitiated air which it may contain.
Thus, supposing the current of external air to be moving in the direction of
the arrow k, the fresh air will pass down the channel g, and the vitiated air
will pass up by either or all of the other channels; but supposing the current
of external air to be moving in the direction of the arrow 1, then the fresh air
will be entering the building by two of the passages f, g, and the vitiated air
may be passing therefrom by either or both of the passages h, i, and so on,
according to the direction of the currents of external air. And to aid in con-
ducting the air better to and from these passages, I have formed wings m, m,
projecting from the surface of the cylinder or shaft, by which currents of air
entering the passages of the cylinder or shaft will be prevented interfering
with those passing therefrom. 0, 0, are valves, one to each of the passages
f, g, h, i, turning on hinges at o', and capable of being opened and closed as
desired by means of cords o", by which the passages f, g, h, i, are opened, or
may be closed when required.
In carrying out the fourth part of my improvements, I provide a passage or
series of passages opening at one end to the drying stove, or other apartment
from which it is desired to abstract air, and I prefer that such end of the
passage or passages be near the floor of such stove or other building, and
the other end of each of such passages communicates with the ash-pit or other
feeding means to the furnace or other stove employed in heating the same.
Figure 7 shows a longitudinal view, and Figure 8 a section, of an arrange-
ment of roof for the ingress and egress of air to buildings according to the
fifth part of my Invention. n, n, are the perforated sheets of metal, or it may
be other suitable material, by which the air may pass into or from the building;
o is a roof or covering to such part, which is otherwise open to the interior of
the building. This roof o I form to project sufficiently to collect rain and pre-
vent it from passing through the perforations into the roof; or I apply to those

page_text: parts boards or plates in the form of "louvre" boards. The space between
such perforated plates n; n, is divided into two by a partition p, and I prefer
that such partition extends: some distance down through the roof, by-which the
air passing through the perforated plate n will be better conducted down into
the building, as will also the air passing therefrom be more freely conducted
away: I would state that, although I have shewn these plates for the ingress
and egress of air as continuous. the whole length of the building, the same
may be only at intervals.
1
"
Figure 9 shows an outline plan of a building with parts arranged according
to the sixth part of the improvements. represents the furnace, or it may be
other stove, for heating the building, with a pipe s therefrom, for conducting
away the smoke and other products of: combustion; t, t, are channels or
passages; formed by preference under the floor of the room or other apartment,
into which other suitable sized passages open from the interior of the room or
other apartment to be ventilated. These channels or passages t, t, open into
the space formed between the ascending parts, of the chimney s and the
outer chimneyu, and the heat generated within such space by the chimney
s will cause the air by being rarified to ascend, and thereby create a current
to draw away the air from the room or other apartment, and thus to ventilate
the same. By thus forming the two passages, the one for the escape of. smoke
& products of combustion; the other for the escape of vitiated air, distinct
through their entire length, I am enabled to avoid the possibility of the smoke
or products of combustion descending into the room or other apartment by a
downward current; valves may be employed.in connection with these passages
to regulate the draft as desired.
ས་
Figure 10 shows a vertical section, and Figure 11 a sectional plan, of an
arrangement according to the seventh part of my improvements. 's' represents
the upper part of a chimney, for conducting away smoke and other products of
combustion from a furnace.or other stove; and u is a similar part of an outer
chimney; leaving the annular space v between for conducting away vitiated air
from a room or other apartment, according to the system described in respect
to the sixth part of the Invention; and wanda are the parts of the double
cowl. wis the part which conducts the smoke and other products of com-
bustion from the furnace, and is that which conducts the vitiated air which
rises up through the space v. These parts wand are connected together so
as freely to turn with the wind-upon the centre pin y, as shown:"
Figure 12 shows cowls arranged in pairs,.according to the eighth part of my
improvements. These cowls A, B,"are formed in any suitable way, and their
mode of construction forms no! part of my improvements, except so far..as in

page_text: applying the "vane" to one of them, so that it shall always cause the mouth
thereto to face in the direction towards the wind, in place of opposed to it, as is
ordinarily the case, and as is the case with respect to the other of the pair of
cowls used in carrying out these improvements. By thus arranging the cowls,
the air will be caused to pass down that cowl the mouth of which opens
towards the wind, whilst the air from the building to which such arrangement
of cowls is applied may readily pass away by the other cowl. The mouth of
the cowl used for the ingress of air will be covered with two or more sheets
of perforated zinc or other suitable material, to prevent rain passing down
the same.
Having thus described the nature of my said improvements, and the means
which I adopt in carrying the same into practice, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details shown and described so
long as the peculiar character of any part thereof be retained; but what I do
claim is, the several improvements in warming and ventilating, as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Walker Muir, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
ALEXR BROWN.
GEORGE WALKER MUIR. (L.S.)