IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FOR LIGHTING DOMESTIC AND OTHER FIRES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Hubbard, of 18, Hemus Terrace,
King's Road, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FOR LIGHTING DOMESTIC
AND OTHER FIRES."
Sealed the 10th October 1856, and dated the 2nd July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Hubbard
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd July 1856.
I, WILLIAM HENRY HUBBARD, of 18, Hemus Terrace, King's Road, Chelsea,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FOR LIGHTING DOMESTIC
AND OTHER FIRES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of articles commonly known as
fire-lighters, and the principal feature in these improvements consists in a new
mode of combining together the pieces of wood of which such fire-lighters are
made, for the purpose of increasing the draught of the atmospheric air through
the same when used for lighting fires; that is to say, instead of making the
article of parallel thickness, or nearly so, throughout its height and breadth, I
form the article large at the base and contracted at the upper part, by which
I leave vertical openings for the atmospheric air to pass freely through, and
thus render fire-lighters more certain in their action than heretofore.

page_text: The lower interstices are loosely filled with shavings of wood, which are kept
in by a piece of paper stuck over the same, serving also to ignite the fire-
lighter when a light is applied thereto.
It is important that the surface of the paper be placed higher than the sides
of the fire-lighter, to allow the atmospheric air to circulate freely through the
same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Hubbard in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY HUBBARD, of 18, Hemus Terrace, King's Road, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second. day of July, 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 Henry Hubbard, Her special licence that I, the said William
Henry Hubbard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Henry Hubbard, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FOR LIGHTING DOMESTIC AND
OTHER FIRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Henry Hubbard, my executors 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 caused 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 William Henry, Hubbard,, 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):-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of articles commonly known as fire-

page_text: lighters, and consists in a particular mode of forming and combining together
the several pieces of wood of which such said fire-lighters are made, whereby I
dispense with the necessity of tieing the pieces together with string, wood
shaving, wire, or other material or means of fastening, as heretofore practised;
and whereby I also create or secure in the middle of the fire (except where the
fire-lighter touches the bars of the grate wherein it is placed, but which it may
either touch or not without materially affecting its action,) a vacant space,
consisting of or formed by a large cavity (which, if found desirable for
increasing the quantity of wood or otherwise, may be subdivided), into which
cavity wood shavings or any other light or easily combustible material may be
inserted or introduced for more ready ignition; and whereby I also give or
secure to the fire-lighter the property or advantage of retaining its form, until
it has been more thoroughly consumed, than by any of the arrangements now
generally in use. And these objects I effect by so forming or shaping the said
several pieces of wood as that they can be made to lock or fit into each other
without the extraneous aid of any foreign, independant, or adventitious tie,
ligature, or other fastening, or of any adhesive composition, but the several
parts are kept together by mere compression, or by the grip or action of one
part upon or against another part, which I accomplish by means of successive
and uniform or corresponding grooves or notches; or other mechanical con-
trivance not heretofore applied to any description of fire-wood, and which
pieces of wood, when thus put together, form a substantial and efficient fire-
lighter, and the shape I adopt is that of a rectangular hollow box or frame
open at both ends, and with slits or narrow openings at the sides, but with
the addition of an extra transverse piece at the top, in order to assist when the
fire-lighter is set upright in supporting the superincumbent coals or other fuel
to be placed thereon, and so prevent them from falling inwards within the
interior of the fire-lighter, and also, in order when the position of the fire-lighter
is accidentally or otherwise reversed, to keep the shavings or other light or
easily combustible material to be so inserted or introduced, as aforesaid, from
falling out at the top or becoming displaced. But the particular shape made
be the subject of modification.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing
annexed to these Presents, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon respectively, as follows:-

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of my improved fire-lighter; Figure 3, a
section through the line A, B, at Figure 2; Figure 4 is a top plan view thereof;
Figure 5, a bottom plan view; Figure 6 exhibits one of the pieces, shewn
detached; Figures 7, 8, 9 are views of parts hereafter referred to. At each
of the foregoing Figures I employ similar letters of reference to denote cor-
responding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such
said Figures respectively.
A, A, represent several pieces of wood of equal size, and of the shape
exhibited at Figure 6, produced in the following manner :-I take a block or
piece of wood, usually measuring about twelve or eighteen inches long by three
inches thick, and nine inches wide, and being commonly the cuttings off planks,
and distinguished by timber merchants and shipowners as "deal ends" or
"dunnage." This block or piece of wood I divide, by sawing or otherwise, into
about ten or any other number of convenient equal parts, as denoted by the
dotted lines at Figure 7. I then proceed to have grooves or notches cut or
formed in such several parts or pieces, and for this purpose I take one or more
of such parts, consisting of such smaller blocks or divided pieces of wood, and
pass them successively under a circular saw or saws, or a plough or ploughs,
or other cutting tool or tools adapted for the purpose, and arranged in such a
manner as to ensure a corresponding size, position, distance, and direction of
the grooves in each block or piece of wood made by the saws, ploughs, or other
cutting tools.
One of such blocks or pieces of woods, when so grooved or
notched, is exhibited at Figure 8. I then take such said grooved blocks or pieces
of wood successively, or several together, and pass them under a circular saw or
saws, or a knife or knives, or a chisel or chisels, or other cutting, slicing, or
splitting tool or tools, so as to divide each block or piece of wood into flat
or reduced pieces of about five-sixteenths of an inch in thickness, more or less,
as at Figure 9, the whole dimensions of each such flat or reduced piece of
wood being about three inches in length, about 12 or 1 inch in breadth, and
about five-sixteenths of an inch in thickness; but these dimensions may be
varied, although I prefer those I have here given. I then take such flat or
reduced pieces of wood, and construct or build them up, as exhibited at
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, by first fixing or placing two of them in an upright
position, and then placing two other pieces transversely, or at right angles to
the first two, passing or pressing the grooves or notches B of one piece of
wood into the grooves or notches of another piece of wood, and so on, until I
have thus built up, fastened together, and formed into a rectangular hollow

page_text: box or frame, open at both ends, and with slits or narrow openings at the sides,
but with the addition of an extra transverse piece at the top, a sufficient
number of such flat or reduced pieces of wood as will form a substantial and
efficient fire-lighter, according to the size of the fire to be ignited. I usually
thus put together seven or nine of such flat or reduced pieces of wood, but this
number may be varied at pleasure; and there may also be added an extra
transverse piece at the bottom as well as at the top of the fire-lighter, either for
the purpose
of increasing the quantity of wood to be consumed, or of more
effectually keeping in the said shavings, or other light or easily combustible
material, to be inserted or introduced as aforesaid. In this manner and by
these means I connect the several pieces of wood together without tieing. I
then place inside the same wood shavings, or other light and readily combustible
material, as at C, Figures 3 and 4, which shaving or other material, if neces
sary, may be dipped in turpentine or rosin, or a mixture of both, or other
inflammable liquid or substance; and finally, I enclose the said shavings or
other material, last aforesaid, at or towards the lower part of the fire-lighter (if
not supported by such extra transverse piece at the bottom, as herein-before
described), by or with a piece of paper D pasted to the fire-lighter, which
keeps the shavings or other material last aforesaid from falling out at the
bottom, and answers the purpose of a label, and serves also to ignite the
shavings or other material, last aforesaid, which ignition is effected by applying
a match or light to the paper, care being taken to place the paper side of the
fire-lighter downwards when used for lighting ordinary fires in open grates,
and towards or opposite to the door of the furnace or fire-place when used for
lighting furnaces and fires beneath or in connection with copper or other
metallic boilers, or any other description of fire through which the admission
and passage of air is in a horizontal instead of a vertical direction.
Having now fully described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I am
aware that other arrangements of pieces of wood have been adopted in and for
the manufacture of articles for lighting domestic and other fires; I do not,
therefore, claim such arrangements; but at the same time I would remark, in
conclusion, that I do not intend to limit or confine myself to the precise form
of the fire-lighter as exhibited by the annexed Drawing at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
neither do I confine myself to the precise shape of the peice exhibited at
Figure 6, or the means by which it is produced, so long as the principle of
construction of my improved fire-lighter be retained; of course the several
pieces of wood forming the fire-lighter might be joined or fastened still more
firmly together by or with the use or aid of some tie or adhesive composition,

page_text: but would add to the expense of construction without being, I conceive,
practically necessary; and I hereby declare my Invention to consist in, and I
claim the mode above particularly described and set forth, of combining and
connecting together pieces of wood without tieing or adhesive composition, or
without any practical necessity for such tie or composition, so as to constitute
an article adapted for lighting domestic and other fires, substantially as above.
stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Hubbard, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. J. HARDEY,
2, Dane's Inn, Strand.
W. H. HUBBARD.
(L.S.)