CooKING APPARATUS FOR THE POCKET
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Clark at the Office of 'the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,' on the 12th October 1855.
I, JOHN CLARK, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Lamp,Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CooKING
APPARATUS FOR THE POCKET" to be as follows:-
It consists in so arranging and combining a drinking cup, egg stand, spirit
case, coffee strainer, blowpipe heating apparatus, and other necessary articles
within a metal case or can, which may be used for cooking soup, boiling coffee,
eggs, &c., or for heating shaving water, and other such purposes; or there may
be two such cases, cans, or vessels, one within the other, the innermost of
which will contain the several articles and things I have described, together
with any others that it may be possible to pack within it.
The case or can I prefer to be shaped somewhat like the ordinary milk can,
of oval section, with one of the sides pressed in or formed concave instead of
both being convex, and of a capacity of a pint or pint and a half, although they
may be made larger or smaller. I form them of block tin, but they may be
made of other metals, and I place on the convex side or back of the case or
can a pair of folding handles or a pair of wire handles, which lie close to
the side when folded. The top is closed with a hinged cover attached to the
convex side, and shuts down closely over the top edge or mouth of the case or
can, and perfectly secures the contents, whether it be the soup or other article
of food, when in use, or the several parts of the apparatus when they are
packed within it.

page_text: To the bottom of the case or can, or each of them, if there be more than
one,
I affix three flat cleates or slide pieces to receive three moveable legs or
feet, upon which the case or can is mounted when in use.
Instead of using an oil or spirit lamp with a cotton or other wick, and
applying the heat therefrom under the case, can, or vessel containing the
article to be cooked, boiled, or heated, I apply the heat from the combustion
of spirit of wine by means of a, blowpipe projecting from the bottom of a close
vessel, in which the vapor of spirits of wine is produced by the application of
the heat from the flame of spirits of wine or other suitable spirit contained in
an open dish or shallow open burner beneath such close vessel, the elastic force
of the vapor generated within forcing the spirits through the fine blowpipe
and into the midst of the flame; from the spirit burning in the vessel beneath,
it produces a jet of great heating power, which is caused to impinge upon the
concave side of the case, can, or vessel, until the whole of the spirit is con-
sumed. A measure for proportioning the respective quantities of spirits to
be used in the shallow dish or burner and in the close vessel is also contained,
along with the other part of the apparatus, within the outer case, can, or vessel
when packed.
By my Invention I am enabled to supply for camp and other purposes a
complete boiling and fluid-heating apparatus, by which a pint or pint and
a half of soup or other liquid article of food can be prepared in the shortest time,
at a very small expense for spirit, and independent of any cotton or other wick;
it being cleanly, simple, and not liable to get out of order, and the whole when
packed, notwithstanding it contains so many useful and necessary articles, can
be conveniently placed and worn in the trousers pocket.