Improvements in Smoking Bacon, Hams, Fish, and other Comestible Substances and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left 18th June 1900-Accented 23rd Oct. 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Smoking Bacon, Hams, Fish, and other Comestible
Substances and Apparatus therefor.
We, CHARLES HENRY SIMPSON, of Roselle, Archers Road, in the City and
County of Southampton, Gentleman, and JOSEPH SENIOR, of 3, John Street,
Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means whereby bacon, hams, fish and other comestible
substances may be smoked and dried in a more simple and expeditious manner
and with less shrinkage than heretofore.
Hitherto it has been the custom to smoke and dry such substances in the
chamber wherein the smoke is generated. According to our invention we
generate the smoke in a separate chamber and provide means for passing it
through the chamber wherein the substances to be treated are placed and
again returning it thereto after extracting the moisture therefrom and warm-
ing it.
In practice the floor of the chamber wherein the substances to be treated are
placed is perforated and the smoke which is delivered through this perforated
floor by a fan or blower is drawn from the top of the smoke generating chamber
so as not to disturb the smouldering dust upon the same.
The two chambers are connected at the upper end so that the smoke after
passing over the substances will return to the smoke generating chamber,
flowing in its course through a condenser, wherein the moisture carried by the
air is deposited, and thence through an air warmer.
In practice two or more chambers for containing substances to be treated are
generally arranged in connection with a single smoke generating chamber.
Dated the 23rd day of September 1899.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Smoking Bacon, Hams, Fish, and other Comestible
Substances and Apparatus therefor.
We, CHARLES HENRY SIMPSON, of Roselle, Archers Road, in the City and
County of Southampton, Gentleman, and JOSEPH SENIOR, of 3, John Street,
Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to means whereby bacon, hams, fish and other comestible

page_text: substances may be smoked and dried in a more simple and expeditious manner
and with less shrinkage than heretofore, and to that system of smoking and
drying wherein the smoke is generated in a separate chamber and then passed
through the chamber wherein the substances to be treated are placed.
According to our invention we provide for extracting the moisture from the
smoke after it has passed over the substances and mixing it with fresh smoke
and if desired rewarming it in order to render it fit for again passing into contact
with the substances.
In practice the floor of the chamber wherein the substances to be treated are
placed, is perforated and the smoke which is delivered through this perforated
floor by a fan or blower is drawn from the top of the smoke generating
chamber so as not to unnecessarily disturb the burnt ash and draw it into the
fan with the smoke.
The two chambers are connected at the upper end so that the smoke after
passing over the substances will return to the smoke generating chamber,
Howing in its course through a condenser or moisture extractor wherein the
moisture carried by the air is deposited, and thence, if necessary, through an
air warmer.
In practice two or more chambers for containing substances to be treated are
generally arranged in connection with a single smoke generating chamber.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of apparatus arranged according to
our invention.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 Figure 1.
and
a is the chamber wherein the smoke is generated and which is hereinafter
for convenience of description referred to as the generating chamber and b, bl
are chambers wherein the substances to be treated are placed and which for
convenience of description we will hereinafter refer to as the smoking chambers.
The floor of the generating chamber a upon which the sawdust or other
smoke producing material is to smoulder is surrounded by a perforated pipe d
for admitting air for supporting combustion, the supply of air through the said
In some cases the
perforated pipes being regulated by any suitable means.
generating chamber a is provided with one or more shelves e in order to afford
additional space upon which the smoke producing substances can be placed,
and in this case the said shelf or shelves is or are provided with perforated pipes d
as before described. Or the smoke producing substance can be placed on trays
or stands with suitable inlets for air.
el is a rotary fan or blower which will vary in size according to the amount of
force required and which is designed to exhaust the smoke from the generating
chamber a through the pipes f and to deliver it into the smoking chambers 6, 61
through the pipe g, which pipe is, below each smoking chamber b, b¹ provided
with a series of arms or branches h, h for distributing the smoke as evenly as
possible over the floor which is made of wire gauze or other suitable perforated
material. These branch pipes are provided with valves or dampers h¹¹ by
which the smoke can be shut off from either smoking chamber b or b¹ and
admitted to the other smoking chamber (or chambers if more than two are
employed). As shewn the branch pipes h, h are also provided with downwardly
extending nozzles (which may be covered with perforated material if desired)
to render the distribution of the smoke more even than would be the case if
the said branch pipes delivered horizontally or in an upward direction. Or,
instead of using nozzles the branch pipes can themselves be perforated.
jis a pipe through which the smoke passes from the smoking chambers b b¹
back to the generating chamber a. This pipe, as shewn, is provided in each
smoking chamber with two apertures k, k which can be closed by covers 1,
and with another aperture m which can be closed by a cover n, the said aperture m

page_text: being arranged immediately in conjunction with a ventilator or cowl o which
can be controlled by a valve p. The generating chamber is also provided with
a similar cowl q controlled by a valve r. With this arrangement all the smoke
laden air within the generating chamber a and smoking chambers b, b' may be
either continuously circulated, being drawn from the generating chamber m
through the pipes f and delivered to the smoking chambers b, b through the
pipe g and branch arms whence it returns to the generating chamber a through
the pipe or by more or less opening the valves p, p and r the fan e will draw
some fresh air through the cowl q and a corresponding amount of smoke laden
air will be discharged from the chambers b, b₁ through the cowls o, o the
lids n, n being pushed back to allow of this. The lids, can also serve for
more or less adjusting the speed at which the current of smoke laden air flows
through the apparatus.
If the smoke is to be excluded from one of the smoking chambers the valves
h¹, h in connection with this chamber are closed to prevent the admission of
smoke from the fan and the lids l, and n are also placed over their respective
openings to exclude smoke returning to the generating chamber through the
Pipe j.
In order to provide for introducing fresh air by the fan and blowing out the
smoke from either smoking chamber we provide in connection with the pipes f,f
of the fan, valves f¹, f¹ which serve for shutting off communication between
the generating chamber and the interior of the fan and opening communication
between the latter and the atmosphere through openings f2, f2, in the pipes f, f,
(Figures 1 and 2).
The fan and parts of the pipes f, f outside the generating chamber are pre-
ferably lagged or covered with non-conducting material to prevent the loss
of heat.
s is the moisture extractor which may be of any suitable construction and
which is arranged upon the pipe j in such a manner that as the smoke laden air
re-enters the generating chamber a it passes through the said extractor. This
extractor is made removable so that it may be readily detached when not
required for use. t, t are heating coils one of which, as shown, is arranged in
connection with each pipe f and which is used in some cases, if necessary, in
order to re-heat the smoke laden air before it is again forced into the smoking
chambers b, b¹. These coils t, t can be heated from a stove arranged outside
the apparatus as shewn in Figures 2 and 3, for instance by serving as part of the
flue of the said stove.
v, Figure 2, indicates a trap or passage for affording access to the interior
of the generating chamber a for introducing the smoke_generating fuel into
the said chamber and w is the door of the said passage. In practice we prefer
to employ two doors for preventing through communication between the external
atmosphere and the interior of the generating chamber a, one door being
arranged to be closed whilst the other door is opened and vice versa; this
additional door is indicated at w¹. is the door for affording access to the
smoking chamber b. It is to be understood that the doors w and are so arranged
that they can be hermetically closed during the operation of the apparatus.
Suitable windows are arranged either in the doors or in the walls of the several
chambers for permitting of inspecting the progress of the smoking process without
opening the doors.
y, y are bars upon which the articles to be treated, such as sides of bacon, are
hung during the smoking operation and z is a chain or the like connected
to a lever in connection with each of the valves p and r for opening or closing
the latter as required.
A thermometer such as z¹, Figures 2 and 3, is advantageously applied to the
apparatus in such. a manner that the internal temperature can be ascertained
without opening the apparatus.

page_text: Amongst the advantages of the construction hereinbefore described we may
mention the following,
1. A great economy of space as the arrangement permits of the materials to
be treated nearer the floor instead of seven or eight feet from the floor as has
generally heretofore been usual thereby permitting of say two tiers of sub-
stance being treated in a house which heretofore was adapted for treating one
tier only.
2. The shrinkage of the substances under treatment is considerably less than
heretofore because of their being no direct contact with the hot ash of the
sawdust and furthermore, the temperature being under control the saving of
time in effecting the process of smoking is considerable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :---
1. In apparatus for smoking bacon and other comestible substances, the com-
bination of a generating chamber for smoke, a smoking chamber or chambers, a fan
for drawing the smoke laden air from the generating chamber and delivering it
into the smoking chamber or chambers, a pipe or pipes or passage or passages
for conveying the smoke from the smoking chamber or chambers back to the
generating chamber, a moisture extractor in communication with the said pipe
or pipes or passage or passages and a heater for re-heating the smoke, sub-
stantrally as described.
2. In apparatus for smoking bacon and other comestible substances wherein
the smoke is generated in a different chamber from that wherein the sub-
stances to be treated are placed and wherein a fan causes the circulation of the
smoke laden air from the generating chamber to the smoking chamber or
chambers and thence back to the generating chamber, the combination with
the said chambers of cowls and valves so arranged that more or less fresh air
will be drawn by the fan into the generating chamber and more or less smoke
laden air discharged from the smoking chamber or chambers, substantially as
described.
3. In apparatus for smoking bacon and other comestible substances wherein
the smoke is generated in a different chamber from that wherein the substances
to be treated are placed and wherein a fan causes the circulation of the smoke
laden air from the generating chamber to the smoking chamber or chambers
and thence back to the generating chamber, the combination with the pipe or
passage through which the smoke laden air passes from the smoking chamber
back to the generating chamber of a moisture extractor, substantially as, and
for the purpose, described.
4. In apparatus for smoking bacon and other comestible substances wherein
the smoke is generated in a different chamber from that wherein the substances
to be treated are placed and wherein a fan causes the circulation of the smoke
laden air from the generating chamber to the smoking chamber or chambers
and thence back to the generating chamber, the pipe or passage conveying the
smoke laden air being provided with a moisture extractor, the combination with
the said moisture extractor, of means for reheating the smoke laden air before
it again passes to the fan, substantially as described.
5. The improved apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and combined,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings and operating as and for the purposes set forth.
101
" T
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the 'Applicants.