IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES APPLICABLE TO FLUES OR CHIMNEYS GENERALLY, WHEREBY FIRES, RETURN OF SMOKE, AND BACK DRAUGHT ARE PREVENTED, AS WELL AS THE ENTRY OF RAIN INTO THE GRATE
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Robert Dry, of 25, Oriental Street, East India
Road, in the County of Middlesex, and Sebastian Anderson, of Selhurst, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES
APPLICABLE TO FLUES OR CHIMNEYS GENERALLY, WHEREBY FIRES, RETURN OF
SMOKE, AND BACK DRAUGHT ARE PREVENTED, AS WELL AS THE ENTRY OF
RAIN INTO THE GRATE"
Sealed the 16th April 1878, and dated the 18th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Robert Dry and
Sebastian Anderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th
February 1878.
JAMES ROBERT DRY, of 25, Oriental Street, East India Road, in the County of
Middlesex, and SEBASTIAN ANDERSON, of Selhurst, in the County of Surrey.
IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES APPLICABLE TO FLUES OR CHIMNEYS GENE-
RALLY, WHEREBY FIRES, RETURN OF SMOKE, AND BACK DRAUGHT ARE PREVENTED,.
AS WELL AS THE ENTRY OF RAIN INTO THE GRATE."
This Invention relates to improved means and appliances applicable to flues or
chimneys generally, whereby fires, return of smoke, and back draught are prevented,
as well as the entry of rain into the grate, and consists of two plates of sheet iron
made to revolve on two bars within the chimney, one bar being preferably about
four inches above the register (if it should be a register stove), and about three
inches from the side wall of the flue or chimney. The other bar is placed about
one foot higher on the opposite side of the chimney, and preferably at about the
same distance from that side wall. These two bars run from front to back of the
chimney.
Two plates are hooked or otherwise suitably attached to the bars, each bar acting
as a fulcrum to the plate attached to and revolving upon it.
The plates lay at an angle preferably of about 50°, leaving an opening at about
seven inches between the farther end of the top plate and the opposite side of the

page_text: chimney wall to that at which the bar carrying the top plate is fixed. There is
also a space of about seven inches between the farther end of the bottom plate and
the top plate.
Two acute angles are formed by the position of the two plates, and the sulphurous
vapour which accumulates in the lower chamber extinguishes any flame that may
ascend, and converts it into smoke, which is prevented from returning or being
blown down into the grate by the angle at which the bottom plate forming the
lower chamber is set.
The plates are made to revolve upon their bars by means of a rod or lever
attached to the bottom end of each plate. This rod or lever hangs down within
reach of the hand and close to the chimney back, and by its means, when the
chimney requires sweeping, the plates are caused to assume a vertical position, and
any soot which may have collected on them falls down the opening between them
and the side walls.
By restoring the levers to their original position the grate is immediately ready
for use again.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Robert Dry and Sebastian Anderson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th June 1878.
JAMES ROBERT DRY, of 25, Oriental Street, East India Road, in the County of
Middlesex, and SEBASTIAN ANDERSON, of Selhurst, in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVED MEANS AND APPLIANCES APPLICABLE TO FLUES OR CHIMNEYS GENE-
RALLY, WHEREBY FIRES, RETURN OF SMOKE, AND BACK DRAUGHT ARE PREVENTED,
AS WELL AS THE ENTRY OF RAIN INTO THE GRATE."
This Invention relates to improved means and appliances applicable to flues or
chimneys generally, whereby fires, return of smoke, and back draught are prevented,
as well as the entry of rain into the grate, and consists of two plates of sheet iron
made to revolve on two bars within the chimney, one bar being preferably about
4 or more inches above the register (if it should be a register stove), and about 3 or
more inches from the side wall of the flue or chimney. The other bar is placed
about one foot or more higher on the opposite side of the chimney, and preferably
at about the same distance from that side wall. These two bars run from front to
back of the chimney.
Two plates are hooked or otherwise suitably attached to the bars, each bar acting
as a fulcrum to the plate attached to and revolving upon it.
The plates lie at an angle preferably of about 50° from the horizontal, leaving
an opening of about 7 inches between the farther end of the top plate and the
opposite side of the chimney wall to that at which the bar carrying the top plate is
fixed. There is also a space of about 7 inches between the farther end of the
bottom plate and the top plate.

page_text: Two acute angles are formed by the position of the two plates, and the sulphurous
vapor which accumulates in the lower chamber extinguishes any flame that may
ascend, and converts it into smoke, which is prevented from returning or being
blown down into the grate by the angle at which the bottom plate forming the
lower chamber is set.
The plates are made to revolve upon their bars by means of a rod or lever
attached to the bottom end of each plate. This rod or lever hangs down within
reach of the hand and close to the chimney back, and by its means, when the
chimney requires sweeping, the plates are caused to assume a vertical position, and
any soot which may have collected on them falls down the opening between them
and the side walls.
By restoring the levers to their original position the grate is immediately ready
for use again.
The Invention will be clearly understood by the following description with
reference to the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 shows the apparatus fitted in a straight flue; Figure 2 shows the
apparatus fitted in a curved flue; while Figure 3 shows a modification of the
Invention.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different Figures.
A is the top plate; B, the bottom plate; C, C, the supporting bars acting as
fulcrums, on which the top and bottom plates revolve and are carried by means of
the hooks D, D, which are riveted to the plates; E, E, are the depending rods
or levers by which the plates can be made to assume a vertical position when
required.
The effect of the plates is to form pockets or chambers F, F¹, for the reception of
the heavier gases derived from the combustion of the fuel in the grate, the greater
part of which gases accumulate in the lower chamber F, and effectually extinguish
any flame that may rise beyond the point G between the top and bottom plates,
and convert it into smoke before it can reach the point H. The result of the
contracted openings at g and H is to greatly increase the velocity at those points of
the ascending products of combustion, so that only the heavier gases accumulate in
the chamber F. The advantage of this increased velocity is that any down draught
which is not pocketed by the chamber F¹ is effectually resisted by the force of the
ascending current, and it will also be seen that the position of the plates prevents
the entry of rain into the grate.
In the plan shown in Figure 2 it will be seen that the angle of the bottom plate
is in the saine direction, or thereabouts, as the bend I of the flue, which in this
view is right handed. Had the bend been left handed the bottom plate would
have started from the right hand side of the flue, so as to follow the line of the
bend. In this case the position of the top plate would also be reversed, so as to
occupy the same relative position to the bottom plate, as shown. In this view the
bottom plate only is provided with a depending rod, whilst the top plate is pushed
over so as to lie against the side wall J, as shown in dotted lines by the action of
the brush when the chimney is to be swept.
The return of the top plate to its original position is insured by the pin K on
the bottom plate striking against the lower end L of the top plate, which is main-
tained in its position by the balance weight M on its upper edge.
In the modification shown in Figure 3 the pocket or chamber for the accumu-
lation of the heavy gases is formed by the junction of the two plates B, B¹, which
arrangement allows of two contracted openings g, g¹, instead of one only, as in the
former Figures, these leading to one central opening H formed by two other
plates A, A, arranged in a "lean to " manner, the pockets or chambers F', F¹, being
formed between the side walls and the back faces of the said plates.
Any deposit that may accumulate in the pocket F formed by the junction of the
two plates B, B¹, is easily removed by turning the catch N, and thus causing the
plates to assume a vertical position, which also enables the chimney to be swept.
Figure 4 shows a face view of one of the plates A, and the method we prefer to

page_text: adopt for supporting the bars C in the flue. The supporting bar is made in two
pieces; that to the right C consisting of a rod of iron or other suitable material
threaded at its inner end, which takes into the end of a piece of gas tubing C¹
forming the inner portion of the left hand part of the supporting bar. Each of
these pieces has at its end a small plate P with its corners or edges turned down, so
as to enable them to take slightly into the face of the flue wall. The threaded
portion of the end C is also provided with a nut Q, which upon being screwed
towards the inner end of the rod C withdraws it from the tube C¹, and effectually
sets the bar in position between the side walls. The plate (upper or lower, as the
case may be) has now only to be attached to the bar by the hooks D.
Although we have described our Invention as applied to an ordinary domestic
chimney or flue, it is obvious it may be applied to all flues without departing from
the nature of the Invention.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be distinctly understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the number of plates, to the angle at which they are set, to the
distance between them and the side walls, to their distance from each other, nor to
their position or height in the flue, as all these may be modified to suit the construc-
tion of the various flues to which our Invention may be applied without departing
from the nature of the said Invention; but what we claim is, fitting two or more
plates at an angle within flues, so as to form pockets or chambers, whereby fires in
the chimney, return of smoke, and back draught are prevented, as well as the entry
of rain into the grate, as described, and substantially as shown in the annexed
Drawings, or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Robert Dry and Sebastian Anderson,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JAMES ROBERT DRY. (L.S.)
SEBASTIAN ANDERSON. (L.S.)