AN. IMPROVED SELF-REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INCUBATOR
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gedge, of No. 4, Wellington Street,
Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the In-
vention of "AN. IMPROVED SELF-REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INCUBATOR."
A Communication
ealed the 20th May 1853, and dated the 24th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th November 1852.
I, JOHN GEDGE, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED SELF-REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INCUBATOR" (commu-
nication) to be as follows: _
In the Inventions for obtaining artificial incubation hitherto
brought before the public, constant attendance to insure proper
temperature is required; this necessity I intend to obviate. For
this purpose a metallic vessel of an hexagonal form is used, with
water. Each angle being extended outwards, forms a compartment

page_text: for conveying warm water to pipes placed between these compart-
ments, through which it continually circulates. Eggs are placed in
drawers, which slide in under the water pipes. The drawers are
raised, and the eggs brought into contact with the pipes at their
sides. These compartments for hatching occupy five sides of the
hexagon. The sixth is occupied by the thermometer and apparatus
for regulating the temperature of the water, which I propose to do
by means of quicksilver, which will regulate the supply of gas with
exactness to the temperature required, or if charcoal be used the
consumption will be regulated accordingly. Each set of pipes will
be furnished with a lid or cover of glass, so that each drawer may
be used for the process of incubation as required. The water will
be heated by causing a stream of lighted water gas (Bachoffner) to
act upon the platina foil placed in an open cylinder, forming the
centre of my apparatus, or by common gas issuing from a spiral
tube placed within the centre cylinder, or other combustable placed
and burning therein.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN GEDGE, of 4, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Gedge, Her special
licence that I, the said John Gedge, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Gedge, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: 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 Inven-
tion, communicated to me by a certain foreigner, for "AN IMPROVED
SELF-REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INCUBATOR," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Gedge, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Gedge, 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 object of the Invention as communicated to me, is, as the title
of my Letters Patent implies, the production of an incubator, or ar-
tificial mother, not requiring the constant attention which Inventions
for a similar purpose have hitherto rendered absolutely necessary.
In averting or dispensing with such attendance, the following details
will enable the public to ascertain the "modus operandi " by which
success is attained, while the means employed are more simple and
less expensive than usually employed, where no attempt at rendering.
the incubator self-regulating has been made. Reference must also
be had to the annexed or accompanying sheet of Drawings, the several
diagrams on which clearly illustrate whatever the description might
fall short of. Figure 1, is a front elevation of the incubator, as it
appears when closed in by the glass doors. Figure 2, is a vertical
section taken through the centre of the machine, showing the water
pipes or tubes, drawers and furnace. Figure 3, is a top plan view,
the outer casing or dome being removed. Figure 4, is a plan longi-
tudinal section taken through the centre of the apparatus. Figure
5, is a plan of the bottom of the incubator. In all these diagrams,
the incubator is shown as empty, it being considered that all persons

page_text: will understand that the only difference, when it is in operation, is
that eggs are in the drawers, and fire in the furnace. On each of
these figures similar letters of reference are placed, to denote similar
parts of the apparatus. The self-regulating artificial incubator is a
deep metallic cistern of circular or hexagonal form, as may be
desired; I prefer the hexagon, and the diagrams in the Drawings
are made on that plan, having a hollow division or compartment
branching out from each angle; these compartments have pipes
fixed between them at certain distances, as shown in the Drawing,
but the distances may be somewhat greater or less, as may be found
convenient. Water being poured into the cistern A, flows freely
through each of the six compartments, 6, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, shown in
the Drawing, at Figs. 2, 3, 4, and consequently through each of
the pipes c, c, c, c. The cistern has a stove or furnace D, place in
its centre, for the purpose of heating the water in the said cistern
(for filling the compartments and pipes) to a proper and sufficient
temperature. This stove is adapted for consuming charcoal, coal,
gas, or the patent water gas, as may be found most convenient, but
I prefer the use of gas, from its better capacity of being regulated at
pleasure. The water being heated to the requisite degree of tempe-
rature, is permitted to enter or flow into each of the pipes c, and
thus an equal temperature is obtained throughout the apparatus.
The eggs to be used for the purpose of incubation are to be now
placed in drawers 1, 1, 1, 1, and such drawers, are, when filled with
eggs, to be slid or placed under the pipes c, c, and raised under
the said pipes until the eggs come into side contact therewith;
that is, the pipes touch the eggs on the side surface thereof. To
regulate the temperature of the apparatus, I place a glass tube
containing quicksilver into the water cistern A. A float placed
on the quicksilver opens or closes the communication with the fur-
nace by means of a small valve placed on the top of the furnace,
or rather of the furnace casing, through which the air not con-
sumed by the fire escapes. On closing this valve the means of
escape for such air is partially closed, and consequently also the

page_text: draft which is requisite to feed the fire in the furnace is partially or
to the extent required shut out. If I use gas, the same float and
apparatus regulates the steam of gas admitted in a similar manner.
The regulated heat so imparted to the eggs through their contact
with the pipes c, c, causes the gradual vivification of the germ.in each
egg; which vivification progressing equally day by day; the chicken
is produced: On the chicken being freed from the shell, it is placed
in a warm nest, in contact with the incubator, for about twenty-
four hours; during which period the yolk absorbed into the body
of the chicken previous to its exit from the shell serves for its
nourishment. The down or silky feathers on the body of the
chicken being now dry, the chicken will have acquired (during its
rest of twenty-four hours in the warm nest) considerable strength,
and
may
then be turned down into the tray provided for its re-
ception under the machine or apparatus. The under portion of the
artificial self-regulating incubator is made to render the services
of the natural mother, trays containing the necessary food and
water being made to slide thereunder. The chickens naturally
seek to approach the heated under surface or bottom of the appa-
ratus, and thus obtain that warmth so necessary to their existence
and growth during their callow state.
Having now described the nature of the Invention communicated
to me, and the manner in which the same is performed or carried
into practical effect, it may be well to observe that, although the
foregoing description describes, and the annexed Drawing shows, an
incubator made of an hexagonal form, and drawn to a certain scale,
yet I do not confine myself to either the hexigon form (as the appa-
ratus will act very well if made of a circular form), or to the size
or distances of or between the pipes and drawers, or to the relative
sizes of the parts of the apparatus shown, as such may be varied to
suit certain circumstances, without departing from the peculiar
nature or character of this Invention, which I declare to be an in-
proved self-regulating artificial incubator; and while I do not lay
claim to any part or portion of the apparatus separately,

page_text: I claim the combination of parts herein described, forming in such
combination a means of artificially hatching eggs.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gedge, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
JOHN GEDGE. (L. S.)
Witness,
FELIX P. ROVERE,
8, Cambridge Villas, Fulham.