The Construction or Arrangement of Apparatus for Lighting Domestic Fires, Applicable also for Heating Water and Cooking.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 30th Nov., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
The Construction or Arrangement of Apparatus for Lighting
Domestic Fires, Applicable also for Heating Water and
Cooking.
I, JOSEPH THOMAS PARLOUR, of 166 Fleet Street, City of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to cast or otherwise form a metal box with or without
a handle, said box being so shaped that a block, cake, or other absorbent body or a
loose absorbent material can be placed within it, which when saturated with oil or
spirit can be lighted, the flame or flames issuing from nozzles or apertures in the
upper part or lid of the box.
If the box be provided with a handle, the whole or a portion of it may form a
spout or channel for leading the supply of oil or spirit to the interior of the box for
the absorbent body to imbibe.
The apparatus when lighted can be inserted into an ordinary domestic stove for
lighting the fuel and be carried from one grate to another in order that several fires
can be lighted in succession without the aid of wood or other material.
The apparatus may be made in various shapes and be used for general cooking
purposes or several of such apparatus may be arranged within a furnace for beating
water or other liquid.
The oil or spirit can be fed to the apparatus in constant or other order as
desired.
Cakes, blocks, or other forms of materials (composition or other) may be first
saturated and be put into a grate and be lighted after the fuel is placed above it.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1887.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said J. T. Parlour.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
The Construction or Arrangement of Apparatus for Lighting
Domestic Fires, Applicable also for Heating Water and
Cooking.
I, JOSEPH THOMAS PARLOUR, of 166 Fleet Street, City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement—
The object of this invention is to cast or otherwise form à metal box with or
without a handle, said box being so shaped that a block, cake, or other absorbent
body or a loose absorbent material can be placed within it and which when saturated
with oil or a spirit, can be lighted, the flame or flames issuing from nozzles or
apertures in the upper part or lid of the box.
If the box be provided with a handle, the whole or a portion of it may form a spout
or channel for leading the supply of oil or spirit to the interior of the box for the
absorbent body to imbibe.
The apparatus when lighted can be inserted into an ordinary domestic stove for
lighting the fuel and be carried from one grate to another in order that several fires
can be lighted in succession without the aid of wood or other material.
The apparatus may be made in various shapes and be used for general cooking
purposes, or several of such apparatus may be arranged within a furnace for heating
water or other liquid.
The oil or spirit can be fed to the apparatus in constant or other order as
desired.
Several examples of apparatus according to my invention are shown in the annexed
drawings.
Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation of one form of apparatus consisting of a
box A charged with any spongy or absorbent material B from which, in the moulding,
fibres can project to serve as wicks, which are covered by a net work C of such a
shape as not to touch the wicks but through which the flames from the wicks can
pass and the heat utilized for any desired purpose, but principally for lighting a fire
in a domestic stove, or a number of fires in succession when the apparatus is pushed
in between the bars of a grate. The wirework C is held in position by a rim D and
the spirit or oil to feed the absorbent can be first sprinkled or poured on the absorbent
through the wirework, or it may be fed through the stem E, by pouring it into a
hole F, said stem E forming part of the handle G. H is a hinged lid which when
the apparatus has done its duty in lighting a fire serves as an extinguisher of the
flame when folded down upon the top rim D.
.
Figure 2 represents a modified arrangement this wise, the absorbent material B is
a moulded block with asbestos or other wicks projecting from it and instead of the
wirework C shown in Figure 1, a perforated plate C is substituted. The moulded

page_text: block B in Figure 2 does not fill the box, a space being left between it and the inner
wall for air which passes through the perforations at the bottom of the box to
commingle with the flame for giving additional heat.
Figure 3 is a perspective view, in which the top rim D is of plate form and
provided with nozzles J, through which the flames can emerge, whether the absorbent
material or the block within the box A be furnished with wicks or not. K is a plug
closing the hole through which the oil or spirit can be admitted.
The boxes in Figures 1, 2 and 3 are of rectangular form but they may be of circular
or of other shape and instead of an absorbent being placed in the box, the oil or
spirit can be inserted into the stem E through the nozzle F and be forced by means
of the plunger L, see Figure 4, into a chamber M in the body of the box A and be
caused to issue in spray form from the perforations C. The box in this case
(Figure 4) has an air space I all round it with perforations at the upper part for the
free passage of air while the lamp or heater is burning. H is the lid or extinguisher
as before.
If the lamp or heater be of circular form, as at Figure 5, I provide a filling nozzle E
at the side and 1 hinge a closing plug N to the side of the nozzle, so that the plug
may be folded over to close the nozzle.
Figure 6 is an elevation of an apparatus of rectangular shape similar to that
referred to in Figure 3 but instead of charging the absorbent through the plug K. I
charge the stem E and by means of a plunger L I force the oil or spirit into
the absorbent material within the box, the passage between the plunger and the
box A being closed by the plunger pressing against it when the handle G is pushed
home.
The apparatus thus described are specially applicable for lighting fires but they
may be used for heating water or for cooking whether a lid be fitted to the apparatus
or not.
At. Figure 7, I show an apparatus of circular form placed under a kettle for heating
water, the kettle being supported by a tripod stand P. The apparatus here shown
has a hollow stem E, the aperture through which the oil or spirit is fed being closable
by a sliding ferrule Q.
At Figure 8, I show an oblong apparatus under a "Warren" cooker, the apparatus
being substantially similar to that shown at Figure 1.
At Figure 9, 1 show an apparatus particularly applicable for heating boilers for
generating steam. The boiler R in this view is supposed to be held upon end walls
of a very long apparatus to the box A of which, containing the absorbent say, spongy
iron, the oil is supplied by the nozzle F. The flames from the spirit act directly upon
the skin of the boiler from the perforations and the products of combustion are
carried away by the chimney S.
I am aware that apparatus for lighting fires have been previously used such
apparatus being formed like a box containing a porous substance which absorbed oils
when supplied through a handle or tube. I am also aware that perforated pipes have
been used for the supply of gas, said pipe having a stop tap for regulating the
supply of gas for the purpose of lighting a fire, therefore I make no claim in a
general sense to any such apparatus except as above described and shown on the
annexed drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The construction or arrangement of apparatus shown at Figures 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
and 8 of the annexed drawings, consisting of a box provided with a rim and clamping
between them a wire gauze or perforated cover and containing an absorbent body
provided with wicks or loose fibrous top surface for the concentration or distribution
of the flame or flames for lighting fires, heating water, or for cooking purposes as
described.

page_text: 2. In combination with a box such as in the preceding claim, the means of
injecting oil or spirit to the absorbent body furnished with wicks and enclosed within
a box through which, air has free passage to support combustion and expedite the fire
lighting operation.
3. Providing an apparatus or box containing an absorbent with a hinged lid as an
extinguisher of the flame when said apparatus is used for lighting fires, for heating
water, or for cooking purposes substantially as described.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Joseph Thomas Parlour.