IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO FIRE-PLACES OR FURNACES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Alexander Rumble, of Trinity Square, in the
Borough of Southwark, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO FIRE-PLACES OR FURNACES."
Sealed the 18th January 1861, and dated the 24th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Alexander Rumble,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th July 1860.
I, ROBERT ALEXANDER RUMBLE, of Trinity Square, in the Borough of South-
wark, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO FIRE-PLACES OR FURNACES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention of improved apparatus for feeding fuel to fire-places or fur-
naces relates to apparatus which is to be adapted to the front end of a fire-
place or furnace, in such a manner that the supply of fuel may be continuous,
and so arranged as to feed in the fuel in proper quantities according to the
requirements of the fire. The coal or other fuel to be supplied to the fire is
placed in a hopper in front of the furnace, and above the opening that leads
into the combustion chamber. A regulating stop or slide may be adapted to
this hopper, and arranged in such a manner as to cut off the supply entirely
if required. Immediately below the open end of the hopper is placed a sliding
block either of a wedge form, or cut out in the form of broad steps. The
inner end of this block terminates in a broad vertical plane, and a slow back-
ward and forward. motion is communicated to this block by means of any

page_text: suitable mechanism or force applied from behind, and by the advance of the
block the vertical plane at the end will push forward the ignited or burning
fuel on the dead plate and fire bars, leaving a space for fresh fuel to be depo-
sited thereon when the sliding block moves back. The upper face of the wedge-
shaped block being either inclined to the plane of the open end of the hopper,
or constructed in the form of broad steps, it follows that as the sliding block
is drawn back the open passage for the supply or entrance of the fuel into
the fire place will be gradually increased in area, and the fuel by falling on
to the inclined or step-formed surface, will roll down the same on to the dend
plate or front end of the fire bars, and will afterwards be pushed forward into
the fire by the advance of the sliding block. All this apparatus may be easily
adapted to an ordinary steam boiler furnace, for which purpose very little
beyond the fire door need be removed. Care, however, should be taken to
provide openings for the admission of air to the fire, and these openings I
prefer to place behind the hopper. It will also be convenient to provide doors
through which the fire may be inspected and raked from time to time when
required.
SPECIFICATION in dursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Alexander Rumble in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. ROBERT
ALEXANDER RUMBLE, of Trinity Square, in the Borough of Southwark, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Alexander Rumble, Her special license that I, the said Robert
Alexander Rumble, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Robert Alexander Rumble, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no 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
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL TO FIRE-PLACES OF FOR-
NACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Alexander
Rumble, by an instrument in writing under my band and seal, should par-

page_text: ticularly describe and ascertain 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 Robert Alexander Rumble, do bereby
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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improved Apparatus for Feeding Fuel to Fire-places or
Furnaces," relates to apparatus which is to be adapted to the front end of a
fire-place or furnace in such a manner that the supply of fuel may be con-
tinuous, and so arranged as to feed in the fuel in proper quantities according
to the requirements of the fire. The coal or other fuel to be supplied to the
fire is placed in a hopper or hoppers in front of the furnace, and above the
opening that leads into the combustion chamber. A regulating stop or slide
may be adapted to this hopper, and arranged in such a manner as to cut off
the supply entirely if required. Immediately below the open end of the
hopper is placed a sliding block or bar, either of a wedge form, or cut out in
the form of broad steps. This block or bar is placed or rests on the dead
plate, and is hinged, jointed, or temporarily attached to the door of the fire-place,
which is hung or mounted on a shaft above, and a vibrating motion is commu-
nicated thereto, and, consequently, to the block or bar by any suitable mecha-
nism, and the inner end of this block terminates in a broad vertical plane.
A slow vibrating, or backward and forward motion is communicated to this
block or bar and the door of the fire-place, so that the block or bar will act as
a poker to stir up the fuel, and by the advance of the fire door with this block
or poker, the ignited or burning fuel will be pushed forward on the fire bars
by the fresh fuel on the dead plate. When the fire door and sliding block or
bar moves back again, a fresh space will be left for fresh fuel to be deposited
on the dead plate. The upper face of the wedge-shaped block being
either inclined to the plane of the open end of the hopper, or constructed
in the form of broad steps, it follows that as the sliding block is drawn
back, the chamber situated below, and which receives the fuel at the
entrance into the fire-place, will be gradually increased in capacity, and the
fuel by falling on to the inclined or step-formed surface, will roll down the
same on to the dead plate or front end of the fire-bars, and will afterwards
be pushed forward into the fire by the advance of the fire-door and sliding
block. All this apparatus may be easily adapted to an ordinary steam boiler

page_text: furnace, for which purpose very little beyond the ordinary fire door need be
removed; care, however, should be taken to provide openings for the admis-
sion of air to the fire, and these openings I prefer to place behind or below
the hopper. I also provide doors through which the fire may be inspected and
raked or levelled from time to time when required.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the front end of a
furnace of a Cornish boiler, showing two hoppers adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is a
sectional elevation of the same; the right-hand hopper being shewn in eleva-
tion complete, and the left-hand hopper in transverse vertical section; Fig. 3
is a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus.
a, a, are the hoppers, to the lower end of each of which is adapted a slide b
for the purpose of regulating the supply of fuel from the hopper to the
chamber c below. This slide b is moved in or out by hand as occasion may
require, and the quantity of fuel supplied to the furnace will of course depend
upon the extent to which this slide is drawn back, and this must be regulated
in a great measure by the quality of the fuel, and the amount of steam required
to be generated. The fire door-d-is-secured-above to a rocking shaft e, on one
end of which is keyed a lever f, which is connected by means of the rod g, to a
crank or lever h on the shaft i. A rocking or rotary motion is communicated
to the shaft i through the intervention of the lever j and connecting rod k by
means of a crank or excentric on the driving shaft. It will be obvious
however, that the desired rocking motion may be communicated to the shaft o
by other mechanical arrangements. I do not, therefore, mean to confine
myself to the arrangement of parts herein shewn, although I have in practice
found it to answer the purpose satisfactorily. The fuel having been allowed
by the regulating slide 6 to pass down from the hopper, it will fall on to the
dead plate, or on to the rear end of the moving block n, which is attached or
connected to the vibrating fire door d as shewn at Fig. 3. The upper side of
this block n is formed in steps as shewn in the Drawing at Fig. 3, but if
desired it may be made in the form of a wedge as shewn in the detached view
Fig. 4. Sometimes for highly bituminous or caking coal, instead of a solid
block n, I employ one, two, or more bars, the rear ends of which are jointed to
lugs cast on the fire door as shewn at Fig. 3, or they may be made to pass
through holes made in the fire doors and then secured. It will therefore bo
evident that these bars will vibrate or move to and fro with the fire door, and
when there is any tendency in the fuel to cake, the forward end of these bars
or pokers will break through and disintegrate the caking mass, and allow the
vibrating door d to push forward the fresh fucl off of the dead plate into the
furnace

page_text: By the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts shewn in the Draw-
ing and above described, it will be seen that the bars or block n may be easily
detached from the vibrating fire door d, and this latter may be released from
the vibrating lever f on the end of the rocking shaft e, and then the fire door
may be turned up into a horizontal or other convenient position, and the fire
may if desired be stoked and raked, levelled, and urged in the ordinary manner.
o, o, Fig. 2, are openings on each side of the fire door, provided with doors,
and through which openings the fire may be inspected and urged, and the fuel
levelled, and the fire bars raked and cleaned from time to time as circum-
stances may require, when the vibrating fire door and reciprocating bars or
pokers n are used. It will be obvious that instead of pushing the slide 6 in
and out by hand, for the purpose of regulating the supply of fuel to the
chamber c below, the slide may be moved in and out periodically by mecha-
nical means, by merely connecting it to a vibrating lever, to which a suitable
intermittent motion may be communicated.
Having now described my Invention of improved apparatus for feeding fuel
to furnaces or fire-places, and baving explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I would remark that although I have shewn my Invention
as applied to a Cornish boiler, I do not mean to limit myself to such appli-
cation, as the apparatus may be adapted to other kinds of boilers and furnaces;
I therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as afore-
said, the mode herein set forth, and the apparatus above described, or any
mere modification thereof for feeding fuel to furnaces, and pushing it forward
from the dead plate or front part of the fire bars into the furnace.
I also claim the employment of additional openings or doors as at o, o,
through which the fire may be inspected and urged, and the fuel raked or
levelled by hand as circumstances may require.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Alexander Rumble, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFAtt,
66, Chancery Lane.
R. A. RUMBLE. (L.S.)