An Improvement in Fuel Blocks applicable as Fire Lighters
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"An Improvement in Fuel Blocks applicable as Fire Lighters."
I, WILLIAM BAKER HARTRIDGE, of 28 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County
of London, Director of Public Company, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of fuel blocks that can be readily kindled
so as to be used as a temporary fire for cooking or other purposes or as a fire lighter.
For this purpose I mix into a paste coal or coke dust or other suitable carbonaceous
material with an agglutinating substance such as maize meal and I force this paste
through a suitable die in the form of a continuous tube which I cut into lengths and
dry. I bore or cut openings through the tube wall either after or before drying and
I charge the interior with a mixture of wood chips or shavings or fibrous material
with suitable resinous or bituminous substance. Each length thus charged may be
used as a fire lighter but I preferably bind together by a wire on cord several, such as
three, of the charged tube lengths, which together constitute a block that can of
itself when kindled form a fire for temporary use, or can be used as a fire lighter.
Instead of charging the interior with a mixture of wood chips or shavings of fibrous
material as above described I may leave the tube open and dip the block of tubes
into a bath of resinous or bituminous material and then into fibrous material such as
wood, flour, or thin shavings which adhere to the resinous material preventing it from
running off and also enable the lighter to be readily kindled.
In some cases in place of or in addition to the fibrous material with which the
block of tubes is served, I affix to the bottom thereof either by inserting into slots or
otherwise a wick or cord of lightly woven fibrous material which has been impregnated
or served with resinous or bituminous material.
Dated this 26th day of November 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY
Agents for the Applicant.
"An Improvement in Fuel Blocks applicable as Fire Lighters."
I, WILLIAM BAKER HARTRIDGE, of 28 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County
of London, Director of Public Company, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained, in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of fuel blocks that can be readily kindled
so as to be used as a temporary fire for cooking or other purposes or as a fire lighter.
For this purpose I mix into a paste coal or coke dust or other suitable carbonaceous

page_text: material with an agglutinating substance such as pitch or maize meal and I force
this paste through a suitable die in the form of a continuous tube which I cut into
lengths and dry. I bore or cut openings through the tube wall either after or before
drying and I charge the interior with a mixture of wood chips or shavings or fibrous
material with suitable resinous or bituminous substance. Each length thus charged
may be used as a fire lighter but I preferably bind together by a wire or cord several,
such for instance as three, of the charged tube lengths, which together constitute a
block that can of itself when kindled form a fire for temporary use, or can be used
as a fire lighter.
Instead of charging the interiors of the tube with a mixture of wood chips or
shavings of fibrous material as above described, I may leave the tube empty and dip
it or the block of tubes into a bath of resinous or bituminous material and then into
fibrous material such as wood-flour, or thin shavings which adhere to the resinous
material preventing it from running off and also enable the lighter to be readily
kindled.
When three or more such tubes are bound together it is sometimes sufficient to dip
and charge one or more of the tubes, for the purpose of igniting the block leaving
the others as simple fuel tubes or blocks which are readily ignited from the dipped
or charged tubes."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
A fuel block applicable as a fire lighter consisting of a tube or several tubes bound
together charged or coated with bituminous and fibrous material substantially as
described.
.