Apparatus for Cremating Carcases of Animals.
Year: 1899

page_text: Apparatus for Cremating Carcases of Animals.
We, HENRY ROBERTS, of Deanshanger Iron Works, near Stony Stratford, in
the County of Bucks, Engineer, and E. & H. ROBERTS, LIMITED, Engineers,
of the same place, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to means of cremating carcases of animals and has for
object more particularly to facilitate the destruction of carcases of large animals
such as horses or cattle whose death has been due to infectious disease, the
effectual disposal of such carcases being as is well known usually a matter of
considerable difficulty.
The invention consists essentially of an inexpensive apparatus wherein the
carcase to be destroyed is subjected to a double process of burning, in the first
stage of which the more volatile constituents of the body are consumed and
dissipated in an innocuous form, whilst in the second stage the solid residuum
is reduced to ashes in such manner that no particle can be accidentally carried
away by the wind but the mass of ashes resulting from one or from a series of
crematory operations can be buried in situ.
In carrying the invention into effect a pit (of an area sufficient to include
within its boundaries one or more of the carcases to be burnt) is first dug in
the ground and provided at bottom with a flue of brickwork or stones, open at
the sides and covered in at top, an air shaft being laid from each end of the
flue to the surface of the ground. Upon the surface of the ground are laid (on
suitable supports) three iron rails one along each edge and the third over the
centre of the pit, these rails serving to support a series of iron hurdles or grids
which form a horizontal grating covering the mouth of the pit. The grids are
arranged in two rows side by side, the grids in each row being supported by
the outer rail at that side of the pit and by the middle rail which is removable,
all the grids of a row being hooked over or hinged to the outer rail upon which
they rest, so that when the middle rail is withdrawn the grids will drop so as to
hang down from the rails at either side of the pit. Around the mouth of the
pit is erected a fence or hopper composed of iron plates of which the end plates
are fixed upright whilst the side plates are so hinged at bottom to the end framing
as to be capable either of standing upright so as, together with the end plates
to which they are secured, to form a wall completely enclosing the pit top or of
being folded outwards and laid flat on the ground.
The method of using the apparatus is as follows:-A, fire is built in the
bottom of the pit, but not lighted; the grating is arranged in its horizontal
position with the middle rail as a support: the side plates of the hopper are
folded down upon the ground, and the carcase to be burnt is dragged on to. or
otherwise deposited upon, the grating. The side plates of the hopper are then
folded up and made fast to the end plates so as to securely enclose the carcase,
around and upon which is built a fire, the materials of which are preferably

page_text: saturated with petroleum or other easily inflammable substance. This fire is
then ignited and maintained until the greater part of the volatile constituents
of the carcase have been consumed and the body so charred as to be capable of
becoming readily disintegrated, when the middle rail is withdrawn by pulling
it out from beneath one end of the hopper, the result being that the two rows
of grids drop and hang downwards against the walls of the pit allowing the partly
consumed carcase to fall upon the fire at the bottom of the pit, this fire having
by this time become ignited by the embers which have fallen through the grat-
ing. The carcase in falling becomes thoroughly broken up and the bones and
tissues are reduced by the fire at the bottom of the pit to ashes which when a'
sufficient quantity have acccumulated may be buried at once in situ if desired.
The middle rail may be in two lengths so as to be removable from opposite
ends for the sake of convenience in which case the abutting ends of the two
sections of the rail would be jointed together so as to be readily separable, whilst
according an efficient support for the grids and their superincumbent load. Or
the abutting ends of the rail might be merely laid upon the top of a pillar of
brickwork or other material erected in the centre of the pit, such pillar present-
ing no obstacle to the fall of the partly consumed carcase when the rail is with-
drawn. The grids are preferably so hinged to, or hooked over, the side rails as
to be capable of being pulled up out of the pit after being let fall by the with-
drawal of the middle rail, so that they may be removed out of reach of the
fire at the bottom of the pit whereby the grids would otherwise be apt to be
distorted and rendered unfit for further use.
301
C
1000
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
We, HENRY ROBERTS, of Deanshanger Iron Works, near Stony Stratford, in
the County of Bucks, Engineer, and E. & H. ROBERTS, LIMITED, Engineers,
of the same address, 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:-
This invention relates to means of cremating carcases of animals and has for
object more particularly to facilitate the destruction of carcases of large animals
such as horses or cattle which have died of infectious disease, the effectual
disposal of such carcases being as is well known usually a matter of considerable
difficulty.
The invention consists essentially of an inexpensive apparatus wherein the
carcase to be destroyed is subjected to a double process of burning, in the first
stage of which the more volatile constituents of the body are consumed and
dissipated in an innocuous. form, whilst in the second stage the solid residuum
is reduced to ashes in such manner than no particles can be accidentally carried
away by the wind, facility being afforded for the burial in situ of the resulting
mass of ashes or the ashes resulting from a series of such crematory operations.
In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a
longitudinal section, Figure 2 a plan and Figure 3 a cross section of the
apparatus.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures,

page_text: In carrying the invention into effect a pit A about 7 feet long, 4 feet wide
and 3 feet 6 inches in depth (or of a capacity sufficient to receive the residuum
from the initial burning of one or more of the carcases to be cremated) is first
dug in the ground and provided at bottom with a flue B formed of bricks laid
without mortar in open-jointed or honeycomb formation at the sides and covered
over at top with a sheet of corrugated iron B', air shafts C C¹ being laid from
the ends of the flue B to the surface of the ground. Upon the surface of the
ground are laid (on suitable supports) three iron rails two D along the edges
and the third E bridging over the centre of the pit, these rails serving to support
sets of iron hurdles or grids F F which when in use form a horizontal grating
covering the mouth of the pit. The grids F are hooked or hinged to the outer
rail D and the grids F1 to the other rail D', the grids of both rows being sup-
ported at their free edges upon the middle rail E which is removable so that
when the middle rail is withdrawn the grids will drop within the mouth of the
pit and hang down from the rails at either side.
The middle rail E is preferably made in two lengths so as to be removable
from opposite ends for the sake of convenience; in which case the abutting ends
of the two sections of the rail may be supported upon the top of a pillar G of
loose brickwork or other material" erected in the centre of the pit, such pillar
presenting no obstacle to the fall of the partly consumed carcase when the
rail Eis withdrawn. A fish plate or shoe e, attached to the one section and
adapted to receive the abutting end of the other section, would in this case pre-
ferably be employed to maintain the alignment of the two sections of the rail E
whilst they rest upon the pillar G. This pillar may however be dispensed
with by forming the shoe e as a socket fast upon the one section of rail E and
adapted to so receive the end of the other section that the latter is held firmly
against any tendency to bend the whole rail E transversely, the effect being that
the abutting ends of the two sections when thus socketed together will mutually
support one another without the use of any pillar such as G, whilst at the same
time the means of connection will present no obstable to the drawing asunder
of the sections of the rail.
The grids are preferably so hinged to, or hooked over, the side rails as to be
capable of being disconnected from the side rails D and pulled up out of the pit.
after being let fall by the withdrawal of the middle rail, so that they may be
removed out of reach of the fire at the bottom of the pit whereby the grids would
otherwise be apt to be distorted and rendered unfit for further use.
The ends of the rails D, D', E are supported on rollers H that rest upon iron
plates I laid upon and pegged to the ground at the ends of the pit. Around
the mouth of the pit is erected a fence or wall K K¹ of iron plates attached to an
iron frame, the end frames K¹ being fixed in the upright position by suitable
braces whilst the side frames K are so hinged at bottom to the end frames as to
be capable of being folded outwards and laid flat on the ground to enable the
carcases to be drawn over them on to the grids, the side frames when raised to
the upright position forming together with the end frames to which they are
secured by cotters or other detachable fastenings a wall completely enclosing
the pit top.
The method of using the apparatus is as follows:-A fire is built in the bottom
of the pit which is about hálf filled with fuel; the grating is supported in the
horizontal position on the middle rail, the side frames of the enclosing wall are
folded down outwards upon the ground, and the carcase to be burnt is dragged
or otherwise placed upon, the grating. The side frames of the wall are then
raised and secured so as to enclose the carcase, around and upon which is placed
fuel preferably saturated with petroleum or other easily inflammable substance.
The fuel upon the grating having been ignited the fire is maintained until the
greater part of the volatile constituents of the carcase have been consumed and
the body so charred as to be capable of becoming readily disintegrated where-
upon the middle rail E is withdrawn thereby allowing the grids to drop and the

page_text: partly consumed carcase to fall upon the fire at the bottom of the pit where the
fuel has by this time become ignited by the embers from the upper fire which
have fallen through the grating. The partially burnt carcase in falling becomes
disintegrated and by the action of the fire at the bottom of the pit the bones and
tissues become reduced to ashes, the fire being supplied through the air
shafts CC with the air necessary for perfect combustion. When a sufficient
quantity has accumulated the ashes may be buried in situ if desired, the rails,
gratings and air shafts being removed for use at another pit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. An apparatus for cremating carcases, comprising a pit sunk in the ground,
means of supporting the carcase above the pit and allowing it to fall therein, an
air flue constructed of open brickwork or the like upon the bottom of the pit
and air shafts leading down to said flue substantially as specified.
2. An apparatus for cremating carcases comprising a pit sunk in the ground,
a fire grate consisting of removably hinged gratings, and means whereby the
gratings may be supported in a horizontal position over the pit and be let drop
for depositing their burden within the pit, and an air flue at the bottom of the
pit supplied with air from above the ground level for effecting the preliminary
and final cremation of the carcase by fires upon the grating and at the bottoni
of the pit, substantially as specified.
3. In the apparatus for cremating carcases herein described the combination
with the pit and the grate over the mouth thereof, of enclosing walls so hinged
as to be capable of being laid down to facilitate placing the carcase on the
grate, as specified.
·Dated this 28th day of June 1900
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.