IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREFOR"
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Kissack Joshua Foster, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES
AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREFOR"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Kissack Joshua Foster
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th February 1882.
JOHN KISSACK JOSHUA FOSTER of Bolton in the County of Lancaster,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREFOR
"
My Invention relates to a new method of and apparatus for extinguishing fires and
consists in depriving atmospheric air of its oxygen and vitiating it with the
carbonic acid gas and other products of combustion by passing the air through or
over a fire or otherwise randering it unable to support combustion as for instance
by saturating it with steam or impregnating it with gases or vapors which will
have the desired effect, and in forcing or drawing the air so vitiated or deprived
of its power of supporting combustion into, through, or over the burning structure
and in the construction and employment of apparatus for carrying this method
into practical effect.
The apparatus for depriving atmospheric air of its oxygen and applying the air
so rendered unfit to support combustion, for the extinction of a fire, comprises one
or more fans, blowers, pumps, or other appliances of suitable construction for
forcing or exhausting air, a portable furnace, boiler, or other steam generator and
engine, the former being connected with the fan casing by pipes in such manner
that atmospheric air in its normal state will be drawn or forced through the
furnace and be thereby deprived of its oxygen. The boiler supplies steam for
the engine and also for injecting into the air after it has been passed through the
furnace. The pipes conveying the vitiated air from the furnace may be jacketed
to cool the air and the pipes, and to utilise the heat for the generation of steam for
the purpose last mentioned. The vitiated air impregnated or not with steam,
gases or vapors is conveyed by pipes into the burning structure through a hole

page_text: made in the door or otherwise, the structure being kept closed as much as possible
to prevent the access of air otherwise than through the apparatus. The pipes and
apparatus are provided with suitable valves and connections for controlling and
directing the current of vitiated air as may be required, whether for forcing it into
the burning structure or conveying it to a gas holder or other receptacle for storing
it for future use.
Instead of pumping air in its ordinary condition through the boiler furnace,
the fan and pipes may be so arranged as to draw a supply of vitiated air
from the burning structure itself and circulate the same air through the burning
structure one or more times and causing the air to become more and more vitiated
and consequently less able to support combustion each time it is passed through
the fire. In extinguishing fires in the holds of ships and other places which can
be closed air-tight, the fan may thus be made to exhaust the air from the burning
structure and thus create a partial vacuum therein in addition to circulating air
vitiated as above described through the burning structure, whereby the progress of
the fire will be still further checked.
Instead of, or in addition to, injecting steam from the boiler, water holding or
not in solution or mixed with matters capable of generating gases which do not
support combustion, may be injected into the furnace to moderate the heat of the
furnace and assist in extinguishing the burning structure.
Instead of an engine the fan may be driven by other power, and instead of
using a fan to force the air into the fire to be extinguished, the natural draft in
the burning structure may be utilised to draw air through the furnace or vitiating
chamber, the air being also impregnated or not with steam or other vapors or gases
as above mentioned.

page_text: r
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Kissack Joshua Foster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1882.
JOHN KISSACK JOSHUA FOSTER of Bolton in the County of Lancaster
** IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREFOR,"
My Invention relates to a new method of and apparatus for extinguishing fire
by depriving atmospheric air of its oxygen and vitiating it with carbonic acid gas
and other products of combustion by passing the air through or over a fire and
forcing or drawing the air so vitiated or deprived of its power of supporting com-
bustion into, or through the burning structure.
The apparatus for depriving atmospheric air of its oxygen and applying the air
so rendered unfit to support combustion, for the extinction of a fire comprises one
or more fans blowers pumps or other appliances of suitable construction for forcing
or exhausting air combined with a portable furnace, a boiler or other steam
generator and an engine, the former being connected with the fan casing by pipes
in such manner that atmospherie air will be drawn or forced through the furnace
and be thereby deprived of most of its oxygen and at same time mixed with the
products of combustion so as to become incapable of supporting combustion. The
boiler supplies steam for the engine and also for injecting into the air after it has
been passed through the furnace. The pipes conveying the vitiated air from the
furnace may be jacketted to cool the air and the pipes and to utilize the beat for
the generation of steam for the purpose last mentioned. The vitiated air
impregnated or not with steam gases or vapours is conveyed by pipes into the
burning structure through a hole made in the door or otherwise, the structure
being kept closed as much as possible to prevent the access of air or otherwise than
through the apparatus; suitable valves and connections are provided for controlling
and directing the current of vitiated air as may be required.
Instead of, or in addition to injecting steam from the boiler plain water or water
holding in solution or mixed with salt, or bisulphide of carbon or other matters
capable of generating gases which do not support combustion, may be injected
into the furnace to moderate its heat and assist in extinguishing the burning
structure.
Instead of an ancing the for man ha deine he manual

page_text: by a pipe Land a similar pair of coupled valves is provided to control the com-
munication. M is the exhaust pipe of. the engine leading to the uptake O below
the valve I. N is an opening in the suction pipe F of the fan closed by a throttle
valve which is only opened when ordinary pure air is to be admitted to the fan to
clear a room of the vitiated air after a fire. P is the delivery pipe of the fan made
of metal in short lengths fitted together telescopically. Other similar telescopio
pipes P' may be added on by screw couplings or the delivery pipe may be otherwise
constructed.
The fly wheel of the engine is connected to the crank shaft by a clutch so
that it may be thrown in and out of gear by a handler to enable the fan
to be driven by hand at first by a handle T on the flywheel, for the purpose of
creating a draught in the furnace of boiler S the valve I¹ then being shut and the
fan drawing air through the pipe L.
The engine may be mounted on wheels as shown or it may be stationary.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
bereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :-
The herein described method and combination of apparatus for rendering
atmospheric air incapable of supporting combustion and for applying the air thus
vitiated to the extinction of fires substantially as herein described and shown in
the Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John Kissack Joshua Foster have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Sixteenth day of August in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.