IMPROVE- MENTS IN CAMP STOVES AND COOKING APPARATUS
Year: 1855

page_text: by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Octavius Williams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
March 1855.
I, JOHN OCTAVIUS WILLIAMS, of Torquay, in the County of Devon, Iron-
monger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CAMP STOVES AND COOKING APPARATUS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the construction of a readily portable stove, and in
certain arrangements of culinary utensils which together form a complete set
of kitchen articles all stowable in a small space.
I form the fire-place of plates of iron, and I unite the sides and ends into
the form of an oblong figure. At one end is a door which turns upon a pin,
and at the opposite end is an aperture to which a flue is fitted in the manner
herein-after explained. I provide a grating, which rests upon lugs provided
for the purpose on the inside of the fire-place. The whole of this grating is
used when wood is the fuel employed, but when coal or charcoal is used, then
so large an amount of grating surface is not necessary, and I provide an iron
box or stopping plate, which fits upon the grating, and covers so much of it
as is not necessary to be occupied by the coal or charcoal. The top of the
fire-place is open; but in order to prevent the escape of smoke except through

page_text: the flue, I form a groove or channel upon the top of the plates forming the
fire-place for the reception of sand or other similar material, into which
groove a rim on the under side of the pots or pans fits, so as to form a perfectly
tight joint. On the outside of the end plate to which the fluo is to be fitted I
fix over the top of the aperture and at the two sides thereof three plates of
metal, in such manner as to leave space between them and the back of the fire-
place plate. I turn up a flange or rim on the four sides of the metal pipe
forming the fluc, and slide the upper and two side flanges into the recesses
formed by the metal plates and back of the fire-place plate herein-before
mentioned; and I securely attach the flue to the fire-place by passing a rod
through eyes along the whole length of the bottom flange and under side of
the flue. The flue may be carried to any required length and in any direction
by means of elbows. For baking purposes, a plate with rims on the under side
which fit into the sand channel is placed on the fire-place; the joint or other
article is placed thereon, and is covered by a pan or cover provided with suit-
able apertures to permit of steam passing off. For boiling, I have a vessel
provided with rims which fit into the sand joint, and where necessary one or
more steaming vessels may be fitted thereon. These additional vessels fit into
each other for the purpose of carriage; and in order to cause them to fit tight
over each other when required for steaming I provide a flanged rim, which,
fitting on to the top of cach successive vessel, forms a support for the next
vessel placed upon it. All the vessels, except the under one, have apertures in
the corners thereof, and which are carried to about one-half the height of the
vessel, to allow of steam generated in the under vessel entering into that next
above it. My apparatus is provided with a kettle, with rims on the under side
to fit into the sand channel. All the boilers fit into each other and the kettle
over them. There is in the apparatus a poker and shovel, and inside the boiling
vessels are coffee pots and pans with handles so constructed as to fold over
when not in use, and occupy little space. The kettle carries knives, forks,
spoons, plates, &c. &c.