IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO CHIMNIES OR FLUES OF BUILDINGS, FOR PREVENTING DOWN DRAUGHT OR RETURN SMOKE, FOR THE INSURING UPWARD VENTILATION, AND FOR REDUCING THE QUANTITY OF SMOKE, OR THE BLACKS FROM THE SMOKE PASSING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles James Richardson, of No. 34, Kensington
Square, and of No. 9ª, King Street, Whitehall, both in the County of
Middlesex, Architect, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
TO BE APPLIED TO CHIMNIES OR FLUES OF BUILDINGS, FOR PREVENTING DOWN
DRAUGHT OR RETURN SMOKE, FOR THE INSURING UPWARD VENTILATION, AND
FOR REDUCING THE QUANTITY OF SMOKE, OR THE BLACKS FROM THE SMOKE
PASSING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE."
Sealed the 8th September 1859, and dated the 28th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles James Richardson
at the Office of the. Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1859.
I, CHARLES JAMES RICHARDSON, of No. 34, Kensington Square, and of
No. 9ª, King Street, Whitehall, both in the County of Middlesex, Architect,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO CHIMNIES OR FLUES OF BUILDINGS, FOR PREVENTING
DOWN DRAUGHT OR RETURN SMOKE, FOR THEIR INSURING UPWARD VENTILATION,
AND FOR REDUCING THE QUANTITY OF SMOKE, OR THE BLACKS FROM THE SMOKE
PASSING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus to be applied
to chimnies or flues of buildings, for preventing down draught or return
smoke, for their insuring upward ventilation, and for reducing the quantity of
smoke or blacks from the smoke passing into the atmosphere. For this

page_text: purpose apparatus is constructed and applied to the upper part of the flues of
a building, in such a way as to fold the flucs over, against, or near to each
other, so that the heat from one flue in use shall be taken up by the flue or
flues adjoining to it, rendering the whole mass of such flucs, when a few only
are in action, a strong ventilating power, drawing a constant upward current of
air from the rooms to which they belong. In applying such apparatus to the
upper part of a flue, a tube, by preferance of iron, of the exact size of the flue
at the base is placed upon it, this gathers it up to a reduced size, shape, or form,
and passes it in a splayed direction to the next flue, to which a similar apparatus
is applied, the two flues side by side are then taken either in an upright or
splayed direction towards the stack. If the wall is of sufficient thickness
three flues can be thus brought together, a wyth of half a brick is allowed
between pairs of coupled or tripled flues, and this it is preferred should be of
the kind known as hollow brickwork. In the stack the whole of the flues
pass upward in a vertical direction in as close connexion as can be obtained,
so as to reduce the size of the stack. In order to seperate the blacks from
'the smoke the flues have perforated tops or strainers, which are covered with
a case that protects the smoke from the action of the wind, from whatever
direction it may blow, the rain falling in this case washes the strainers, and is
collected in a trough in the lower part; into this trough the smoke is projected,
and a portion of the blacks are retained. The water in the trough is per-
mitted to remain always at a certain height, only to be lessened by evaporation;
when above this height, the upper surface with the floating soot is removed by
a suitable pipe, and the soot is passed to any receptacle prepared for it. Pro-
vision may also be made for supplying water from the building to aid the
operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles James Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
JAMES RICHARDSON, of No. 34, Kensington Square, and No. 9, King Street,
Whitehall, both in the County of Middlesex, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand Eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto

page_text: me, the said Charles James Richardson Her special licenco that I, the said
Charles James Richardson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I the said Charles James Richardson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO CHIMNEYS
OR FLUES OF BUILDINGS FOR PREVENTING DOWN DRAUGHT OR RETURN SMOKE, POR
THEIR INSURING UPWARD VENTILATION, AND FOR REDUCING THE QUANTITY OF
SMOKE, OR THE BLACKS FROM THE SMOKE PASSING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles James Richardson,
my executors, or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my
or their or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles James Richardson; do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
The first part of my Invention is for preventing down draught or return
smoke in flues; the second is for securing a steady constant upward ventilation
in all the flues of a building, when only a small number of fires communi-
cating with the flues are burning; and the third is for reducing the quantity
of dense smoke or blacks from the smoke passing into the atmosphere. My
Invention is thus composed of three parts or portions, all or any two of which
can be used together, and each of which can be used alone for its separate
purposes. The contrivance for the prevention of down draught, I call tho
"wind cap;" that for securing ventilation the "iron stack flue;" and that for
reducing the quantity of dense smoke or blacks passing into the atmosphere
the "rain vase." The iron stack flue is thus formed:-The upper part of
the flue or flues for a length of about 15 or 20 feet is formed of tubing, by
preference of iron, in square or oblong sections; cach tube at its base is of the
size of the flue in which it is placed, the tube gathers it up to a reduced size;
shape, or form, and passes it in a splayed direction to the next flue, to which a.
similar tube is applied; the two flues, side by side, are then taken up in a

page_text: splayed direction towards the stack; they are in direct contact with each
other, having no brick wyth between them, only one brick wyth of the kind
.known as open brickwork being between each group of such flues, four such
tubes can be made to occupy the space of the old fashioned flue of 14 ins.
by 9 ins. When only one of the flues is in use, that is, the fire communi-
cating with it, burning its iron tube, would warm the other three, and thus an
upward draught or ventilating power would be obtained in all. My rain vase
for reducing the quantity of smoke or blacks from the smoke passing into the
atmosphere, and which likewise acts for the prevention of down draught in
flues, chimneys, and shafts, consists of a case or capping constructed as here-
after explained; it stands or is suspended or held over the top of a flue,
chimney or shaft; the smoke or vitiated air escapes either upward or side-
ward. The case is spread out at the base to form troughs, and is provided
with perforated metal tops or strainers; the rain falling in strainers washes
them and falls, and is collected in the troughs; over these the smoke
is projected, and a great portion of the blacks retained. The water in the
troughs remains at a given level, only to be lessened by evaporation; the
upper surface with the floating soot is passed away by a suitable pipe clear of
the chimney or flue. When it is not considered. necessary to retain the blacks
or prevent them passing into the atmosphere, the troughs and strainers are
omitted, and the capping slightly altered; it then becomes what I call my

page_text: section through the tubes on the line G, H, Figure 18; the wall is a two-
brick and a half wall the whole height. The flues b, b, are shewn as venti-
lating flues only, the rest have doors c, c, for the facility of cleaning. Figure 16
is an elevation or front view of one of my rain vases, applied to a chimney
stack with three flues; Figure 17 is a plan of the same on the line y, 5,
Figure 16; Figure 18 is a section on the line 2, 3, Figure 17; and Figure 20
is an end elevation; d is a dwarf iron railing secured on the top of the stack
in any convenient way; this I prefer to have with plain upright standards, as
shewn at e, Figure 18; f is a top rail fastened to the standards; g is a lower
rail also fastened to the standards; h is the top of a flue or chimney or
chimney, pot, supplied with a cover i to prevent the passage of wind down-
wards; a plate & forming a trough is attached to the rail g, protecting the top
of the flue / sideways; is a curved plate attached to the top rail f, which
protects the outlet formed by the upper part of the plate k from the action of
the wind; Z is formed of perforated metal of small openings; the lower part of
the cover i is formed of metal perforated strainers of a large pattern; m, m,
are partitions placed between the flues to prevent the smoke from one escaping
down the other. In Figure 19, which is a section of a single cap or vase, tho
arrows show the different outlets provided for the escape of the smoke.
Figure 21 is the plan of a single rain vase, to which Figure 20 would form
an elevation, and Figure 19, without the partitions m, would form a section on
the line r, s, Figure 21; o, Figure 19, is a pipe by which water may be
supplied from the house to maintain the level in the troughs; and p is the
pipe by which the upper surface of the water with the floating soot is con-
veyed away.
My wind cap is, as before stated, a modification of the rain vase last
described. Figure 22 is an elevation of one of my wind caps applied to a
stack of three flues; Figure 23 is a plan through the line x, x, of Figure 24;
Figure 24 is a section on the line I, K, Figure 23; Figure 25 is an elevation
of the end, and Figure 26 a cross section. The greater part of my rain vase
and the whole of my wind cap may be constructed either in stoneware, terra
cotta, or metal. Figure 27 is an elevation of the wind cap in stoneware, a
simple case protecting the smoke from the action of the wind; Figure 28 is a
plan, and Figure 29 is a section of the same in the line y, z, Figure 28.
In order that these contrivances may be properly understood, as to tho
manner they can be introduced into a building, I have added two additional
Figures. Figure 30 is an elevation in section of a party wall to a first-class
house, as usually constructed; the flues being fourteen inches by nine inches.
Figure 31 is the representation of the same wall, with the flues nine inches by

page_text: nine inches, the size recommended in a late Government Blue Book; the
kitchen flue alone, 14 ins. x 9 ins., with my iron stack flues, rain vase and wind
cap applied; is the receptacle provided for the soot descending by the
pipes p, p; the iron stack flues are shewn of the simplest construction, as
shown in Figure 1.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein-before described, as the same may be
varied without departing from the general features of my Invention, and that
I claim, constructing flues, and what I term rain vases and wind caps, in
manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles James Richardson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
C. J. RICHARDSON. (L.S.)