IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS
Year: 1854

page_text: Sealed the 15th September 1854, and dated the 4th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Swarbrick at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
April 1854.
I, JOHN SWARBRICK, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS" to be as follows:-
I propose to fix a cylinder or tube inside the fire flue or flues, and connect
the same to the fire flue or flues at the top and bottom parts thereof by ver-
tical tubes. The said horizontal cylinder or tube to be fixed just behind the
furnace near to the bridge, and extend to the back end of the boiler, however
long, so that the flames or heat from the fire will traverse along and encircle
the said cylinder or tube, thus obtaining an extensive heating surface; and as
the water in the boiler will fill the said cylinder or tube by means of the ver-
tical tubes, a continual evaporation of the water will take place both in the
boiler and the tube. I also propose to make the fire bars hollow, and cause

page_text: the water as it feeds the boiler to pass through them, by which process the
water will become partially heated before entering the boiler, thus economizing
the fuel, and causing the fire bars to last a much longer time than they do on
the present plans, as they will not be so liable to be burnt.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Swarbrick in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SWARBRICK, of Baxenden, near Accrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer and Millwright, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Swarbrick, Her special licence that I, the said John Swarbrick,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Swarbrick, my executors, administrators, 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 STEAM BOILERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Swarbrick,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Royal Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Swarbrick, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):--
My Invention consists of fixing a horizontal cylinder or tube, made of iron
or other suitable metal or material, inside the fire flue or flues, and connecting
the said cylinder or tube to the fire flue or fire flues at the top and bottom parts

page_text: thereof by vertical tubes; the said horizontal cylinder or tube to be fixed just
behind the furnace near to the bridge, and extend to the back end of the boiler,
however long it may be, so that the flames or heat from the fire will traverse
along and encircle the said cylinder or tube, and thus obtain an extensive
heating surface; and as the water in the boiler will fill the said cylinder or
tube by means of the vertical tubes, a continual evaporation of the water will
take place both in the boiler and the tube; or, instead of the said metal cylinder
or tube, I substitute a tube or cylinder, or parts of a tube or cylinder, made
of fire bricks or tiles, and place or fix it or them in the inside of the fire flue
or flues in any convenient manner, so as to encrease the amount of heating
surface, which I have found to answer very well, and if not so advantageous
as the metal tube, already described, is a great advantage over the present
method. I also make the fire bars hollow, and cause the water as it feeds the
boiler to pass through them, by which process, the water will become-partially-
heated before entering the boiler, thus economising the fuel, and causing the
fire bars to last a much longer time than they do on the present plans, as they
will not be so liable to be burnt.
These my improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which the same letters of reference are
used to represent the same parts in all the Figures. Fig. 1. is a front elevation
of a boiler, shewing the ends of the tubes and the fire-places; Fig. 2 is a
longitudinal elevation of the same, shewing its connection with the chimney,
and exposing one of the fire-places and the corresponding tube; Fig. 3 is a
transverse section; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section; Figs. 5 and 6 are plans,
shewing the method of connecting the cylinder or tube to the flue. a repre-
sents the extreme casing of the boiler; b, the tubes, which form the flue to
the chimney, and to the front of which the fire is placed; c, the inner tubes,
placed within the flues, to which they are connected by the pipes d, which
being open, allow the circulation of water and steam to the water in the
casing a; e represents the fire-place; f, the passages for the heat around the
tubes c; and g, the chimney.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact
details herein set forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing
from the principle thereof; but I claim as of my Invention, and which, to the
best of my knowledge and belief, has not been hitherto used within this
realm,-
-

page_text: Firstly, the use of cylindrical tubes connected to the fire flues by vertical
tubes; and secondly, the use of hollow fire bars, as such improvements are
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Swarbrick, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
JOHN SWARBRICK. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
John Swarbrick in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.