IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE- PLACES.
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Brown Wilson, of 10, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
PLACES.
Sealed the 12th July 1864, and dated the 16th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Brown Wilson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1864.
I, EDWARD BROWN WILSON, of 10, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE-PLACES," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the construction of fire-places or stoves, and the
alteration of existing fire-places or stoves, so as to combine the effect of a
elosed stove with that of an open fire. For this purpose I close the bottom
grate, and I introduce between the front bars and the back of the fire-place a
diaphragm extending upwards to meet the upper part of the front of the stove,
so as to divide the fire-place into a front or combustion chamber and a back
chamber or flue. I make this diaphragm fluted in front, and in the fluted
hollows I perforate numerous holes, chiefly near the bottom, or I leave a
space between the diaphragm and the bottom of the fire-place. Or in place
of having the diaphragm fluted it may be flat, or have a plane surface, and a
second plate may be fitted thereto, leaving a space between the additional
plate and the front of the diaphragm. When a fire is lighted in front of the

page_text: diaphragm the gaseous products of combustion are caused by the chimney
draught to pass through the holes or open space into the flue behind the
diaphragm, the fluted hollows in the front of the diaphragm forming channels for
their passage. I prefer to make the back of the flue inclined forwards, so as to
project the heated products of combustion against the back of the diaphragm.
I prefer to have a damper or valve in the flue to regulate the draught, and I
sometimes make an opening governed by a valve or damper from the upper
part of the combustion chamber into the flue, so as to permit the escape
into the chimney of such smoke or gases as do not pass off by the holes in
the diaphragm, or the space between it and the bottom. Instead of dividing
the fire-place longitudinally, as above described, I sometimes divide it trans-
versely by one or more diaphragms, so as to have a combustion chamber at
one side and the flue at the other, or to have the combustion chamber in the
middle and a flue on either side; or I make the lower part of the fire
chamber surrounded by an annular flue communicating with a chimney.
Sometimes also instead of closing the bottom of the fire-place I make it with
a slide, drawer, or valve for removing the ashes that may collect there.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Brown Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
BROWN WILSON, of 10, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Brown Wilson, Her special license that I, the said Edward
Brown Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, my executors, administrators, or
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 FIRE-PLACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Edward Brown Wilson, my executors or administrators, by an

page_text: instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of
one of them, 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 Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the construction of fire-places or stoves, and
to the alteration of existing fire-places or stoves, so as to combine the effect of
a closed stove with that of an open fire. For this purpose I close the bottom
grate, and I introduce between the front bars and the back of the fire-place a
diaphragm extending upwards to meet the upper part of the front of the
stove, so as to divide the fire-place into a front or combustion chamber and a
back chamber or flue. I make this diaphragm fluted in front, and in the
fluted hollows I perforate numerous holes, chiefly near the bottom, and I
sometimes perforate the sides of the grate, such perforations leading into the
chimney, or I leave a space between the diaphragm and the bottom of the
fire-place. Or in place of having the diaphragm fluted it may be flat, or have
a plane surface, and a second plate may be fitted thereto, leaving a space
between the additional plate and the front of the diaphragm. When a fire is
lighted in front of the diaphragm, the gaseous products of combustion are
caused by the chimney draught to pass through the holes or open space into
the flue behind the diaphragm, the fluted hollows in the front of the diaphragm
forming channels for their passage. I prefer to make the back of the flue
inclined forwards, so as to project the heated. products of combustion against
the back of the diaphragm. I prefer to have a damper or valve in the flue to
regulate the draught, and I sometimes make an opening governed by a valve
or damper from the upper part of the combustion chamber into the flue, so as
to permit the escape into the chimney of such smoke or gases as do not pass
off by the holes in the diaphragm, or the space between it and the bottom-
Instead of dividing the fire-place longitudinally, as above described, I some-
times divide it transversely by one or more diaphragms, so as to have a
combustion chamber at one side and the flue at the other, or to have the
combustion chamber in the middle and a flue on either side; or I make the
lower part of the fire chamber surrounded by an annular flue communicating
with a chimney. Sometimes also instead of closing the bottom of the fire-

page_text: place I make it with a slide, drawer, or valve for removing the ashes that
may collect.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet I.) of the Drawings is a front elevation, and Figure 2 a
section of a fire-place constructed or altered according to my Invention.
a is the fire-place for holding the fuel to be consumed, with front bars of
ordinary construction; b is the bottom, which I make entirely closed, or with
grated openings to permit ash to drop into a closed drawer c fitted below;
d is the back, which I prefer to incline forwards, as indicated by the dotted
line d'; e is a damper in the chimney, which may be conveniently arranged as
a throttle valve for regulating the draught; f is a diaphragm separating the
front or combustion chamber from the back chamber or flue; g is an opening
entending the whole width of the fire-place between the diaphragm and the
bottom of the fire-place, or instead of one opening it may consist of numerous
holes, forming a channel or channels for the passage of gaseous products of
combustion from the front, as indicated by the arrow; fare fluted hollows
formed in front of the diaphragm, to serve as channels for smoke and air
behind the fuel in the fire-place; h is an opening fitted with a valve, which
may be opened or closed at pleasure, by which smoke or gases rising from the
upper surface of the fuel in the fire-place can escape into the chimney.
Sometimes I form the upper part of the diaphragm, as indicated by the dotted
lines i, partly covering over the fire-place as a hood, and in that case I provide
openings g¹, by which smoke or gas may escape from under the hood into the
chimney. Instead of making the diaghragm interposed between the front and
back parts of the fire-place, as represented in Figure 2, I sometimes use two
diaphragms fitted near each end of the fire-place, dividing it transversely
instead of longitudinally, with similar arrangements of parts, as may be readily
understood.
Figure 3 (Sheet II.) of the Drawings is an elevation, and Figure 4 a
section of a fire-place or stove of cylindrical form constructed according to
my Invention. k is the fire-box, having an opening at top for supplying fuel,
fitted with a moveable cover l, and having a grating round its lower part, a
sectional plan of which is represented at Figure 5; m is a bent tube or vessel
for receiving the ashes, fitted with a door m', by which they can be removed
at pleasure; n is a hot chamber, into which the products of combustion issue

page_text: from the lower part of the fire-box; o is a tube fitted with a damper (which
may conveniently be worked as a throttle valve) o¹, leading to a chimney or
flue. In Figures 2 and 4 the arrows indicate the direction which the air
supplying the fuel and the gaseous products of combustion are caused to take
by the draught of the chimney, the object of the arrangement in either case
being that the air necessary for the combustion of the fuel shall enter at the
top where the fresh fuel is supplied, and descend along with the gases evolved
from the fuel through the hot or incandescent embers at the bottom, and
thus that more complete combustion of smoke or inflammable gases may
be secured.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the peculiar construction and
arrangement of fire-places and stoves, with a view to the obtainment of a
down draught, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Brown Wilson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
EDW. D. WILSON. (L.S.)