IMPROVED MEANS OF DISINFECTING OR DRYING CLOTHES, BEDDING, OR OTHER ARTICLES, ALSO ADRADATIS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Coleman Fraser, of the Firm of John
Fraser and Sons, of Bromley-by-Bow, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineers and Boiler Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS OF DISINFECTING OR DRYING CLOTHES, BEDDING, OR OTHER ARTICLES,
ALSO ADRADATIS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
Sealed the 17th June 1870, and dated the 20th December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Coleman Fraser
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th December 1869.
I, GEORGE COLEMAN FRASER, of the Firm of John Fraser and Sons,
of Bromley-by-Bow, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers and Boiler
Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVED MEANS OF DISINFECTING OR DRYING CLOTHES, BEDDING, OR
ARTICLES, ALSO APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to disinfect or dry clothes, bedding, or
other articles in a close chamber in which heated air is caused to pass.

page_text: The articles are arranged upon trays or racks in a vehicle which can
be pushed into the chamber. The air is impregnated with sulphur or
other agent or not as desired. The air after passing through the clothes
is led through a fire before going to the shaft or chimney. The
apparatus consists of a close chamber made in such a manner that a
vehicle containing the articles to be operated upon can be pushed in
and the front of the chamber closed or shut up. The articles are placed
preferably in trays or racks to separate one layer from another, and the
heated air which passes over the hot plate enters through the bottom
layer and then up through the series to an outlet provided at the top; it
then passes down a flue formed in the chamber and enters the fire where
the poisonous vapours with which the air is charged become consumed.
In some cases I place water or other fluid upon the hot plate or
other part of the chamber, so that the heated air becomes impregnated
with moisture, which passes through the clothes or other articles in the
vehicle, or sulphur or other disinfecting agent may be employed.
5
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Coleman Fraser in the Great Seal-Patent
Office on the 20th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
COLEMAN FRASER, of the Firm of John Fraser and Sons, of Bromley-
by-Bow, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers and Boiler Makers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Coleman Fraser, Her special
licence that I, the said George Coleman Fraser, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Coleman
Fraser, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
.agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-

page_text: after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MEANS OF DISINFECTING OR DRYING CLOTHES, BEDDING, OR
OTHER ARTICLES, ALSO APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said George Coleman Fraser, 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 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 George Coleman Fraser, 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 object of my Invention is to disinfect or dry clothes, bedding, or
other articles in a close chamber in which heated air is caused to pass.
The articles are arranged upon trays or racks in a vehicle which can be
pushed into the chamber. The air is impregnated with sulphur or other
agent or not as desired. The air after passing through the clothes is led
through a fire before going to the shaft or chimney. The apparatus
consists of a close chamber made in such a manner that a vehicle con-
taining the articles to be operated upon can be pushed in and the front
of the chamber closed or shut up. The articles are placed preferably
in trays or racks to separate one layer from another, and the heated air
which passes over or from the hot plate enters through the bottom layer
and then up through the series to an outlet provided at the top; it
then passes down a flue formed in the chamber and enters the fire,
where the poisonous vapours with which the air is charged become
consumed.
The Invention will be well understood by referring to the Drawings
annexed and to the following descriptions thereof.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a structure forming a chamber of the
shape I have found most suitable for the purpose; but I do not wish to

page_text: limit myself specially to that form, as other forms might be constructed
to suit the locality in which it is desired to be erected. The one I have
shown is supposed to be built of brick and the chamber is arched over,
apertures being left here and there for the passage of impure and noxious
heated vapours to be led into a flue or flues, and from thence into a fire
to be consumed, as before explained.
a, a, represents the side walls of the structure, and 6 the arched roof;
e, c, are apertures in the roof leading into a flue d, which runs to one of
the side walls a; the flue in the side wall passes to the ash-pit e, the
door f of which is kept closed so that the foul air and vapour which
pass down the flue d is compelled to pass through the fire, as indicated
by the arrows to be consumed. The ash-pit door is provided with a
damper so that a fixed quantity of atmospheric air can be allowed
to enter to support the combustion of the fuel; the air thus
entering may be allowed to mix with the heated air and vapour from the
chamber in the ash-pit, or if such a course should be undesirable, the
aperture g in the ash-pit could have a tube to lead the vapour direct
into the fire. The heat and products of combustion from the fire are
caused to impinge against a slab or roof of the furnace for the
purpose of heating it. This slab or roof forms on its upper side the
flooring of the chamber i in which the articles to be disinfected or dried
are to be placed as hereafter mentioned. The heat and products of com-
bustion may pass towards the back of the structure direct where they
would be received by a flue which may be made in a zig-zag manner in
the back wall; or in the side walla, or in both, as found convenient, from
which they would be taken away by a shaft or chimney 6. In many
_cases, however, it would be advisable to build division walls m, m, under
the slab or roof h, as shown in Figure 2, to direct the products of com-
bustion to and fro, so that the slab would take up the heat in its passage
to the chimney or uptake. The division walls may be of the shape
shown in the Figure, or a flue n may be formed under the slab, as shown
in Figure 3; in any case the flues or passages under the slab would be
so made that the largest amount of heat which is thrown off from the
fire should be taken up by it before it is allowed to enter the uptake.
The slab may be of metal, fire-clay, or other refractory material, and the
side walls of the chamber would be provided with brackets, hinged
leaves, or other appliances on which the clothes or other articles to be
disinfected or dried could be placed with facility.

page_text: In the Drawing, Figure 1, I have shewn brackets p, p, on which trays
or racks, perforated or not, could be placed, so that the heat which rises
from the slab would pass through the perforations, and then through the
clothes to dry or disinfect them, or if the trays were solid the heat
would impinge against their under side and pass up between the edges
of them and the walls. In such a case I prefer that the open ends are
alternately on one side and the other so that the heat is made to travel
in a zig-zag manner before reaching the top of the chamber. I prefer
that the furnace and its flues should be below the ground so that the
slab would be on a level with it. This arrangement would admit of the
trays being got at easily so that they could be removed therefrom and
placed therein with facility.
Another advantage would be that the doors of the chamber could
be opened for the admission of a truck or vehicle containing the
clothes to be disinfected without in the least being injurious to health,
as would be the case if the clothes had been removed from a person
suffering from fever or some other infectious disease. The truck I
propose to make entirely of metal so that the heat of the chamber
would not affect it. I fit it with a grating bottom, the openings of
which can be covered by another grating, which may be caused to
slide in grooves so as to be drawn away as desired.
This arrangement will be understood by referring to Figures 4, 5, and 6.
which show it in detail. The top grating I propose to cover with a
perforated sheet or a screen of wirework so that a space is left between
them, as seen in Figure 7, for the distribution of the heat to all parts of
the screen on which the clothes are to be placed. The screens or trays
above the lower one are only formed of perforated plates or wirework;
these trays are arranged in a superposed position and can be placed in
the vehicle through openings at the top or through doorways in the sides
or the back. I prefer to slide them in from the back or in the front as
found most convenient.. Under any circumstance I propose to fit a
sliding lid or cover to the vehicle so that after it is pushed into the
chamber the lid can be opened, and this may be done as the doors of the
chamber are being closed or afterwards by means of a rod acting on
the handle or lever from the outside.
I have shewn in Figure 8 a vehicle of the kind I have before referred
to, and a section of which I have shewn in the chamber in Figure 1. The

page_text: doors of the chamber may be on hinges so as to open right and left, or
there may be only one door, and in that case I prefer to suspend it by
chains to which counterpoise weights are attached, as will be understood
on reference to Figure 9, where q is the door, and r, r, the chains;
these chains pass over pulleys at the top of the structure in any
convenient manner.
I have hitherto spoken of a structure for receiving the trays or the
vehicle in which the trays are fitted, but I do not intend in all cases
that it should be a permanent one, as it can be made in a portable
manner and of any size. If made portable, that is to say, of such a size
that it could be moved from place to place, the opening which would
lead to the uptake or chimney could be made to enter the chimney of an
ordinary rooni or apartment or other place as desired. In some cases I
place water or other fluid upon the hot plate or other part of the
chamber, so that the heated air becomes impregnated with moisture,
which passes through the clothes or other articles in the vehicle, or
sulphur or other disinfecting agent may be employed.
'
:
.
I do not desire to speak of the advantages to the country at large
upon the use of my Invention, but I may refer to one or two. of them.
First, then, hospitals and infirmarys.-It has heretofore been the
practice after removing the clothes from a fever patient to burn them in
a fire, and in doing so they have invariably been taken up by an attendant
and conveyed to some obscure part of the building to be consumed. In
doing this the effluvia escapes and often communicates the disease to other
patients.
Secondly, laundries and public institutions.-The clothes can be
dried in a more expeditions manner than by the present mode and with-
out the risk of them being scorched or burned, besides which they can be
inserted and withdrawn by unskilled labour.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as
my Invention, the means heretofore described for disinfecting and drying
clothes, bedding, or other similar articles.
Secondly. I claim the special forms or constructions of apparatus
for disinfecting and drying clothes, bedding, and other articles, as

page_text: herein-before described and substantially as represented in the annexed
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Coleman Fraser, have
bereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
G. C. FRASER. (L.S.)