IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE LIGHTERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Goodchild Phillips, of No. 19, Salisbury
Street, Strand, London, Timber Merchant, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE LIGHTERS."
Sealed the 6th February 1874, and dated the 12th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Goodchild
Phillips at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th September 1873.
I, EDWARD GOODCHILD PHILLIPS, of No. 19, Salisbury Street, Strand,
London, Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE LIGHTERS," to be as follows:-
Instead of constructing or making up fire lighters in the form of
"wheels," crosses," or other well-known shapes and arrangements, or
horizontal combinations of short lengths of wood, I take say three, four,
or six (or there may be more) pieces of wood of equal length, one end of
which is bevilled to a suitable angle, and unite these bevilled ends either
by directly abutting or by interposing a central piece or core, and I

page_text: secure the bevilled ends together so as to form a pyramid or a pyramidal
structure; the lower ends forming the base may either be left free and
unconnected or be connected together, and the apex may either be
secured by means of notchings, dovetails, and grooves, or by their
taking into or against a shoulder, and they may be secured together by
wire or string, or they may be nailed, tacked, or pegged together.
After the structure has been completed it may be dipped wholly or
partially in a mixture of resin and oil or resin and tar, or other suitable
and readily combustible mixture or preparation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Goodchild Phillips in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th February 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
GOODCHILD PHILLIPS, of No. 19, Salisbury Street, Strand, London,
Timber Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Edward Goodchild Phillips, Her special licence,
that I, the said Edward Goodchild Phillips, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Goodchild Phillips,
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 FIRE LIGHTERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edward Goodchild Phillips, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Goodchild Phillips, 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, and the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings:-
Instead of constructing or making up fire lighters either in the form
of "wheels," "crosses," or other well-known shapes and arrangements
or horizontal combinations of short lengths of wood, I take, say three,
-four, or six (or there may be more) pieces of wood of equal length one
end of each of which is bevilled to a suitable angle, and unite these
bevilled ends either by directly abutting them or by interposing a central
piece or core, and I secure the bevilled ends together so as to form a
pyramid or a pyramidal structure; the lower ends forming the base may
either be left free and unconnected, which I prefer, or they may be
connected together, and the apex may either be secured by means of
notchings, dovetails, and grooves, or by their taking into or against a
shouldered end, they may be secured together by wire or string or they
may be nailed, tacked, or pegged together, or dowels or tongues of wood
may be introduced in grooves.
After the structure has been completed it may be dipped wholly or
partially in a mixture of resin and oil or resin and tar, or other suitable
and readily ignitable and combustible mixture or preparation.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings I have shewn views of some
of the forms in which I construct fire lighters; but by preference and
for ordinary sized grates either 3 or 4 legs are found to be sufficient
instead of a greater number; and although I may make the pieces of
various dimensions according to the size or shape of the fire lighter, I
find in practice that the legs if first cut into lengths of say 8 inches
and each of the pieces is afterwards divided or separated by a saw cut at
a suitable angle, this will leave the legs about 5 inches extreme length;
and if the rods or strips of wood from which these legs are cut are sawn
to say inch square in cross section, and where 4 legs are employed a
square core piece of the same size (about square), and of the same
length as the face of the bevilled end be employed will give a cheap and
strong form of fire lighter that may be readily and conveniently packed
for transport.

page_text: Where 3 legs are used the centre core to which the legs are attached
at their bevilled ends must in that case be triangular in cross section,
unless the ends are suitably bevelled or shaped so as to come directly
together, which I do not prefer as the short length of end grain core
piece when employed absorbs the resinous preparation readily and
facilitates the ignition of the whole.
In Figures 1, 2, &c., these simple forms and arrangements of materials
are shown, Figure 1 being an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a
combination of a. square core piece with 4 legs, Figure 3 being a
detached view of 1 leg and the square core piece; and Figure 4 is an
elevation, and Figure 5 a plan view of a 3 legged fire lighter with a core;
Figure 6 shows 6 legs arranged upon a longitudinally elongated core
piece as shown in Figure 7; Figure 8 is an elevation of a fire lighter
constructed with 6 legs as in Figures 6 and 7, but the two legs on each
side of the core have one end of each cut with a double bevil, so that the
lower ends of the 4 legs are wider apart than in Figure 7, and will in
use be found to give additional stability, as will be seen from Figure 9.
Figures 10 and 11 show a variation in the dimensions and shape of
the core piece, and in the mode of combining the bevilled ends of the
4 legs together.
Hard wood pins in some cases and brads or nails in other cases are
found well suited to secure the parts together; but in the case of
Figures 10 and 11, the bevilled ends may either be slipped into dovetail
or other groves formed in the core piece, or wood keys, tongues, or dowels
may be used.
Where the pieces are secured together by string or fine wire binding,
a hollow revolving cutter or chuck may be employed for cutting a
shoulder or grove or groves around the exterior of the head or apex so
as to prevent the binding slipping off or over the apex.
In whatsoever manner the pieces may be combined and fastened
together, when they are so combined and secured they are to be dipped
wholly or partially in a solution or mixture of resin and oil or resin and
turpentine, or any other readily ignitable mixture or preparation which
will dry and and set hard so as to enable them to be handled without
soiling the hands, and also be readily ignited by the application of a
lighted match or taper or such like means.

page_text: Having now described my said Invention, and in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings illustrated some of the forms and arrangements of
materials I prefer to employ in putting my said Invention into practice,
I wish it to be understood that what I claim is,-
Witness,
EDWARD GOODCHILD PHILLIPS. (L.S.)
HENRY HERBERT MONTAGUE SMITH,
Assistant to Mr. Wm. Smith, C.E.
19, Salisbury Street,
Strand,
W.C.