AN IMPROVED ASHPAN, OR APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP ASHES AND CINDERS, AND SEPARATING OR SIFTING THEM
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthias Walker, of Horsham, in the County
of Sussex, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ASHPAN,
OR APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP ASHES AND CINDERS, AND SEPARATING OR
SIFTING THEM."
Sealed the 11th December 1852, and dated the 1st October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthias Walker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st October 1852.
I, MATTHIAS WALKER, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED ASHPAN, OR APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP ASHES AND
CINDERS, AND SEPARATING OR SIFTING THEM " to be as follows:-
The apparatus which forms the subject of the present application
consists of a deep pan or box, furnished inside with an inclined parti-
tion made of metal bars or wire work, so as to act as a sieve. The pan
or box is also furnished with a swinging handle at top, and a fixed one
at one end, and covers or lids are attached by hinges, or otherwise
adapted to the box, so that access to the interior may be obtained at
either end.

page_text: This apparatus is intended for domestic use, and to be employed
for receiving the cinders and ashes from fire grates and stoves; and when
the cinders and ashes are put into one compartment of the box the lid
is closed, so as to prevent any dust from escaping and soiling the furni-
ture in the room.
In order to separate the cinders from the ashes and fine dust it will
only be necessary to tilt the box on one end, so as to cause the cinders,
ashes, and dust to fall against the inclined grating, and on shaking it
the fine dust and smaller particles will fall through the grating to the
compartment or dust box on the other side of the partition, leaving the
cinders and larger pieces behind. In order to prevent the dust from
mixing again with the large cinders a strip of metal, about an inch and
a half or two inches wide, is fixed along the lower part of the wire work
partition, so as to retain the dust in its proper compartment until it
could be emptied into the ash hole, which will be effected by opening
the cover of the last-named compartment, and inverting the pan or
box, when the dust will fall out. The cinders may be used as required.
A modification of this apparatus may be made by having the pan or
box partly covered, leaving an aperture at each end, the one for put-
ting in the cinders and ashes, and the other for emptying the dust and
smaller particles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Matthias Walker in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 31st March 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MATTHIAS WALKER, of Horsham, in the County of Sussex, Ironmonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Matthias Walker, Her especial license that I,

page_text: the said Matthias Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Matthias Walker, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "AN IMPROVED
ASHPAN, OR APPARATUS FOR TAKING UP ASHES AND CINDERS, AND SEPA-
RATING OR SIFTING THEM," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Matthias Walker, 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
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Matthias Walker, 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 Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
The improved ashpan, or apparatus for taking up ashes and cinders,
and separating or sifting them, and which forms the subject of the pre-
sent Invention, consists of a deep pan or box, furnished inside with an
inclined partition made of metal bars or wire work, so as to act as a
sieve. The pan or box is also furnished with a swinging or other
handle at top, and a fixed one at each end, for the purpose of tilting the
pan or box. Covers or lids also are attached by hinges, or are other-
wise adapted to the box, so that the apparatus may be closed up when
required, as will be necessary when sifting the ashes, and yet access to
the interior may be obtained at either end for the purpose of emptying
out the ashes or cinders, or for cleaning out the apparatus.
This apparatus is intended for domestic use, and to be employed for
receiving the cinders and ashes from fire grates and stoves. It may be
made in various forms; and in the accompanying Drawings I have
shewn two plans of constructing the apparatus. Fig. 1, is a vertical

page_text: section of the most improved construction, and Fig. 2, is a plan view
of the same, as seen from above. a, a, a, a, are the external sides and
bottom of the box, which is divided internally into two parts A, and B,
by a perforated or wire work partition or grating 6, 6; one extremity of
which is fastened to one end of the box, and near the bottom, and the
other end of the partition is secured to the fixed part c, of the cover.
A moveable cover or lid d, is hinged to the fixed part c, and covers up
the compartment A, and a similar lide, is adaptéd to the opposite end
of the box for the part B. The apparatus may be carried about by the
swinging handle f; and there are other handles g, g, at each end, for the
convenience of shaking the apparatus when required. The cinders and
ashes are put into the compartment A, of the box, after which the lid
must be closed, so as to prevent any dust from escaping and soiling the
furniture in the room.
In order to separate the cinders from the ashes and fine dust it will
only be necessary to tilt the box on one end by means of one of the
handles 9,9, so as to cause the cinders, ashes, and dust to fall against
the inclined grating, and on slightly shaking the box the fine dust and
smaller particles will fall through the grating into the other compart-
ment B, or dust box, on the other side of the partition, leaving the
cinders and larger pieces behind. In order to prevent the dust, from
mixing again with the large cinders a strip of metal, of about an inch
and a half or two inches wide, may, if required, be fixed along the lower
part of the wire work partition, so as to retain the dust in its proper
compartment B, until it could be emptied into the ash hole, which will
be effected by opening the cover of the last-named compartment, and
inverting the pan or box, when the dust will fall out, while the cinders
will remain in the box, and may be used as required.
A modification of this apparatus may be made by having the pan or
box partly covered, leaving an aperture at each end, the one for putting
in the cinders and ashes, and the other for emptying the dust and
smaller particles. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 4,
is a plan view of another modification, which will be somewhat cheaper
in construction than that shewn at Fig 1, and 2, inasmuch as the
hinged lids or covers d, and e, are dispensed with, and in lieu thereof I
have adapted a sliding cover h, h, which may be slidden either way; for

page_text: instance, when it is required to place some cinders or ashes in the
apparatus the lid or cover must be slidden back, as shewn in the plan
view, Fig. 4, in order to allow of plenty of room to pour the cinders on
to the grating in the compartment A; but when it is required to empty
the ashes or dust from the compartment B, then the lid must be slidden
back in the opposite direction, as shewn in the sectional view, Fig, 3.
Stops are fixed underneath the sliding cover or lid h, to prevent it from
being slidden too far either way.
Having now described my Invention, and the best means with which
I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would observe, in
conclusion, that I do not mean or intend to confine myself rigidly to the
precise arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn and de-
scribed, as they may doubtless be varied without departing from the
nature and object of my improvements; but that which I consider to
be new, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent, is, an improved ashpan, or apparatus for taking up
ashes and einders, and separating or sifting them, which apparatus con-
sists principally of a box or pan divided into two compartments by an
inclined grating or perforated partition, so arranged that upon throwing
the cinders and dust into the box at one end the large cinders will
become separated from the small dust, which will pass through the
grating or perforated partition.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthias Walker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
MATTHIAS WALKER. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the above-named Matthias
Walker in the presence of
JOHN T. RAWLISON,
Sol', Horsham.