IMPROVEMENTS IN CHIMNEY COWLS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Milburn, of Marlborough, in the County
of Wilts, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHIMNEY COWLS."
Scaled the 4th April 1873, and dated the 10th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Milburn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th February 1873.
I, JOSEPH MILBURN, of Marlborough, in the County of Wilts, Iron-
monger, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CHIMNEY COWLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar noiseless revolving chimney cowl
for curing smoky chimneys, and consists in enclosing the flint or other
hard bearing surface which supports the spindle carrying the cowl in
any good non-conductor of sound, such for example as leather or
preparations of india-rubber. The box containing the flint and non-
conductor of sound is rendered fire-proof by having all its joints rivetted
together. This box is contained in the bottom of a copper oil box which

page_text: is so elevated as to bring its lower end about level with the top of the
chimney shaft, thus affording greater facility for sweeping the same.
This box is also made fire-proof by being rivetted together, and is sup-
ported on angular brackets attached to the shaft, a non-conductor of
sound such as leather being interposed between the brackets and the
shaft.
Within the oil box there is fitted a spindle box which rests upon a
collar on the flint box, and has openings in the top and bottom for the
spindle to work in, other openings being provided for the passage of oil
through both ends of the said spindle box. Collars of leather or other
non-conductors of sound are fixed to the top and bottom of the spindle
box at the parts where it comes in contact with the spindle. Another
collar is also fitted to the upper part of the spindle underneath the cap
or cover of the oil box to prevent the spindle from being accidentally
lifted out of its place by the wind. The top of the spindle carries three
arms radiating from the spindle forming a species of framing, to which
the cowl head is secured in lieu of having only two arms straight
across.
Radiating fans increasing in depth towards their outer ends are fixed
on to the head of the cowl in lieu of being cut out of the same, so that
in my cowl there are no openings in the head for the entrance of down
draught. These fans are strayed by means of a ring of wire, and the
louvres at the sides are similarly stayed both at the top and bottom
ends.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Milburn in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
MILBURN, of Marlborough, in the County of Wilts, Ironmonger, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three,
in the 36th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and

page_text: successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Milburn, Her
special license that I, the said Joseph Milburn, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Milburn,
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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN CHIMNEY COWLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Joseph Milburn, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Joseph Milburn, 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 accom-
panying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar noiseless revolving chimney
cowl for curing smoky chimneys, and consists in enclosing the flint or
other hard bearing surface which supports the spindle carrying the cowl
in any good non-conductor of sound, such for example as leather or
preparations of india-rubber. The box containing the flint and non-
conductor of sound is rendered fire-proof by having all its joints rivetted
together. This box is contained in the bottom of a copper oil box which
is so elevated as to bring its lower end above the top of the chimney
shaft, thus affording greater facility for sweeping the same. This box is
also made fire-proof by being rivetted together, and is supported on
angular brackets attached to the shaft, a non-conductor of sound such
as leather being interposed if found desirable between the brackets and
the shaft.
Within the oil box there is fitted a spindle box which rests upon a
collar on the flint box, and has openings in the top and bottom for the
spindle to work in, other openings being provided for the passage of oil
through both ends of the said spindle box. Collars of leather or other

page_text: non-conductors of sound may be fixed to the top and bottom of the
spindle box at the parts where it comes in contact with the spindle.
Another collar is also fitted to the upper part of the spindle underneath
the cap or cover of the oil box to prevent the spindle from being acci-
dentally lifted out of its place by the wind. The top of the spindle
carries three arms radiating from the spindle, forming a species of
framing, to which the cowl head is secured in licu of having only two
arms straight across.
Radiating fans increasing in depth towards their outer ends are fixed
on to the head of the cowl in lieu of being cut out of the same, so that
in my cowl there are no openings in the head for the entrance of down
draught. These fans are strayed by means of a ring of wire, and the
louvres at the sides are similarly strayed both at the top and bottom
ends.
.
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
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents an elevation of my improved
noiseless cowl fitted to a galvanized iron chimney shaft; Figure 2 is a
corresponding plan of the top of the cowl; Figure 3 is a vertical section
of the cowl and chimney shaft; Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the
cowl taken along the line 1-2, in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is an enlarged
vertical section of the oil box with its spindle box therein and parts
connected therewith.
A is the ordinary galvanized iron top of the chimney shaft, to the
upper end of which are rivetted the three angular brackets a, a, a, rising
above the chimney shaft, and converging towards the copper oil box B,
which is rivitted thereto. In the bottom of the oil box there is fitted a
case enclosing a piece of flint or steel or chilled cast iron or other hard
substance b, such case being made by preference of copper with fire-proof
joints lined with leather or other good non-conductor of sound. A raised
rim or collar cis rivitted to the top of the flint case, and upon this
collar there is placed a brass guide d through a hole in the centre of
which the lower part of the spindle e of the cowl works, the pointed end
of the spindle resting upon the flint or other hard substance b. Upon
the top of this brass guide there is placed a copper disc f brushed with

page_text: leather or other good non-conductor of sound round the central hole
through which the spindle e passes, such leather bushing being made to
project slightly beyond the under face of the copper disc so as to bear
upon the surface of the brass guide, and thereby deaden all sound that
might be produced by the rotation of the spindle e. Upon the top of
the copper disc there is placed a copper case g to serve as a support for
the upper part of the spindle e, for which purpose a top brass guiding d
is placed on the upper end of the case g, and a copper disc f¹ bushed
with leather in the centre, precisely as described with reference to the
disc f, and for a like purpose is fitted on the top of this brass guide.
The case and the lower and upper guides d, d', and copper discs f, f¹,
are all rivetted together and form what I call the spindle box, which box
is further secured to the top of the collar c of the flint case or box, the
whole being contained within the copper oil box B, which box is kept
full or nearly full of lubricating oil. Perforations or openings h, h, are
made in the brass guides d, d', and copper discs f, f¹, also in the sides
of the collar c for the purpose of affording free access for the oil round
the spindle e. A cap i is fitted on to the top of the oil box, secured
thereon by a bayonet or other joint to protect the oil from soot and dirt,
and prevent the cowl or head C from rising, a shoulder or collar / being
also formed for that purpose on the upper part of the spindle e just
under the said cap or cover through which the said spindle works. In
the top of the spindle are secured three radial arms 1, 1, which are bent
downwards and secured by rivits at m, m, to the interior of the revolving
cowl or head C. The top of this cowl is solid or without any openings
therein.. Upon this closed top of the cowl I secure by rivits or other-
wise a series of radiating curved vanes n, n, of gradually increasing
depth towards their outer ends. o is a ring of wire for staying the vanes,
the louvres p, p,round the sides of the cowl being also stayed both at
the top and bottom by stout wire q.
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,―
First. Supporting the spindle of a cowl upon a picce of flint or other
hard substance enclosed within a metal case lined with leather or other
good non-conductor of sound, substantially as herein-before described.