IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE LIGHTING AND REVIVING OF FIRES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles James Webb, of Randalstown, in the County
of Antrim, Ireland, Linen Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 2nd March 1866, and dated the 11th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles James Webb at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th September 1865.
I, CHARLES JAMES WEBB, of Randalstown, in the County of Antrim, Ireland,
Linen Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE LIGHTING AND
REVIVING OF FIRES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in lighting and reviving fires relate to the application of
coal gas in ordinary use for this purpose. In carrying my Invention into.
effect, I dispose one or more burners of peculiar construction below the fire-
grate, which burners I put in connection with an ordinary gas pipe and stop-cock
to regulate the supply. I so construct the burners that the gas on emerging at

page_text: the jet enters a small chamber having openings above and below, the opening
above being for the emission of the gas in combustion, while that below is for
the access of air. The air so entering mingles with the gas admitted to the
chamber, and causes it to burn with a blue flame when emerging from the
burner; the burner being disposed close below the fire-grate, the flame passes
upwards, enters amongst the coals, and causes their combustion; when the fire
is sufficiently lighted or revived the gas is turned off at the burners. The
small mixing chamber and burner is so arranged that any dirt or dust falling
in at the upper orifice will pass through and out at the lower one, thus prevent-
ing any stopping up of the gas passages. The jet from the gas pipe is further
protected by being disposed under the shelter of an inclined part of the mixing
chamber, which inclination also serves for the gas to impinge against on
emerging, causing it to be directed upwards as required.
top where the gas and air escapes is rather smaller than that below or any
other part of the mixing chamber, so that any particles entering above will
always fall clearly through the burner.
The opening at the
TH
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles James Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th March 1866.
.TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES JAMES
WEBB, of Randalstown, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, Linen Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
the said Charles James Webb, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
James Webb, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles James Webb, 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 MEANS AND APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE LIGHTING AND

page_text: REVIVING OF FIRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
James Webb, 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 monthis next and immediately after. the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles James Webb, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements in lighting and reviving fires relate to the application
of coal gas in ordinary use. For this purpose, in carrying my Invention into
effect, I dispose one or more burners of peculiar construction below the
fire-grate, which burners I put in connection. with an ordinary gas pipe and
stop-cock to regulate the supply. I so construct the burners that the gas on
emerging at the jet enters a small chamber or capacity having openings above
and below, the opening above being for the emission of the gas in combustion,
while that below is for the access of air. The air so entering mingles with
the gas admitted to the chamber and causes it to burn with a blue flame when
emerging from the burner; the burner being disposed close below the fire-grate,
the flame passes upwards, enters amongst the coals, and causes their.combus-
tion. When the fire is sufficiently lighted or revived the gas is turned off at the
burner. The small mixing chamber and burner is so arranged that any dirt or
dust falling in at the upper orifice will pass through and out at the lower one,
thus preventing any stoppage up of the gas passages; the jet from the gas pipe is
further protected by being disposed under the shelter of an inclined part of the
mixing chamber, which inclination also serves for the gas to impinge against
on emerging, causing it to be directed upwards as required.. The opening at.
the top where the gas and air escapes is rather smaller than that below or
any other part of the mixing chamber, so that any particles entering above
will always fall clearly through the burner or combustion chamber.
DESCRIPTION. OF DRAWINGS..
Fig. I represents a front view, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of a. fire-
grate having gas burners or combustion chambers arranged and applied.
according to my Invention, while Fig. 3 represents a detached side view of:

page_text: one of the burners, Fig. 4, a section, and Fig. 5, an under side plan, while
Fig. 6 shows a top plan of the same. These burners consist simply of a
small hollow casting of iron, brass, or other metal having the internal cavity
or chamber a at the lower part, and the inclined and tapering passage b
upwards therefrom, whereby the gas in a state of ignition is conducted and
escapes at the orifice. c. d is a stem or arm by which the burner is fixed to
the pipe supplying the gas; through this arm is bored the small hole e, for the
passage of the gas; arm d is screwed as seen, and is fitted to the one part of
aT piece f, interposed in the supply pipe a, there being a T piece for each
burner, thus the whole is readily fitted and put together in the ordinary
manner of gas fitting. The supply pipe and burners are arranged along at the
back part of the grate, as seen in the section, Fig. 2, with the orifices C, C,
close up to the grate bottom; the supply pipe x may be conducted thence in
any convenient manner to the source, a stop-cock being provided on it in
some suitable position for regulating the passage of and consumption of the
gas at the burners or for stopping. it off altogether. In turning on the gas in
these burners it escapes at the orifice of the small bore e into cavity a, and
there mixes with air and ignites, burning with a blue flame, which escapes at
c, and passes up between the bars of the grate bottom amongst the fuel, which
it ignites and causes to burn rapidly. In this way gas may be applied either
for igniting or lighting a fire in the first instance (the gas being of course
lighted in the burners), or it may be used to revive a fire in danger of going
out, either of which it performs very quickly. Gas burners disposed in the
position shown and described are very liable to dust and cinders falling on
them, and ordinary gas jets would therefore soon be stopped up and rendered
useless, it is therefore of paramount importance to keep the burners free from
Jiability to such objections. It will be apparent that any dirt, dust, or small
matters falling on these burners cannot interfere with their action, the orifice
c being made in a vertical plane, and nothing of any size is likely to enter
and choke it, while any dust or grit entering will pass down the incline 6, and
out at the open bottom of a, passing and leaving the hole c perfectly free.
Other arrangements and modifications may be devised for effecting the same
purpose, but which it will be unnecessary to illustrate or further describe.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement
and application of apparatus herein-before described, or any mere modification
thereof, for the purpose of igniting or lighting and reviving fires by means of

page_text: gas, as herein-before described, & I further claim the application of coal gas
for said purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles James Webb, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES JAMES WEBB. (L.S.)