IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS FOR GENERATING STEAM AND ECONOMISING FUEL
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sylvester Lees, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and John Jaques, of Preston, in the same County, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS FOR GENERATING
STEAM AND ECONOMISING FUEL."
Sealed the 25th November 1858, and dated the 3rd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sylvester Lees and John
Jaques at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 3rd July 1858.
We, SYLVESTER LEES, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and
JOHN JAQUES, of Preston, in the same County, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS FOR
GENERATING STEAM AND ECONOMISING FUEL," to be as follows:-
Our improvements are applicable to the fire-boxes or furnaces of loco-
motive and other boilers, and consist,-.
Firstly, in the application of a double or box fire door to the fire-box or
furnace; this box fire door is open on the lower side, and has an aperture in
the front plate communicating with the atmosphere, which can be closed
when necessary by means of a moveable plate.
Secondly, in the application of a fire-door furnished with an adjustable dip
plate and valve.
Thirdly, in the introduction and application of a series of hollow stays in
the front and back of the fire-box or furnace, having a sliding plate to cover
the back stays when necessary.

page_text: Fourthly, in the application of an arch in the fire-box or furnace, in com-
bination with either of our improved fire-doors, and the hollow stays and
slide plate, together with transverse water spaces projecting from below the
tubes and the fire-door, and a perforated plate placed beneath the water space
below the tubes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sylvester Lees and John Jaques in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SYLVESTER
LEES, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and JoHN JAQUES,
of Preston, in the same County, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Sylvester Lees and John Jaques, Her special licence that we, the said
Sylvester Lees and John Jaques, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Sylvester Lees and John Jaques, our execu-
tors, 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 ex-
pressed, 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 THE MEANS FOR GENERATING
STEAM AND ECONOMISING FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Sylvester Lees and John Jaques, or one of us, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their, or one of our
or 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 we, the said Sylvester Lees and John Jaques, do
hereby declare the nature of our 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 accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-
Our Invention has for its object the combustion (as perfectly as may be) of

page_text: the smoke or gases evolved in the burning of coal and other fuel in the furnaces
or fire-boxes in which the coal or other fuel is burnt, by causing atmospheric
air and the smoke or gases to be deflected on to each other so as to meet, the
air being introduced and deflected at the front of the fire-box, and the smoke
or gases being reverberated and deflected at the back of the fire-box by suitable
apparatus adapted and arranged for the purpose, as herein-after particularly
described.
Figure 1 is a side elevation in section, and Figure 2 an end view partly in
section of the front of the furnace or fire-box of a locomotive engine provided
with our means of economising fuel by effecting the combustion therein of the
smoke or gases given off from coal or other fuel. A, A, are the fire-bars; B is
an arch formed of fire-lump or other fire-resisting material, supported at its
sides upon the bearers a, a, and extending across the back of the fire-box and
over the inner ends of the fire-bars; C is the fire-box door. The upper part
of the door from 6 to c is closed, but from c to d it is open. D is a flap hinged
to the bottom of the frame of the door at e, and free to rise and fall and wholly
or partially close the opening in the lower part of the door from c to d; E is a
hinged rack or lever with notches cut in the under side for the purpose of
retaining the flap in any desired position, and thereby regulating the quantity of
air admitted into the fire-box through the opening in the door; F is a deflecting
plate fixed to the inside framing of the door which serves to deflect the air
down on to the smoke or gases reverberated or turned back by the arch.
Instead of the deflecting plate F being affixed to the frame of the door, and
being movable with it, the deflecting plate may be fixed inside the fire-box.
over the door.
Figure 3 is a side elevation in section of a fire-box door furnished with a
hinged flap and with a deflecting plate which may be raised or lowered in the
fire-box, and which causes the spreading of the air deflected by it. Similar
letters refer to similar parts as in the door first described. The deflecting
plate F is free to slide through a guide in the upper part of the door, it rests
upon a bearer g formed on and projecting from the inside of the door framing.
The plate is slightly arched, as shewn in the detached view, Figure 4, and is
furnished with wings or spreaders h, h, which may be forced outwards.
When this adjustable deflecting plate slides through guides formed in or on
a part of the door, it will be necessary to draw up the plate to a level with the
bottom of the door, in order to admit of the door being opened, but it may be
fitted independently of the door.
In the arrangement above described the sides of the arch cause the smoke
or gases to converge towards a point opposite the opening in the door or in the

page_text: front of the fire-box for admitting the air, and this arrangement we find most
convenient in practice, but, it is obvious that the deflecting surfaces may be
arranged with openings on either side of the fire-door so as to cause the
atmospheric air to be deflected on the smoke or gases reverberated from the
back of the fire-box as above described, but such openings and deflecting
plates at the sides of the fire-door are less convenient than the arrangement
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we lay no claim to the
several parts of the arrangements herein-before described and referred to,
except when applied and adapted to the purposes herein-before described in the
construction of the fire-boxes or furnaces of locomotive and other boilers, but
we claim,-
Firstly, constructing fire-boxes or furnaces with doors having an opening
therein, and a deflecting plate adapted and arranged to admit and deflect the
air as herein-before described.
Secondly, the application to fire-boxes or furnaces of a plate or plates with or
without flaps or wings fixed inside the same for the purpose of deflecting the
air admitted through the door or at the front of the furnace or fire-box as
above described.
And, thirdly, constructing fire-boxes or furnaces of locomotive and other
boilers with deflecting and reverberating surfaces adapted and arranged so as to
cause the admitted air and reverberated smoke or gases to impinge on each
other as above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Sylvester Lees and John Jaques, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second day of December,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
SYLVESTER LEES.
(L.S.)
JOHN JAQUES.
(L.S.)
SYLVESTER LEES. (L.S.)
JOHN JAQUES.
(L.S.)