IMPROVED SELF- ACTING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Proctor, of Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster, Working Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED SELF-
ACTING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES."
Sealed the 30th November 1875, and dated the 3rd June 1875.
)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Proctor at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd June 1875.
I, JAMES PROCTOR, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Working
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED SELF-ACTING APPARATUS POR SUPPLYING FUEL TO BOILER And other
FURNACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improved and self-acting mechanism
for supplying to and distributing fuel at intervals over the fire surface.
The construction and action of the apparatus employed is as follows:-
I employ an ordinary feed hopper applied to the front of the boiler,

page_text: which by means of spiked or other rollers will give a supply of fuel.
The fuel is received upon an inclined door or flap working within guide
plates; the door or flap is secured to a cross shaft, to which by means of
a lever and tappets a partial turn or rotary motion is given, drawing
back the door or flap until the tappet shall have passed its greatest
throw, whereon the partial rotation of the cross shaft referred to is
suddenly reversed by means of a coiled spring or weight applied thereto.
By such reversing action the door or flap attached to the cross shaft
receives a rapid forward movement in the direction of the furnace bars,
throwing and distributing the fuel over a portion of the fire. The
tappet is provided with two or more varying throws, so that the spring
will be coiled more or less as the fuel is to be alternately thrown on to
the front, midway, or back of the fire surface. The tappet shaft receives
motion from a worm and worm wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Proctor in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LROCTOR, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Working Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Petters Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said James Proctor, Her special
licence that I, the said James Proctor, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Proctor, 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 "IMPROVED SELF-
ACTING APPARATUs for Supplying FUEL TO BOILER AND OTHER FURNACES," upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Proctor, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Proctor, 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 (that is to say) :—
This Invention has for its object improved and self-acting mechanism
for supplying to and distributing fuel at intervals over the fire surface.
The construction and action of the apparatus is as follows:-I employ
an ordinary feed hopper applied to the front of the boiler, which by
means of spiked or other rollers will give a supply of fuel. The fuel is
received upon an inclined door or flap working within guide plates; the
door or flap is secured to cross shafts, to which by means of lever and
tappets a partial turn or rotary motion is given, drawing back the door
or flap until the tappet shall have passed its throw, whereon the partial
rotation of the shaft is suddenly reversed by means of a coiled spring or
weight applied thereto. By such reversing action the door or flap
attached to the shaft receives a rapid forward movement in the direction
of the furnace bars, throwing and distributing the fuel over a portion of
the fire. The tappet is provided with two or more varying throws, so
that the spring will be coiled more or less as the fuel is to be alternately
thrown on to the fire surface at the front, midway, or back of the fire
surface. The tappet shaft receives motion from a worm and worm
wheel.
Such being the nature and object of this my said Invention I will
now proceed to described the same in detail, and in order that the Inven-
tion may be fully understood I have hereunto annexed two Sheets of
Drawings, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference,
the same letter referring to the same part in the various Views or Figures,
of which,―

page_text: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a two-flued boiler having my improved
apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an end view; Fig. 3 is a section on
the line A, B, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 1.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are details of parts detached and drawn to
an enlarged scale (about one-fourth full size).
At A is the feed hopper applied to the front of the boiler, which by
means of spiked or other rollers B, B, will give a supply of fuel to the
conical cylinders C, C; the fuel is received upon the inclined doors or
flaps D, D, working within guide plates; the said doors or flaps are each
secured to cross shafts E, E, to which by means of levers F, F, and
tappets G, G, a partial turn or rotary motion is given, drawing back the
door or flap until the said tappets G, G, shall have passed its throw,
whereon the partial rotation of the shaft E is suddenly reversed by
means of a coiled spring H or a weight applied thereto.
By such
reversing action the door or flap attached to the shafts E, E, receives a
rapid forward movement in the direction of the furnace bars, throwing
and distributing the fuel over a portion of the fire. The tappet is
provided with two or more varying throws (see Fig. 6), so that the
spring will be coiled more or less as the fuel is to be alternately thrown
on to the fire surface at the front, midway, or back of the fire surface.
The tappet shafts J, J, receive their motion from worms K, K, and
worm wheels K', K³, on the shafts J, J, and L' (which shaft L' is driven
by the fast and loose pulleys M, M,). There is also on this shaft another
worm and worm wheel N for operating the spiked rollers by means of
the vertical shaft P, and on the shaft is an eccentric and strap R, which
operates the lever S, giving a rocking motion thereto, the upper end of
the said lever being connected to the piston or ram T, giving to the
latter a too-and-fro motion within the cylinders C, C, whereby a positive
and regular feed or quantity of fuel is pushed out of the cylinders alter-
nately, and descending upon the double inclines c, c, c, c, reaches the
doors D, D, ready to be propelled on the next action of the tappet
springs and shafts.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of this my said
Invention, together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed or carried into practical operation, I would have it understood
that I lay no claim to the hopper A, nor to the spiked rollers, nor to the

page_text: shafts and worms for operating the same, but what I do claim is, the
employment of the tappets G, G, and shafts E, E, and springs H when
applied to and in connection with the doors D, D, as and for the purpose
herein fully described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Proctor, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
) Witness,
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Patent Agent,
Halifax & Blackburn.
JAMES PROCTOR. (L.S.)