The Invention
The patent, US413689A, granted to John Stanard of Newark, New Jersey, on October 29, 1889, is for an oil-stove specifically designed for use in small spaces like “buffet cars” or other places where space is limited. The primary objective is to create a compact cooking appliance that can be used to prepare a “great variety of meats, vegetables, &c., at one time.”
Key Features:
- Compact and Multifunctional: The stove is a vertical, multi-compartment unit. It’s designed to perform different cooking tasks—broiling, stewing, frying, boiling, baking, and warming—all simultaneously from a single heat source.
- Flame-Spreading Device and Ash-Receiver: A key component is a combination ash-receiver and flame-spreading device. It sits directly above the lamp’s flames and is composed of a pan with V-shaped bars (c’). This pan collects any drippings, preventing them from falling onto the flame. The patent also describes pivoted “shields” (d) above the ash-receiver that can be tilted with a crank to direct heat and drop any accumulated drippings.
- Cooking Compartments: The stove has three main chambers for different cooking purposes:
- Central Chamber (E): This compartment is for broiling. It has a removable charcoal receptacle and sliding gridirons.
- Side Chambers (F and G): These are for warming plates or, in the case of chamber G, baking.
- Integrated Utensils: The top of the stove holds a series of connected pots and cans for boiling and stewing. There’s a central pot for hot water (H), flanked by stewing cans (I) and boiling cans (J). The sides also hold smaller vessels for liquids like tea, coffee, and soup.
- Ventilation System: To manage smoke and cooking odors, the stove has an integrated chimney (C’) and a flue (h) that leads from a hood at the front of the stove to the chimney. This draws odors away from the food and out of the room.
Significance of the Invention and Inventor
John Stanard’s oil-stove is a great example of an inventor creating a product to serve a specific, emerging market need.
- Innovation for a Changing Society: In the late 19th century, technologies like electric streetcars and railway systems were rapidly expanding. This created a demand for specialized equipment to serve a mobile public. Stanard’s stove was a direct response to this need, providing a versatile and compact solution for food preparation in confined spaces, like the dining or buffet cars of a train.
- Focus on Efficiency and Versatility: The invention’s design, which allows for multiple cooking tasks at once from a single heat source, shows a strong focus on efficiency. It was a practical solution for a busy chef working in a small space who needed to prepare a full meal quickly.
- The “Everyday” Inventor: John Stanard was likely an individual inventor or a small-scale entrepreneur rather than a major industrialist. His patent is a record of his ingenuity and his contribution to a practical problem. It’s a reminder that many innovations that improved daily life were the result of individual effort and observation rather than large-scale corporate research.
