1804.) 
fevering induftry of the contrivers. Aid- 
ed however by the beucfit refultng from 
thee expertments, and alfo by the fuggel- 
tions of your Committee, fuch improve- 
2 
ments were made in {ome of the machines 
as to induce your committee to recommend 
them io public netice; and, farther to fa- 
cilicate their ma»ufa&ure and general dit- 
fufion, your Committee made a purchafe 
of a coniiderable quantity of whalebone, 
of which material feveral of the machines 
are compofed. 
Unabie ftill to decide upon the compa- 
rative merit of claims fo nearly equal, and 
aware that the machines, when brought in- 
to general ufe, would admit of ftill farther 
improvements, your Committee refolved 
as a preliminary meafure to encourage by 
liberal premiums the general iubftitution 
of machines for climbing boys in the clean- 
fing of chimnies, and, in puriuence ot this 
de*ermination, they in June lait adopted 
and pubiithed the f-llowing refolutious. 
(Here follows a fet of refolutions refpecting 
premiums, Gc.) 
As it was deemed a confideration of the 
utmoft importance to conciliate the refpett- 
able membcrs of the trade, that by their 
co-operation the abufes in it might the 
more cafily be remedied; the principal 
matter” chimney-fweepers in London were 
inviied to meet your Committee. Four- 
teen or fifteen accordingly attended, and 
with fome difficulty were all prevailed up- 
on to make trial of the machines, and to 
report upon their utility at a fubfequent 
meeting to be had for that purpo‘e with 
your Cemmirtee. A competent time for 
trial of them having elapfed, another 
- meeting accordingly took place, at which 
the members of the trade feverally gave 
their opinions on the practical utility of 
the machines, on the inconveniencies 
which might attend their ufe, and at the 
fame time fuggetted fuch additions and im- 
provements as appeared to them beft calcu- 
lated to give effe& to the inventions. 
The refult of thefe meetings, though of 
itfelf highly fatisfactory to your Commit- 
tee, was rendered more pleating by the cir- 
cuinttance of thefe interviews having for- 
tunately tended to efface thole difagreeable 
impreflions which a great number of the 
trade had erroneoufly received of the ob- 
jects of the Society and of the injurious 
tendency of its efforts, with regard to their 
occupation, That impreffion not only 
appears to have been wholly removed, but 
your Committee have great pleafure in 
itating, that the perfons who attended ap- 
peared to be of a very reputable clafs, and 
MontTuiy Maa, No. 120, 
ig >a 
Report of Society ‘for improving Chimney-fweeping. 
O17 
their candid and liberal condu& entitled 
them to the thanks of your Committee. 
Numerous certificates have already been 
laid before your Committee, figned by very 
re{pectabie houfe-keepers, of the fuccefsful 
application of the feveral machines adopted 
by the above perions, and of the cleanli- 
nefs and™cheapne{s “hich attend their ufe. 
From theic certificates it appears, that near 
two thoufand chimnies have already been 
{~ept by mechanical means, and in that 
nuinber your Committee have not heard 
of more than a very {mall number of 
chimnies in which, owing to their fingu- 
larity of confiru&tion, the operation did not 
fucceed ; and in feveral of thefe, it was 
impoffible even for a boy to afcend. To 
afcertain the full fuecefs of the experiment, 
a boy has in fome inftances been fent up 
immediately after the chimney has been 
fwept by a machine, and he has brought 
down no more foot than he would moft 
probably have done had he been fent up 
after a boy had fwepr it in the ufual man- 
ner. 
An incidental benefit refulting from the 
invention of thefe machines has occured 
which was highly pleafing to your Com. 
mittee, to whom an account has been 
tranfmitted of a fire ia a chimney having 
been immediately and eff. ctually exrin- 
gu.fhed by one application of a machine 
being fent up, the brufh being firft dipped 
in water and a wet cloth hung round it ; 
a fimilar inftance has lately occured, and 
the operation has in both caies been per- 
formed without hazard to the perfon work. 
ing it, or injury to the furniture. So 
fimple a remedy was calculated to excite 
the attention of the Infurance-offices, to 
whom it was communicated ; and it ap- 
pears that one of the moft refpectable of 
thofe eftablifhments has judged it expedi- 
ent to avail itfelf of the invention, by di- 
recting the purchafe of fuch a machine for 
the purpofe of extinguifhing fires in chim- 
nies. 
Your Committee, not inattentive to any 
point which might contribute to the fuc- 
cefs of the primary and mott effential ob- 
ject of this fociety, the total fuperieding 
of climbing boys, next adverted to ‘he 
fubjec&t of fone improvement in the con- 
ftruction of chimnies; to this they were 
fiiit called by an obliging communication 
trom Mr. Pocock, of Southampton-ftreet, 
in the Strand, informing them that in fur- 
therance of their views he had in a houfe 
then erecting under his direétion, ordered 
all the flues to be confiruéted with the el- 
bows having a long fweep, and the fhape 
Gg {quare> 
