On this day in 1919 Theodore Firme was granted the patent for ICE BREAKER. U.S. Patent No. 1,316,150.
Considerable trouble and expense at water-power plants is occasioned by the flume grates being clogged with large pieces of anchor ice, which often results on shutting down the plants for the purposes of clearing the grates. This is usually done by clearing the ice from the top of the grates by hand, the process being so slow that much time is lost by this operation.
The present invention aims to overcome these difficulties by providing a device located at the entrance of the flumes which will crush or break the ice into small pieces and direct them to the top of the water passing through the flume, where they may be removed if desired.
More specifically stated, the invention includes a plurality of spaced propeller blades located at the entrance of the flume in advance of the grate, so as to prevent the ice from reaching the said grate, the blades being so arranged as to direct the broken ice upward to the surface of the water.
