Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-12-12

80 "OOD GASs--CAOIIONe
DE It known that J, the subscriber OBJ
Id tanned letters patent in December, 1851 for
an apparatus for the destructive distillation soi
wood and the making theFefrom Of tar or pitch at
,pleasure, and gas and that in the Judgment of
competent person the inyentiSn On q an apps,r-
used by him or any other person without nfTine-
ing my said patent And, further, that what fs
zatsntsd by said Porter rightfuily belongs to me,
as j expect 10 provo ere long before the United
States Patent Office and, further, that The use Of
said Porters inveniion involves aso psoesss
Patent OffIce and which has been adjudged 10 be
paeniable 10 the first invenior thereof and which
said w. ID. Porter has formally disclaimed, as APP
pears upon the public records of said Office, OF
which an official copy s hereto annexed, and also
Inihe National igs,,csr Of the 25th instant
Mr.. Porter announces that he has secured by
patent the aexclusive right to making gas from
wood" and threatens prosecution 10 all parties
infringing his patent. 3ask how this statement
compors with the fart Of my patent Of December,
1851, and how far the threat can iniimidate under
such circumstances? Mr., Porter's claim is based
upon movable perforated" diaphragm, and was
so understood by the Patent Office, as il appears
from the records Of the Patent Office that his
claim was &C first refused as interfering with a
prior patent to Robert Fouls, Of Canada, for an
equivalent contrivance. This claim, as given be-
low, and in which the perforated diaphragm is the
saving clause. is what Mr. Porter calls securing
the Exclusive right to making gas from wood.
The statement carries absurdlty on its front, and
is libel on the good sense Of the Patent Once
Iflsuch claim or right had been granted, 1t would
forbid every coa-kln and charcoal manufactory
in the country.
The following copies of correspondence and
extracts from the records Of the Patent Once will
show the true state of the case: w
Nss&f UNITEp STATES PATENT OFFICE,
ftftfrest t- trtsEnri t.s--Y AuRuSf 20, 1904.
SIR. In reply to your letter of this date, asking
4 if any patent has been granted TO w. u. Porter,
dated 22d August 1851, or at any other time, or
to any other person or persons, securing TO him
or them g fssezclnsiUe TigAf Of miaking gas from
roood,n and whether any such claim was made by
w. d. Porter, under his application for patent
which letters patent were Issued bearing the
above date, you are Informed that w. p. Porter's
claims are believed 10 be mined TO his appara-
tus and, further, this Office is not aware that
patent has been granted heretofore for the srela-
size right Of making gas from arosd IL would,
however, be unjustifable TO expect me 10 make
an extended Investigation 70 answer your re-
quest ~. lt. n ..est sis.,, +, t.3
h =. O.. MAsoN, Commissioner Of Patents.
W. p. McCoSAELI- Esq oe8
Care of Prof O. G. Page, Washington, d. O..
The Unitsd States Paaeut 0Eec-- TO all persons TO
sohom these presents shall come, gnaing
I Ih1s Is TO certfy tnat the annexed - atruc copy
from the files or this Office Of an extract from
paper filed in The matter Of the application Of w.
d. Porter for letters patent, in accordance with
which application letters patent were issued to the
said w ID. Porter ON. the ,22d day Of August,
eighteen hundred and fifty four. -aa 8 !.
/ In testimony whereof, i, Charles Mason, Com
missioner Of Patents, have caused the seal
~ Of the Patent Office to be hereunto affixed
IL 81 this 25th day Of August, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and ifiy..
four, and Of the independence ofthe United
States the seventy-ninib c. MASON.
Copy of disclaimer of w d. Porter In his appiica.
ton for "an improred sfiH for making rood
gas,n fled Aaeast s, 1854 Letters pafsnf issifsd
I. 'AngEa22, 1864. en
al do not claim as my invention and discovery
the improvements in making gas from wood, viz;
subjeciing the products OF destructive distllaio9
'therefrom to high degree OF heat, substantially
as has been described and for the purposes set
forth in the specification Of w. p Mcconnell"
The United States Patent Ofos---7o all persons 10
.schom fhlsspyessnfs shaN come greeting:
This is 10 certify that the annexed is true copy
from the records of this Office Of an extract from
the specification Of w. ID. Porter's patent, issued
on the twenty second day Of August eighteen
hundred and ffty-four w Nv l3f
In testimony whereof, I, Charles Mason, Com
missioner Of Patents, have caused the
seal Of the Patent Office TO be hereunto
=, affixed this iwenty-ifih day OF August,
IL o. in the year Of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and 6fy-four, and Of the
Independence Of the United States the
~ seventy-nnth. ~ y c. Mason.
Ertract from Specification Of w. ID. Porter on
schich letters pafenf issued AagHsf %, 1854
CLAIM What claim as my invention and de-
sire 10 secure by letters patent Is:
"The construction OF gas apparatus or still,
consisting OF a metallic or other cylinder b, the
cones + snd ID, diaphram plate O, and exit pipe
F. substantially described in the foregoing spe.
ci6cation, and shown in the accompanying draw
ings." t 0it -srf r
The truth ofthe above may be ascertained from
the records of the Patent Office, to which all have
N Hav WIN. p. MCCONNELL,
aaf BY his attorney CHAS. g. PAGE.