Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-05-29
wOoD GAs-CAUTION.

4 4 IL 3 ~
! I'D ,ainedletters patent in December, 1851 FOR
an apparatus for the destructive distillation OF
/ wood, and the making therefrom of lar or pitch al
/ pleasure, and gas and that In the judgment o.
4 competent persons the invention Of an appar-
1 tus recently patented by w. d. Porter cannot be
I ing my said patent. And, further, that what is
patented by said Porter rightfnlly belongs TO me;
| az expectto prove ere long before The United
States Patent OtEce; and, further, that the use Of
said Porter's inyeniion involves also process
which / am now claiming before the United States
Patent Office, and which has been adjndged TO be
! paientabeto the first inventor thereof, and ~hci
said w. d. Porter has formally diaclained, as ap-
pears upon the. public records OF said Office, oi
which an official COPY is hereto annexed, and also
a copy Of his claims. 1aa asg
L In the National IateAtgencsr of the 25h instant
Mr.. Porter announces that he has secured by.
patent the, "exclusive right TO making gas from
wood, !" and threatens prosecution 70 all parties
infringing his patent. / ask how this statement
ccmpOrts with the fact of my patent OF December,
1851 and how far the threat can intimidaie under
such circumstances Mr.. Por.er's claim is based
upon movable perforated diaphragm, and was
so understood by the Patent Office, as il appears
from The records ofsihe Patent Office that bis
claim was at first refused a. interfering with a
prior patent TO Robert Fouls, Of Canada, for an.
equivalent contrivance. This claim, a. gwen be-
low, andin which the perforated diaphragm = the
saving clause, is what Mr. Porter calls securing
the 4. exclusive right 10 making gas from wood
The statement carries absnrdry on It's front, and
is libel on the good sense OF the Patent once
ifsuch claim or right had been granted u would
forbid every coslIsiln and charcoal manuiactory
IN the country. ~ tt.f lt
The following copies Of correspondence and
extracts from the records ofthe Patent Office will
show the true state of the ease sT
UsIrEp STATES PATENT OFFicK,
g7a y4 August 25, 1854
4 SIR In reply to yonr ietrer of tins date, asking
h aol lhAnn ed Ia ". ID. Porter.
dated 22d August 1854, or'at any other tIrne or
10 any other person or persons, securing TO him
or them g Meercltstrr right Of making gas from
syoodn and whether any such claim was made by
W. ID. Porter, under his application ior patent,
which letters patent were issued bearing the
above date, you are informed that w. ID. Porter's
claims are believed to be mined 10 his appara-
lus; and, further, this Office Is not aware that
patent has been granted heretofore tor the eaelas
size right or paklzng gas from s0osd. II would
however be unustiiable TO expect me TO make
an extended investigation TO answer your re-
quest lga nor H.a, aa.t
am, respectfully, your obedieet servant,
G. Mason, Commissioner OF Patents
~ w p. McCoNAELL. Esq,
Care Of Prof. q. G.. Page, Washington, u. U
The United States Patent OHce-To all yeysons 10
rhom these presents shall come, gfst,ng:
This is 10 certify that the annexed Is a true copy
from the files Of this Office of an extract from
paper filed il tprhe matter Of the application Of w
ID. 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 fiity-four.
In testimony whereof / Charles Mason, Com
missioner of Patents, have caused the seal
of the Patent Office to be hereunto affixed
H. ST. this 23th day of August, in the year OF our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and fHy
four, and~of the independence OF the United
Staiesthe seveniy-nintb. u MASON
Copy of disclaimer of w. d. Porter sh his cf,pficd.
tioss for an improved aiH for making soood
gas fled August s, 1854. Letters patent ISSUED
August %, 1854.
al do not claim as my invention and discovery
the improvements in making gas from wood, VIZ:
subjectng the products of destructive distIllauon
thereirom 10 a high degree OF heat, substantially
as has been described aud for the purposes sci
forth in the specification oil W. T. McSonheh.,
IHs Uansd States Patent OGce-To all persons 10
tglona th1ss presents shall come greeting:
This is 10 certify that the annexed isatrue copy
from the records of this Office of an extract from
The specification Of w. d. Porer's patent, issued
in the twenty second day OF August eighteen
hundred and ffty-four.
In testimony whereof, l. Charles Mason, Com
la missioner of Patents, have caused The
- seal or the Patent Office 10 be hereunto
affixed this twenty-fifth day OF August,
= 81 N the year Of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and iifyfour, and OF the
Independence OF the United States the
seventy-ninth. G. Mason.
Eaaract from Specification of w. ID. Porter on
schioA letters patent issned august % 1894.
CLAIm-What claim as my invention and de-
sire TO secure by letters patent is: af.
The construction of a gas apparatus or stlii,
co insisting Of metallic or other cylinder u, the
cones and ID, daphrnm plate q, and exit pipe
r, substantially as described in the foregoing spe-
cifcation, and shown in the accompanying draw
ings.p
The truth OF the above may be ascertalned rom
the records Of the Patent Office, TO which all have
access. -
WIN. r. MCCONNELL,
BY his attorney CHAS. @. PAGE