IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF EXCRETA AND IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES THEREFOR, PART OF WHICH MACHINERY IS APPLICABLE TO THE PREPARATION AND DRYING OF PEAT FOR FUEL
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Stephens, of Ryder Street, St. James', in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TREATMENT OF EXCRETA AND IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES THEREFOR,
PART OF WHICH MACHINERY IS APPLICABLE TO THE PREPARATION AND DRYING
OF PEAT FOR FUEL."
Sealed the 17th October 1878, and dated the 80th July 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Stephens at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
80th July 1878.
I, JOHN STEPHENS, of Ryder Street, St. James', in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF EXCRETA AND IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES
THEREFOR, PART OF WHICH MACHINERY IS APPLICABLE TO THE PREPARATION AND
DRYING OF PRAT FOR FUEL,” to be as follows:—
This Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of excreta
and of peat for fuel and in machinery and appliances therefor, and

page_text: The charcoal which takes up the ammonia is in a powdered state and
it is ground while red hot in close vessels, the vessels being double, with
a flow of water between to keep them cool.
The apparatus for filtering and for extracting the ammonia and vapour
before explained are applicable for the treatment of peat, which is, when
first obtained, first put into a cylinder with a quantity of clayey water;
a pressure is then put upon it to thoroughly impregnate the pores of the
fibres of the peat with water and clay to destroy their tendency to
expand; after the filtering and pressing operation as explained for the
excreta is performed the clay with which the pores bebome charged forms
the means of binding the fibres, and prevents them expanding as they
would otherwise do.
The excreta, if it is to be compressed into blocks for transport, is first
finally pressed and placed in trucks or on a travelling belt, and is passed
through a heated chamber. This chamber is of tubular form and is sur-
rounded for a portion of its length with a rotating body to produce heat
by frictional contact, the exterior rotating body being operated by a
water wheel or other power from natural or artificial sources.
This heating chamber can be employed for the drying of the peat
whether made up into blocks or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Stephens in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 80th January 1874..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
STEPHENS, of Ryder Street, St. James', in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
M
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Stephens, Her special licence
that I, the said John Stephens, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Stephens, · my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
the TreatmenT OF EXCRETA AND IN MACHINERY AND APPLIANCES THEREFOR, PART
OF WHICH MACHINERY IS APPLICABLE TO THE PREPARATION AND DRYING OF PEAT FOR
FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Stephens,.my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 1
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Stephens, do hereby declare 1
tho nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of excreta 2
and of peat for fuel, and in machinery and appliances therefor, and
consists in filtering the liquid portion from the solid portion of the
excreta in a vessel, which is capable of being disconnected and reversed
for discharging it of its solid contents. The vessel is arranged above
the funnel-shaped opening of a tube, the body of which is provided with 2
a glass gauge, and with a connection fitted with a cock, which can be
opened and closed when necessary.
There is a cock in the tube below the connection, and this also can be
opened when desired to allow the passage of the liquid to a kind of fan
in combination with a Barker's mill, the draught from the blades of g
which fan draws off the evolved vapour and ammonia and fixes them
into lime and into charcoal, with which the casing is lined or charged.
The moist excreta may however be filtered by a syphon tube provided
with cocks and glass gauge. The tube or vessel in which the solid
excreta is placed is capable of being reversed for the discharge, the 3
filtering tube moving with it, the tube having a flexible pipe attached
for the purpose.

page_text: The effluent or escaping water from the mill passes from the mill
back to the collecting tank to be amalgamated with fresh excreta in
order to bring it to the proper consistency for pumping it up to the
filtering medium.
The excreta may also be treated with clayey water under pressure to
impregnate the body with clay.
The fan and the mill portion of the casing are divided, the arms being
at the bottom, so that the streams or jets if forced against a serrated
wall become broken up into spray to free the ammonia, which, with the
rising vapour passes through a contracted opening to be acted upon by
the fan blades, and the lime and the charcoal, as before explained, but
without allowing the ammonia to escape into the atmosphere..
The solid excreta is passed through rollers to squeeze the air from it,
and also to partially dry it, and also into a chamber, into which carbonic
acid gas is forced, so that it becomes charged therewith, the carbonic
acid gas being preferably obtained from peat when in a crude or a
semi-prepared state by heat. The excreta thus charged is then mixed
with the charcoal impregnated with ammonia and thoroughly amalga-
mated therewith, the compound forming a valuable manure. The
mixture or compound is afterwards packed in sacks lined with fresh
charcoal to prevent escape of the ammonia.
The charcoal which takes up the ammonia is in a powdered state, and
it is ground while red hot in closed vessels, the vessels being double,
with a flow of water between to keep them cool.
The apparatus for filtering and for extracting the ammonia and
vapour, before explained, are applicable for the treatment of peat, which
is, when first obtained, first put into a cylinder with a quantity of clayey
or tarry water, a pressure is then put upon it to thoroughly impregnate
the pores of the fibres of the peat with water or clay, to destroy their
tendency to expand after the filtering and pressing operation, as
explained, for the excreta is performed; the clay with which the pores.
become charged forms the means of binding the fibres and prevents
them expanding as they would otherwise do.
The excreta, if it is to be compressed into blocks for transport, is first
finally pressed and placed in trucks or on a travelling belt, and is passed
through a heated chamber. This chamber is of tubular form, and is

page_text: surrounded for a portion of its length with a rotating body to produce
heat by frictional contact, the exterior rotating body being operated by
a water wheel or other power from natural or artificial sources.
This heating chamber can be employed for the drying of the peat,
whether made up into blocks or otherwise.
The Invention will be well understood by reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the following detailed description thereof :-
A, A, Figure 1, represents a cylinder hung upon pivots p, p, which
allow of the cylinder being turned over to empty out the solid fœcal
matter, after the fluid part has been filtered off by atmospheric pressure
through the moveable filter F, F, in the bottom of the cylinder A, A, A.
The filtered liquor passing out through the pipe T, T, T, joined to the
hose or flexible tube H, H, which conveys the fluid to and turns a
Barker's mill which is in combination with a fan; t, f, is a bent tube
ending in a funnel f, and communicating with the tube T, T, T,
so as to supply any fluid up to the top of the filter F, F, in the
cylinder A, A, A, by opening the cock C¹ in the tube T, T¹, and closing
the cock C in the tube T, T, T. Then by closing the cock C¹ and
opening the cock O the atmospheric pressure will filter the fluid from
the solid matter in the cylinder A, A, A, by pressure through the
tube T, T, T, and hose H, H, to turn the Barker's mill combined with
an exhausting fan. A glass tube is fitted to show when the fluid has
all been filtered from the solid matter and then to close the cock C in the
tube T, T, T.
A, A, A, Figure 2, also represents a cylinder hung on pivots p, p, at :
the bottom of which cylinder is fitted the filter F, F, joined to the
tubes T, T, T, part of which is a glass tube G, G. A funnel F¹ with
stop-cock 0³ supplies fluid to fill the filter F, F, and when the cylinder
A, A, A, is filled with focal matter and sewage, then by closing the
cock C¹ and opening the cock C the fluid will be forced through the
focal matter and filter F, F, and then through the tubes T, T, T, and the
hose H, H, fastened on the bent tube T, T, T, to turn the Barker's mill,
combined with an exhaust fan as before explained, which separates the
ammonia from the sewage fluid by dashing it into fine spray, the
ammonia being absorbed by the charcoal (ground) or other known a
absorbent, the vapour is absorbed by dry lime. I prefer this latter plan
to the other because it would be less costly to make and can be casily

page_text: claimed. The bottom of the cylinder can be made of iron, the rest of
wood if desired. This construction can be used for all sorts of rapid
filtering of say water, coffee, and chemicals, in addition to sewage and
water from peat.
M, M, Figure 1, is a Barker's mill combined with fan blades Fª, Fª,
which draws up the ammonia liberated from the sewage spray dashed
by the Barker's mill against the corrugated surface in the box B, B.
The sewage then falls to the bottom and runs out by the syphon 8 and
by a tube back again into the mixing tank from which the focal matter
and sewage water was first pumped up into the cylinders A, A, A.
The box B¹, B³, contains trays T, T, T", of charcoal and lime to
absorb the ammonia and the vapour evolved from the sewage spray.
The hose from the cylinder A, A, A, is fitted on at the tube π, T,
with a'stop-cock to turn the sewage water on and off from the Barker's
mill. L, L, are lids of the box B³, B¹, to place in trays and take out.
The charcoal, if charcoal be used as an absorbent of the ammonia, is
preferably reduced to powder while in a hot state and fresh, and in
Figure 8 I show the description of grinding mill I employ for the
purpose. The mill for grinding the charcoal or peat while burning is
like a common coffee mill, only with water running through the grinding
cylinders A from the water funnel W, F; J, J, is a water jacket round
the hopper H of the mill; His the handle to turn the mill while the
water falls out at W. As soon as the charcoal is ground it can be put
on the trays in the box B², B¹.
T, T, is a tube to conduct the carbonic acid off to mix with the dry
foecal matter to preserve it and make it into rich manure.
Precess of Manufacturing Manure from Foncal Matter of Towns and
other Populous Places.The foecal or manurial matter is first placed
in a. closed. tank with revolving rakes or-plain- rake stirrers to mix
the matter with sufficient water to make the mixture fit for pumping
up into the filtering cylinder A, A, A; when the cylinder is full, then
by turning the lower cock O the water is at once driven through the
fœecal matter with a force of atmospheric pressure in proportion to
the height of the cylinder from the ground. The cylinder can then
be tilted over and emptied of the solid matter on to some suitable
drying stages, or passed through rollers, such as are shown in Figure 4,
to further squeeze the moisture out of the matter. The process of

page_text: tilting the cylinder is accomplished by allowing plenty of slack hose
at the end of the pipe of the filter. The fluid sewage can then flow
through the hose to turn the Barker's mill, as before described. The
fluid can be first filtered into a tank about 15 feet below the cylinder,
and from thence it can flow down through the hose 15 feet more
to turn the Barker's mill and fan, as before described; by this plan,
if the intermediate tank is large enough the Barker's mill can work
all night by itself, giving out and absorbing ammonia in the charcoal
trays; this plan will save a great deal of labour. The manurial products
of fluid sewage and the solid can be mixed together, or with any other
manurial matter in sacks, as described. The carbonic acid evolved from
the grinding of the charcoal red hot or peat can be forced into the
solid fecal matter by a fan, which will greatly enhance its value.
As all the filtration is done in closed vessels no waste of ammonia
occurs; also as the fluid sewage after being dashed into fine spray and:
evolving ammonia the fluid then flows back again into the mixing tank
to be remixed with a lot of fresh foecal matter, so little or no ammonia
is lost by this filtering process.
Figures 5 and 6 show an apparatus for producing heat by the rapid
friction of a wooden or a metal jacket of boards (joined together by a
springs) on the outside of an iron cylinder which will hold peat or
manure to be dried. The cylinder A³, A³, is a long iron cylinder
placed horizontally, in which can be placed trucks or trays, as in
Figure 11, containing manure or peat to be dried. J¹, J¹, J¹, are
boards joined together by spiral springs 8, 8, 8, which form a jacket around :
the cylinder A¹, A¹, the springs causing a certain amount of pressure
on the cylinder A¹, A¹. This jacket is attached by two iron rods to
a crank c which is turned by any water wheel which causes a rapid
motion of the wooden board jackets J¹, J¹, J³, on the cylinder A³, A²,
thereby producing a certain amount of heat by the friction of the wooden 3
jacket on the iron cylinder A¹, A³, where water power can be cheaply
obtained; this will be a cheap method of obtaining heat.
The cylinder and wooden jacket for obtaining heat can also be made
with the jacket to revolve around the cylinder, as in Figures 7 and 8,
by attaching a cog wheel at the ends of the jacket instead of having the 3
jacket to slide backwards and forwards on the cylinder from the action
of the attached crank turned by a water wheel.
421

page_text: Figure 9 represents an apparatus for preparing and making peat
fuel, which apparatus is also applicable to the manufacture of manure,
with a slight modification in the Barker's mill fan combined used in
making manure. A, A, is a cylinder turning on the pivots p, p;
to which there can be placed a covered top T, T, fastened water-
tight by clamps to the cylinder A, A. To the top is affixed a forcing
pump P¹ which condenses the water in the cylinder, causing a great
hydraulic pressure on the peat. and soddens it, which at once destroys
the fibrous and elastic properties in the peat, which peat may be
saturated with tar water or clay water, or other mixture, as may be
deemed most expedient. When the peat has been submitted to this
hydraulic pressure the peat and tar water can be emptied into the
cylinder, described with reference to Figure 1, where the water can
be readily separated from the peat, and in its fall will turn the Barker's
mill and fan combined, which by the current of air produced will assist
in drying the peat. The air in this case will be drawn from the top
of the box B³, B², it having no air communication with the lower
box B, B.
In the plan Figure 10 the Barker's mill revolves in the box B, B,
without a corrugated circle, the water escaping by the pipe p¹. The
tube T, T, is attached to the hose H, H, which is attached to the
filtering cylinder A, A, A. The fan draws the air from above at a, a,
and drives it in the direction a³, a³, in a circle to dry the peat bricks.
The air at a, a, can be supplied by a pipe from the outer air if desired.
The apparatus for packing the manure in sacks is thus constructed
Into the sack S³, 81, Figure 12, is placed some charcoal (fresh) at the
bottom. Then the outer cylinder A², and then inside of that the
cylinder A³, into which is placed the manure. Then between them is
placed a layer of fresh charcoal or any other absorbent. The space between
them is kept evenly all round by the guards g. 9. The cylinders can
then be taken out, and the sack is packed with manure.
What I claim as new in the treatment and manufacture of manure
from the foecal matter of towns and other populous places are,—
Firstly. Quick filtering by atmospheric pressure by an apparatus that
can easily be put into action after each discharge of the focal matter
and from a cylinder, substantially as set forth and shown.

page_text: Secondly. Filtering sewage matter by a plan which allows but little of
the gases to escape from the manure, this being done with but little
exposure to the atmosphere of the fluid after being filtered by the
cylinder A, A, A, as set forth.
Thridly. The use of the filtered fluid to turn a Barker's mill and fan,
which draws up the evolved ammonia and vapour from the fluid sewage
dashed into fine spray, and their absorption by charcoal or peat
ground red hot (and dry lime) in a closed box or vessel, as described.
Fourthly. The special construction and method of action of the filtering
cylinders, which swing upon pivots, with plenty of slack hose attached
to the cylinder to tilt out the solid manure after the sewage water has
been filtered from it, without stopping the work of the fan.
Fifthly. I claim the employment of an intermediate tank between the
filtering cylinders and the Barker's mill and fan evolving ammonia, by
which the Barker's mill and fan can continue to work by itself, or when
the other parts are not at work, as set forth.
Sixthly. I claim the employment of the mill described and shown to
grind burning or hot charcoal or peat, in which the carbonic acid
evolved is stored, and the use of such impregnated charcoal when mixed
with manure for fertilizing properties.
Seventhly. The special method of packing the manure, mixed with
carbonic acid by the plan described and shown in the Drawings.
What I claim to be original and novel in the Invention for making
peat fuel are,-
Firstly. Submitting peat to hydraulic pressure in a closed cylinder
containing clayey or tarry liquor, as described, by which the peat is at
once soddened and converted into a pliable homogeneous mass, and by
which all the elastic nature of the fibre becomes destroyed, and all the air
and other gases are driven out and replaced by the fluid mixture in the
cylinder, without going through the process of cutting up and making a
the peat into pulp, as formerly.
Secondly. The treatment of peat after being submitted to hydraulic
pressure, as set forth, whereby nearly all the water can be separated
from it by filtration in the manner before described with reference
to the filtration of manure, and so that the peat can be emptied out of

page_text: the cylinder on to drying stages, or passed through rollers, as are now
used.
Thirdly. I claim the use of the filtered fluid from the peat in the same
way as in the manure process to turn a fan which will drive a current of
air to help to dry the peat, as described.
Fourthly. I claim the production of heat by water power through the
medium of the friction of an outer jacket (joined together by spiral
springs, which causes a pressure on an iron cylinder) being moved
rapidly to and fro by a crank action produced by a water wheel, which
will (as described) for drying solid manure produce heat to dry the
peat, whether such outer jacket be made of wood or metal, as described.
I also claim the production of heat by a revolving jacket upon and
against the cylinder, as described, and substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Stephens, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of January One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
TATTI STADITTIN
2