IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MAKING EXTRACTS FROM BARK AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MAKING EXTRACTS
FROM BARK AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad by
James Warren Jones, of the City of Cumberland, State of Maryland,
United States of America.
Sealed the 25th February 1868, and dated the 27th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th November 1867.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MAKING EXTRACTS
FROM BARK AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus for extracting
tannin from bark, or the strength from other substances required to yield

page_text: extracts, in which apparatus the substance to be operated upon is exposed te
the action of an upward hydraulic pressure.
In carrying out this operation any required number of vats may be
employed.
In constructing the apparatus with, say, four vats, I make the vats
rectangular for economy of space. Situate at the four outer angles formed
by one of the division walls with the sides of the apparatus are vertical
passages which lead down to a gutter or trough running across the bottom of
the apparatus. These passages are severally closed by means of valves, and
are used for running off the liquor from the several vats when required.
Each vat is provided also with a box pipe fitted to the division walls, and
these box pipes are provided each with a vertical and a horizontal slide valve
at its upper end. On the opposite side of each divsion wall and in a line with
the box pipe applied thereto is a passage or pipe (open at bottom) leading
down from the top to the bottom of the vat. In the upper part of the
division wall is an opening, which may be closed by a plug for connecting the
box pipe and the passage or pipe together. Each vat is fitted with a loose
false bottom, made either of slats or perforated boards, and supported on
joists or ribs when at the lowest position. This false bottom carries the bark
or other substance to be operated upon. The liquor which is used for
saturating the material is poured into, say, vat No. 1. Passing down the
box.pipe it enters below the false bottom and rises up through the mass of
material. It will also rise up the pipe or passage before mentioned of the
same vat, and if the plug in the hole which opens communication to vat No. 1
is removed the liquor will flow through that hole (when vat No. 1 is filled)
and enter the box pipe of vat No. 2. At this time the vertical slide of the
pipe must be closed and the horizontal slide open, the liquor will then descend
the box pipe and enter below the false bottom of vat No. 2 and rise up
through the mass of material contained therein. In like manner all the vats
in succession may be charged with the liquor which is forced upwards through
the mass, and thus caused to act most efficaciously upon it. The several vats
are drained of the liquor contained therein by the trough or channel before
mentioned on communication being made thereto through the valves provided
for the purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed'
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 27th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,.
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred.
Vincent Newton, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others.
as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MAKING EXTRACTS FROM BARK AND.
OTHER SUBSTANCES," being a communication to me from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
:-
This Invention consists in an improved arrangement of apparatus for
extracting tannin'from bark, or the strength from any other substance from
which extracts are made or obtained, by means of which upward hydraulic
pressure is applied to the substance under treatment.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved
apparatus, a portion being in section the better to exhibit its construction;

page_text: Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical
section on the line 8, 4, of Fig. 1; and Figures 4, 5, and 6 are detached
views of parts hereafter particularly referred to.
The apparatus consists of four rectangular vats or leach tubs of ordinary
construction and water-tight, and marked A, A1, A2, A³. These vats are
each provided with joists a, a, for supporting a false bottom with which each
vat is fitted. A³, A³, represent the vats with their false bottom C, C, in
position, the latter being constructed of slats c³ and the other of a simple
plate having numerous perforations c. In other respects also the vats are
similarly provided. D is a box pipe fitted to one of the division walls, and
serving to convey the water or liquor to the desired position under the false
bottom C. This box pipe D (see the detached views, Figures 4, 5, and 6,) is
provided with two sliding valves d³, d³, one arranged in the upper portion of its
face and the other directly across the upper portion of its throat. These sliding
valves work in suitable grooves arranged in the front and sides of the pipe.
By means of a small opening d¹ these pipes are connected with a vertical pipe
or passage E of the adjoining vat. When it is desired to cut off all com-
munication between the vats the same is readily accomplished by simply
inserting the plug d. The tubes or passages E are attached to or formed on
the sides of the vats or tubs in positions directly opposite the box pipe D of
the next vat. The tops of these passages E are closed, which render them
perfectly water-tight except at their lower ends, which extend to the lowest
level of the false bottom cand are left open. They are thus enabled to
receive the water or liquor in order to convey it to the box pipe of the
adjoining vat. In each of the vats or leach tubs A, A1, A2, A³, there is a
small opening f, which connects with the trough G extending along the centre
of the series of vats and for their entire length, by means of which when
desired the liquor can be easily drawn off. These openings are closed by
means of valve rods f¹ which rest in small boxes F in the corner of
the vat.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing the vats or leach
tubs A, A1, A2, A3, to be all filled with ground bark water is conveyed to one
of them, A for instance, by means of a pump, jet, or any other convenient
appliance or method. The water passes down through the bark and under
the false bottom C; the plug d is then withdrawn, which allows communication
with the vat A¹ by means of the opening d¹. The sliding valve d' is
inserted in the face of the box pipe D, and the slide d' is then withdrawn
from across its throat; this leaves the box D perfectly water-tight. Thus it

page_text: will be seen as the vat A is gradually filling with water the false bottom will
be raised, and at the same time the liquor will enter the passage E, its height
therein being always necessarily the same as in the vat. When the vat is
filled to a sufficient degree to be on a line with the opening d¹ the liquor in-
the passage E will flow into the box pipe D through the same down under
the false bottom C of the vat A¹. When the vat A¹ is filled the plug d can.
be inserted, which cuts off all communication between the vats A and A¹, and
the box pipe D can also be entirely closed by inserting the sliding valve d³.
The vat is then permitted to stand and the bark to macerate, the same being
constantly subjected to the upward hydraulic pressure by means of the false
bottom. When the vat has been allowed to stand sufficiently long to
thoroughly extract all the tannin the same operation can be repeated in the
adjoining vat; or if desired the liquor can be drawn off simply by with-
drawing the valve rod f', which through the opening f will convey the liquor
to the discharge trough G. Thus it will be seen that although a series of
four vats are shewn one is only necessary to fully illustrate the Invention.
The great advantages of the upward hydraulic pressure will upon a moment's
reflection readily suggest itself to anyone familiar with the arts to which the
Invention is applicable.
In preparing the bark some of the particles are reduced to mere atoms;
these being lighter than the larger pieces naturally rest on the top. When the
pressure is applied from above these atoms or capillaries are drawn down
through the interstices between the larger portions of the bark, experience not
only showing that many of these small particles adhere to the larger pieces of
bark but frequently coat the same, and so completely is this sometimes done
that they are rendered impervious to the action of the liquid, and as a con-
sequence the tannin cannot be extracted, and again the coloring matter and
other impurities are forced to the bottom of the vat, and are there mixed
with the liquor. By the present plan all these difficulties are successfully
surmounted. The pressure being upward all the interstices between the bark
are left open for the free action of the liquid, and the small particles are
drawn to the top of the vat, where they can float or mingle with the coloring
and other injurious matters. These will all blend together in the form of a
sediment, which collects around the upper portions of the side of the vat.
I have thus described the Invention as applied to the art of tanning, but I
do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to this specific application,
as it can be used with equal advantage in making extracts from other
vegetable substances, as, for instance, in operating upon all those species of

page_text: wood which are commonly known as "dye wood" for the extraction of the
dyeing matters therefrom; it can also be advantageously and successfully
used by the chemist and druggist, as it is applicable to the work of the
laboratory.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improved apparatus
for making extracts from bark and other substances, as communicated to me
from abroad, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim, extracting the strength from bark or other material by upward
bydraulic pressure obtained by the means above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)