AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BLEACHING AGENTS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Printy Wheeler, of Abinghall, near Mitchel-
dean, in the County of Gloucester, Paper Maker, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BLEACHING
AGENTS."
Sealed the 1st March 1861, and dated the 4th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Printy Wheeler
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th September 1860.
I, GEORGE PRINTY WHEELER, of Abinghall, near Mitcheldean, in the
County of Gloucester, Paper Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BLEACHING
AGENTS," to be as follows:-
In preparing oxymuriate of lime according to this Invention, I employ a
leaden retort set in a closed water tank, and connect it by a leaden pipe with
a conical leaden receiver, which is closed at top and provided with a central
vertical shaft, carrying blades or arms for agitating the contents of the receiver.
The retort I provide with a water joint to receive the edges of the lid, and I
fit into the lid a funnel. To the water tank I lead a steam pipe for admitting
steam thereto at a given period of the process for the purpose of heating the
water contained therein. The retort I charge with a mixture of black oxide
of manganese and common salt moistened with water, and then put on the lid

page_text: and make good the joint. Through a man-hole in the cover of the receiver I
next charge the receiver with well-sifted slacked lime, and having closed the
man-hole set the agitator in action. The next operation is to discharge dilute
sulphuric acid into the retort, which I do through the funnel in the lid, taking
care so to regulate the supply that the gas generated in the retort by the
action of the dilute acid on the contents of the retort, shall be slow and con-
tinuous. As the gas is generated it finds its way by the coupling pipe to the
receiver, and acts upon the lime contained therein, and while thus acting I
discharge water in the form of a shower into the receiver. When this
operation has proceeded for several hours, and the generation of the gas in
the retort begins to be slacked, I turn steam into the water tank, and by thus
raising the temperature of the retort quicken the chemical action of the
materials contained therein. As soon as the gas ceases to go over, I discharge
the contents of the receiver into a closed cistern, and allow the lime to
precipitate. The clear liquor being then drawn off, it is ready for use as a
bleaching agent. By this process I am enabled not only to obtain a much
stronger bleaching agent than the chloride of lime as ordinarily prepared, but
to produce it at a considerable reduction in cost.
When dry chloride of lime is required, I omit to supply water to the receiver
during the conversion of the lime under mechanical agitation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Printy Wheeler in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PRINTY WHEELER, of Abinghall, near Mitcheldean, in the County of Gloucester,
Paper Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Printy Wheeler, Her special license that I, the said George Printy
Wheeler, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said George Printy Wheeler, 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BLEACHING AGENTS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Printy Wheeler, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 George Printy Wheeler, do hereby
declare the 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
The object of this Invention is to effect an important economy in the
manufacture of the bleaching agent known as oxymuriate of lime, used in
bleaching textile fabrics and vegetable fibres.
In preparing oxymuriate of lime according to this Invention, I employ the
novel arrangement of apparatus shewn in sectional elevation in the accompanying
Drawing. This apparatus consists, mainly, of a retort and a mixing vessel
connected together by a coupling pipe.
A, A, is a closed water-tight tank of cast iron, set up in brickwork B, B,
and carrying within it a leaden retort C. This retort is connected by a leaden
pipe D, with a conical leaden receiver E, which is set in brickwork F, and
closed at top by a cover E¹. In this receiver E, I mount a central vertical
shaft G, which carries a series of blades or arms G¹ for agitating the contents
of the receiver E. The retort CI provide with a water joint to receive the
edges of a lid c, to which, for the convenience of raising and lowering it, I
attach a chain c, which passes over a fixed pulley, and carries a balance weight
at its free end. Into this lid I fit a funnel c, which projects through the lid.
To the water tank A I lead a steam pipe a for admitting steam thereto at a
given period of the process for the purpose of heating the water contained
therein, which water is supplied by a pipe a¹. The coupling pipe D is attached
to a chain d, by means of which it is raised and lowered as desired.
Its
connection with the retort C and receiver E are secured by means of water
joints provided in the covers of the two vessels, and surrounding holes of
communication in their respective covers. The conical vessel E is fitted with
two pipes e, e, (closed by stop cocks) which are intended respectively for
gauging the height of the liquor in the vessel, and exhausting it of its contents.
The cover of the receiver E, I form with a man-hole, which is kept closed air-

page_text: tight during the operation to be presently described, and I also fit into the
cover a pipe for supplying water to the vessel, which water is delivered in
the form of spray by passing through a rose attached to the discharging end of
the pipe.
In carrying out this manufacture of the bleaching agent by the aid of this
apparatus, I charge the retort C with a mixture of black oxide of manganese
and common salt moistened with water, the proportions preferred being thirty-
eight pounds of the black oxide to seventy pounds of salt; I then put on the lid
and make good the water joint in which it rests. Through the man-hole in the
cover of the receiver E, I next charge the receiver with forty pounds of well-
sifted slacked lime, and having closed the man-hole set the agitator in action
by meaning of the bevil gearing provided for the purpose, driving it at the rate
of about ten revolutions per minute. The next thing is to discharge dilute
sulphuric acid into the retort C; this I do through the funnel c² in the lid c,
taking care so to regulate the supply that the gas generated in the retort by
the action of the dilute acid on the contents of the retort shall be slow and
continuous. The amount of acid which I have found sufficient to act efficiently
on the proportions of materials above given, is sixty-five pounds of sulphuric
As the
acid of commerce diluted with about one-third of its weight of water.
gas is generated it finds it way by the coupling pipe D to the receiver E, and
acts upon the lime contained therein, which is kept in continual agitation.
While this operation is proceeding I discharge one hundred and ten gallons
of water, in the form of a shower or spray, into the receiver by the pipe e.
When this operation has proceeded for about twenty-eight hours, and the
generation of the gas in the retort begins to slacken, I turn steam into the
water tank, and raise the water contained therein to about two hundred and
twelve degrees Fahrenheit, at which temperature it is maintained during the
remainder of the process. By thus raising the temperature of the retort the
chemical action of the materials contained therein is quickened, and a stream
of gas continues to enter the receiver E, and combine with the lime and water,
which, during the whole period of the process, must be kept agitated by the
rotating blades. As soon as the gas ceases to go over, which will be the case
in general when the operation has continued for some thirty-six hours from
the commencement, I discharge the contents of the receiver into a closed
cistern, and allow the lime to precipitate. The clear liquor drawn off from
this precipitate is the bleaching agent in a state ready for use. By this process
I am enabled not only to obtain a much stronger bleaching agent than the
chloride of lime as ordinarily prepared, but to produce it at a considerable
reduction in cost.

page_text: When dry chloride of lime is required, I proceed as above described, but
omit the supply of water to the receiver during the conversion of the lime
under mechanical agitation, and charge the receiver with two hundred pounds
instead of forty pounds of lime.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Mode
of and Apparatus for Preparing Bleaching Agents," and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
intend to adhere rigidly to the proportions of materials as above set forth, but
claim to vary them as may be found expedient; what I claim under the
above in part recited Letters Patent is, the mode of and apparatus for pre-
paring bleaching agents, as above described.
In witness whereof I, the said George Printy Wheeler, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
(L.S.) G. P. WHEELER.