IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUEL
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hough Watson, of Little Bolton, in the County
of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, and James Oliver, of Over Hulton, in
the said County, Land Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FUEL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hough Watson
and James Oliver at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st May 1855.
We, HENRY HOUGH WATSON, of Little Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Analytical Chemist, and JAMES OLIVER, of Over Hulton, in the said County,
Land Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUEL," to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist in mixing with coal intended to be burnt into
coke a proportion of previously made coke, and burning or converting such
mixture into coke.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Hough Watson and James Oliver in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
HOUGH WATSON, of Little Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Analytical
Chemist, and JAMES OLIVER, of Over Hulton, in the said County, Land Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Henry Hough Watson and James Oliver, Her special licence that we, the
said Henry Hough Watson and James Oliver, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Hough Watson and James
Oliver, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Hough
Watson and James Oliver, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 we, the said Henry Hough Watson and James
Oliver, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Our improvements consist in mixing with coal which is intended to be burnt
into coke a proportion of previously made coke, and burning or converting
such mixture into coke. We prefer to have the previously made coke ground
fine, and a quantity of the coal also to be ground fine and mixed intimately
with the ground coke, and such mixture or such ground coke alone, if unmixed
with ground coal, to be afterwards mixed with the rest of the charge of
coal intended to be burnt into coke. The coke to be made by this process
may either be burnt in retorts or in ordinary coke ovens, and for so long a
time as is usual in ordinary coke burning by those means respectively. The

page_text: proportion of ground coke to the total charge may require to be varied,
according to the varying qualities of coking coal used; but for coal containing
from thirty to forty per cent. of bituminous matter the following proportions
will be found useful:-The coal to be ground fine should be from one-half to
equal the weight of the ground coke, and the ground coke should be about
one-thirtieth part of the total charge; but we do not limit ourselves to these
several proportions, as with a more bituminous coal a larger proportion of
ground coke may be used, and vice versa. The coke to be ground may be
the small refuse coke produced at coke manufactories, which is at present of
little value, and is in some places called cinders. This refuse may thus be
rendered available to produce coke of superior quality.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, we wish to add that
we do not limit ourselves to the proportions before specified, nor to the previous
grinding of any portion of the coal or of the coke. For manufacturing soft
coke it may suffice to mix small coke and coal, or small coke alone with the
coal to be burnt, without subjecting such coke or coal to the previous operation
of grinding; but what we claim is, the mixing with coal intended to be burnt
into coke of a proportion of coke alone, or of coke and coal mixed together,
and afterwards burning or converting the whole mixture into coke.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Hough Watson and James
Oliver, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.
HENRY HOUGH WATSON. (L.S.)
JAMES OLIVER.
(L.B.)
HENRY HOUGH WATSON. (LS.)
JAMES OLIVER.
(L.B.)