DESTROYING AND UTILIZING SEWAGE IN BUILDINGS TOWNS AND CITIES
Year: 1885

page_text: I ANDREW ENGLE a merchant of the town of Metz, in the County of Jasper and
State of Iowa in the United States of America do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for "DESTROYING AND UTILIZING SEWAGE IN BUILDINGS TOWNS
AND CITIES," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
One of the common methods of disposing of human excrements is to deposit
direct or convey it through tubes into cesspools formed in the ground and to let
the matter remain there concealed where it will generate poisonous gases and acids
that cannot easily be confined, but will escape to pollute the air above the surface
and the water under the surface that is gathered into wells at various distances
from such accumulations of putrid matter.
Another method in general use is to convey such offensive and dangerous matter
from closets, dwellings, towns and cities into lakes and rivers through sewers.
The gas generated thereby while in the sewers cannot easily be confined and
escapes into the buildings, towns, and cities, to vitiate the atmosphere and to
endanger the health and life of each occupant while at the same time the sewage
transmitted through such conduits into lakes and streams pollutes their waters.
Earth closets and various means for deodorizing night soil and facilitating its
removal have been invented and used. Sewage has also been utilized for fertilizing
the soil, and in some instances it has been collected from cess-pools and conveyed
to gas-factories and used in making illuminating gas.
My invention contemplates consuming and utilizing night soil (human excre-
ments) and offal, in yards, stables, dwellings, factories, and public buildings, where
it is originated, without incurring the cost, annoyances and dangers incident to
the use of the methods above referred to.
My method consists in conveying night soil, and offal, direct from bowls and
basins through tubes and reservoirs to a retort in a furnace and then closing the
retort steam tight and subjecting the matter therein to furnace heat, to thereby
convert all the liquid matter into hydrocarbon vapor, and the solids into carbonic
acid and charcoal. The Hydrogen and carbon and oxygen thus liberated and
mingled in the retort produces a valuable volatile fuel which I convey from the
retort, as it is generated, through a tube to a superheater in the furnace and under
the retort and convert it into a fixed hydrocarbon gas that may be consumed in
the furnace by means of suitable burners combined with the superheater, to aid in

page_text: generating heat; or it may be conveyed through tubes and stored in a gasometer
and from thence distributed through service pipes to chandeliers and burners, and
consumed for illuminating purposes in a common way.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing illustrates the construction and
application of my apparatus for the practical operations of my method in a
building,
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the furnace, retort and superheater combined.
A represents a furnace that may vary in form and size as desired.
B is a retort suspended within the furnace walls.
C is a reservoir connected with the retort by means of a tube.
D represents a steam tight valve, or cut off, in the tube at the bottom of the
reservoir.
F represents a privy seat in which are basins connected with the reservoir C by
means of a tube G.
H is a tube extending from under the top basin in the seat F to a chimney or
tube that extends above the roof of the building.
J is a box, or lantern connected at its top and bottom with the tube E in such a
manner that air will enter at its lower portion from the tube, and reenter the tube
from its top portion, when a lamp is burning within the lantern. An artificial
draft will be thus created when the natural draft is not strong enough to cause a
downward draft through the bowl in the seat when it is uncovered. By fixing glass
in the sides of the lantern and the door, it will also serve as an illuminator at night,
as well as a ventilator.
K is a superheater and burner combined, fixed to the wall in the furnace chamber,
under the retort, in such a manner that the vapor generated in the retort will be
conveyed through a tube L from the retort into the superheater and discharged
into the furnace fire through perforations formed in the lower portion of the coil
which serves as a burner. The end of the tube L that enters the retort is perforated
and its extremity covered with a cap to prevent paper and other substances from
entering.
M is a rotating shaft in the centre of the retort. Its front end extends through
a stuffing box, in such a manner that a wrench can be attached thereto, through an
opening in the front wall, to rotate the shaft therewith. N N are scrapers fixed to
the shaft to scrape the inside surface of the retort and to aid in stirring the matter
within the retort, when it is subjected to heat, as required to prevent the solids
from adhering to the retort and caking in a mass. 1, 2, 3, represent a series of pins
projecting radially from the shaft M to aid in stirring and mixing the matter when
the shaft is rotated.
P represents a water gage that will indicate the quantity of matter in the
retort as required to prevent the attendant from letting it become too full.
R represents a hand-hole in the front end of the retort through which the
charcoal may be removed from the retort after all the volatile substances have been
expelled through the tube L.
S represents a safety valve connected with the tubular inlet of the retort in such
a manner that when there is undue pressure in the retort it will find vent through
a tube T that extends into the chimney.
In the practical use of my invention night soil and offal deposited in the privy
bowls and basins will by force of gravity, descend into the reservoir. From the
reservoir it can be readily dropped, once a day, week, or month, or as often as
necessary, into the retort, by simply opening the valve at the bottom of the reservoir,
to be cremated in the retort and the niter in the urine and all the other valuable
gas-producing substances in the mixture liberated by means of a fire and heat
maintained in the furnace and under the retort by burning coal or other fuel upon
the furnace grate, while at the same time the non-volatile matter and residuum
will be converted into charcoal.
As the vapor and gas is generated in the retort it will pass through the
conveying tube from the retort into the superheater and burner in the furnaco

page_text: and as it escapes from the burner it will be consumed, to aid in the production of
heat for generating gas in the retort, warming a building, or for any other purpose.
for which artificial heat can be utilized.
The charcoal produced in the retort, I remove through the hand hole and add it
to the fuel on the furnace grate, or use it for any of the common purposes for which
charcoal is adapted.
In place of using a reservoir between the bowls and basins and the retort, the
conveying tubes may extend direct from the bowls and basins to the retort, and
have valves, or cut offs combined therewith so that they can be closed to prevent
steam and gas from ascending therein when the matter in the retort is subjected to
heat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The herein described method of disposing of sewage and ventilating buildings
to prevent the generation of sewer gas and the pollution of streams and lakes,
which method consists in conveying sewage from privy bowls and seats through
tubes into a retort in a furnace, and the gases escaping therefrom while in transit
into a ventilating flue, and then converting the sewage into inflammable gas and
charcoal by means of artificial heat.
2nd The herein described method of disposing of night soil in buildings towns
and cities, which method consists essentially in conveying human excrements from
privy bowls and basins, through tubes, into a retort in a furnace then closing the
retort and subjecting the matter therein to furnace heat, to convert the sewage
into vapor and charcoal and allowing the vapor to pass through the tubes from
the retort into a superheater in the furnace to be therein converted into an
inflammable gas.
3rd The herein described method of disposing of sewage in buildings, towns and
cities, which method consists in conveying sewage (night soil urine and offal) from
privy bowls and basins through tubes into one or more reservoirs and from the
reservoirs through valves or cut-offs into one or more retorts in furnaces, then
closing the retorts at pleasure and subjecting the matter confined therein to furnace
heat to convert it into vapor and charcoal, and at the same time allow the volatile
matter to be conveyed through tubes to one or more superheaters in the furnace,
or series of furnaces, to be therein converted into inflammable gas.
4th An apparatus for disposing of night soil urine and offal, in buildings, towns
and cities, composed of the following elements, to wit: A bowl, or basin and tube
combined and adapted to receive and convey sewage, a reservoir adapted to receive
and retain sewage, and provided with a valve to discharge the sewage, a retort and
furnace combined and adapted to receive and cremate the sewage and convert it
into vapor and charcoal, and a superheater adapted to receive the vapor and
convert it into inflammable gas.
5th The combination of one or more privy bowls or basins, one or more tubes
baving valves or cut-offs at their lower ends, one or more retorts in furnaces, and
one or more superheaters, for the purposes specified.
6th The combination of one or more privy bowls or basins, liaving tubes
extending downwards therefrom, one or more reservoirs having valves or cut-offs
for discharging their contents, one or more retorts in furnaces having openings for
removing charcoal therefrom and one or more superheaters for converting vapor
into gas.
7th The combination of a privy seat, a tube to convey odor from the seat to a
chimney and a lantern to create an artificial light and an artificial draught in the
manner set forth for the purposes specified.
8th The combination of one or more privy bowls or basins with a retort in
a furnace having a revolving stirring and scraping device, and one or more
superheaters for the purposes specified.

page_text: 9th The combination of one or more furnaces one or more retorts, one or more
reservoirs having discharge valves or gates, one or more privy bowls or basins, one
or more gas superheaters and burners, one or more furnace flues, one or more
ventilating flues] extending from the privies, with or without a chimney in a
building, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
and 323, High Holborn, London,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.