IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF GAS FOR THE PURPOSES OF LIGHT
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WEBSTER, of Leicester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day
of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the thirteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Webster, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James
Webster, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
James Webster, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF GAS FOR THE PURPOSES
OF LIGHT;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
James Webster, should cause a particular-description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Webster, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
James Webster, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say.
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in the manufacture of coal
gas; and, secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture
of gas from resin.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of three retorts, arranged and combined
with other apparatus, according to the first part of my Invention; Figure 2
is a longitudinal section of the same. a, a, are two retorts, which are from
time to time to be charged with coal, as in the ordinary manner of making
coal gas in retorts; near the back end of each of these retorts there is a
partition of sheet metal, which is perforated with numerous holes near its
outer circumference, and the space c, at the end of each retort is filled with
pieces of iron and black lead in powder. d is a boiler or closed vessel
containing water at the upper part of the stack of retorts; e is a safety valve;
f is a pipe for filling the boiler when the water is supplied, the pressure at
which steam is generated is only slightly above the atmosphere; 9,9, are pipes
leading from the boiler to the back end of the retorts, so that the steam will
pass amongst the heated iron and black lead before reaching the coal; the
effect will be that the retorts will become quickly coated with black lead, and
the use of steam will not injure the interior surfaces of the retorts; and the
object of using steam is to aid in carrying off the gas as quickly as it is
evolved, and the gas from the two retorts a, a, will pass into the small empty
retort h, by which some products which might be condensed will be ensured
being converted into gas, which will pass off at the pipe i, and thence through
the tubes or pipes shewn to the gas holder, any condensed matters depositing
in the vessels j, k. The peculiarities of this part of the Invention consist of
the mode of applying steam, black lead, and the additional retort through
which the products from the charged retorts pass.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which is shown at
Figures, 8, 4, and 5, which shew two longitudinal and one transverse section.
This apparatus is very similar to what has before been employed in the manu-

page_text: facture of gas from rosin, there being three retorts, two of which a, a, are
regularly supplied with melted rosin from the vessel b, and steam is similarly
supplied from the vessel c to what has been above described in respect of
making gas from coal; but in place of the steam passing in at the ends of the
charged retorts it passes into the additional retort e, which is charged at its two
ends with broken pieces of iron, and between them there is a quantity of black
lead powder mixed with broken pieces of iron, and the steam having passed
through this retort and the heated matters, then it passes into the retorts a, a,
where gas is evolved; and it is the using of black lead, and causing steam to
pass amongst the same, which constitutes the novelty of this part of my
Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details, so long as the peculiar character of either part of my
Invention be retained; but what I claim is,-
First, the improvements in the manufacture of coal gas, herein described.
And, secondly, I claim the improvements herein described for manufacturing
gas from rosin.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Webster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty.