AN IMPROVEMENT IN TREATING ANIMAL MATTERS IN PREPARING THEM TO BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Bower, of Hunslet, near Leeds, Manufacturing
Chemist, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN TREATING ANIMAL
MATTERS IN PREPARING THEM TO BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE."
Sealed the 17th. February 1857, and dated tho 18th December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Bower at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
December 1856.
'
I, JOSEPH BOWER, of Hunslet, near Leeds, Manufacturing Chemist, do
5 hereby declaro the naturo of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN TREATING
ANIMAL MATTERS IN PREPARING THEM TO BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
MANURE," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improvement in treating animal matters
in preparing them to be used for the manufacture of manure. For this purpose
O refuse animal matters, such as old leather, skins, hair, wool, old fabrics made
of wool, with or without other fibres, and in fact any suitable. cheap animal
matters, are placed in a strong vessel having an opening and valve or cover at
the bottom suitable for discharging the contents; also an opening and valve or
cover at the top or other suitable part to allow of charging the vessel. To this
vessel is an outlet pipe with a cock therein. The outer end of this pipo dips
into a cistern or vessel containing dilute acid. A high-pressure steam boiler
or goucrator is combined with the vessel by means of a steam pipe, with a valve

page_text: or cock therein; such steam pipe descends to near the bottom of the vessel
containing the animal matters, which are dissolved by the steam admitted from
the boiler, and converted into a suitable material or product to be combined
with prepared clinkers, or cinders, or other dry materials suitable for making
up manures; and it may be stated, that when old fabrics, composed of mixed
animal and vegetable fibres, are thus treated, the vegetable fibres are separated
by the above process from the animal matters, and may be used in making
paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Bower in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BOWER, of Hunslet, near Leeds, Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Bower, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Bower, my
oxccutors; administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, tho said Joseph
Bower, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
TREATING ANIMAL MATTERS IN PREPARING THEM TO BE USED FOR THE MANU-
PACTURE OF MANURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Bower, 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
Joseph Bower, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention; and in what manner the same is to be
erformed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention has for its object an improvement in treating animal matters
in preparing them to be used for the manufacture of manure. For this purpose
refuse animal matters, such as old leather, skins, hair, wool, old fabrics made
of wool, with or without other fibres, and in fact any suitable cheap animal
matters, are placed in a strong vessel having an opening and valve or cover at
the bottom suitable for the discharging the contents, also an opening and
valve or cover at the top or other suitable part to allow of charging the vessel.
To this vessel is an outlet pipe with a cock therein, the outer end of the pipe
dips into a cistern or vessel containing dilute acid. A high-pressure steam
boiler or generator is combined with the vessel by means of a steam pipe, with
a valve or cock therein; such steam pipo descends to near the bottom of the
vessel containing the animal matters, which are dissolved by the steam admitted
from the boiler, and converted into a suitable material or product to be com-
bined with prepared clinkers, or cinders, or other dry materials suitable for
making up manures; and it may be stated, that when old fabrics, composed of
mixed animal and vegetable fibres, are thus treated, the vegetable fibres are
separated by the above process from the animal matters, and may be used in
making paper.
Ilaving thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In carrying out my Invention I employ old leather, skins, hair, wool, old
fabrics made of wool, with or without other fibres, and in fact any suitable
cheap animal matters, and I place the same in a strong digester, together with
about twenty gallons of water to every 1 cwt. of the material, using somewhat
more water when the substances treated are old shoes or old hard leather.
Steam is then admitted into the digester for about forty to fifty minutes, until
the contents are at a heat and pressure of about two hundred pounds to the
square inch, at which pressure it is kept for about fifteen minutes. The steam
is then shut off from the boiler. The steam from the digester is allowed to
pass into acid in order to collect the ammonia which is evolved from the
matters under process. The digested matters are then allowed to run off from
the digester on to sieves or strainers, by which any undissolved substances, such
as vegetable fibres and others, are separated from the fluid solution of the
animal inatters, and such vegetable fibres on the strainers or sieves are to be
washed with hot water, in order to free them from any adhering animal matters.
I would remark, that although I have been particular in stating the exact
particulars of the process of digesting as conducted by me, I do not confine
myself thereto, as they may be varied without departing from my Invention.
The vegetable fibres thus obtained will be found suitable for making paper.

page_text: The solution of animal matters thus obtained is then mixed with pulverized
clinkers or cinders, superphosphates, or other dry materials suitable for
manure.
I would here state, that I am aware that bones and other animal matters
have before been digested for the manufacture of glue and gelatine; I do not,
therefore, claim to digest animal matters except in combination with the
mixing the products obtained thereby with drying materials, and thus forming
manures.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Bower, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand cight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
JOSEPH BOWER. (L.S.)