IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING GAS FOR INFLATING AND RENDERING ASCENSIVE BALLOONS AND OTHER AËRIAL MACHINES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED therein
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Simmons and Joseph
Matthew Morris at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 25th January 1875.
We, JOSEPH SIMMONS, of 38, Regent Street, London, W., and JOSEPH
MATTHEW MORRIS, of 6, Hanover Street, London, W., do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING GAS
FOR INFLATING AND RENDERING ASCENSIVE BALLOONS AND OTHER AËRIAL MACHINES,
AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED therein," to be as follows :—
.
Hitherto the hydrogen gas generated from chemicals, such as iron,
zinc, and oil of vitriol, and wherewith it has occasionally been attempted
to inflate and render ascensive balloons and other aeronautic machines,
has been of such a density, resulting from the excessive impurity thereof,
as to render it almost impossible to attain the desired object with any
practical benefit.
Now we propose to obviate such disadvantage, and to purify such
hydrogen gas both easily and inexpensively, thereby rendering it
thoroughly efficient for the purposes before referred to in the following
manner. We take any ordinary gasometer and secure it in a fixed

page_text: '
position within a suitable gas tank so as to prevent its being lifted by
the expansion of the gas when introduced therein. We fill the tank
with a mixture of lime and water; the lime may be either slaked or
unslaked, but if unslaked lime be employed about double the measure
must be used than when slaked lime is employed, and in order to prevent
such lime settling at the bottom of the gas tank we employ an agitator
made somewhat in the form of an ordinary rake, and connected to a rod
which passes through a stuffing box placed on the centre of the top of
the gasometer, and makes its exit through an orifice provided for the
purpose in the top of such gasometer, such orifice being about 1 inch in
diameter. This rod may either be revolved by means of a crank handle
fixed at the top thereof working horizontally, or such handle may be
worked from the side of the gasometer by causing it to project through
an orifice formed in any convenient position in the side thereof, instead
of at the top as before mentioned, and placing the stuffing box in a
suitable position. By this means more ready access thereto is attainable,
but if this method be adopted a pair of bevil wheels must be employed
to impart rotatory motion to the rod.
We provide the gasometer with a requisite number of pipes fixed at
the top thereof, or in any other convenient. position, such pipes at one
end communicating with the vessels or retorts containing the acids
ordinarily used for generating hydrogen gas, and at the other end being
immersed for a depth of, say about 9 inches in the before-mentioned
purifying liquor contained within the tank. By this means the gas
generated in the retort instead of passing into the balloon in a crude
and impure state is conducted by means of such pipes into the purifying
liquid contained in the bottom of the gas tank through which it filters,
and emerges in the form of pure gas above the surface of the purifying
liquid, and is from thence conveyed by means of an ordinary pipe into
the balloon or other aërial machine required to be to be inflated. By these
means the gas is purified in a far greater degree than has hitherto been
practicable, whereby the expansive powers thereof are greatly increased,
and a far greater degree of ascensive power is imparted to the balloon
or other aërial machine combined with considerable economy of the
generating materials requisite for producing the same.
Also for the purpose of obviating the injury and destruction which
have hitherto resulted from emptying the retorts, we make a trench of
suitable dimensions, and in a convenient position around the gasometer

page_text: and passing under the retorts so as to permit of their contents being
emptied therein by withdrawing a plug from each retort, and allowing
the contents thereof to fall into such trench as heretofore; by leaving
such contents on the surface of the land serious injury has resulted not
only to the garments but also to the feet of the attendants or others
traversing the places where the contents of the retorts have been usually
emptied.
Another great advantage of our improvements is the economy and
simplicity of our improved apparatus arising from its combining within
itself a purifier and gasometer, a result which has never hitherto been
successfully effected.