IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP IRON, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE WHEN OBTAINING OTHER METALS FROM THEIR ORES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Whitley, of Leeds, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP IRON, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE WHEN OBTAINING OTHER METALS FROM
THEIR ORES."
Sealed the 22nd September 1858, and dated the 6th May 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Whitley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
May 1858.
I, JOSEPH WHITLEY, of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
IRON, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE WHEN OBTAINING OTHER METALS
FROM THEIR ORES," to be as follows:-
In carrying out my improvements, the air required to pass through the
smelting or other furnaces employed, in place of being forced through by a
blast, as heretofore, is drawn through by suitable exhausting apparatus. For
this purpose the furnace is provided with apertures just above the hearth, or
in such other suitable situation to admit of the atmospheric air alone or com-
bined with other gas or substance, flowing therein; as the exhausting means
may be employed fans, pumps, or other suitable apparatus. By thus causing
the air required for the conversion of the ore to flow in by the creation of a
partial vacuum, not only is the supply of such air facilitated, but the dele-
terious gases generated in the upper part of the furnace are at once with-
drawn. The heated gas or vapour passing from the furnace may be caused
to pass through suitable condensing pipes or other apparatus to be cooled; or

page_text: I preserve and increase the heat thereof by the admixture of fresh oxygen,
and apply it to other heating purposes.
The furnaces constructed according to my improvements are, at the openings
for supply of fresh charge, provided with air-tight doors, so that such openings
may not interfere with the correct action of the exhausting means; and I also 5
employ hoppers or such other apparatus to facilitate the feeding of the furnace
with fuel in the vicinity of the hearth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Whitley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WHITLEY, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Whitley, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Whitley, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Whitley, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF IRON, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE WHEN
OBTAINING OTHER METALS FROM THEIR ORES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Whitley, 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 Whitley, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
In carrying out my improvements the air required to pass through the

page_text: smelting or other furnaces employed in the manufacture of iron or other
metals, in place of being forced through by a blast, as heretofore, is drawn
through by suitable exhausting apparatus. For this purpose the furnace is
provided with apertures just above the hearth, or in such other suitable
situation to admit of the atmospheric air alone or combined with other gas
or substance flowing therein; as the exhausting means may be employed
fans, pumps, or other suitable apparatus. By thus causing the air required
for the conversion of the ore to flow in by the creation of a partial vacuum,
not only is the supply of such air facilitated, but the deleterious gases gene-
rated in the upper part of the furnace are at once withdrawn, combustion
improved, and reduction facilitated.
The furnaces constructed according to my improvements are, at the openings
for supply of fresh charge, provided with air-tight doors, so that such openings
may not interfere with the correct action of the exhausting means; and I also
employ hoppers or such other apparatus to facilitate the feeding of the furnace
with fuel in the vicinity of the hearth.
But that the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner I carry the
same into effect, may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the
Drawing annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents a Diagram of an arrangement of furnace adapted to carry
my improvements into effect. a, a, is the body of the furnace; b, b, an outer
shell or case, which I prefer to be formed of boiler-plate iron, in order that
thereby the furnace may be kept more perfectly air-tight; c, c, are the tuyers
for the admission of air to the interior of the furnace, and which air may be
either cold or heated; d is a pipe in connection with suitable exhaust appa-
ratus, by which, according to my improvements, to form a vacuum or partial
vacuum in the upper part of the furnace, and thereby create a tendency for
air to flow therein from suitable channels or tuyers provided for the purpose
in the lower or other suitable part of the furnace, and at the same time draw
off the gases generated during the reduction of the ore under operation in
such furnace. The exhausting apparatus in connection with such pipe d may
be of any suitable kind. e is a hopper for the supply of the fresh charges.
This hopper I prefer to be provided with a sliding or other suitable door f,
and a close-fitting cover g, and the charge having been introduced through
the cover g is supported upon the sliding or other suitable door f till the
required quantity has been supplied to the hopper e, when the cover g will be
closed, and then by withdrawing the slide f, or other suitable door, the charge

page_text: will fall into the body of the furnace, by which arrangement the upper part
of the furnace will be kept closed, and facilitate the action of the exhausting
means. By thus causing the air to be drawn, in place of being, as heretofore,
forced through the mass of metallic and other substances during the process
of reduction to a liquid state, I obtain a much steadier and more uniform
action of heat upon such substances, whilst the gases or vapours generated
during the process of reduction, and which by resting upon or amongst the
matters being treated, have from their deleterious character a tendency to
impede combustion as well as to act deleteriously upon; the iron obtained will
be withdrawn as generated, whereby greater regularity in combustion with
more complete cementation of the ore will result. There may, if desired, be
several of such hoppers to each furnace for the purpose of supplying the
required charges, and the exhaust pipe may open from the top in place of, as
shown, at the side. The number of tuyers may also be increased, as may also
the size of them to the amount of oxygen required for the complete com-
bustion of the fuel. The heated gas or vapour passing from the furnace may
be caused to pass through suitable condensing pipes or other apparatus to be
cooled, or I preserve and increase the heat thereof by the admixture of fresh
oxygen,
and apply it to other heating purposes.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details referred to, or to
the form or arrangement of furnace shown and described, as these may be
varied considerably, and in some cases (particularly in refining and puddling
processes) I apply exhausting means in combination with blast; but what I
do claim is, the so arranging furnaces to be used in the manufacture of iron
and other metals that the air required may be drawn or caused to flow
therein through suitable apertures by the application of exhausting means,
substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
JOSIAH HASTE.
JOSEPH WHITLEY. (L.S.)