IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- RATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF SODA, MURIATIC ACID, CHLORINE, AND CHLORIDES
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Josias
CHRISTOPHER GAMBLE, of Saint Helen's, in the County of Lancaster, Manu-
facturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourteenth day of March, in the second year of Her reign, did.
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Josias
Christopher Gamble, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority that I, the said Josias Christopher Gamble, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Josias Christopher Gamble, my exors,
admors, 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 APPA-
RATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF SODA, MURIATIC ACID, CHLORINE,
AND CHLORIDES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said Christopher Gamble, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four 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
Josias Christopher Gamble, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described
as follows, and illustrated by the Drawings hereunto annexed:-
Instead of the brick furnaces hitherto employed for the decomposition of com-
mon salt, and for its conversion into sulphate of soda, I have found that iron
retorts constantly maintained at an elevated temperature may be advantageously
substituted for that purpose, and the muriatic acid gas disengaged therefrom
effectually condensed by the receivers hereafter described. This will be best
made to appear by a description of the Drawings here unto annexed.
Figure 1st exhibits an elevation and partly a section of three furnaces or
retorts of cast iron. A, No. 1, is a section of a furnace set in brickwork. It
is set on six brick walls, between which the fire circulates under the bottom
of the retort, returns round its sides, and passing over the top, enters the flue
leading to the chimney. On the bottoms of A, Nos. 1 and 2, are laid flat iron
plates about an inch thick, and five feet square to protect the bottoms from
the sudden changes of temperature caused by the introduction of the sulphuric
acid. A, No. 2, is an elevation of a similar furnace without its brickwork.
The furnaces A, A, may be named the decomposing furnaces, and B the
roasting and finishing furnace. Common salt is thrown on the bed of the
furnaces A, A, through the doors C, C. The bottoms of the doors are elevated
six inches above the bottoms of the furnaces to guard against the flowing over
of sulphuric acid. Each door has a sliding shutter, with an aperture at its
lowest part to, permit the constant stirring of the materials. The form of this
door is shown at door E. of furnace B. As soon as the furnaces and the salt
contained therein. are raised to a heat of 220° to..300° of. Fahrenheit, the
proper proportion of sulphuric acid is added through pipe: D; I prefer ácid
of 1750 specific gravity. On the first addition; of the acid. the workman
commences with his.rake, and keeps constantly stirring, the materials till they
become solid. At this stage the sulphate of soda is collected in front. of the
door, and pushed forward into the roaster B through the inclined plane.door E.
A second workman spreads the sulphate over the bottom of the roaster, and
continues working it till all the gas is expelled, when it is drawn from the
furnace into iron wheelbarrows. through the door.Fit will be necessary
to maintain. the roaster.. B at a heat, uniformaly approaching, redness.
As the above operation. proceeds, the muriatic acid, gas expelled from
the salt passes from each furnace through their respective branch pipes
G, G, G, into the main pipe H, and from Hit passes through. pipe K
into first receiver. Figure 2nd is a plan of the three furnaces, shewing-the

page_text: branch pipes that attach them to main pipe, and the connexion of main pipe
with first receiver. Figure 3rd is an elevation of roaster B, and the three
receivers L, L, L; M is a water cistern placed over No. 3 receiver. Water
from this cistern is made to flow through a stop-cock into a small basin N ;
N has five apertures on the same level, through which it pours its contents
into five small pipes 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, which deliver the water through holes
made at equal distances in the top of No. 3 receiver. The water percolating
through No. 3 reaches its bottom a weak acid; it passes through a cock into
a basin on top of No. 2, is distributed as before, and reaches its bottom a
stronger acid. It enters No. 1 in the same manner, and is finally drawn off
into reservoirs for use. The three receivers are filled with broken glass or
siliceous pebbles in order to multiply the moist surfaces with which the gas is
brought in contact. The pebbles are left larger at the bottom, and diminish
as they approach the top of each receiver. Figure 3rd shows the three
receivers so placed one above the other that the water percolates from
the one to the other, as described above. P, Figure 4, is a horizontal
section to the chimney and pipe which connect the furnaces and receivers
with the main chimney, by which a draft is constantly maintained
through them. When it is desirable to prepare muriatic acid of different
strengths, a second cock may be inserted in number 2 receive to draw off
such a portion of the acid as it may be expedient to prevent running
into number 1. By this precaution number 1 may be made to yield muriatic
acid of any required strength. The weak acid drawn from number 2
may be returned to the upper cistern instead of water, or used for any
purpose to which weak acid is found applicable. At R, numbers 2, receivers,
Figures 3 and 4, are shown the disposition of the cocks for drawing off the
weak acid. The cocks, tubes, and basins are made of the species of pottery
called stoneware. The cocks should be inserted on a level with the bottom,
in order that the last portions of the acid may be withdrawn from the receivers.
The receivers are made of flags from Halifax in Yorkshire; the joints are
grooved and fitted, and afterwards made secure by any of the lutes used by
chemists for confining acids. Figure 5th is a plan of my new apparatus for the
manufacture of chlorine and chlorides. A, A, A, A, are four stills, the
bottoms made of earthenware, the tops of lead. They are surrounded by cast-
iron casings, leaving a space of three inches at bottom and sides. The stills
are heated by the circulation of hot water, saline, solutions, or.steam from
boiler G. 1.prefer the circulation of hot water between stills and casings.
B, B, B, B, are branch pipes leading from stills to a main pipe G. At the
end of pipe G is a shorter pipe D, which is made by means of water lutes to

page_text: inove alternately to receivers E, E. A small door about ten inches square is
made on the side of each receiver E, say at F, to withdraw the chloride when
the process is completed. These must be made are-tight by luting. These
receivers are adapted to the manufacture of chloride of lime, or what is
commonly called bleaching powder; but the stills are well adapted to the
manufacture of liquid chlorine, liquid chlorides of lime, potash or soda, or any
chlorides now in use. Any suitable receiver may be adapted to these pro-
cesses, care being taken that the water lutes shall be made so deep as to
overcome the pressure in such receivers. Figure 6th is in part a section and
in part an elevation of the same apparatus; A shows the earthenware still
bottom, and the manner of attaching it to the leaden top and iron casing.
The bottom is an inverted cone, two inches in thickness, and six inches of the
upper part is made conical. To these six inches the top is fitted with fat lute,
and firmly bound round by an iron hoop. The lower part of the lead is
prolonged below the hoop, and turned up with a flanch so as effectually to
close in the space for hot water, and extend over the flanch of the iron casing,
to which it is firmly attached by screws, and made water-tight with cement.
For the purpose of discharging the still, a pipe proceeds from its bottom five
inches long, three inches internal diameter, and two inches in thickness. It
is made to pass through another pipe in the outward case, two inches long
and eight inches internal diameter. The space between these pipes must be
made secure from leakage by lead or cement. When the still is at work the
pipe will be secured by a plug. The branch pipes B, B, B, B, that convey
the water within the casing, pass through the flanch of the leaden top at C;
D, a branch pipe, which conveys the cooled water to the main pipe, which
returns it to the boiler; F, an agitator for stirring the materials in the still.
It is secured to the two beans in such a way by nuts and collars, as to prevent
it touching the bottom of the still. From the still A the main pipe, joined by
branch pipes from stills 2, 3, 4, is joined to receiver K by the moving pipe L.
The bottoms of the receivers are made of cast iron, with a ledge about two
inches deep, the sides and top of wrought-iron. They are made circular,
about one foot in depth at the side, and two feet at the centre. M, an agitator
to-stir the lime, working in a pivot at bottom and a collar at top. The stills
and receivers have water lute lids, through which they are charged. This
kind of still is peculiarly adapted to the use of muriatic acid, or a mixture of
muriatic and sulphuric acids. I do not claim the exclusive use of iron
retorts, but I do claim as my Invention iron retorts worked in connexion
with each other, as above described, and also iron retorts constantly worked
through a door, open or partly open while the process is going forward,

page_text: the draft of the chimney drawing in a portion of the external air with the
muriatic acid into the receivers. Neither do I claim the exclusive use of
receivers filled with glass or pebbles; but I claim the use of receivers so
arranged that the acid can pass from one to the other, or can be cut off at
pleasure when strong acid is required. I do not claim earthen stills as my
Invention, but I do claim for my exclusive use earthen stills with leaden heads,
encased in iron heated by the circulation of hot water, saline solutions, or by
steam. I further claim my mode of charging the lime receivers, by which
lime, already in part saturated with chlorine, is exposed to the strongest gas,
and the remnant of the gas is exposed to a surface of fresh lime. It will thus
be perceived that the receivers shall be discharged alternately, and that the
receiver which is stronger during one process shall be the weaker during
the next.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josias Christopher Gamble, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
JOSIAS CHRISTOPHER (L.S.) GAMBLE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of July, in the year of
our Lord 1839, the aforesaid Josias Christopher Gamble came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-nine.

page_text: And I do hereby further declare, that although I did not intend the words
underlined in the preceding paragraph to extend to any other retorts than the
iron retorts described and shewn in my Specification (viz), iron retorts worked
in connection with each other, in which the process is commenced in one retort
and finished in another retort, yet I have been informed by my legal advisers
that the above-mentioned words have a doubtful meaning, and may be con-
strued to extend to any iron retorts, for which reason I am desirous to
disclaim in my said Specification the words in the claim thereof above
referred to.
And for the reason aforesaid, I, the said Josias Christopher Gamble, do
hereby disclaim and omit in the claiming part of my said Specification the
words and also iron retorts constantly worked through a door, open or
"

page_text: reservoirs," which words are underlined with black ink in the extract
from my said Specification herein-before referred to.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josias Christopher Gamble, have hereunto
set my hand, this Twelfth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-four.
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
JOS. C. GAMBLE.
This is to certify, that Josias Christopher Gamble has applied to me for
leave to enter the above-written Disclaimer of part of the Specification of a
certain Invention for which Letters Patent were duly granted under the Great
Seal of England, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine now last past, and on considering
of the said application, and no objection having been made thereto, I have
accordingly granted leave to the said Josias Christopher Gamble, to file his
said Disclaimer, pursuant to the Statute passed in the sixth year of the reign
of His late Majesty, intituled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters
Patent for Invention."