IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Tatlock and Christopher
Nicolay Abelseth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 5th September 1868.-A communication from
abroad by James Stratton, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America.
We, WILLIAM TATLOCK, of Frankfort, Germany, Civil Engineer, and.
CHRISTOPHER NICOLAY ABELSETH, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, Civil Engineer, both now of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MANUFACTURING GAS," a communication, to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the production of gas from naptha or other
volatile liquids, and the nature of the said Invention consists in the
peculiar construction of the gas generator, through which a continuous
current of atmospheric air is forced, all of such air being brought into
contact with the liquid with which the generator is charged, and thereby
impregnated with the inflammable matter contained in the same.
We construct a cylindrical tank of any desired size and place the same
on a stand or base. In the centre of this tank we place a perforated

page_text: pipe or hollow shaft, which where it passes through the head or end of
the said tank is provided with a stuffing box made in the usual way
to allow the said shaft to revolve freely in the tank without leaking.
Upon this shaft inside the tank we place a perforated cylinder made less
in diameter than the tank to leave a space around it, and between
it and the tank outside of this cylinder we place another cylinder
which is also perforated, a slight space being left between the two
cylinders; this space we fill with cotton, batting, or other suitable
material. The perforations or holes in these cylinders are small, say
about one-eighth or one-quarter of an inch in diameter, and very
numerous. On the shaft just outside of the stuffing box is placed a
pulley or wheel by means of which the shaft is put in motion, and
outside this pulley or wheel an air pipe is attached to the said shaft in
such a manner as to allow the shaft to revolve without turning the said
air pipe; the latter is secured at its opposite end to a fan or blower,
which may be made of any desired form and size and driven in any
suitable manner. In one end of the tank and near its lower side we
place a pipe through which the contents of the tank can be drawn off
at pleasure, and near to the centre of the same end of the tank we
place another pipe, by means of which we can ascertain when the
proper amount of liquid is in the tank. The top of the tank is con-
nected with the gas pipe leading to the burners, and another pipe
is placed near one end of the tank, whereby the same is charged with
liquid. If the tank is properly charged with the volatile liquid the
perforated cylinders will be partly submerged in the same, and if they
revolve the intervening cotton, batting, or other material will be con-
tinually saturated therewith. If the fan is put in motion a current of
air will be forced through the air pipe which leads from the said fan
to the perforated pipe or hollow shaft, and through it into the inner
perforated cylinder, through its perforations, and the cotton, where it
will be impregnated with the inflammable matter of the liquid with
which the cotton is constantly saturated. The air and vapour combined
will. then pass through the perforations of the outer cylinder into the
space between it and the tank, and thence into the gas pipe leading to
the burners.