Im- PROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."-A communication from
abroad by Christopher Columbus Wolcott and William Willis
Wilie Wood, both of the City of Washington, District of Columbia,
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th August 1874.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of No. 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GENERATING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," a communication
to me from abroad by Christopher Columbus Wolcott and William

page_text: gas, the 2 former elements being in very minute proportions, while the
carbonic acid gas under the heat thus developed by the burning of the
hydrogen with the oxygen is the above mentioned motive-power gas, of
great energy and expansibility.
It may be well to here briefly explain a mode which has been suc-
cessfully carried into effect of generating the two elements above referred
to:-A vessel herein-after called the main vessel of great strength is pro-
vided with trunnions so that it can be readily tilted, this vessel being
furnished with a detachable cap having a chest containing a valve or
cock, by operating which the gas generated in the main vessel can be
allowed to pass into and through a conducting pipe. The gas is gene-
rated in the main vessel by depositing in the latter carbonate of lime,
and by sulphuric acid which is contained in a bottle within the main
vessel, and which by tilting the latter is mixed with the carbonate of
lime. At the proper time the gas from the main vessel is permitted to
pass through the conducting pipe into the vessel before described to
contain carbonic acid gas, where it assumes a liquid form, this vessel
containing a pipe extending downwards into the liquid and communi-
cating with the vessel's outlet. When this vessel has received a
sufficient quantity of carbonic acid gas in a liquid state it is uncoupled
from the conducting pipe and connected to one of the branches of the
valve chest previously described. The vessel before described to contain
hydrogen gas may then be attached to the conducting pipe, and may
receive a supply of hydrogen gas generated in the main vessel by the
action of dilute sulphuric acid on iron turnings, or by any other well
known means. The vessel being supplied with hydrogen gas is then
uncoupled from the conducting pipe and connected to the other branch
of the valve chest previously described. It should be understood that
the Invention is. not confined to this particular mode of generating tho
gases, as other plans and appliances equally efficient may be adopted.
In addition to the two elements above described chlorine gas may be
used in a separate vessel and introduced with the other clements into
the valve chest, the result of these combined elements when subjected
to the action of an electic spark being hydrochloric acid, water, and
carbonic acid gas.

page_text: mechanism described being given as a merc example of one of the many
modes of such application.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincolns' Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
38th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her
special license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my cxc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my exccutors, administrators, or 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 GENERATING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR,' a communication to me
from abroad by Christopher Columbus Wolcott and William Willis
Wilie Wood, both of the City of Washington, District of Columbia,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Henry Johnson, my exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 calender months next and imme.
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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.

page_text: in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
The said Invention is based on the fact determined by practical tests
that when carbonic acid gas is introduced in a liquid state into a closed
vessel and there subjected to heat by the aid of hydrogen which is
introduced at the same time as the carbonic acid gas, the result will be
the evolution of great heat and a gas possessing such great expansibility
and energy as to enable it to be economically and most effectually
employed as a medium for applying motive power.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the
Figures.
The diagram Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings illustrates onc
mode of applying the motive power gas. A and A¹ are two cylinders
made of a strength sufficient to withstand the excessive pressure to
which they are to be subjected, and in each of which cylinders there is
fitted a tightly packed rod B, one end of such rod constituting the
piston to be acted on by the gas, whilst the other end is connected to a
crank on a shaft in the same manner as the piston rod of an ordinary
steam engine. At the rear of the two cylinders there is placed a
chest D containing a valve which is so constructed and so operated
from the crank shaft, and is arranged in respect to suitable ports in such
a manner as to admit the gas to one cylinder while it is being exhausted'
from the other, thereby imparting to the piston rods the desired reci-
procating motion in contrary directions, and to the crank shaft the
desired rotatory motion.
The chest D is provided with two branches a and a', to the former of
which is secured a vessel E containing hydrogen gas under pressure,
whilst to the branch a' is attached a vessel E¹ containing carbonic acid gas
in a liquid state and under pressure. Each of the branches a and a¹ is
fitted with a small valve, the two valves being so operated by the engine
as to rapidly open and close the passage between the vessels E and E¹
and the chest D, and thus admit a portion of the contents of the two
vessels to the chest D whenever each of the piston rods reaches the
limit of its rearward movement.

page_text: As the most economical and available means of imparting the desired
heat to the combined elements admitted to the chest, two wires x, x,
from an induction coil are introduced into such chest. The instant the
two elements are introduced into the chest and are ignited the hydrogen
gas
combines with the atoms of oxygen derived from the carbonic acid,
thus producing water, carbonic oxide, and carbonic acid gas, the two.
former elements being in very minute proportions, while the carbonic
acid gas under the heat thus developed by the burning of the hydrogen
with the oxygen constitutes the above mentioned motive power gas. of
great energy and expansibility.
h
The following is a mode of gencrating the two elements above referred
to which has been successfully carried into effect:-H, Figure 2, repre-
sents a vessel of great strength provided with trunnions e so as to enable
it to be readily tilted; this vessel is furnished with a detachable сар
which carries a chest i containing a valve or cock, by operating which
the gas generated in the vessel is allowed to pass into and through the
pipe M. The gas is generated in the vessel H by the admixture of car-
bonate of lime which is deposited therein with sulphuric acid which is
contained in a bottle within the vessel, such admixture being effected
by the act of tilting the latter. At the proper time the gas from the
vessel H is permitted to pass through the pipe M into the vessel E¹
where it assumes a liquid form; this vessel E¹ contains a pipe m
extending downwards into the liquid and communicating with the outlet
from the vessel, and it is also provided with a cover h carrying a chest i
in a similar manner to the vessel H. When the vessel has received a
sufficient quantity of carbonic acid gas in a liquid state it is uncoupled
from the pipe M and connected to the branch a¹ of the chest D, as
shewn in Figure 1. The vessel E may then be attached to the pipe M
and may receive a supply of hydrogen gas generated in the vessel H by
the action of dilute sulphuric acid on iron turnings, or by any other
well known means. The vessel is then uncoupled from the pipe M and
connected to the branch a of the chest D. I wish it to be understood
that I neither lay claim nor confine myself to the mode herein-before
described of generating the gases, as other plans and appliances equally
efficient may be adopted..
In addition to the two elements above described chlorine gas may be
used in a separate vessel and introduced with the other elements into
the chest D, the result of these combined elements when subjected to