IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Reeves Cox, of Fareham, in the County of
lants, Coal Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
"
Than
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Reeves Cox at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th December 1856.
I, RICHARD REEVES Cox, of Fareham, in the County of Hants, Coal
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL, AND IN MACHINERY FOR THAT
PURFOSE," to be as follows:-
I mix about twenty parts of small coal with five parts of cow dung and five
parts of moist clay, and about one part of coal tar; or, in lieu of the twenty
parts of small coal, I employ twelve parts of coal and eight parts of spent tan,
or any intermediate proportions. The moist clay and cow dung bind the coal
and tan together, and the small quantity of tar increases the flame in the com-
bustion of the fuel. Although the above materials and proportions produce
excellent results, they may be varied according to circumstances, and other ingre-
dients may be added. Thus, in some localities coal is expensive or scarce, while
in other localities tan and cows' manure are comparatively scarce. To meet

page_text: the requirements of various localities, a portion of ground or powdered cinders
may be added or substituted for a portion of the coal, sawdust or spent dyers'
wood may be substituted for the tan, a portion of horse dung may be sub-
stituted for cow dung, and road scrapings or mud may be substituted for or
mixed with clay. In most of these cases, however, it will be necessary to
somewhat increase the proportion of binding material and tar.
This composition may be made into blocks alone or mixed with other ingre-
dients. The materials are well mixed together by any convenient means, or
by means of the following machinery-A cylindrical box or case is traversed
by a shaft or spindle carrying a number of saws or teeth, by which the mate-
rials are incorporated together. The box is then turned over or opened, and
the composition discharged; a fresh charge is then introduced, and so on. The
plastic composition thus obtained may be moulded by hand, or otherwise, as
bricks are moulded, or in any convenient manner, or by the following means:-
Two blocks of wood or metal have a corresponding series of moulds formed in
each; these blocks are placed upon one another with a thin metal plate
between. The upper block is filled by spreading a certain quantity of the
composition over it. The thin plate is then withdrawn, and the soft blocks of
composition fall into the moulds in the lower block. A loose plate of metal or
wood, or other suitable material, is dropped into each mould, and the moulds in
the upper block are again filled. The composition in cach mould is now com-
pressed by inserting a plunger and striking it with a mallet. Two blocks or
cakes of artificial fuel are thus formed in each mould, the blocks being sepa-
rated by the loose plates, which are easily removed afterwards. The blocks or
cakes are pushed out of the moulds by a series of plungers attached to a plate
or board, which is pressed down by means of a lever. I also construct a larger
machine in a very similar manner, but in which the requisite pressure is given
by a screw or other equivalent, means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Reeves Cox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
REEVES Cox, late of Fareham, in the County of Hants, Coal Merchant, but
now of Albert Street, Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters

page_text: Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign: did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Reeves Cox, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Reeves
Cox, my executors, administrators; and assigns; or such others as I, the said
Richard Reeves Cox, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
tino 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, exer-
cise, 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 ARTIFICIAL FUEL, AND IN MACHINERY FOR THAT PURPOSE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Reeves Cox, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describo and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the sanie was to be per-
formed, 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 Richard Reeves Cox, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:--
I mix about twenty parts of small coal with five parts of cow dung and five
parts of moist clay, and about one part of coal tar; or, in lieu of the twenty
parts of small coal, I employ twelve parts of coal and eight parts of spent tan;
or any intermediate proportions. The moist clay and cow dung bind the coal
and tan together, and the small quantity of tar increases the flame in the com-
bustion of the fuel. Although the above materials and proportions produce
excellent results, they may be varied according to circumstances, and other
ingredients may be added. Thus, in some localities coal is expensive or scarce,
while in other localities tan and cows' manure are comparatively scarce. To
meet the requirements of various localities, a portion of ground or powdered
cinders may be added or substituted for a portion of the coal, sawdust or spent
dyers wood may be substituted for the tan, a portion of horse dung may be
substituted for cow dung, and road scrapings or mud may be substituted for
or mixed with clay. In most of these cases, however, it will be necessary to
somewhat increase the proportion of binding material and tar. This compo-
sition may be made into blocks alone or mixed with other ingredients. The

page_text: The
following proportions produce good results:-Forty-four and a half pounds of
coal dust, thirty pounds of spent tan, eighteen pounds of cow dung, sixteen
pounds of moist clay, and three and a half pounds or about two and a half
pints of coal tar; or, fifty-three pounds of coal dust, twenty pounds of spent
tan, eighteen pounds of cow dung, seventeen pounds of moist elay, and four
pounds or about two and three-quarters or three pints of coal tar.
following proportions produce a good fuel without tan:-Seventy-two pounds
of coal dust, eighteen pounds of cow dung, eighteen and a half pounds of moist
clay, and three and a half pounds or about two and a half pints of coal tar.
On the other hand, where tan is plentiful, its proportion may be increased and
that of the coal diminished, but in no case should the proportion of tan exceed
one and a half times that of the coal. Sawdust may be substituted for the
spent tan, and the quantity of binding materials and tar increased. Thus, a
fuel may be made of forty-four pounds of coal dust, thirty pounds of sawdust,
twenty-four pounds of cow dung, twenty-four pounds of moist clay, and ten
pounds of tar. This may be made to burn quicker and ignite more readily by
reducing the quantity of clay and increasing the cow dung, so as still to retain
à sufficient proportion of binding material. Thus, a mixture may be made of
forty-four pounds of coal, thirty pounds of sawdust, thirty-six pounds of cow
dung, twelve pounds of moist clay, and ten pounds of coal tar. By adding a
considerable quantity of tar to this mixture it is rendered still more inflamı-
mable, and a small portion of it may then be used with advantage for lighting
or setting fire to the other fuel or to ordinary coals. The quantity of coal dust
employed may also be reduced in making fuel for this purpose. Thus a mix-
ture of twenty-seven pounds of coal dust, thirty-five pounds of sawdust, thirty-
seven pounds of cow dung, twelve pounds of moist clay, and sixty or seventy
pounds of coal tar may be employed. If the clay and cow dung are not
sufficiently moist, water may be added. On the other hand, if it be required
to produce a very slow burning fuel, the proportion of clay may be increased
and the tar omitted, and a portion of cinders or coke dust may be substituted
for a portion of the coal. In no case, however, should more than one-half of
the coal be replaced by cinders or coke.
These compositions may be made into blocks alone, or mixed with other
ingredients. Thus, resin or resin oil or pitch, or (as already mentioned) tar or
other inflammable ingredients may be added, when required, to render the fuel
more combustible. The materials are well mixed together by any convenient
means, or by means of the machine shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 is a perspective view; and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of
the mixing machine.

page_text: A is a frame, which carries a cylindrical box or case or barrel B, which is
traversed by a shaft or spindle C, carrying a number of saws or teeth D, D;
an end view of the shaft with some of these saws is shewn separately in Figure 3.
A fly wheel E, and winch or handle F, are attached to one end or to each end
of the spindle C, which can thus be turned round by hand; or a pulley or
wheel may be mounted on the spindle, and it may be driven by a steam engino
or other
power. The cylinder or barrel B is capable of being turned round
upon trunnions which rest upon the frame. It has an opening at the top, and
it is kept stationary by means of a loop or latch at G. The materials are
thrown in at the opening, and they are well mixed by turning the spindle C.
The latch G is then unfastened, and the cylinder B is turned over to discharge
the composition. The cylinder is turned back again and secured by the latch,
and a fresh charge of materials is then introduced and mixed as before, and
so on.
The plastic composition thus obtained may be moulded by hand, or otherwise,
as bricks are moulded, or in any convenient manner, or by means of the
moulding machine shewn in the Drawing. Figure 4 is a perspective view of
the moulding machine. J is the frame or table, having two side rails K, K,
on which slides the compound mould L, which is shewn separately in section
in Figure 5.
The compound mould L is an assemblage of several moulds formed by
cylindrical holes or perforations in a block of wood, or in any other convenient
manner. This compound mould slides over an iron plate or other flat surface
at one end of the table J, and it is then filled with the aforesaid plastic
composition, which is rammed into each compartment of the mould by
inserting a rammer, and striking it with a mallet or hammer. The rammer
M is shown in perspective in Figure 6, and in section in Figure 7. The face
of the rammer has a conical projection a in the centre, and also a projecting
ring b, which produce corresponding depressions or cavities in the cakes or
blocks of fuel; these depressions admit the air, and facilitate the drying of
the composition. When the composition in each mould or compartment has
been thus compressed, the compound mould is caused to slide off the iron
plate along the rails K, K. The blocks or cakes of fuel are then pushed out
of the mould by means of the compound plunger N, shewn in perspective in
Figure 8. This compound plunger consists of a board or plate c, with several
cylindrical or other plungers d, d, corresponding to the compartments in the
compound mould L. This compound plunger may be applied by hand, or it
may be moved by a lever or a screw press, or an eccentric or other mechanical
means. The blocks or cakes of artificial fuel are thus pushed out of the

page_text: mould and fall upon the table, or upon a board placed on the table, and they
are then placed aside and allowed to dry. When dry, they are fit for use. Jn
lieu of ramming each compartment of the mould by hand, a compound
rammer, similar to the compound plunger N, may be employed, and this
compound rammer may be forced into the compound mould by a lever or screw
press, or a falling weight or stamp, or by an eccentric or other mechanical
means.
In the various mixtures herein-before mentioned it will be seen that the
coal, or the mixture of coal and cinders, the spent tan or sawdust, or spent
dyewood, and the tar, are the combustible ingredients, and the cow dung and
clay are the binding materials. In all cases the aforesaid combustible ingre-
dients are to form from sixty to eighty per cent. of the weight of the com-
position, while the binding materials are not to exceed forty per cent., or
amount to less than twenty per cent. of the weight of the composition. The
cow dung, while serving as a binding material, is also capable of burning when
dry, and its proportion may therefore be increased, and that of the clay
diminished, when it is required to render the fuel more inflammable.
The proportion of the cow dung should not, however, exceed six times that
of the clay. On the other hand, when a slow burning fuel is required, the
proportion of clay may be increased, and that of cow dung diminished, but the
proportion of clay should not exceed twice that of the cow dung. Horse dung
may be substituted for any portion not exceeding one-half of tlie cow dung.
Road scrapings or mud may be substituted for the whole or any portion of the
clay. As, however, road scrapings and mud vary in quality and nature, it is
necessary to use them cautiously, and if the fuel should be found to possess too
little cohesion, the proportion of road scrapings or mud must be diminished,
and clay or cow dung must be substituted.
Ilaving now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner tlie
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
the exclusive use in the manufacture of artificial fuel of any of the aforesaid
ingredients or materials separately; but what I claim is,―
First, the manufacture of artificial fuel by the combination of the herein-
before mentioned materials in the proportions herein before described.
Second, constructing machinery for mixing the materials of artificial fuel
with a cylinder or barrel capable of turning on its axis, and traversed by a
shaft or spindle carrying saws or teeth, and capable of revolving independently
of the cylinder or barrel, in manner berein-before described.
Third, constructing machinery for moulding artificial fuel with a compound
mould, cr assemblage of moulds, arranged so as to slide or traverse on a

page_text: frame, and to pass on and off a plate or ramming surface, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Reeves Cox, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
RICHARD REEVES COX. (L.S.)
Witness,
CHARLES COWPER,
20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.