IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING PRODUCTS OF DRY DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION FROM SOLID MATTERS A
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick Redfern, of the General Patent Office,
4, South Street, Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING PRODUCTS OF
DRY DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION FROM SOLID MATTERS A communication
to him from abroad by Henry Wurtz, of New York, in the state of New York,
United States of America.
.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick Redfern
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st August 1882.
GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN of the General Patent Office, 4 South Street,
Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent, " IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING PRODUCTS OF DRY DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION FROM
SOLID MATTERS." [A communication to him from abroad by Henry. Wurtz, of
New York, in the state of New York, United States of America.]
The invention communicated to me relates to an improved apparatus for
obtaining products of dry and destructive distillation from solid matters of organic
nature or origin, either animal, vegetable or mineral, including coals of all kinds,
both cannel and caking, bituminous shales, lignites, woods, barks, peats, seaweeds,
gluten from starch-works, oily seeds and oil cakes, fish, flesh, bones, leather,
hair, etc, as well as mixtures of any of these.
This invention is especially applicable to procuring from such matters the
maximum proportion they are susceptible of yielding of primary distilled products
of liquid nature, such as paraffine oils (with solid paraffine) benzoles, phenols, and
ammoniacal solutions with the minimum proportion of naphthaline and other
products of secondary decomposition or dissociation.
The invention consists :-
First, in the use of a vertical fire-brick lined structure, or distilling tower of
oblong horizontal section, through which is made to descend successively, by

page_text: continuous steps, a series of iron boxes or cases of similar oblong form charged
with the materials to be distilled, which cases are suspended constantly, or during
the whole time, from the upper part of the tower, being linked together in the
manner of a chain, with certain equal interspaces between them, by link-work so
constructed as to bring each case, at each such downward step, under the influence
of a higher heat until the focus of highest temperature is reached just above the
sole of the working-section or distilling-chamber, of the tower.
Second. In so constructing the sole of the distilling chamber of this tower, as to
be movable, by suitable means, downward from its seat, to the level of the floor of
a lower lateral chamber, called a cooling chamber into which the case containing
the incandescent residuum of the final stage of the distillation may be removed,
after being also lowered, the movable sole being then elevated again to its seat,
with which it is made to form a gas-tight junction, by means of a liquid seal or
otherwise,
Third. In so constructing, the hook and link connections between the iron boxes
or cases of the chain, that the lowest member of the chain will unlink itself on
slightly elevating again the movable sole, together with the case of coke resting
thereon, after the two shall have been lowered to the level of the cooling chamber.
Fourth. In the attachment to, or superposition upon, the upper end of the
distilling chamber, of another chamber to serve as a vestibule or ante-chamber,
through which the newly charged boxes or cases of material are introduced into
the distilling tower; this ante-chamber being provided also, with hinged doors or
valves, which close gas-tight between it and the distilling chamber below, both
before opening the door of the ante-chamber to introduce a new charge, and after'
lowering the said charge into the distilling chamber.
Fifth. In combining with the lower part of the vertical distilling-chamber,
lateral recesses in its two broader sides having gas-tight linings or casings of iron
plate, in which bricks of refractory material are arranged cellularly, next to the
material to be distilled; highly heated gas, which serves as the source or vehicle of
heat for the distillation, being introduced behind this cellular brick-work, between
the same and the gas-tight casing; this combination serving, among other purposes,
that of distributing the heated gas uniformly, the bricks themselves becoming
heated at the same time, and aiding in imparting heat, by radiation, to the materials
under distillation; while the current of gas introduced serves also to remove the
primary products of distillation at once away from the focus of the greatest heat,
thus preventing secondary dissociation with gasefaction of these products and
formation of naphthaline, etc.
Sixth. In the prevention of explosions in enclosed spaces containing air, which
are to be put into communication with spaces containing hot gas, as in the case of
the ante-chamber over the distilling chamber and that of the lateral cooling chamber,
the attachment to such space of pipes at the top and bottom for displacing such
air with a current of a gas, lighter than air, forced in at the top pipe, the air being
thus forced out through the bottom pipe, before opening communication with the
hot gas chamber.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Frederick Redfern in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th January 1883.
GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN of the General Patent Office, 4 South Street
Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING PRODUCTS OF DRY DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION FROM
"
SOLID MATTERS (A communication to me from abroad by Henry Wurtz of New
York, in the state of New York, United States of America)
The invention communicated to me relates to an improved apparatus for obtaining
products of dry and destructive distillation from solid matters of organic nature
or origin, either animal, vegetable, or mineral, including coals of all kinds, both
cannel and caking, bituminous shales, lignites, woods, barks, peats, seaweeds,
gluten from starch-works, oily seeds and oil cakes, fish, flesh, bones, leather, hair etc,
as well as mixtures of any of these.
This invention is especially applicable to procuring from such matters the
maximum proportion they are susceptible of yielding of primary distilled products
of liquid nature, such as paraffine oils (with solid paraffine) benzoles, phenols, and
ammoniacal solutions with the minimum proportion of naphthaline and other
products of secondary decomposition or dissociation.
The invention consists :
First. In the use of a vertical fire-brick lined structure, or distilling-tower of
oblong horizontal section, through which is made to descend successively, by con-
tinuous steps, a series of iron boxes or cases of similar oblong form charged with
the materials to be distilled-which cases are suspended constantly, or during the
whole time, from the upper part of the tower, being linked together in the manner
of a chain,, with certain equal interspaces between them, by link-work of special
construction-in such manner as to bring each case, at each such downward step,
under the influence of a higher heat until the focus of highest temperature is
reached just above the sole of the working-section, or distilling-chamber, of the
tower..
Second. In so constructing the sole of the distilling chamber of this tower, as to
be movable, by, suitable means, downward from its seat, to the level of the floor of
a lower lateral chamber, called a cooling-chamber into which the case containing
the incandescent residuum of the final stage of the distillation may be removed,
after being also lowered, the movable sole being then elevated again to its seat,
with which it is made to form a gas-tight junction, by means of a liquid seal or
otherwise.
Third. In so constructing, as hereafter described in detail, the hook and link
connections between the iron boxes or cases of the chain, that the lowest member
of the chain will unlink itself on slightly elevating again the movable sole, together
with the case of coke resting thereon, after the two shall have been lowered to the
level of the cooling chamber.
Fourth. In the attachment to, or super-position upon, the upper end of the
distilling-chamber, of another chamber to serve as a vestibule or ante-chamber,
through which the newly charged boxes or cases of material are introduced into
the distilling tower; this ante-chamber being provided also, as hereafter explained
in detail, with hinged doors or valves, which close gas-tight between it and the
distilling-chamber below, both before opening the door of the ante-chamber to
introduce a new charge, and after lowering the said charge into the distilling
chamber.
Fifth. In combining with the lower part of the vertical distilling chamber,

page_text: lateral recesses in its two broader sides having gas-tight linings or casings of iron
plate, in which bricks of refractory material are arranged cellularly, next to the
material to be distilled; highly heated gas-which serves as the source or vehicle
of heat for the distillation-being introduced behind this cellular brick-work,
between the same and the gas-tight casing; this combination serving, among other
purposes, that of distributing the heated gas uniformly, the bricks themselves
becoming heated at the same time, and aiding in imparting heat by radiation to
the materials under distillation; while the current of gas introduced serves also to
remove the primary products of distillation at once away from the focus of the
greatest heat, thus preventing secondary dissociation with gasefaction of these
products and formation of naphthaline etc.
Sixth. In the prevention of explosions in enclosed spaces containing air, which
are to be put into communication with spaces containing hot gas-as in the case of
the ante-chamber over the distilling chamber, and that of the lateral cooling
chamber the attachment to such space of pipes at the top and bottom for displacing
such air with a current of a gas lighter than air, forced in at the top pipe, the air
being thus forced out through the bottom pipe, before opening communication with
the hot gas chamber.
In order to enable the invention communicated to me to be better understood I
will proceed to describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which figure 1, represents a front view of a tier of these distilling towers, one
tower being represented in section through a central plane. Figure 2 presents
a sectional view of one of the distilling towers, with its attachments, from front to
rear through a central plane.
A, A, A¹, A', Figures 1, and 2, represent the interior of the working portion or
distilling-chamber of the tower, containing as here represented but two, B¹, B", of
the cases holding the material to be distilled, although in practice three or even
more such receptacles may be thus included within the working portion of the
tower, the latter being vertically prolonged in proportion.
The internal horizontal section of the tower is a rectangular parallelogram,
greatly elongated from front to rear, and the cases or boxes have a corresponding
shape, leaving a space of an inch or more between their sides and ends and the
internal walls of the tower. These internal walls may be lined for some distance
above the place of introduction of the heated gases with removable sheets of rolled
plate iron to prevent carbonaceous deposits from attaching themselves to the fire-
brick walls, and to facilitate the ready removal of such incrustations when thick
enough to constitute obstructions, the encrusted plates being replaced very easily.
by clean ones and the incrustations got rid of by bending the plates.
The fire-brick lining of the distilling-chamber should be accurately set to
prevent leakage of gas, but defects of this kind, if not too great, mend themselves
through the carbonization of the heavier hydrocarbons, which soon closes up pores
and fissures. This does not apply, however, to the cellular chambers attached to
the lower part of the distilling chamber, as explained below, for distributing the
gaseous heat vehicle.
As this latter gas should contain no hydro-carbons or
vapors which deposit carbon by dissociation, and as it would therefore percolate
readily through porous brick walls, this part of the apparatus must be made
imperforate, by a casing of iron plates joined gas-tight around these cellular
chambers. The cases or receptacles for containing the materials to be distilled,
marked B, B1, B¹¹, B¹¹, in figures 1, and 2, may vary in construction and character
to some extent with variations of the materials. When cannels, shales, bones or
other matters are operated on which do not soften, flow or swell, to any extent
during the early stages of their distillation, they may with advantage be a sort of
iron basket, of either cast or rolled iron having extensively perforated walls, the
perforations of which may indeed be greater in aggregate area than the continuous
surface, but when the material is caking, in its character, these walls must be
wholly continuous, so as to confine the soft dilating mass. In this latter case,
these receptacles are boxes rather than baskets the material of their walls being
,

page_text: either cast or rolled plates. A framework of iron rods may be so constructed as
to hold together removable sections of such plates, so that if a section under
prolonged action of high heats becomes damaged or defective, it may be readily
removed and replaced.
In operating on non-caking materials, it may be found economical, in the long
run, to employ for the walls of the receptacles, sections of some refractory non-
metallic material, suitably perforated such as soap-stone, pyrophyllite, or a fire-clay,
porcelain, asbestos or black lead composition. Such can scarcely be employed,
however, with caking coals; for these, iron plates from which adherent carbon
may be detached without injury, being advisable.
In figures 1, and 2, C, C, C, C, indicate the link work connecting the boxes
or cases into a constantly suspended chain, such chain being strengthened and
conjoined throughout by long flat cast iron links passing through the centre of
each box or case, as shewn in the drawings, and kept rigidly in position by being
fastened both to the bottom plate of the box and to a cross-piece at the top. This
long flat link terminates below the box in a strong hook cast in one piece with the
link, while above the box it has hinged to it a shorter flat link, which is capable of
swinging only in the plane of the curvature of the hook interlinked with it above.
This shorter link has in it two apertures or eyes, as shewn in figure 1, the lower
eye being of circular form and provided for the insertion of the rod F, F, as
explained further on, while the upper eye, for the insertion of the hook of the case
above, is vertically elongated to a considerable extent. It results from this
construction, by reason of the lateral swing of the shorter link and the rigidity of
the hook, that, on a slight elevation of any one of these boxes or cases, the inner
slope of the shank of the hook will force the link to tilt over and fall off, breaking
the chain at such point, as is shewn in figure 2, at C¹¹¹.
If greater strength be desired, the long flat link passing through and forming
part of the box or case, may be made broad enough to allow the hook and link
connections between the cases to be doubled in number, or even tripled, if great
weight is to be sustained. The hook C, figure 2, to which the topmost case B, is
hung, on its introduction into the ante-chamber or vestibule, is attached to the
lower end of a cylindrical steel rod B°, which slides vertically, like a piston-rod;
through a stuffing-box at the apex of the antechamber.
The door D, which is packed gas-tight, with rubber or with a porous packing
saturated with tar or glycerine, closes the antechamber after the introduction of B,
and its connection at C, and C¹.
.
E, E, E, indicate a movable pair of rails, or a platform placed so as to support
the case B, while it is being hooked fast to C, after which said platform is removed
out of the way.
F, F, figure 2, is a strong steel rod, used to support B, with the rest of the chain
below, after B, has been lowered to the position B', and inclosed in the distilling
chamber-while it is being detached from C, to enable the vertically-sliding rod Bº,
to be elevated again, and admit of the introduction of another charged case. In
figure 1, this horizontal rod F, F, is represented in dotted lines, as occupying a
position at right angles to that in figure 2, a construction which may be resorted
to when materials or charges of great weight are operated on, as F, F, being here
very much shorter, can bear a greater weight in proportion. In this case it is
obvious that the connecting links C, C, C, C, must have positions at right angles
with those figured.
G, G, figures 1, and 2, indicate the doors or valves, which close gas-tight
between the ante-chamber and the distilling chamber and which are opened to allow
of the descent of the charged boxes or cases into the latter. One of the several
functions, essential to the system, fulfilled by the intervals or interspaces between
the several cases composing the vertical chain, is to afford room for the opening
and shutting of these doors in these said interspaces. In figure 1, these doors are
represented as open and in figure 2, as closed. G¹, the door which closes first is
hollow, and may have circulating through it a current of cold water while closed;

page_text: to prevent heating of its upper surface. It may also be packed with non-conducting
material. G, which laps over on G¹, is faced with a thick glycerine-soaked porous
material, to form a gas-tight joint across the top. The joint all around the edges
of these doors may be made gas-tight by being formed of a continuous channel of
fusible metal H, H, figures 1, and 2, into which the down-turned edges dip, this
channel being formed in an iron casting which surrounds and forms the upper rim
of the distilling chamber. The alloy used in this channel may be of two parts tin
and one of lead which melts at about three hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
If it be considered advisable to use metal of greater fusibility, bismuth may be
added. An alloy containing forty or fifty per cent of bismuth will melt at a little
above the boiling point of water. Each of the doors. G, G', may have a projecting
flap of thin elastic metal lined with felt soaked in glycerine, these two flaps being
so constructed and adjusted that when the doors are shut they meet with some
slight pressure, so as to clasp and form a gas-tight junction around the upper end
of the flat link that passes centrally through B₁. In these two sections these flaps
are not represented.
These doors may be opened and shut by means of two crank handles altogether
outside the apparatus so attached as to turn round axially two rods which operate
as hinges. The rod which turns the lower door may be hollow and have a current
of water circulating through it, and into and out of the hollow interior, as before
stated.
J, figure 2, is a tube for the introduction of gas to expel air from the ante-
chamber, J¹, being an exit pipe for the air. This expulsion must be effected after
the closing in of the freshly-charged case within the antechamber, and before
opening the doors G, G', which opening would otherwise involve danger of an
explosion, from the mixing of the hot gases from below with the said air.
K, K, figure 1, indicate the apparatus through which the heated gases are intro-
duced into the distilling chamber. This consists of two cellular structures of
refractory brick or other suitable material, contained in two boxes of iron plate
with gas-tight joints, one extending horizontally along each longer side of the
distilling chamber. These boxes must be lined with fire-brick or tiles, or other
non-conducting lining.
L, L, figure 2, indicate heating coils for the gas, which may be heated by two or
more powerful ring gas-burners, M, M, or by any other suitable means.
N, N, figures 1, and 2, indicate one or more perforated distributing-tubes for the
heated gas, situated behind the cellular brick-work, on both sides, inside the gas-
tight iron boxes, and intercommunicating by means of horizontal connecting tubes
whose point of separation is partially indicated at N, in figure 2.
Q, Q, is a steam boiler, to take up and utilize the waste heat from the fire which
heats the gas-heating coil. Such boiler may be vertical or horizontal. R, is the
Bue to the chimney stack.
'
The lower part of the distilling-chamber, between the cellular gas-chambers and
the sole, is lined all round with a continuous solid iron casting X, X, which serves
to brace and strengthen the apparatus at this point, and permits of any carbonaceous
incrustations being broken or picked off without damage.
S, S, is the movable sole, which is formed of a cast iron frame-work filled in
with fire-brick, fire-tiles, or any suitable refractory material, which may be covered
in addition with movable plates of iron to take up incrustations of carbon.
T, T, is the channel all around this sole for holding the fusible metal seal. The
alloy of two parts of tin and one part of lead, melting at three hundred and sixty
degrees Fahrenheit, which was before referred to, is quite suitable for this seal, but
pure tin, which melts at about four hundred and fifty degrees may be used with
proper management. The channel for this seal must be of such width at top that
no fragment of material that can drop from the cases above will be large enough
to wedge in it and prevent the free entrance of the vertical plate of iron T¹, T',,
which completes the seal when the sole is elevated to its seat. This part T', T',
may be made up of four bars of angle-iron, welded together at the four corners of

page_text: the parallelogram, and set into the fire brick base of the distilling chamber, as
sufficiently depicted in both figure 1 and figure 2.
The sole may be run up and down by means of a screw or piston, working gas-
tight through an iron casting W, W, which constitutes the floor of the distilling-
tower, and serves also to brace the walls at this part. Accumulations of dust and
fragments which settle on this floor W, W, may be removed from time to time
through a stoppered aperture therein. Under this floor a cellar should extend
from end to end of a tier of distilling-towers, containing the machinery for working
the screws; which cellar must be permanently open to the air from end to end, to
prevent possible accumulation of gas therein, and may be lighted with gas to allow
of inspection and care of the machinery.
The sole S, S, may be elevated also by means of a hydraulic apparatus.
The truck Z, Z, is wholly composed of iron, and serves to transfer the box of coke
or other residuum of the distilling process first to the cooling-chamber Y, Y, and
then, after cooling, to the open air through the door of the cooling-chamber d,
represented here as opening down on a hinge at its base to the position d. The.
rod c', c, which works, with proper lubrication, gas-tight through an aperture in
the wall of the tower, serves both to push the iron truck Z, Z, loaded with the
iron box B¹¹, from off the sole into the cooling-chamber, and to draw the truck
upon the sole again after its next descent from its seat, at the base of the distilling-
chamber. The latter is accomplished by means of a projection at c¹, which, on half
turing the rod, falls into a groove in the platform of the truck and thus
establishes an attachment thereto. The tube a, is for the introduction of gas
into Y, Y, and under the sole S, S, when the latter is elevated into place, to
displace air from these spaces, before lowering the sole and opening communication
with the gases in the distilling chamber.
The mode of operating the apparatus is as follows:-
New towers may first be dried out and seasoned while empty, by passing into
them a current of warm air, this being effected by passing such air through the
heating coil heated to a moderate temperature. The whole apparatus may be
closed by shutting the outside doors of the ante-chamber and cooling chamber,
leaving open only the small tube J, at the top of the antechamber, from which the
current of warm air sent into the tower must therefore be emitted, with such
moisture as it has taken up. When such moisture has disappeared as may be
shewn by tests made by attaching glass tubes that have been dusted internally
with dry chloride of calcium, the next step is to introduce one of the boxes or cases
in the position B, but empty of material.
The door D, which is packed gas-tight all around is then closed, and all air is
next removed from every part of the closed tower by passing a current of cold gas
into it through the tube J, at the top of the antechamber, the air passing out.
through the tube J¹¹
When the air has been all thus displaced from the apparatus a point
determinable by tests with glass tubes containing asbestos 'wetted with alkaline
pyrogallol, which will then no longer turn brown, it will then be practicable to.
begin heating up the tower, still void of all materials to be distilled but containing
the empty box B, by passing into it heated gas from the heating coil. It will be
advisable to elevate the movable sole at this stage high enough to bring the
solidified metal in the channel for the seal into contact with the vertical
plates T, T. The temperature should be then elevated by degrees until it is
found that the metal seals at the top and bottom of the distilling chamber have
liquefied so that the doors G, G', can be shut down into place and the sole S, S,
can be brought up completely. to its seat.
Before closing the doors G, G¹, however, the empty box B, is lowered one step,
so as to bring it into the position B¹. The doors G, G', may then be closed by
crank handles outside, the door D, of the antechamber opened and the steel
rod F, F, introduced through the link C¹, to support the box B'. By slightly.
lowering the vertical rod Bº, it will unhook itself from the link C₁, and may be.

page_text: drawn up to the top of the tower. The platform E, E, E, having then been put
into place, a charged case is brought up on the truck, slidden into the antechamber
upon the platform, linked to Bº, slightly raised to admit of the removal of the
platform, and then linked below to C₁.
The door D, is again shut, which may be done after due adjustment thereto of
two rods (not shewn in the figures) which open valves in the gas-inlet tubes J,
and a.
When the antechamber has become filled with gas, the rod F, F, may be
drawn out, the doors G, G¹, opened, B, then let down to the position of B', the
latter falling a step lower, the doors G, G¹, again closed, and the rod F, F, again
introduced.
Distillation, at moderate temperature, will now begin in B', and may be allowed.
to proceed. for one or two hours, as desired, when another charge being in the
meantime introduced, by opening D, unlinking C, raising B° introducing platform
-E, E, E, sliding in B, linking C, slightly raising Bº, removing E, E, E, linking C',
closing D, turning on the gas at J, and when the antechamber is filled with gas,
removing F, F, and opening G, G', lowering the new charge, closing G, G¹, and
reinserting F, F. After another suitable interval, another charge is brought in by:
dint of the same routine of manipulation. It may here be pointed out that when
distillation is proceeding in the distilling chamber, and a new charge has been
shut into the antechamber, which has also been freed from air and filled with gas
by means of J, and J', it will be advisable to close J', but not J, leaving the latter
in communication with a gas-holder or other source of gas, in which a pressure is
maintained uniformly equal to or somewhat higher than that in the distilling-
chamber. If then any leakage occur through the joints of the doors G, G¹, it
will be from without inwards, and will hence be immaterial. When a charge or,
(as in the initiation of the action of the tower) the first empty case reaches the
position of B", the number of steps to attain which depends, of course on the
height of the tower, the routine required for the removal of B", from the tower must
be put in practice. This is as follows:-The truck Z, Z, being in the cooling
chamber, and the door d, being closed, gas must be made to flow in through tube a,.
till the whole space is filled, as determined by precautions such as specified in the
case of the ante-chamber, at the summit of the tower.
The sole S, S, is then lowered by means of the screw or piston V, until its upper
surface is on a level with the floor of the cooling chamber.
By pushing in and then half turning the rod c', c, the truck Z, Z, is next caught
hold of and drawn upon the sole to the position Z, Z. At this stage the
doors G, G¹, between the antechamber and the distilling chamber should be opened,
and the whole chain of cases being lowered one step will bring the case B", down
to the position B¹¹¹, so that it stands upon the truck. The next proceeding is a
momentary elevation of the sole S, S, again for about six inches, which forces the
link off the hook of box B, in the manner previously explained, so that it is
thrown over into the position shewn by dotted lines in figure 2, at C¹¹¹. Case B¹¹¹,
is thus entirely detached from the chain, and is immediately wheeled out into the
cooling chamber, by pushing with the rod c¹, c, which is then drawn back into its
recess, and the sole is screwed up without delay into its place at the base of the
distilling chamber. In the meantime the valves G, G¹, having been shut down
into place, the distillation proceeds in the closed distilling chamber. The next
proceeding is the cooling of the mass of carbonaceous residuum in box B¹¹, which
is now in the cooling chamber, an operation effected sometimes by passing through
this space, cold gas, which may be afterwards conveyed to the heating coils L, L, or
to the burners M, M, for heating these, or to both. Such cooling may also take
place simply by radiation and conduction, in case a portion of the walls of the
cooling chamber be suitably composed of metal.
When cooled to a point at which the residuum will no longer kindle into
combustion in the-air which is determinable by observation of the pyrometer at b
the door d, may be opened, and the truck, with the box, wheeled out of the tower
altogether.
-

page_text: Having thus particularly described the invention communicated to me and the
manner of performing the same I wish it to be understood that what is claimed
and intended to be protected by the herein in part recited Letters Patent is :-
Firstly. A vertical distilling-chamber of an oblong horizontal section, without
external fire-space or flues, provided with lids, doors or valves closing both over
the top and under the bottom, containing a series of receptacles or cases, of
corresponding oblong section, linked or hooked together, with interspaces between,
forming a connected chain suspended constantly from the upper end of the
chamber, with means of arresting their descent at each interspace; said chamber
being connected by pipes at its lower end with a tubular gas-heater or coil external
to the said chamber and enclosed in a distinct highly-heated fire-place; all
constructed, combined and operating substantially as set forth.
Secondly. A vertical distilling-chamber of oblong horizontal section, provided
with lateral recesses in its two broader sides at their lower ends furnished with
perforated or cellular refractory brick walls, forming part of the internal walls of.
the said distilling-chamber itself, said recesses also containing horizontal tubes
which convey heated gas behind said perforated or cellular walls from an external
tubular gas heater or coil; all combined constructed and operating substantially
as specified.
Thirdly. In the series or chain of vertical cases in the distilling chamber herein
described; the combination of the laterally-movable link above each case, with the
hook rigidly fixed to the case immediately above, and the vertically movable, sole;
combined and operating together in the manner and for the purposes substantially
as set forth.
Fourthly. The combination with a retort or distilling-chamber of an antechamber
or vestibule, situated at a higher level, and provided with a gas-tight door through
which to introduce into said antechamber a freshly-charged case, and furnished
with one or more horizontally-hinged valves or doors closing gas-tight at the base
of the antechamber and between it and the distilling chamber below, and furnished
with a gas-induction pipe at top, together with means as set forth of attaching and
suspending said charged case from the crown or apex of the said antechamber
internally; all combined and constructed in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as set forth.
Fifthly. The combination of the gas induction pipe J, at the top, with the
air-eduction pipe J¹, (figure 2) at the bottom of the antechamber, by which said
antechamber is emptied of air, before opening communication with the distilling
chamber below; the whole arranged substantially in the manner specified.
Sixthly. In combination with a retort or distilling-chamber, a lateral chamber
Y, Y, at a lower level provided with a gas-tight door, and a vertically-movable
sole forming part of the said distilling chamber; all constructed, combined, and
operating together, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof I the said George Frederick Redfern have hereto set my
hand and seal this twenty fifth day of January in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty three
G F REDFERN (L.S.)