IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT FUEL AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT FUEL
AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR."-A communication from abroad by
Franklin Dodge, of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 6th October 1875, and dated the 8th May 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th May 1875.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
PEAT FUEL AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR," a communication, to be as
follows:-

page_text: peculiar grinding and kneading process by which it is mixed with water,
and well puddled until the peat is thoroughly taken up and held in sus-
pension in water. This mixture is then pumped up and forced through
pipes to any convenient distance, where it flows into a drying ground and
spreads over the same, and is held therein by suitable dams forming a
shallow basin, where the valuable portions of the peat settle to the
bottom in fine powder, forming a homogenous mass, after which the
water is drawn off and the residium is allowed to dry.
While in the plastic state this residium of consolidated peat is cut as
it lies on the ground into blocks of suitable size and shape, and when
hard enough to be handled is stowed away loosely in curing cribs, where
it is protected from the weather and is exposed to the action of the air,-
which circulates freely through it while it is undergoing a sweating
process, and whereby it is thoroughly fitted for the market.
'
Peat in the bog or bed being of a spungy cellular nature, filled with
air and water, if allowed to dry in the condition in which it is cut from
the bog without other manipulation, is generally so loose and friable as ot
hardly bear handling, but this is not the only or most important objection
to crude peat, it is too bulky to be profitably transported, and on account
of its light spungy texture it burns away too quickly, and is unfitted for
the ordinary purposes of economical fuel.
By this Invention I produce a dense and hard fuel, which is enduring
and capable of being employed in manufactures and otherwise, and I
reduce the bulk of crude peat and separate it from foreign non-com-
bustible materials for profitable transportation.
The machinery or apparatus used in practising this Invention is as
follows: I employ a scow or flat boat, on which I place a hopper to
receive the crude peat from an endless apron or carrier, on which it is
thrown as it is dug from the bog. A vertical revolving shaft extends
from this hopper down through a series of grinding chambers below it.
The upper one contains a series of horizontal radial bars extending across
from one side of the chamber to the other, and between these series of
stationary bars there are revolving knives affixed to the shaft. These
break up and prepare the material for the next process as it falls upon a
diaphragm below, which is perforated with holes. Over the latter are
revolving arms or grinders placed at an acute angle in their cross section

page_text: to the direction of their motion. These arms knead and grind the
material like a spatula and force it through the holes in the said
diaphragm into the next chamber and upon another diaphragm, where
it is worked in a similar manner and discharged through the perforations
in the diaphragm upon a third diaphragm, and so on through a sufficient
number to grind it into fine subdivisions and complete the operation.
The openings through each succeeding diaphragm are made smaller than
in the preceeding one, and the number is governed by the kind of peat
operated upon. After passing through the lower chamber in which
knives work it enters the chamber below containing bevel gear wheels,
where it is mixed or puddled with water. The fluid peat then passes
into a reservoir below through fine holes in the lower diaphragm. The
water used to liquidize the ground mass of peat may be drained from
the bog.
The fluid peat in the reservoir is thrown out by a centrifugal pump
through a pipe to the aforesaid drying ground, where after settling and
discharging the earthy particles contained therein the water is drawn
off and the peat consolidates into a firm compact mass, and is cut while
soft into strips with a common horse rake or other convenient device,
after which when it is sufficiently. hardened the peat is placed in the said
cribs. The latter are open shelterned structures, raised from the ground,
with a close roof and open slatted sides. This construction affords a free
circulation of air through the peat until it is thoroughly dry and ready
for the market.
5 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patents Agents,
0 Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the

page_text: "
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I; the said William Robert Lake, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and 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, usc,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT FUEL, AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR,'
a communication to me from abroad by Franklin Dodge, of New York,
- United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
This Invention has for its object the manufacture and refining of
peat for fucl. For this purpose the crude bog peat is first subjected to a
peculiar grinding and kneading process, by which it is mixed with water
and well puddled until the peat is thoroughly taken up and held in sus-
pension in water. This mixture is then pumped up and forced through
pipes to any convenient distance, where it flows into a drying ground and a
spreads over the same, and is held therein by suitable dams forming a
shallow basin, where the valuable portions of the peat settle to the
bottom in fine powder, forming a homogeneous mass, after which the
water is drawn off and the residuum is allowed to dry.
While in the plastic state this residuum of consolidated peat is cut as 3
it lies on the ground into blocks of suitable size and shape, and when

page_text: hard enough to be handled is stowed away loosely in curing cribs, where
it is protected from the weather and is exposed to the action of the air,
which circulates freely through it while going through a sweating
process, and whereby it is thoroughly fitted for the market.
To manufacture peat fuel as above described I employ the machinery
shewn in the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical
section through the mill for grinding and mixing the crude peat from
the bog.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the revolving knives and cutter bars.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the perforated diaphragms through
which the peat is forced, also shewing the grinding arms.
Figure 4 shews details of the revolving grinding arms.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the curing cribs.
Peat in the bog or bed being of a spungy cellular nature and filled with
air and water if allowed to dry in the condition in which it is cut from
the bog without other manipulation is generally so loose and friable as
to hardly bear handling, but this is not the only or most important
objection to crude peat, it is too bulky to be profitably transported, and
on account of its light spungy texture it burns away too quickly and is
unfitted for the ordinary purposes of economical fuel.
By this Invention I produce a dense and hard fuel, which is enduring
and capable of being employed in manufactures and otherwise, and I
reduce the bulk of crude peat and separate it from foreign non-com-
bustible materials for profitable transportation.
The construction of the said machinery or apparatus is as follows:-I
employ a scow or flat boat x, x, in which I place the machinery, consist-
ing of a hopper A, which receives the crude peat from an endless apron or
carrier P, whereon it is thrown as it is dug from the bog; B is a vertical
revolving shaft extending from the hopper down through a series of
grinding. chambers below it. The upper one A' contains a series of
horizontal radial bars F¹ extending across from one side of the chamber
to the other side, to which they are affixed, and between these series of
stationary bars F there are revolving knives F affixed to the shaft B.
These break up and prepare the material for the next process as it falls
•

page_text: .
upon a diaphragm E, which is perforated with holes, as clearly seen in
Figure 3. Over the latter are revolving arms or grinders D placed at
an acute angle in their cross section to the direction of their motion, as
in Figure 4. These arms knead and grind the material like a spatula
and force it through the holes in diaphragm E into the next chamber
and upon diaphragm E', where it is worked in a similar manner and dis-
charged through its perforations upon E, and so on through a sufficient
number to grind it into fine subdivisions and complete the operation.
The openings through each succeeding diaphragm are made smaller than
the preceeding one, and the number is governed by the kind of peat
operated upon. After passing through the lower chamber, in which
arms D work, it enters the chamber below, in which are the bevil gear
wheels C, C, where it is mixed or puddled with water forced in through
the aperture H, the bevil gear wheel or some other device acting as a
mixer. The fluid peat then passes down into reservoir I through fine
holes in diaphragm E³. The water used to liquidize the ground mass of
peat may be drained from the bog, which from the large quantity used
serves to sufficiently drain it in most cases without resort to other
means.
The fluid peat in the reservoir I is thrown out by a centrifugal
pump J through a pipe J¹ to the aforesaid drying ground, where after
settling and discharging the earthy particles contained therein the water
is drawn off and the peat consolidates into a firm compact mass, and is
cut while soft into strips with a common horse rake or other convenient
device, after which when it is sufficiently hardened the peat is placed
in the said cribs, one of which is shown in Figure 5, and is an open
sheltered crib raised from the ground with close roof and open slatted
sides. This construction affords a free circulation of air through the
peat until it is thoroughly dry and ready for the market."
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I
wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The process of treating peat, consisting first in grinding it
through a series of graduated perforated diaphragms and the kneading
the peat into liquid form with water and then pumping it away to the
draining ground to settle and condense, and for the water to be drawn

page_text: off therefrom and the peat hardened, and finally storing it in airing
cribs, as above described.
Second. The revolving cutters in combination with the bars, as above
described and for the purposes specified.
'
Third. The revolving grinders in combination with the graduated
perforated diaphragms, as above described and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
HY. JA. NoONE.
WM. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)