IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Christopher Witty, of 1, Portland Place,
Wandsworth Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the
33
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Christopher
Witty at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th March 1853.
I, ROBERT CHRISTOPHER WITTY, of 1, Portland Place, Wandsworth
Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS" to
be as follows:-
is
This Invention consists of combining vegetable oils with vegetable
matters, and pressing the compound into moulds to obtain blocks or
bricks, which, being dried, are introduced into a retort, and the
gas
distilled therefrom. By preference, a retort divided horizontally is
used. The blocks or bricks are introduced into the lower compartment of
the retort, and the products pass through a perforated block or partition
formed or placed within the upper compartment of the retort, the heat

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Christopher Witty, in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 12th September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ROBERT CHRISTOPHER WITTY, of 1, Portland Place, Wandsworth Road,
in the County of Surrey, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Christopher Witty, Her
special licence that I, the said Robert Christopher Witty, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Christopher Witty, 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King.
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Chris-
topher Witty, 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 Offico within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Christopher Witty, 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 thereof (that is to say):

page_text: This Invention consists of combining vegetable oils with vegetable
matter, and pressing the compound into moulds to obtain blocks or
bricks, which, being dried, are introduced into a retort, and the gas is
distilled therefrom. By preference, a retort divided horizontally is used.
The blocks or bricks are introduced into the lower compartment of the
retort, and the products pass through a perforated block or partition
formed or placed within the upper compartment of the retort, the heat
of which prevents any of the products passing without being converted
into gas.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed;
aud in doing so I would state at the outset that my object is to employ
cheap oils to manufacture gas, but not by applying them in the retorts
when in the fluid state, as has heretofore been done when making gas
from oils, and which is a process of manufacture which has not come
into general use from a variety of circumstances. According to my
Invention cheap oils are employed, and are caused to be absorbed by
means of dry vegetable matters, which are mixed with the oils to such
an extent as to obtain the mixture in a stiff plastic state, so as to admit
of the same being formed or moulded into blocks or bricks. The oil
and vegetable matters may be mixed in any convenient manner, but I
believe that the most convenient mode of mixing is by means of an
ordinary pug mill, such as used for pugging and mixing brick earth;
but other means may be resorted to in mixing and preparing the oil
and vegetable matter, so as to obtain them in a stiff plastic condition
suitable for the purposes of my Invention. I cause this plastic mass to
be moulded in any suitable moulds, and to such sizes of blocks or bricks
as may be desired, but I believe that ordinary brick moulds produce a
convenient size, and offer a ready means of making the matters into
blocks; and I prefer that such bricks or blocks should be well pressed
when in the moulds, as is well understood when moulding brick earth.
These bricks or blocks I have stacked in like manner to ordinary bricks
to dry, and when dry they are ready for use, and they are to be placed
in retorts in like manner to coals; and like retorts may be used as those
employed for making coal gas; but I prefer to use earthenware retorts

page_text: which are divided by a longitudinal horizontal partition, extensively
perforated with holes; to which form of retort, however, I make no
claim. In selecting the oils and the vegetable matters for absorbents
or dryers I am governed by the price, and I use those which I can
obtain at the smallest cost. I may, however, state that spent hops or
dry peat, or dry and fine saw dust, are very suitable for the purpose.
I do not, however, confine myself to the use of such vegetable matters,
but propose to employ others, if they can be obtained at a cheaper cost;
and I would state that in some cases I have found it desirable to use a
small quantity of lime to get more adhesion.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is the mode herein described of preparing for and distilling gas
from oils combined with vegetable matters.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Christopher Witty, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
R. C. WITTY. (L.S.)
Witness, H. W. CARPMAEL.