IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SUGAR CANES, AND IN. THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1856

page_text: application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th June.
1856. A communication.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SUGAR
CANES, AND IN. THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication from
Titus Lespes, of the Island of Martinique, Distiller, to be as follows:→
This Invention relates to the distillation of sugar canes by by a peculiar,
apparatus, whereby the whole of their saccharine properties are extracted to.
form a new alcoholic beverage.
The apparatus consists of two steam boilers, of any convenient construction,
those at present employed in the manufacture of "tafia" being well adapted:
for this purpose. One of the boilers is supplied by a feed pump with heated
water from a reservoir, which receives the water of condensation from steam-
jackets which beat the distilling vessels. The overflow from this first boiler
passes by a pipe to the second boiler, which supplies the steam requisite for.

page_text: heating (which is effected by means of a steam-jacket) the first or lower.
distilling vessel. A pipe from the top of this steam-jacket conveys the steam
to the jacket of the second distilling vessel placed above the first; from the top
of this second jacket the steam is conveyed by a steam-pipe to the hot-water
reservoir, herein-before referred to, where it is condensed. By thus returning
the condensed steam to the boilers, the saving in fuel will be obvious. By
licating the distilling vessels with steam, the cane juice contained therein will
not run the risk of being burnt or. "caramelised," as is frequently the case
when heated direct from, a fire, whilst the temperature of the vessel may be
easily regulated by opening or closing, more or less, the stop-cock which
admits the steam to the steam-jacket surrounding the bottom and sides of such
vessel. By opening a feed-cock the lower one of two condensers is filled with
cane juice (prepared from the cane, which is cut up by the ordinary, cutter
into thin slices,) and conducts the liquid into a second condenser placed above
it. On arriving at the top of this second condenser, the liquid flows off by a
pipe, which causes it to fall into the upper part of the still and envelope the
still head; it then passes by a curved pipe to the lower chamber of the still,
which contains a perforated spiral pipe, and finally arrives in the upper or
second distilling vessel or heater. herein-before referred to. From this vessel
it passes by a pipe to the lower or first distilling vessel, and when this contains
the proper quantity of juice (which is shewn by an indicator) all further supply,
thereto is cut off by a stop-cock for that purpose, and then the upper vessel is
partially filled. The apparatus being thus charged, the feed-cock herein-
before referred to is shut, and steam is admitted to both the steam-jackets,
when the distilling vessels, being thus heated, evaporation commences. The
alcoholic vapours which rise from the lower vessel, pass by a bent pipe to the.
bottom of the upper vessel, the end of such pipe being a perforated rose
immersed in the liquid contained in the vessel. The vapour is thus allowed to
bubble up through the liquid in the upper distilling vessel, and rises up through
that part of the still containing the spiral, through the perforations of which
it passes, and escapes through the inside of the conical still head to a pipe,
which conducts it to a disinfecting filter contained in the upper condensor.
From the lower end of this filter it passes by a pipe to a testing or
analysing vessel. The part already condensed falls to the bottom of this
vessel, and is re-conducted by a pipe to the still, where it is rectified. That
part which is not yet condensed runs from the analysing vessel through a pipe
which conducts the vapour to a second filter in the lower condenser, whence it
flows out in the form of alcohol into a receiver. The amount of opening of the

page_text: supply-cock herein-before referred to is regulated and indicated by means of
a lever handle and graduated segment. A small testing apparatus, connected
with the lower heating vessel, shews when the virtues of the juice have been
entirely extracted, whereupon the vessel is emptied through a suitable discharge
cock, and a fresh supply of juice is admitted. Suitable closed apertures or
man-holes are made in various parts of the apparatus, for the facility of
cleaning them when necessary..