IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHTING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Hancock and Charles Pearse, both of
High Wycombe, in the County of Bucks, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHTING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR.
99
Sealed the 26th January 1872, and dated the 1st August 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Hancock and
Charles Pearse at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 1st August 1871.
We, DAVID HANCOCK and CHARLES PEARSE, both of High Wycombe,
in the County of Bucks, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHTING GAS, AND IN-
APPARATUS THEREFOR, to be as follows:-
33
Our Invention primarily consists in forcing air through vessels
containing hydrocarbons, oils, or spirits from which gas is or may be
generated, whereby the air becomes impregnated with the gas, and the
air and gas so mixed being conveyed through a purifier the two are
utilised as a lighting gas in the ordinary manner, and as hereafter
described.

page_text: A convenient way of carrying our Invention into effect is as follows :-
From an ordinary air pump we lead a pipe into a receiver to near the
lower part thereof; the end of the pipe terminates in a rose or per-
foration. The receiver contains some hydrocarbons, oil, or spirit, benzo-
line, for example, so that as air is forced through the pipe and issues
therefrom by the perforations it has to pass up and through the
hydrocarbons, oil, or spirit in the receiver. In connection with the
receiver by a pipe there is another and similar receiver, the pipe in
which is like the pipe in the first receiver, so that the air after passing
through one receiver goes through the other, and so on according to
the number of receivers there may be; we have found eighteen a con-
venient number of receivers. The air having passed through all the
the receivers has become thoroughly impregnated and mixed with the
gasses evolved, and is then led off to a purifier, and thence to a holder,
from which it may be drawn as required. The hydrocarbons, oils, or
spirits may be supplied to the receivers as required, or they may be
supplied and kept at a uniform level by being held in syphon shaped
vessels (like a bird fountain), from which the supply is constantly
renewed in the receivers as it escapes therefrom.
Our Invention is applicable to the production of gas for all lighting
purposes, but especially for such places not now supplied with ordinary
coal gas; it is very portable, and an apparatus may be used for each
separate house, or for several houses, or for lighting railway carriages,
ships, vessels, and other places.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Hancock and Charles Pearse in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
HANCOCK and CHARLES PEARSE, both of High Wycombe, in the County
of Bucks, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said David Hancock and Charles Pearse, Her
special licence that we, the said David Hancock and Charles Pearse, our

page_text: 66
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we the said
David Hancock and Charles Pearse, our 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
LIGHTING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said David Hancock and Charles Pearse, our
executors, or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said David Hancock and Charles
Pearse, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 accompanying Drawings and to the letters of reference marked
thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention primarily consists in forcing air through vessels con-
taining hydrocarbon spirits from which gas is or may be generated, all
as hereafter described, whereby the air becomes impregnated with the
gas, and the air and gas so mixed being then if required conveyed
through a purifier the mixture is utilized as a lighting gas in the
ordinary manner, all as hereafter described.
A convenient way of carrying our Invention into effect is as follows :—
From an ordinary air pump or set of air pumps we lead a pipe into a
receiver to near the lower part thereof, the end of the pipe terminating
in a rose or perforations, and the receiver containing some hydrocarbon
spirit suitable for the purpose, or some porous substance saturated with
such spirit; the air is forced through the pipe, and issuing therefrom
by the perforations it has to pass up and through the said spirit or
porous material saturated with said spirit in the receiver; or the reverse
action may take place, viz., the air may be made to pass downwards
through the contents of the receiver. In connection with the receiver
by a pipe there is another and similar receiver, the pipe in which is like

page_text: the pipe in the first receiver, so that the air after passing through one
receiver goes through the other, and so on according to the number
of receivers there may be. The air having passed through the receivers
has become thoroughly carburetted.
From further experiments we have made we find that the number of
receivers can be reduced very considerably, and this is accomplished by
increasing the length of passage of the air and the subdivision of the
same while passing through the contents of the receivers, so much so
that even
one or two such receivers answer the purpose.
The car-
buretted air is then, if required, led off to a purifier, and thence to a
holder, from which it may be used as required. The hydrocarbon spirit
may be supplied to the receivers as required or they may be supplied
and kept at a uniform level by being held in syphon shaped vessels
(like a bird fountain), from which the supply is constantly renewed in
the receivers as it escapes therefrom. We do not lowever claim the
bird fountain arrangement as part of our Invention.
Our apparatus is very portable, and may be advantageously used for
lighting one or several houses, or for lighting railway carriages, ships,
vessels, and other places and for culinary purposes.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a view, partly in section, of
one arrangement of apparatus whereby our Invention may be carried
into effect.
A, A, are the pumps which draw dry or warm air from the gas stove
B. When the pumps are not at work the draft is maintained by means
of the chimney C. We prefer to pass the stove pipe close under or
against or round, as shewn in No. 2, the carburetters or receivers D, D',
D². These are here shewn as three in number. The air is by the
pumps forced through the pipe E into the first receiver D passing down
through the same. The pipe E terminates in a rose having fine per-
forations, and the air issuing from them passes through the body of
hydrocarbon spirit contained in the lower part of the carburetter, taking
up and mixing with the volatile portions thereof. In order to avoid
over saturation we prefer to pass the gas thus far prepared through a
packing of sawdust, moss, carbon, sand, shot, or road sand, or any
suitable porous material which is contained between two gratings ƒ, f,
in the upper part of the carburetter; the superfluous spirit is thus
enabled to find its way back to the bottom of the carburetter. The pipe
E' then leads the gas to the next carburetter D', where a similar action

page_text: takes place, and thence to the next carburetter D. The gas may then,
if required, be purified by any ordinary and well-known means, or go
straight to the gas bolder G, whence it is used in the ordinary way. The
pipe Es has a back pressure valve n, as shewn; H is the spirit supply
cistern fitted with guage glass, as shewn. The spirit passes off to the feed
pipe, which at each carburetting vessel is fitted with a valve 1. The
action of the feed or supply is automatic, and on the same principle
as the well-known bird fountain. The feed may be shut off altogether
by means of the cock m. Any other suitable and well-known feeding
apparatus may be employed if desired. When the air is forced down
into the spirit the valves close, thus excluding the air from the supply
cistern. The air may be
shewn if desired.
dried or heated by other means than those
Fig. 2 illustrates another mode of carrying out our Invention.
A, A, are the pumps which draw air from the gas stove B and force
it through the pipe E into the carburetter D, which contains a mass of
porous or other suitable substances between the gratings f, f, taking up
while being forced through the mass, the volatile portions of the spirit
which is fed into the mass as required. The gas then passes down
through the pipe p into the settling tank K, where the surplus or over
saturation of spirit accumulates and may be drawn off by the cock b.
The gas passes off from the settling tank by the pipe o, by preference
of the syphon shape, shewn on the Drawing, to the gas holder G, or it
may be purified first if desired; c is a tap for drawing off any spirit
that may accumulate in the syphon. The carburetter is enclosed in a
casing F which has an opening at the top. The space contained
between the receiver and the outer casing communicates with the stove
pipe leading to the stove, forming a chimney or draft for the stove when
the pumps are not worked. The stove pipe is thus here carried round
the carburetter instead of merely passing under the bottom of it as
described with reference to Fig. 1. The hydrocarbon spirit may be
supplied to the carburetter by any suitable and well-known feed
arrangement, but we have found the one shewn at Fig. 2 particularly
suitable. H is the supply cistern; k is the feed pipe leading to the car-
buretter, and terminating in a rose for the purpose of spreading the fluid
over the grating f. The feed pipe k has a stop-cock m and regulating
cock q, and a short portion of its length is made of glass to enable the
attendant to observe the flow of the liquid or otherwise. To allow the
contents of the feed cistern to flow freely and continuously the top

page_text: of the cistern is in communication with the air delivery pipe E. The
cistern is fitted with a gauge glass to observe the level of the liquid in
the same.
Fig. 3 represents the carburetter or an apparatus like the last de-
scribed, but arranged in a somewhat different way. The pipe p leading
into the settling tank K is here carried down into the spirit contained in
the bottom of the same terminating in a rose.
And having thus fully described the nature of this our Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be
understood that we are aware that air has been forced through hydro- 1
carbon spirit, or through a mass of porous substances saturated with the
samic for the purpose of being carburetted; we are likewise aware that
the passing of air through one carburetter after another in order to
carburet it is not new; but what we do claim as our improvements
in the production of lighting gas, and in apparatus therefor is,-
Firstly. Passing air in thin or fine streams through one or more
carburetting vessels, constructed substantially as herein-before described
with reference to Fig. 1.
Secondly. The general combination of parts, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Fig. 1.
Thirdly. The construction of the carburetting vessel, substantially
as described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.
Fourthly. The general combination of parts substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Fig. 2.
Fifthly. The air heating or drying stove and the draft arrangement
for the same, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Hancock and Charles
Pearse, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.