A METHOD OR METHODS OF PRE- PARING EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES, AND EMPLOYING THEM AS A MOVING POWER FOR
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I
ERSKINE HAZARD, a Citizen of the United States of America, but now
residing in Norfolk Street, Stranil, in the City of Westminster, and
County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of August, One thou-
sand eight hundred and twenty-six, in the seventh year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Erskine Hazard, His especial license that I, the said Erskine
Hazard, my exors, admiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Erskine Hazard, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with; and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise; and vend; within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick upon Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, the Invention of "A METHOD OR METHODS OF PRE-
PARING EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES, AND EMPLOYING THEM AS A MOVING POWER FOR

page_text: MACHINERY," partly communicated by a certain foreigner residing
abroad, and additions made by myself; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Erskine Hazard, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Erskine Hazard, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
particularly to be described and ascertained in and by the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and the following description thereof (that is to
say):
This Invention is a machine for mechanically preparing mixtures of
vapours with atmospheric air, and exploding them, thereby forming a
vacuum by means of which a power is derived applicable to mechanical
purposes. The preparing part of the machine consists of a metallic or
other vessel or tubes so constructed that a stream or current of atmo-
spheric air may pass together with the vapour through a considerable
space interrupted by short turns or other impediments, the object of
which is to mix and blend them thoroughly with each other, by which
they are rendered highly explosive. This admits of an endless variety.
The one represented in Figure 1, will probably be found as convenient
as any. This is an oblong box of tin or other metallic, plates divided
horizontally into four compartments by the partitions a, a, a, which
extends alternately from one end of the box to within a short distance
of the other end, so that air entering the lower compartment at b, would
be compelled by the partitions to travel the whole length of the box
through cach compartment in its ascent to the top of the box. These
compartments are divided by the vertical partitions e, e, e, running the
whole length of the box into half inch spaces, which has the double
advantage of increasing the friction of the particles of vapor and air

page_text: with each other, and likewise of preventing violence in an explosion.
should one take place, in the box itself. A tube d, for the admission
of air and the other materials into the lower compartment, and another
e, for the outlet of the explosive mixture from the upper compartment,
each covered with a wire gauge f, to prevent explosion, will complete
the preparing vessel. The exploding part of the machine also admits
of a great variety of construction; Fig. 2, and 3, may serve as an
example. A, is a cylinder of brass, copper, or other material fitted
with a plunger or piston B, comected with a crank shaft C, as in a
steam engine; let the lower end of the cylinder have a valve D, of at
least half its diameter opening outwards; this valve D, may be made
very simply, of a cylinder of leather or other Hexible substance of the
same diameter as the opening into the cylinder A. This leather is to
he tied on the lower end of the cylinder so as to form a continuation of it.
The lower end of the leather cylinder is to be flattened so as to bring
its sides together for four or five inches of its length, and kept in that
position by slight springs E, attached to the edges of the flat part, some-
thing like a bow and bowstring. This valve is supported or prevented
from being pushed into the cylinder by al plate of metal F, of sufficient
thickness to bear the pressure of the atmosphere, arched or raised
outward, and perforated with as many holes of one eighth or one quarter
of an inch diameter as can conveniently be made in it. The end
of the cylinder forms the abutment to the arched plate, and air valve G,
also opening outward, is fixed in the side of the cylinder just below the
plunger or piston when down. The pipe e, from the preparing box
is inserted in the side of the cylinder at one sixth to one quarter of the
length of the stroke from the top of the cylinder. This pipe or tube
should be as short as possible to prevent the vapor from condensing
before it reached the cylinder, and should be furnished with a valve g,
next to the preparing vessel to cut off the communication with it,
and a small valve h, next the cylinder to let the vapor in it commu-
nicate with the flame of a lamp i; these valves also open outward, as
the explosion meets with so little opposition from the leather valve D,
that they are never thrown up. They and the air valve G, are worked
by cams k, l, m, on the crank shaft C, or any other convenient method.

page_text: A piston of thin metal plate H, is introduced into the cylinder below
the piston B, having a small rod I, working sufficiently tight in 'a
stuffing box in the piston B, to raise its weight. This piston H, is
prevented from rising with the piston B, higher, than the vapour pipe e,
by its rod striking a stationary point in its ascent, and thus forms a
partition between the explosive mixture and the air in the cylinder.
It should be perforated with small holes, lest it by accident should not
rise with the piston B, and in that case would prevent the explosion
from escaping, and might cause serious accident. A wire gauge, n,
should also be put between the vapor and inflaming valves g, and h, to
prevent explosion, should the forner not close in time. There are two
cylinders fitted up in this way, and communicating with the same
preparing vessel and crank shaft. To prepare the explosive mixture
put a small quantity of alcohol or alcohol and water, either alone or
mixed with spirit of turpentine, or put spirit of turpentine and water,
or any other inflammable materials capable of evaporation, into the
Jower apartment of the preparing vessel, apply a lamp or other heat if
necessary under it to raise the temperature and keep the materials
about blood warm, and place the flame of a lamp at the inflaming valve.
If too much vapor is raised in proportion to the quantity of air thic
mixture ceases to be explosive. The piston B, being down inits ascent
would cause a vacuum; this is prevented by raising the air valve G,
which supplies the cylinder with air till. B, reaches the pipe e, from the
preparing vessel; here the piston H stops, while the piston B continues
its motion; the air valve G is closed, and the remainder of the cylinder
above El, is supplied with explosive mixture through the pipe e, from
the preparing box. Just before the piston B, reaches the end of its
stroke, the inflaming valve h opens and sluts, the flame is drawn in,
and causes an explosion, which drives out the contents of the cylinder
through the perforated arched plate F, and flexible valve D, which
instantly collapses to prevent the return of the air.. The steam forined
by the explosion is condensed by keeping the cylinder below the pipe e,
cool by surrounding it with water in the jacket 0, and by injecting
a jet of water through the cock p, (which is also: worked by a cam on
the crank shaft). The vacuum is formed under.. the piston B, which

page_text: descends by the prossure of the atmosphere, and carries the crank shaft
with it, while the same process is repeated in the second cylinder; the
power is taken from the crank shaft, as in the steam engine. As this
machine admits of so much variety of construction by combinations of
different pieces common to steam engines and other machinery, I do
not intend to claim any particular construction or form, my object
being to secure, first, the method of mixing mechanically or by
machinery with the inflammable materials, previous to their entering
the exploding chamber, such portions of atmospheric air as they would
combine with in combustion, thereby rendering them highly explosive,
and enabling you to make use of them in an air-tight chamber.
Secondly, keeping the explosive mixture separate from the atmospheric
air in the cylinder and driving out the latter without making use of it
in the combustion. Thirdly, the peculiar construction of the flexible
valve. And lastly, preparing the explosive mixtures at a temperature
much below that of the boiling point.
In witness whereof, I, the said Erskine Hazard, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.
(L.S.) ERSKINE HAZARD.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of October.
in the year of our Lord 1826, the aforesaid Erskine Hazard came
before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute maile for that
purpose.