IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING BY ELECTRICITY, PARTS OF WHICH MAY BE MADE USE OF IN OTHER APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRICITY
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDRE
EDOUARD LE MOLT, of Conduit Street, Regent Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Chevalier, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of July,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alexandro Edouard Le Molt, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Alexander
Edouard Le Molt, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexandre Edouard Le Molt, my exors, adññiors, 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 in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTING BY ELECTRICITY, PARTS OF WHICH MAY BE MADE
USE OF IN OTHER APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRICITY;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Alexandre Edouard Le Molt, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my

page_text: hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six 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
Alexandre Edouard Le Molt, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:―
My Invention consists of improvements in constructing galvanic or electric
piles suitable for obtaining electric light, and for other applications of electricity.
And,
Secondly, my Invention consists of applying discs of carbon, so arranged as
to revolve near each other, and when a complete revolution has been made
to approach each other so as again to come in proper relation one to another.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me. And,
First, in respect to those improvements which relate to producing piles for
evolving electric currents, one of such improvements consists of the application
of that description or quality of carbon which results from the destructive
distillation of coal or matters, such as in the manufacture of carburetted
hydrogen gas.
It is well known that in the manufacture of gas for the
purposes of light there is produced a hard deposit of carbon in the retorts, and
my Invention consists in the use or application of carbon of this description or
quality in forming one of the elements of a pile for electric purposes. The
carbon as it comes from the retorts simply requires to be shaped or cut into
the figure desired. Those employed by me, by preference, are rectangular plates
or blocks; but other shapes may be resorted to, and this will be understood by
reference to Figure 1, where a plate or block of such carbon is
combined with a cylinder of zinc by means of a strip or any other kind of
connection or other metal, which at one end is affixed by soldering to the
electrotyped upper.extremity of the plate or block of carbon, and at the other
end it is fixed by soldering and riveting to the cylinder of amalgamated zinc,
thus combining the whole without moveable connections. And in order to
admit of the said carbon element being soldered to the metal strip, the end
thereof is, according to another of my improvements, first electrotyped with
copper or other metal, which being done a strip of metal can be readily
soldered to the electrotyped part of the carbon. a is the carbon; b, a strip of
shewn

page_text: copper soldered thereto; c, the portion of the upper part of the carbon which
has been electrotyped; and d is the cylinder of amalgamated zinc which,
according to another of my improvements, is to be coated over with a varnish
or other proper matter on one side (the outer side in the present arrangement),
which will prevent the liquid used acting on the zine on such protected side;
such side, having no relative influence whatever with the carbon elements,
would otherwise be uselessly exposed to the destructive acid of the acids.
The varnish or coating I prefer to use for such purpose is copal varnish, and I
give body or substance.to such varnish by grinding therewith fine powder of
retort carbon. I do not, however, confine myself to such material, as a like
result may be obtained by the use of other matters or varnish on which the
liquid employed will not act, or on which it will act very slightly. I, in like
manner, coat the connecting metal and also the electrotyped end of the carbon
element. The two elements of the pile above explained are combined together
as shewn at Figure 2, where two stoneware jars e, each having within it a
porous jar f, into which the carbon element of the pile is introduced, the
cylinder of amalgamated zinc is placed in the jar e, and surrounds the porous
jar f as shewn. In the porous jar f I prefer to use nitric acid, and in the jar
e I prefer to use a solution of sulphuric acid, using about one part acid to
seven of water. When the apparatus is to be carried about I prefer to use
jars c, such as are shewn at Figures 3 and 4, in order to prevent the liquid
employed therein from splashing out by reason of any agitation.
Another part of my Invention consists of making carbon elements suitable
for electric piles, by causing carbon to be moulded and then subjected to great
pressure by hydraulic or other suitable presses, in order to obtain the carbon
close and compact as possible; for this purpose various descriptions of carbon
may be used, but I prefer those hereafter mentioned. For this part of my
Invention I prefer to use one part of the powder of coal or of coke, or of
charcoal, three parts of the carbon obtained from gas retorts ground fine, and
ono part of tar. These matters being well mixed are to be moulded to the
desired shape that the carbon element of the pile is to be, and I use metal
moulds for such purpose; and I cause the articles to be subjected to pressure
in the moulds in order to make the article as dense as may be. The moulded
articles are then dried by standing for a few days in the atmosphere and in the
shade, when they are to be subjected to heat in a nearly closed retort for about
thirty-six hours, the heat being applied gradually till it arrives at a bright red
heat, and then to be allowed to cool down gradually, when the moulded and
pressed articles of carbon will be suitable for use, as elements in forming an
electric pile; and I do so by first electrofying the end of each, as above

page_text: explained, and then I combine the ends with suitable metal strips or con-
nections with the other element of the pile to be formed, using solder for such
purpose, so as to have fixed and immoveable connections between the clements
of the pile, as before explained.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists of using
discs of carbon or electrodes, in such manner that by their revolution near
each other in the same plane, or in planes at an angle to each other, they shall
constantly be presenting fresh surfaces, and when they have made a revolution
are caused to approach each other so as to maintain a constant and proper
relation to each other. Figure 5 shews two discs of carbon which are caused
to revolve in the same plane, but if desired they might be caused to revolve in
planes at an angle to each other. 9, 9, are the two electrodes of carbon which
should be of as pure carbon as possible; for this purpose I prefer to use the
carbon obtained from gas retorts, first cut into the form required, then purified
by being immersed in a solution of nitric and muriatic acid for about twelve
hours, and afterwards in a solution of fluoric acid for twelve hours. These
discs or rotatory electrodes are to be mounted in suitable apparatus, so as to
obtain a slow uniform motion to them, and this may be done by any suitable
mechanism. I prefer for such purposes to use the apparatus shewn at Figure
5, where the motion is derived from suitable clockwork, the axis h of which,
however, is only shewn; on which axis a cog wheel i is fixed which takes into
and drives the cog wheel j, fixed on the axis k, on which axis are fixed two
chain wheels which give motion to the chain wheels 1, 1, by means of the chains
m, m, so that the two discs g will receive rotatory motion and continuously offer
fresh surfaces of carbon. The two electrodes g, g, are mounted on two arms
n, n, which respectively are capable of movement freely on the axis k, and they
are constantly drawn towards each other by means of the spring o, but they are
prevented coming to any other position than that which is regulated by the
excentric or camp on the axis q; and the cam receives motion by means of
the cog wheel g on the axis & giving motion to the cog wheel r, and the pinion
s on the axis t, the pinions taking into and driving the cog wheel z fixed to
the cam or excentric. On the arms which carry the electrodes there are screw
pins v, the ends of which come against the cam surfaces, and, as there are steps
cut thereon, when the electrodes have made a revolution the axes of the
electrodes will be caused to move nearer to each other by the spring o, by
which the relation between the edges of the electrodes will be maintained.
I would remark, that, although I have described the use of two discs of carbon
acting together, I do not confine myself thereto, as a single disc may be
employed with other form of electrodes, but I believe not with such advantage.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that, although
I have been particular in describing the various details, by which I carry out
my Invention, I do not confine myself thereto so long as the peculiar character
of either part of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,--.
First, the application of that description or quality of carbon obtained in
destructive distilling coal and other matters, such as are used in the manufac-
ture of gas, as one of the elements of an electric pile. I also claim the
employment of carbon moulded and subjected to pressure and manufactured as
herein described. I also claim the electrotyping the ends of carbon used as
elements in electric piles. And I also claim the connecting of carbon
elements of an electric pile with other elements used by soldering, or by other
permanent fixture.
And secondly, I claim the so applying two dises of carbon as electrodes,
that they shall (when they have completed a revolution) be caused by the
mechanism to approach to each other, and thus obtain a continuous light by
electricity.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Edouard Le Molt, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
LE CHEVA IER ALEX
DOUA
L.S.)
MOLT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Alexandre Edouard Le Molt,
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.