IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING SPIRIT FROM RICE, MAIZE, AND OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF GRAIN
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Gill, of the Elms, Saint Ann's Road,
Wandsworth Common, in the County of Surrey, Distiller, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING SPIRIT FROM RICE, MAIZE, AND
OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF GRAIN."
Sealed the 12th August 1859, and dated the 4th June 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Gill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th June 1859.
I, EDWARD GILL, of the Elms, Saint Ann's Road, Wandsworth Common,
in the County of Surrey, Distiller, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING SPIRIT FROM RICE, MAIZE, AND
OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF GRAIN," to be as follows:-
My said Invention consists of a mode of treating rice, maize, millet, dharee,
and other descriptions of grain in order to saccharify the grain, and convert it
into, or cause it to yield an extract or infusion containing a larger quantity of
saccharine or fermentable matter capable of being converted by the vinous
fermentation into spirit. For this purpose I convert the grain into a watery
pulp or magma by grinding it with water or in any convenient manner.
I mix the grain thus converted into pulp or magma with an infusion of malt
or malted grain, or with malt or malted grain in a crushed or powdered state.
and the requisite quantity of water, and in either case I make the temperature
of the whole mixture to be about 150° of Fahrenheit's thermometer. I keep the
mixture at or about that temperature (agitating it during a portion of the time)
until the malt or infusion of malt has produced the desired effect upon the
pulp or magma of the grain, that is to say, until a portion of the process by

page_text: which I intend to effect the saccharification of the grain has been completed,
after which I cause the greater part of the wort or liquid extract to run off
into a separate vessel, leaving the undissolved parts of the pulp behind. I then
cause the undissolved residue of the pulp or magma to be heated to the boiling
point or nearly so, and keep it at that temperature until all the larger particles
of the grain in the pulp shall have. swelled, and the whole of the pulp shall
have been converted into a pasty mass. Water is then added to the mass and
the mixture is brought to a temperature of about 150°, when it is mixed with
an infusion of malt, or malt in a powdered state, and I proceed to treat the
mixture in the same way as the first mixture, so as to obtain a second wort.
I heat the worts thus obtained with or without agitation until the saccharifi-
cation of the extractive matters which they contain is effected as much as
practicable by the action of the infusion of malt which they also contain.
If, at the end of this process any unconverted pulpy matters shall be found
precipitated or deposited in the vessel, they may be submitted to the same
treatment as the undissolved residue which remains after obtaining the first
wort. Having thus converted the pulp of any grain, or as much of it as
practicable into fermentable worts, I proceed to ferment it, and when fer-
mented, subject it to distillation in the usual way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Gill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
December 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, EDWARD
GILL, of the Elms, Saint Ann's Road, Wandsworth Common, in the County
of Surrey, Distiller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Gill, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Gill, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Gill, 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 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

page_text: PRODUCING SPIRIT FROM RICE, MAIZE, AND OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF GRAIN," вроп
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Gill, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Gill, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:
My said Invention consists of a mode of treating rice, maize, millet, dharee,
and other descriptions of grain in order to saccharify the grain and convert it
into, or cause it to yield an extract or infusion containing a larger quantity of
saccharine or fermentable matter capable of being converted by the vinous
fermentation into spirit. For this purpose I convert the grain into a watery
pulp or magma by grinding it with water, or in any convenient manner.
I mix the grain thus converted into pulp or magma, with an infusion of malt
or malted grain, or with malt or malted grain in a crushed or powdered state,
and the requisite quantity of water (which if rice be used, is about twice the
quantity used in mashing other grain,) and in either case I make the tem-
perature of the whole mixture to be about 150° of Fahrenheit's thermometer,
and maintain it at or about that temperature, by means of a steam worm or
other heating surface, placed within the mash tun, or by direct action of jets
of steam therein, and I agitate or rouse it during a greater portion of the
time. I continue this part of my method or process until such time as the
malt or infusion of malt has produced the desired effect upon the pulp or
magma of the grain, that is to say, until the saccharification of the greater
part of the extractive matter contained in the wort or liquid extract of the
grain has been completed, which is usually effected in about four hours, after
which I cause the wort or liquid extract (or as much of it as practicable) to
run off into a separate vessel having therein a copper worm or other heating
apparatus which may be similar to that above mentioned, leaving the grosser
or undissolved parts of the pulp behind. By means of the heating apparatus,
I keep the wort in this vessel at about the same temperature until the second
wort is added to it as herein-after mentioned. I then cause the undissolved
residue of the pulp or magma to be heated to the boiling point or nearly so by
means of such heating arrangement as aforesaid within the mash tun or in

page_text: any convenient manner, and keep it at that temperature until all the larger
particles of the undissolved grain in the pulp shall have swelled, and the
whole of the pulp shall have been converted into a pasty mass.
Water is
then added to the mass, and the mixture brought to a temperature of about 150°,
when it is mixed with an infusion of malt in a crushed or powdered state, or
with an infusion of malt, and I proceed to treat the mixture in the same way
as the first mixture, so as to obtain a second wort, I then run the second wort
into the same vessel as that which contains the first wort, and which is furnished
with such heating apparatus as aforesaid. I then heat the mixed worts thus
obtained with or without agitation until the saccharification of the remainder
of the extractive matter which they contain is effected as much as practicable
by the action of the infusion of malt which they also contain, which is usually
effected in about two hours. If, at the end of the process, any unconverted
pulpy matters shall be found precipitated or deposited in the vessel, they may
.be submitted to the same treatment as the undissolved residue which remains
after obtaining the first wort. Having thus converted the pulp of any grain,
or as much of it as practicable, into fermentable worts, I proceed to ferment
it, and when fermented, subject it to distillation in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which it is to be performed, I declare that I do
not claim any of the processes herein-before described separately or apart from
the combination and application thereof for the purposes of my Invention, and
that I claim as my Invention the obtaining of worts or liquid extracts from
rice, maize, millet, dharee, or other similar descriptions of grain in the state
of a watery pulp or magma, and treating the worts or liquid extracts thus
obtained in manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Gill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
EDWARD GILL. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
said Edward Gill, in the presence of
J. H. TAYLOR, Solicitor,
15, South Street, Finsbury Square.