AN IMPROVED SAFE, TO BE USED IN THE DISTILLATION OF ARDENT SPIRITS
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
Fox, of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Rectifying Distiller, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Fourth, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of May now last
past, did give and grant unto me, the said James Fox, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Fox, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said James
Fox, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of " AN IMPROVED SAFE, TO BE USED IN THE DISTILLATION OF ARDENT
SPIRITS;" in which Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me,
the said James Fox, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same is to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, may more fully appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Fox, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows; and that
the same may be more clearly understood, I have annexed a Drawing or
Drawings thereof, to which reference may be made, and in which those
parts marked a, b, (in Fig. I.) represent the sides of the safe; c, the bottom;
d, the top; c, the back.
I recommend sheet copper, tinned on one side, as the best material for the
body of the safe, though I do not confine myself to using that only; any other
suitable material will do. The front, it will be observed,. is omitted in the
Drawing, Fig. I., that the interior of the safe may be shown and more correctly
described; it is, however, represented at f, in Fig. II.
N.B. Where the like letters or numbers occur in the different Figures of
the annexed Drawings, they refer to the same parts of the safe.
For the purpose of admitting light into the safe, I generally cut a hole or
aperture in some convenient part of each side; and of the front of the safe, and
close such apertures with panes of plate glass, or other suitable transparent
substance, by fixing them on the interior side thereof in such manner as shall
render them secure from removal externally without previous fracture. The
method I have generally adopted for this purpose, and which answers well,
is to solder a metallic ring (g, Fig. I. and Fig. II.) to the margin of the
aperture, which ring has a rabbet within it, towards the interior of the safe,
to receive the transparent pane. It is also furnished with a female screw on
the interior of its circumference, on that part which forms the side of the
rabbet: The transparent pane being placed in the rabbet, another metallic
ring (h), having a male screw fitting the screw in g, is to be screwed
up with moderate force until the transparent pane (between them) becomes
securely bedded-on-the-rabbit-by-the-joint pressure of the rings (and
h); any other means, affording equal security, may be used. It is desirable
to place a ring of smooth stout paper, or other suitable material, on
cither side of the transparent pane, between it and the metallic rings, which
will tend to fix the pane firmly without great pressure. I also make
a hole or aperture in the top (d), see Fig. II., at any convenient part thereof,
and generally turn up a small rim by hammering, which stiffens the top consider-
ably. This rim and aperture are shown at i and k, Fig. II., the aperture
being there represented as open, but in Fig. I. as closed by a similar transparent
pane fixed between two metallic rings, like those already described, excepting
that neither of the rings are soldered or otherwise permanently fixed to the
top (d). The outer ring (g) has a flanch on its periphery or circumference, and

page_text: near to the centre thereof, of larger diaineter than the aperture (k, Fig. II.),
which flanch is intended to rest on the rim (i) to prevent the rings from
falling through the aperture, which should always be large enough to allow of
the transparent panes and inetallic rings (h), which are applied to the front
and sides of the safe, to pass through it, this being the only opening into the
safe through which a fractured transparent pane could be replaced by a sound
one. m and n are two metallic staples firmly attached by rivetting and
solder, or otherwise well secured to the top (d). o, Fig. I., is a metallic bar,
one end of which must be passed through the staple (m) and the other end
over the staple (n), above the rings (9 and h), as represented in the Drawing,
Fig. I. It is desirable to have two notches made in the upper ring (9)
opposite each other for the bar (o) to rest in, but it is not so shewn in the
Drawing. The bar (o) is secured in its place by passing a padlock in the
usual manner through the eye of the staple (n); other well known means of
security may be used, but this is sufficiently simple and effectual for general
use. An opake cover may be used instead of a transparent one, if preferred.
For the purpose of throwing a stronger light into the safe, I occasionally
attach or use external reflectors, the method of applying which being so well
known, I deem it unnecessary to describe it.
p, Fig. I. II. III., represents a tube, and is that part of the safe intended
to be soldered (at q) to the end of the worm or refrigerator used in the distilla-
tion of ardent spirits, and is, in fact, only an extension thereof, I therefore call
it the worm end of the safe; this tube passes through the back (e, Fig. I.), to
which it is firmly soldered or attached. It is represented in Fig. II. and III.
as having a flanch (2) near to its extremity within the safe. s, Fig. IV., is a
corresponding flanch fixed to a short pipe (t) or leather hose; these two flanches
may be occasionally connected by screws, a leather collar being first placed
between the flanches so as to render their union a water-tight joint. At the
other end of the tube or hose a cock (u) may be fixed to retain or draw off any
quantity of water which may be occasionally put into the worm to prove it, or
for other purposes. When this additional pipe or hose is used, the front glass
of the safe should be first removed that the cock (u) may discharge the water
through the aperture to the exterior, instead of within the safe.
Fig. V. represents another kind of worm end, it is flat on the upper side
instead of cylindrical, as represented in Fig. I., II., and III. To its extremity
is suspended; by hooks or other convenient means (so as to oscillate freely
on the points of its suspension), a piece of very thin metal (v) or other suitable
material, which may be called or designated a tell-tale, as, by its yielding readily
to the pressure of a current of air, it gives very early information of ebullition

page_text: within the still and of condensation of steam or vapour within the upper coils
of the worm. This tell-tale may be fixed to cylindrical worm ends, but those
of the form of Figure V. I prefer if the tell-tale is used, but I sometimes
omit it altogether; flanches for connecting this kind of worm end with the
additional tube (Fig. IV.) may also be applied if desired; their figure will, of
course, vary with that of the worm end.
w, Fig. I. and II., is the barrel of a cock for discharging the runnings
of the still, which may enter the safe at the worm end; it is closed at the
bottom, and is represented in the Drawing Fig. I. as having three dis-
charge pipes or passages (1, 2, 3); they are more distinctly shewn in
Fig. II., wherein the pipe (3) is represented as entering into and being
connected with a larger one (4) which is shewn in Fig. I., to pass through
the bottom of the safe, to which it is securely attached by solder or
otherwise, and to be open at top within it, and to rise higher than the top of
the discharge cock (which it should do at least two inches, if three inches, so
much the better). This pipe (4) is also open at its lower extremity, and
should in all cases be of larger area throughout its length than the worm end
within the safe, that it may convey off with certainty any quantity of fluid
which may enter the safe through the worm during the flushing of the still. It
is therefore called the flush pipe. I have described this cock to have three
discharge pipes, but it must be understood the number of discharge pipes
must always depend on the number of receivers into which the runnings of
the still are to be conveyed, as the discharge pipes of the safe are intended
to be soldered to the conveyance pipes which lead to the several receivers in
distilleries, one of which pipes should always be of the same diameter
throughout its length as that of the flush pipe of the safe to be attached to it.
The safe therefore is to be interposed between the worm and the conveyance
pipes leading to the receivers, and should be connected to them respectively by
soldered joints. r is the key or plug of the cock; it is open at top to receive
the runnings, but is closed at the bottom and must be carefully ground into
the barrel (w), and has only one hole or opening in its side, which hole may
be made to coincide with either of the several discharges (1, 2, 3) of the
cock, by turning the bandle (y) of the rod () which is connected with the
key or plug by the arch (5), and passes through the top (d); 6 is a horizontal
pin or pointer fixed to the rod () perpendicularly over the hole in the side of
the key. 7, 8, 9 are three lines or marks on the top of the safe made in the
direction of the several discharge pipes of the cock for the more ready adjust-
ment of the key. I sometimes, however, use valves or separate cocks of
common construction, instead of the above described one, for each discharge pipe.

page_text: Fig. VI. is (in part) a section of a double tube for the passage of air cither
into or out of the safe to which it may be attached; 10 is the inner tube open
at both ends; 11 is an outer or larger cylinder closed at top and bottom. The
smaller tube (10) passes through, and is firmly soldered to the centre of the
bottom of the cylinder (11), and should reach to within from three quarters of
an inch to an inch of the top of it. Holes as represented in Fig. VI. must be
punched or otherwise made in the sides of the cylinder (11), but none of them
should be nearer than about two inches of the top thereof, nor should any
hole exceed two tenths of an inch in diameter, as the object in applying a tube
or tubes of this kind to the safe is to prevent the abstraction of spirit from
the safe, and to permit the free passage of air. The diameter of the inner tube
and the number and size of the perforations should be governed by the size of
the distilling apparatus to which the safe is to be applied, taking care to have
an area of opening at least equal to that of the worm end. More than one
of these air tubes may be fixed to each safe, if desired, the lower extremity of
the tube (10) being in all cases fixed in a hole cut in the safe, and freely com-
municating with the interior thereof. The length of the tube (10) I vary
according to circumstances, simetimes making it much longer than is repre-
sented in the Drawing.
36, Fig. I., is a cock which is fixed to the under side of the worm to draw
off a sample of the runnings of the still. The several parts of this cock are
described on a larger scale in Figures VII., VIII., IX., X., XI., XII.,
XIII., XIV.
.
Fig. VII. represents the barrel. (12) is a hole or perforation in it to
receive the sample of the runnings by means of a corresponding hole or aper-
ture in the bottom of the worm end within the safe, to which hole the aperture
(12) is applied; and the barrel, when so placed, firmly soldered, or otherwise
securely fixed to the worm, at or nearly at a right angle to its axis, as shewn
in Fig. I. 13 is another hole, opening, or perforation, for the passage of air.
14 is another opening for the discharge of the runnings which may have
entered the cock at (12), and which I generally make in the form of a short
tube, as represented in the Drawing, that the pipe or tube (24, Fig. I.) may
be easily soldered or otherwise fixed to it, for the purpose of conveying
the sample to the exterior of the safe. The end of this pipe is shewn at
24, Fig. II., as coming through the front of the safe, to which, in that case, it
should be firmly fixed by solder or otherwise. I occasionally, however, find it
convenient to pass it through a side instead of the front, in which casó
I do so

page_text: Fig. VIII: is the key or plug of the cock; it is hollow. The end (15) is
closed, but the end (16) I generally make open, and afterwards close it. witli
the piece, Fig. IX., by screwing it to the flanch (17). This piece may be
soldered to the key, if preferred; but as I think it desirable to have occasional
access to the interior of the key, I generally screw it. (18) is a square hole
or socket in the centre of the piece, but not passing entirely through it; it is
intended to receive the connecting bar or axis (19, Fig. 1. and Fig. XII.).
20, Fig. VIII., is another square hole or socket to receive the end of the bar
or axis (21, Fig. 1. and Fig. XIII.): 22, Fig. VIII., is a hole or perforation
in the key; I generally make it of the form of a cross, as represented in the
Drawing (but I do not confine myself to that form only), that when the key
is introduced into the barrel-(Fig. VII.), with the centre of the transverse part
of the perforation opposite to the hole (12), the air hole (13) shall also com-
municate with one end of it, and when the key is reversed in the barrel, the
hole (28), on the opposite side of the key, will have become opposite the air
hole (13), and the other end of the cross-formed perforation will communicate
with the discharge aperture (14); consequently, during the above first-
described position of the key, a sample may be received into the cock, and whilst
the key is in the latter position; the sample will run out of it. It is desirable
that this cock should contain a certain known quantity, such as a cubic inch,
or a certain number of cubic inches; because, as it is intended to be generally
used with and connected to an indicator or index to register the number of its
revolutions or samples received into it, it will render the calculation of the
-quantity drawn off more simple than if its content were a fractional part
of an inch.
When the key, Fig: VIII., is placed in the barrel, Fig. VII., the spiral
spring Fig. XI. must be passed over the screw end 26, Fig. VIII., of the key,
and the nut (Fig. X.) be screwed up against the spring until the key be
-held-sufliciently-firm-in-the-barrel_to_prevent leakage between them.
:
27, Fig. II, represents a metallic box or case (containing, or supposed to
contain, an indicator or index) firmly secured to the side of the safe by
screws on the inside thereof, or by solder. The kind of indicator
I prefer is that made with a train of wheels. alternating one tooth.
and ten teeth, with detent springs to prevent more than the proper degree of
motion in each wheel. A strong ratchet should be fixed on the first axle of
the series, that the indicator may not be turned backwards. This axle must
be passed through the side of the safe, as shewn at 28, Fig. I., to receive or
be connected with the end 29 of the axis or bar Fig. XIII., whose other

page_text: extremity (21) is connected with the key of the cock, and is virtually a part
of its axis.
Fig. XII. represents that part of the axis of the cock to which the handle
(30, Fig. I.) and (31, Fig. XIV.) is attached. I generally make it square
from its end (19) to the back of the common ratchet wheel (32, Fig. XII.),
but cylindrical in that part which. passes through the collar (33), then again
square to receive the handle, which may be fixed on it in the usual manner by
nut and screw, or by a forelock. 33 and 34, Fig. XII., represent the collar
and the seat of the ratchet; 38 and 37, its spring and pall. The collar and
seat are best when cast in one piece. The collar should pass through the side
of the safe, as shewn at 33, Fig. 1, and the seat of the ratchet (34) should be
firmly soldered or otherwise fixed to the inside of the safe. 35 is a stop screw
to keep the ratchet in its place on the axle, and to prevent the removal of the
axle from the safe.
Although I have described the key of the cock and its means of com-
munication with the handle and indicator to consist of several picces, yet
I do not confine myself to making them so, as I sometimes make the key
and axis of one or more pieces, and sometimes apply the indicator and handle
of the cock to the same side of the safe, in which case I generally make the
axis of the cock to pass through the indicator case, and be the first axle of the
series. Nor do I confine myself to the use of one kind of indicator only, but
I claim the right of using any other kind which from its construction will
accurately register the revolutions of the cock, and which cannot be made to
revolve (when properly applied) but by the axis of the cock. Nor do I confine
myself to the use of any particular number of ratchets for preventing the
turning the key of the cock or the indicator backwards, but I recommend at
least two to be applied, as I have herein stated. I sometimes find it convenient
to change the direction of the axis of the sample cock by means of bevel gear,.
wheels, or otherwise, so as to bring the handle to the front instead of to the
side of the safe, in which case the indicator (if one be used), as well as the
sample discharge pipe (24), had better be placed there also.
Although I have so particularly described the improved safe, I do not claim
the invention of the several parts thereof. What I claim is only the combina-
tion of those parts (with the other above-described parts of the safe), by which
personal access to the worm end within the safe is prevented when the safe is
closed and locked; and of those parts by which a sample or samples of the
spirit or runnings under distillation may be drawn off from the under side of
the worm within the safe, and conveyed to the exterior side thereof for inspec-
tion; as well as the right of connecting or attaching, or not, as I may think

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same First day of July, in the
year above mentioned, the aforesaid James Fox came before our Lord the
King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification, and all and
every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also the Speci-
fication aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute in that
case made and provided
Inrolled the Second day of July, in the year above written.