IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DOORS OR CLOSURES OF GAS RETORTS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James John Holden and Sealy James Best, both
of Bermondsey, in the County. of Surrey, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DOORS OR CLOSURES OF GAS RETORTS."
Sealed the 16th April 1867, and dated the 31st October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James John Holden and-
Sealy James Best at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, 'on the 31st October 1866.
We, JAMES JOHN HOLDEN and SEALY JAMES BEST, both of Bermondsey,"
in the County of Surrey, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DOORS OR CLOSURES OF GAS RETORTS,"
to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist in the application of the parts herein-after
described, to the closing of gas retorts; whereby we are enabled to close two
or more retorts by means of one door." To effect this we apply a chamber to
the retort's mouth which establishes communication between two or more
retorts placed say above each other. This chamber is furnished at top with
the pipe by which the gas passes off to the hydraulic main, the front of the
chamber is formed by means of a sliding door opening and closing the whole
of its front, which is of an area greater than the height or width occupied

page_text: by the ends of the retorts. The door is counterbalanced, and slides up and
down in front of the chamber, the act of which opens and closes the chamber
and retorts. The door jams up against the chamber by its weight and
wedge form of channel for using its receptacle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James John Holden. and Sealy James Best in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 30th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL.COME, we, JAMES
JOHN HOLDEN and SEALY JAMES BEST, both of Bermondsey, in the County
of Surrey, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James John Holden and Sealy James Best, Her special licence that
we, the said James John Holden and Sealy James Best, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James John
Holden and Sealy James Best, 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 DOORS OR CLOSURES OF GAS RETORTS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said James John Holden and Sealy
James Best, 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James John Holden and Sealy James
Best, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our improvements consist in the application of parts to the closing of gas

page_text: retorts, whereby we are enabled to close two or more retorts by means of one
door. To effect this object we apply a chamber to the retort mouth, which
chamber establishes communication between two or more retorts.
The accompanying Drawings exemplify in what manner the Invention
may be carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, and Figure 2 is a front elevation
of a bench of gas retorts constructed with chambers and. doors according to
our Invention.
A, A, A, are retorts set in brickwork B. The retorts shewn are double
retorts, that is to say, long retorts having a mouth piece or opening at each
end for charging and drawing; C, C, C, are chambers made of cast iron by
preference, and secured to the brickwork at the mouth of the retorts. Each
chamber C has openings at back opposite to and communicating with the
mouths of the retorts immediately behind it, which retorts thus communicate
with the chamber through such openings. Each chamber has at front an
opening occupying the whole or nearly the whole front of the chamber, and
each such front opening is closed by a door D whereby the chamber is opened
and closed, and as such door thus opens and closes the whole front of the
chamber it is clear that by opening the door access will be had simultaneously
to all the retorts which open into such chamber.. Hence the charging and
drawing of the retorts will be facilitated.
In Figure 2 the central chamber is shewn open, whereby access is afforded
to the three retorts which open into such chamber. In the Drawings three
vertical rows of retorts are shewn, and there are, therefore, three chambers C,
that is to say, as many chambers C as there are vertical rows of retorts, all
the retorts of each such vertical row opening into the chamber C of or cor-
responding with such row, as clearly shewn in Fig. 2. By the expression
"vertical row of retorts" we mean the three retorts which (though each is
disposed horizontally) are set one above the other, hence Figure 2 represents
by way of example three such vertical rows, each row consisting of three
retorts, and the three rows being placed side by side.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the front of each chamber C
is closed by a sliding door D, such door as above described opening and closing
the whole of its front, which is of an area greater than the height or width
occupied by the ends of the retorts opening into the chamber. The door is
counterbalanced and slides up and down in front of the chamber, thereby opening
and closing the chamber and retorts. The door jams up against the chamber
by its weight and by the wedge form of channels b, b, b, forming its receptacle.
b, b; b, are three brackets or guide plates with arms bolted to the sides of
.

page_text: each chamber C, and projecting in front thereof, the uppermost projecting
farther than the second, and the second farther than the lowermost, the upper
and middle brackets are open through top and bottom so that the door may
slide through them, but the lowest bracket has a bottom plate. The inner
side of the front plates of these brackets are inclined or wedge-shaped,
whereby wedge-shaped channels or guide ways are formed in which the
door D slides, the door being for that purpose made, sloping or inclined at
front to correspond with the angle of inclination of the guide ways b, b., The
door slides between these guide ways and the front edge of the chamber, the
back surface of the door is faced flat and true, as are also the front edges of
the chamber, so that the door when closed.lies or jams flat, and true against
the front edges of the chamber, and thus forms a gas-tight faced or surfaced
joint which requires no luting. W, W, are the counterbalance weights sus-
pended at one end of chains d, d, the other ends of which are fixed to the
doors C. These chains pass over pulleys i supported in frames ƒ secured to
the brickwork B. The lower portions of the frames are not shown to avoid
confusion. The doors are slidden up by means of these weights, and close by
their own gravity. 3, s, are sockets open through top and bottom and cast on
the top of the chambers C. Into these sockets are secured ascension pipes
T, T, which lead into the hydraulic main into which the gaseous products
generated are thus conveyed from the retorts through the chambers C and
pipes T. There is one such socket and pipe to each chamber.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, Fig. 4 front elevation, and Figure 5 horizontal
section of a modification of this arrangement, in which the doors D of the
chambers C are opened and closed on hinges and secured by bars, instead of
being opened and closed by sliding motion, and. instead also of working in
guide brackets and having chains and counterbalance weights. In other
respects the arrangements are precisely the same as those before described in
reference to the preceding Figures. Like letters of reference indicate like
parts in all the Figures. B is the brickwork; C, C, are the chambers;
s, sockets; T, ascension pipes, all as before; D are the hinged doors; each
door opens and closes the entire front of the chamber, as before explained;
e, e, are the hinges on which the doors work, and by which they are connected
with the sides of the chambers; E, E, are bars for fastening the doors when
closed ; these bars work on axes or pivots p secured to the doors, and the
bars are thus capable of being turned in both directions to the required extent
for fastening and unfastening the doors; the bars have wedge-shaped ends,
and when in their fastening position these ends "wedge" or engage in wedge-
formed recesses or staples m, m, secured to the front of the chambers. The

page_text: back or inner side of the doors and the front edges of the chambers are faced
true to correspond, so that when the doors are closed and secured (as described)
by the bars E the doors fit or jam close and true against the edges of the
chambers, thereby forming a gas-tight faced or surface joint which does not
require luting. To unfasten the doors the bar is struck up so as to turn on
its axis and disengage its ends from the staples.
Although in the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2 there are ascension
pipes leading from the chambers C at both ends of the retort, yet sometimes
we have the ascension pipes leading from the chambers C at one end of the
retorts, only the gas being drawn from such end only, and the chambers C at
the other end having no ascension pipes. Also, sometimes we employ
chambers C (with ascension pipes) at one end of the retorts only, while at
their other ends the retorts have no such chambers C, but are closed by any
ordinary means usual for closing retorts.
Although in explaining how our Invention may be carried into effect with
reference to the Drawings Figure 1 we have described the same as applied to
double retorts or retorts opening at both ends, yet it is obvious without
farther description that the Invention may be applied in precisely similar
manner to single retorts, or retorts open at one end only; that is to say, we
apply chambers C, constructed and arranged precisely as above described, to
the mouth-pieces or open ends of the retorts, such chambers being furnished
with sockets & and ascension pipes T, and being provided with doors opening
and closing the whole front of the chambers, all as above explained.
Although we have described two arrangements or modes of working and
securing the doors of the chambers, namely, sliding. counterbalance weight
doors and hinged doors, both closing with faced joints, yet we wish it to be
understood that we do not restrict ourselves to such two arrangements or
modes of working and securing them, though we believe them to be best
adapted for our purpose, but other arrangements or modes of working and
securing the doors, and even luted doors may be used, without departing from
the nature of our Invention, as set forth.
Also, we wish it to be understood that though we have described one
chamber for establishing communication between three retorts arranged in a
vertical row one over the other, yet one chamber C may establish com-
munication between two retorts, or more than three retorts, as shewn; also,
that one chamber C may establish communication between two or more retorts
arranged otherwise than in vertical rows, as, for example, between retorts
arranged in horizontal rows or otherwise, all without departing from our
Invention herein described.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, we declare that we claim, 'the employ-
ment of a chamber for establishing communication between two, three, or
more retorts, such chamber having a door, whereby access is afforded to such
two, three, or more retorts at the same time, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James John Holden and Sealy James
Best, have hereunto set our hands and seals; this Twenty-fourth day
of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-seven.
Witness,
M. HENRY,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
JAMES JOHN HOLDEN. (L.s.)
SEALY JAMES BEST.
(L.S.)