AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING OR RAREFYING THE AIR IN VESSELS FOR FOOD PRESERVING, DISTILLING, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING OR RAREFYING THE AIR IN VESSELS
FOR FOOD PRESERVING, DISTILLING, AND OTHER PURPOSES."-A communi-
cation from abroad by James Gordon and John Archbald, both of San
Francisco, California, United States of America.
Sealed the 15th April 1868, and dated the 31st October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake. at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st October 1867:
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING OR RAREPYING THE AIR IN VESSELS FOR
FOOD PRESERVING, DISTILLING, AND OTHER PURPOSES," a communication, to be as
follows:-
The said Invention relates to a novel method of removing the air from
vessels or receptacles for preserving food and for distilling and other purposes,
and consists chiefly in producing a vacuum or partial vacuum in a space above
the surface of a body of water enclosed in a cistern, which space is placed
in communication with the vessel or receptacle to be exhausted through an

page_text: exhausting apparatus. The said apparatus is provided with a suitable arrange-
ment of valves, whereby it is first filled with water from the cistern, then
emptied through a pipe of such a length that the column of water contained
therein will overcome the external pressure of the atmosphere. Air is then
admitted from the vessel to be exhausted. The communication between
the exhauster and the said vessel is then closed, and that between the
exhauster and cistern opened. The air in the exhauster is displaced by the
descending water, and ascends to the space at the top of the cistern, the
operations being repeated till the desired vacuum is created in the vessel or
receptacle. Where a sufficient height cannot be obtained the exhauster may
be emptied by the aid of an air chamber and pump. The exhausters, of which
there may be any desired number, are preferably constructed of a cylindrical
form. A vertical pipe for containing the column of water is attached to the
bottom of each exhauster. The said pipes are curved upward at the lower end
and furnished with valves, which are kept down by weights or other devices,
and are connected with levers and other apparatus, whereby they can be raised
at pleasure. The height from the said valves to the bottom of the exhausters
is about thirty-five feet. The latter are provided with pipes and other means
for connecting them with the vessels to be exhausted, their communication
with the said vessels being regulated and stopped by suitable valves, whose
rods or spindles extend through the top or cover of the exhausters. These
rods are furnished with india-rubber covers or sleeves, which are attached
to each rod and to the cover of the exhauster and allow the valve to work
freely, but prevent the entrance of air. These regulating valves are connected
to weighted levers or other means for keeping them properly closed. The
pipes or tubes leading from these valves to the vessels to be exhausted pass
through chambers or receptacles containing sulphuric acid, which absorbs any
that
arise.
may
Each exhauster is funished with a mercurial
gauge to indicate the vacuum obtained, and also with a glass tube or other
suitable gauge to show the height of water in the said exhausters. An air-
tight cistern or reservoir is placed above the exhausters, and is connected
thereto by pipes, which are provided with valves or cocks, whereby the supply
of water from the said cistern to the exhausters is regulated. These valves
are attached to rods which extend upward through the cistern, and are con-
nected with chains and pulleys or with other suitable devices, whereby they
can be raised when desired to admit water to the exhausters from the cistern.
These rods extend through apertures in the cover of the cistern, and the said
apertures are protected with sleeves of india-rubber or other suitable material
to prevent the entrance of the air, in the same manner as those in the cover
aqueous vapour

page_text: of the exhausters. The cistern is provided with an aperture for filling it with
water, which aperture is closed with a tightly fitting screw plug and washer, or
by some other convenient air-tight fastening. A pipe extends from the bottom
of the cistern, and its lower end is immersed in water contained in a trough
or other receptacle arranged about thirty-four feet below the cistern; this
pipe is provided with a stop-cock, which is preferably fitted in the said pipe
about thirty feet from its lower end. The cistern exbausters and pipes of the said
apparatus are constructed of cast iron or other suitable metal. The valves, rods,
and small tubes are preferably of brass; the joints, covers, and other portions
of the apparatus must be made air-tight, and protected with india-rubber or
other suitable packing. If an apparatus is required for producing only a
partial vacuum an open cistern may be employed. To prepare the apparatus
for working the valve in the exhauster and the valve in the lower end of the
pipe extending downward from the same are closed; the stop-cock in the pipe
extending downward from the bottom of the cistern is also closed; the valve
between the latter and the exhauster is opened and the screw plug is removed
from its aperture; the cistern is then quite filled with water, and the screw
plug carefully and tightly re-inserted; the stop-cock in the vertical pipe is
then opened to allow the water to escape from the cistern till lowered about
one-sixteenth. of the height of the latter; the said stop-cock is then closed;
a more perfect vacuum is created if the apparatus is left in this position
during twenty minutes or half an hour to allow the air contained in the water
to rise into the space above the same. The vessel to be exhausted being con-
nected with the exhauster the supply valve between the latter and the cistern
is closed; the valve at the foot of the vertical pipe extending down from the
exhauster is then opened to allow the water to escape and empty the same;
this valve being again closed the valve in the exhauster is opened to allow the
air to enter therein from the vessel to be emptied, and is then closed; the
supply valve between the cistern and exbauster is then opened-to-refill the
latter, and the air contained therein at the same time rises to the top of the
cistern; the water gauge shows when the exhauster is full; the supply valve
can then be again closed, and the several operations repeated as often as
required to remove the air from the vessel or receptacle connected with the
apparatus. When the necessary height for overcoming the atmospheric
pressure cannot be obtained between the exhauster and the lower end of the
vertical pipe containing the column of water, and when the supply of water is.
limited, an air pump and chamber may be connected with the said pipe; the
column of water may be lowered by decreasing the atmospheric pressure in
the chamber.
Suitable cocks or valves are provided to admit air into the

page_text: A
chamber, and thereby refill the exhauster with water, and other cocks or
valves are provided to carry off the waste water from the air chamber.
receiver or vacuum chest may be attached to the exhauster and cases; cans or
other vessels containing food may be placed within the said receiver or chest,
which is provided with rods fitted to work through suitable apertures protected
by india-rubber covers or sleeves to prevent the entrance of air through the
said apertures. These rods are connected with a ratchet inside the receiver,
which ratchet acts on a screw and secures the lid of each case or vessel of food
till the same is soldered.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
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-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto me,
the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence that I, the said William
Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Robert Lake, 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 "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXHAUSTING OR RAREFYING THE
AIR IN VESSELS FOR FOOD PRESERVING, DISTILLING, AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
forming a part of this Specification:-
The said Invention relates to a novel method of removing the air from
vessels or receptacles for preserving food and for distilling and other purposes,
and consists chiefly in producing a vacuum or partial vacuum in a space above
the surface of a body of water enclosed in a cistern, which space is placed in
communication with the vessel or receptacle to be exhausted through an
exhausting apparatus. It is well known to all who are familiar with the
subject that the proportion of air held by absorbtion in water has heretofore
prevented the formation of a perfect vacuum by the use of water in what is
known as the "Torricellian" process.
In practising my Invention I use apparatus in which certain parts are so
proportioned and arranged that the air in a body of water is first separated
from the water which is afterwards used for producing a vacuum in other
portions of the apparatus. The said apparatus is provided with a suitable
arrangement of valves whereby it is first filled with water from the cistern,
then emptied through a pipe of such a length that the column of water
contained therein will overcome the external pressure of the atmosphere.
Air is then admitted from the vessel to be exhausted. The communication
between the exhauster and the said vessel is then closed and that between the
exhauster and cistern opened. The air in the exhauster is displaced by the
descending water and ascends to the space at the top of the cistern, the
operations being repeated till the desired vacuum is created in the vessel or
receptacle. Where a sufficient height cannot be obtained the exhauster may
be emptied by the aid of an air chamber and pump.
The Drawing shows an elevation of the apparatus employed in practising
my Invention.
The exhausters a, of which there may be any desired number, are preferably
constructed of a cylindrical form. A vertical pipe 6 for containing the column-
of water is attached to the bottom of each exhauster. The said pipes are
curved upward at the lower end and furnished with valves c which are kept
down by weights d or other devices, and are connected with levers e and other
apparatus, whereby they can be raised at pleasure. The height from the
valves c to the bottom of the exhausters a may be about thirty-five feet. The
said exhausters are provided with pipes f for connecting them with the
vessels 9 wherein the vacuum is to be produced, the communication between

page_text: the exbausters and the said vessels being regulated and stopped by suitable
valves whose rods or spindles h¹ extend through the tops or covers a¹ of the
exhausters a. These rods h¹ are furnished with india-rubber covers or sleeves h
which are attached to the rods hand to the cover a' of the exhauster. Other
means may be provided for protecting the apertures of these valve rods, the
object being to allow the valves to work freely while preventing the entrance
of air through such apertures into the exhausters The rods h¹ are connected
to weighted levers h³, or other means for keeping the valves properly closed.
The pipes or tubes f leading from the valves h to the vessels to be exhausted
may pass through chambers or receptacles i containing sulphuric acid which
absorbs any aqueous vapour formed in the tubes or vessels. Each of the
exhausters a is furnished with a mercurial gauge j to indicate the vacuum
obtained, and also with a glass tube k or other suitable gauge to show the
height of water in the said exhausters. An air-tight cistern or reservoir lis
placed above the exhausters, a, and is connected thereto by pipes m which are
provided with valves or cocks, whereby the supply of water from the said
cistern to the exhausters is regulated. These valves are attached to rods n
which extend upward through the cistern and are connected with chains or
cords o and pulleys p, or with other suitable devices, whereby they can be
raised when desired to admit water to the exhausters a from the cistern l.
These rods n pass through apertures in the cover of the cistern l, and the
said apertures are protected with sleeves of india-rubber or other suitable
material to prevent the entrance of the air, in the same manner as those in the
cover of the exhausters. The cistern is provided with an aperture for filling
it with water, which aperture is closed with a tightly fitting screw plug and
washer 9, or by some other convenient air-tight fastening. A pipe » extends
downward from the bottom of the cistern l, and the lower end of this pipe is
immersed in water contained in a trough or other receptacle * which may be
arranged about thirty-four feet below the cistern; the lower end of this pipe
may be curved or bent upward if desired. The said pipe is provided with a
stop-cock which is preferably fitted in the pipe about thirty feet from its
lower end. The cistern 7, exhausters a, and the various pipes of my apparatus
are constructed of cast iron or other suitable metal. The valves, rods, and
small tubes are preferably of brass. The joints, covers, and other portions of
the said apparatus must be made air-tight and protected with india-rubber or
other suitable packing. To prepare the apparatus for working the valves h in
the exhausters a and the valves c at the lower end of the pipes 6 are closed;
the stop-cock in the piper is also closed; the valves between the cistern
and the exhausters a are opened and the screw plug q, is removed from its

page_text: aperture. The cistern is then entirely filled with water, and the screw plug q
carefully and tightly reinserted; the stop-cock in the vertical pipe » or
one of the valves c is then opened to allow the water to escape from the
cistern l, until a vacuum has been formed in the cistern above the water to
receive all the air that will rise from the said water as soon as the atmo-
spheric pressure thereon is removed. The said stop-cock or valve is then
closed. A more perfect vacuum is created if the apparatus is left in this
position during twenty minutes or half an hour; the vessels to be exhausted
being connected with the exhausters a, the supply valves between the latter
and the cistern Z, are closed. The valves c at the foot of the pipes b are then
opened to allow the water to escape and leave a vacuum in the exhausters;
this valve c being again closed the valves h in the exhausters are opened to
allow the air to enter therein from the vessels g, and are then closed. The
supply valves between the cistern and exhausters a are then opened to refill
the latter, and the air contained therein at the same time rises to the top of
the cistern; the water gauge k shows when the exbauster a is full; the supply
valve can then be again closed and the several operations repeated as often as
required to remove the air from the vessel g or other vessel connected with the
apparatus. When the necessary height for overcoming the atmospheric
pressure cannot be obtained between the exhauster a and the lower end of the
vertical pipe 6 containing the column of water, and when the supply of water
is limited, an air pump and chamber may be connected with the said pipe;
the column of water may be lowered by decreasing the atmospheric pressure
in the said chamber. Suitable cocks or valves are provided to admit air into
the chamber and thereby refill the exhauster a with water, and other cocks or
valves are provided to carry off the waste water from the air chamber. A
receiver or "vacuum chest may be attached to the exhauster a, and cases, cans,
or other vessels containing food or other substances may be placed within the
said receiver or chest which is provided with rods fitted to-work through
suitable apertures protected by india-rubber covers or sleeves to prevent the
entrance of air through the said apertures. These rods might be connected
with a ratchet inside the receiver, such ratchet being arranged to act on a
screw and secure the lid of each case or vessel of food till the same is
soldered.
b
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, and shown how the same may be conveniently
and advantageously carried into practice, I wish it to be distinctly understood
that in constructing my improved apparatus I do not limit myself to or claim
any particular number of exhausters, nor to any peculiar shape, proportion, or

page_text: number of any other parts of the said apparatus; but I claim, the com-
bination of one or more of the exhausters a with the cistern and barometric
columns or tubes b, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, 1, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
Tuos. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Mess. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings,
W. C.