IMPROVEMENTS IN PRE- PARING, CLEANSING, AND REFINING ANIMAL FATS, AND IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Beveridge, of the Firm of A. and
J. Beveridge, Merchants, both of Leith, in the County of Edin-
burgh, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRE-
PARING, CLEANSING, AND REFINING ANIMAL FATS, AND IN THE MEANS AND
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR. -A communication from abroad by
Anton Jurgens, of Oss, North Brabant, Holland.
وو
Sealed the 17th September 1872, and dated the 30th March 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Beveridge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th March 1872.
I, ALEXANDER BEVERIDGE, of the Firm of A. and J. Beveridge,
Merchants, both of Leith, in the County of Edinburgh, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS
IN PREPARING, CLEANSING, AND REFINING ANIMAL FATS, AND IN THE MEANS AND
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR,” to be as follows, that is to say:-
This said Invention has reference to new or improved modes and
means of treating, cleansing, and refining meat fats and suets, especially

page_text: that of oxen or sheep, all more effectually free from their natural tissue
and particular meaty or rank taste and smell and clearer in color, so
as to be more useful for cooking, baking, and other purposes than
heretofore.
con-
And the nature of this Invention and improvements consists in taking
the suet and fatty parts of the oxen or sheep, as the case may be, and
compressing and grinding it through a set of one or more pairs of
rollers, with roughened acting surfaces or with sets of teeth set
annularly over their acting periphery, so as to tear up the fat into
small pieces, and separate the tissue as much as possible from the fat,
which pulverized fat so ground is conducted into open or close. cased
vessels, by preference formed of wood, where it is boiled and melted
or digested by the application of hot water and high pressure steam, so
as to regulate the temperature desired, and separate the heavy fibrous
or tissuey matters, which are finally removed by fine sieves, while the
froth and grosser light matters which come to the surface are removed
by skimming, after which the so far cleansed fatty matters are
ducted into a second set of close or open steaming vessels, where they
are treated with hot water and high-pressure steam at the temperature
desired, and when preferred with the usual bleaching and purifying
weak solutions of sulphuric and nitric acid and potash or oxalic acid
(or other well known purifying substances), but the making of the
treating vessels double or cased with the high-pressure steam blown
through perforations in the bottom or sides of the inner vessel or con-
ducting steam ducts, so as to act on the water and fatty matter, as
a digesting and purifying medium itself (when the fats are not rancid
or bad) is a great purpose of these improvements, after which secondary
treatment the fatty matter is then washed in one or more washing
vessels successively with warm or it may be cold water, when it is
then allowed to cool and congeal all ready for packing or use.
filed by the said Alexander Beveridge in the Great. Seal Patent
Office on the 27th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
BEVERIDGE, of the Firm of A. and J. Beveridge, Merchants, both of 3
Leith, in the County of Edinburgh, North Britain, send greeting.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
BEVERIDGE, of the Firm of A. and J. Beveridge, Merchants, both of 3
Leith, in the County of Edinburgh, North Britain, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Beveridge, Her special
licence, that I, the said Alexander Beveridge, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Beveridge,
'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 PREPARING, CLEANSING, AND REFINING ANIMAL FATS, AND IN THE MEANS AND
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," the same is a communication to me from
abroad by Anton Jurgens, of Oss, North Brabant, Holland, upon the condi-
tion (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Beveridge, 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 Alexander Beveridge, 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 following statement in writing, reference being had to the several
Figures on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the reference
letters and numerals marked thereon, that is to say :—
My said Invention has reference to new or improved modes and means
of treating, cleansing, and refining meat fats and suets, especially that
of oxen or sheep, all more effectually free from their natural tissuey
matter and particular meaty or rank taste and smell and clearer in
color, so as to be more useful for cooking, baking, and other purposes
than these have been as heretofore prepared and used.
And the nature and mode of carrying out my said Invention and
improvements consists in taking the suets and fatty parts of the oxen or
sheep, as the case may be, or a mixture of these, and compressing or
bruising, and tearing or grinding the same through a set of one or more

page_text: 66
pairs of rollers with roughened acting surfaces or with sets of teeth
set annularly over or along their acting periphery, so as to work between
each other at different speeds or velocities, and tear up the fat into
small pieces in a granular form, and separate the tissue or meaty parts
as much as possible from the fat, which before being put into this
grinding machine or set of rollers is by preference cut into thin slices
in a cutting machine with revolving knives on a cylinder or a disc or
.wheel, or it might be a reciprocating knife machine such as used for
cutting roots or other food for farm stock. The pulverized fat so cut
and ground is filled or conducted into open or close cased vessels, by
.preference formed of wood, where it is melted or digested" by the
application of hot water and high-pressure steam so as to regulate the
temperature desired and separate the finer dissolved fat from the more
.fibrous or tissuey fat and matters, which may be finally removed by
fine sieves, while the froth and grosser light matters which come to the
surface can be removed by running or skimming them off at the surface,
after which the so far cleansed fatty matters are conducted into another
set or sets of close or open steam heating vessels, one set of which for
treating the first and finer fatty matters drawn off are made double
cased, with the high-pressure steam blown up through the perforations
in the conducting steam pipe or duct below the bottom and sides of
the inner vessel, so as to act on the water and heat the said finer fatty
matter or
66 cream of the fat, as I term it, for a considerable time, after
which (when the fats used are fresh as they ought to be and not rancid
or bad) this cream part would be ready for being run off and con-
gealed in casks or other vessels for market and use. Whilst the second
part and quality of the fat not melted and the fibrous matter and water
would be run off into a close or open vat (without the outer casing and
as in the first case), where the whole is treated with very hot water and
'high-pressure steam at and to the temperature desired, by the direct
action of the water and steam which is blown up through perforations
in its coiled pipes or through a perforated false bottom in the vessel as a
"digesting" and purifying medium, itself forming a great purpose of
these improvements both in the first and this latter preparing and
purifying apparatus, and when thus treated for a considerable time
until all the fat is thoroughly melted, when this second quality and
portion of the fat will also be ready for being run off into vessels or
casks for sale and use. In the first vat or "digester" and operation I
prefer to use the purifying ingredients mixed or dissolved in the water,
"
"

page_text: as the carbonate of potassa, or other known purifying materials, when
these are desired to be used, such as weak solutions of sulphuric or nitric
acid or oxalic acid, as herein-after stated more particularly in describing
the mode of performing the Invention, and in the two latter vats and
operations of treating the " cream " and second quality of the prepared
fat, I, in some cases add a small proportion of common salt to insure
sweetness in keeping against the action of the atmosphere in transit
and use, after which second treatment and before running off either
the first or second quality of the prepared fat, they may in some cases
be washed in vessels with warm or it may be cold water, which might
have the salt added thereto, when these were used, after which the
prepared fat would then be ready for running off and cooling in vessels
for transit and use.
And in order that the nature and mode of performing the said Inven-
tion may be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the
several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended
for that purpose.
Figures 1 and 2 are a side elevation and a plan respectively, both
partly in section, of one modification of the mechanism and apparatus
to be employed for carrying out my said Invention into effect or
practice, and the construction of the apparatus consists all substantially
as follows:-
$6
A is the feeding hopper of the grinding mill B, into which the sliced
fat is filled or conducted by elevators or other equivalent means to
be ground between the two rollers B', B", into a granular pulverized
or mealy state or consistency, and fed or charged into the first large
treating or steam and hot water heating or dissolving and separating
open or close covered wooden vat or
digester" C (as I term it for
brevity) which, as well as the other subsequently treating vats or
vessels, is made by preference of poplar or other woods which have
little or no deleterious resins or salts in them to taint or injure the pre-
pared fat, although it will be evident that these treating vessels might
also be made of or lined with tin or other such metal which would
not be acted upon by the acids of the fat or the chemicals or ingredients
used in treating it. The "digester" C by preference being made large
enough to contain a charge of one ton of the ground fat and one-fourth
of that (or 560 lbs.) of warm water as a charge, stirred or agitated by

page_text: 66
"
hand or mechanical revolving or reciprocating agitators from time to
time during the filling in of the fat, and having about the three
hundredth part (300) or seven pounds and a half (7½ lbs.) of carbonate
of potassa dissolved in the water, together with the whole of a sheep's
stomach, without the gall, added for every charge or ton of the fat, the
whole being thoroughly agitated for a short time before being allowed
to stand in repose for an hour or so until the whole of the fat has
'dissolved that will do so at the temperature at which it is maintained
throughout the said operation, being as near the mean of one hundred
and ten degrees (110°) Fahrenheit as possible, and certainly never
below or above the minimum or maximum of from seventy-five to one
hundred and fifty degrees (75° to 150°) Fahrenheit in this first vessel C,
which is heated by high-pressure steam of from thirty to forty pounds
(30 to 40 lbs.) on the square inch from a boiler for the purpose, led
through the steam pipe c (controlled by a tap c") and perforations in the
top of the coiled part c¹ at the bottom of the vessel C, below a perforated
false bottom, all so as to spread the steam and heat over the whole area
of the vessel, and maintain the water and fat at the steady temperature
desired. And when this first and finest fat (which I term the cream
fat) is so dissolved in this vessel C, it is run off at the top level by the
perforated hollow ball, rose, or sieve, and pipe D, hinged to the inner
end D' of the tap D³, so as to descend radially with the level of the
liquid fat within, as indicated by the dotted line D", and thus draw off
all the "cream a down to the level of the residue or rougher portion
of the fat b, which will not melt at the fore-named temperature above:
the water b, and discharge it by the tap D2, equally by the duct C¹ into
the two second or final " cream treating and preparing open or close
covered duplex vessels E, F, and E', F', where it is allowed to stand for
two hours or so at a uniform heat within the inner vessels E, E', heated
by hot water e placed within the outer vessels F, F¹, surrounding and
below the inner ones E, E', maintained as near as possible to the uniform
or mean temperature of one hundred and ten degrees (110°) Fahrenheit,
by high-pressure steam from a perforated coil or piping ff, carried
down and round below the bottom of the inner vessels E, E¹, regulated
by the taps f", to maintain the said temperature within the inner a
vessels E, E', after which the fat a is withdrawn by the taps E2 into
casks or other vessels, where it cools and congeals or hardens ready for
transit and use; the taps F" in the outer vessels F, F', being provided
"
"

page_text: '
for drawing off the water e therefrom surrounding the inner vessels E, E',
at pleasure when required. After the "cream".a is drawn off as
described from the charge in the "digesting" vessel C into the second
vessels E, E', the undissolved fat and fibrous residues and water b
remaining in the vessels C are all drained off by the tap or cock C², C",
into the third treating, single cased, open or close covered vessel G
heated by high-pressure steam passed through a perforated coiled
pipe g, g, at the bottom of the vessel, by preference with a separate
false bottom G¹ a little above the perforated coil pipe 9 (as in the first
vessel C, regulated by a tap g") all so that the steam is spread and.
blown up equally through the body of the water b¹ and fat b, so as to
heat it to a temperature that will melt the residual fat b as from one
hundred and eighty to two hundred and twelve degrees (180° to 212°)
Fahrenheit (not higher) for about one hour or so, when the melted fat b
may then be drawn off by the tap G² from above the surface or level
of the water into casks or other vessels, where it is allowed to cool and
congeal or harden ready for transportation, sale, or use, while the
water b and undissolved fibrous matter 6 are drawn off at the lower
tap G into cisterns or other vessels and passed through sieves so as to
retain the undissolved matters 6" and utilize them for the feeding of
animals or the manufacture of manure or other useful purposes. In
some cases a small portion, as a two-hundredth or three-hundredth part
(200 or 300) of common salt may be added and dissolved in the contents
of the vats E, E¹, and G, before running them off into their congealing
casks or vessels for the purpose of preserving the "cream" fat a, or the
second quality of fat b, as may be desired, especially when a considerable
time is likely to elapse before it can be used. It will be understood that
the treating vats C, E, F, and G are fitted with lids Z for being opened
and closed at pleasure, and with thermometers for observing and regu-
lating the temperatures within, and that glass or other transparent
gauges or long narrow windows may be fixed down their sides for
observing and regulating the levels of the liquids or materials within
them.

page_text: particular refining materials all substantially in the new or improved
and careful manner herein described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Beveridge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.