Improvements relating to the Burning of Sulphur for Disinfecting Purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1894
[Communicated from abroad by SEABURY AND JOHNSON, a Corporation organized
under the laws of the State of New York, and having its principal office at
Nos. 59-61, Maiden Lane, in the City of New York, United States of America,
Manufacturing Chemists.]
Improvements relating to the Burning of Sulphur for Disinfecting
Purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following statement :--
Our improvement consists in a process of burning sulphur and includes a nascent
sulphurous acid candle.
We will describe our improvement in detail and afterwards point out its novel
features.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a top view of a sulphur candle and a device for supporting the same
while burning.
Figure 2 is
central vertical section of the same.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures.
A designates a sulphur candle consisting of a block or mass of sulphur a', which
will be preferably provided with a wick, or wicking, a, and enclosed in a case or
container a³. The container a may be made of porous material so that liquid will
be free to permeate it and reach the sulphur of the candle. A simple and efficient
container may be made by taking a suitable grade of paper and stamping or shaping
it into the form of a cup.
B designates a receptacle which may advantageously be made of metal and of
cylindric form. It is considerably larger than the candle and, as here shown, is
provided with a central support 6, upon which the candle may rest. This central
support may consist of a perforated cap of sheet metal, or simply of a base
perforated or otherwise, and a number of arms extending upwardly from the same.
In any case, this support must be of such construction as to leave a large portion of
the container a of the candle exposed.
It is intended that water shall be placed in the receptacle B, and that it shall
permeate the container a³ of the sulphur candle so as to reach the sulphur.
If a suitable quantity of water is introduced into the receptacle B, and the
candle is lighted, the sulphur of the candle will be burned and at the same time, the
water will be rapidly evaporated. The water will also have the function of
preventing fire from being transmitted from the sulphur to surrounding objects.
The water will permeate the container a³ of the candle and will be gradually and
constantly supplied to the sulphur. Thus the combustion of the sulphur will be
accelerated. On reaching the melted or heated mass of sulphur, the water will be
vaporized and sulphurous acid will be produced from the combination of the vapor
of water and the gaseous sulphurous oxide.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I wish it to be understood that I am aware that it
is not new to enclose a sulphur candle in a container surrounded by water, and
which is non-porous, or otherwise so made that it does not bring the water into
actual contact with the sulphur, and I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A process of burning sulphur by admitting water into the sulphur while hot
and thereby producing sulphurous acid from the combination of water vapor and
gaseous sulphurous oxide, substantially as specified.
2. A sulphur candle container made of material permeable to water, substantially
as specified.
3. A sulphur candle consisting of a mass of sulphur, or sulphur compound, and a
container of material permeable to water, substantially as specified.
4. The combination with a sulphur. candle having a container permeable to
water, of a receptacle for containing water and provided with meaus for holding
said candle, substantially as specified.
Dated this 27th day of February 1894
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.