AN IMPROVED FIRE EXTINGUISHING COMPOUND
Year: 1884

page_text: I CHARLES HAVENS ROYCE, of Al Southwark Bridge Road in the County of
Surrey, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for AN
IMPROVED FIRE EXTINGUISHING COMPOUND" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates more especially to a peculiar firo extinguishing compound
intended to be charged into tight bomb like vessels or hand grenades of glass or
other frangible material as proposed in the specification to Letters Patent granted
to Edwin Powley Alexander No 8973 A.D. 1884 and has for its object tho
cheapening and simplifying the preparation of the compound and the avoidance of
the risk of premature bursting of the bottles, or grenades by the pressure of free
carbonic acid gas generated in such bottles after they have been charged and
sealed. According to my invention I avoid as much as possible the generation of
free carbonic acid gas in the fire extinguishing solution after it has been enclosed
in the grenade the fire extinguishing properties of my improved solution or
compound being due less to the escape of free carbonic acid gas when the grenade
is broken on a fire than to the gas which is generated by the contact of my.
improved solution or compound with the burning material. In preparing my
improved solution or compound I dispense entirely with the use of the bi-carbonate
of soda and in most cases with the tartaric acid referred to in the said specification
retaining the sodic chloride, ammonic chloride, hydro chloric acid and carbonate of
potassa or their equivalents which I employ in or about the proportions given and
in the manner set forth in the said specification. The reaction of the hydro
chloric acid upon the carbonate of potassa will form in the solution itself chloride
of potassa but should chloride of potassa be used directly instead of being formed
in the solution itself then the addition of a little tartarić or other acid will be
dosirable.
I thus obtain a compound or solution which is not only efficient as a fire
extinguisher when used in hand grenades in the manner described but is cheaper
and safer than those heretofore proposed for the same purpose and is at the same
time capable of withstanding a low degree of temperature without congealing, its
anti-freezing qualities boing derived from the presence of the chloride of sodium,
potassium and ammonia.

page_text: ש
I CHARLES HAVENS ROYCE of Al Southwark Bridge Road in the County of
Surrey Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN
IMPROVED FIRE EXTINGUISHING COMPOUND" and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates more especially to a peculiar fire extinguishing compound
intended to be charged into tight bomb like vessols or band grenades of glass or
other frangible material as proposed in the specification to Letters Patent granted
to Edwin Powley Alexander N° 8973 A.D. 1884 and has for its object the
cheapening and simplifying the preparation of the fire extinguishing compound
or solution and the avoidance of the risk of premature bursting of the bottles or
grenades by the pressure of free carbonic acid gas generated in such bottles after
they have been charged and sealed. The object of my present invention is to
prevent as much as possible the generation of free carbonic acid gas in the fire
extinguishing compound or solution after it has been enclosed in the grenade the
fire-extinguishing properties of my improved solution or compound being duo less
to the escape of free carbonic acid gas when the grenade is broken on a fire
than to the gas which is generated when the improved solution or compound is
brought into contact with the burning material. In preparing my improved fire
extinguishing solution or compound I dispense entirely with the bicarbonate of
soda and with the tartaric acid referred to in the said specification and I use the
following ingredients in or about the proportions given and in the manner specified
that is to say:-
To 200 gallons of cold water I add 400 pounds of chloride of sodium and
200 pounds of chloride of ammonia and when solution is effected I further add
156 pounds of hydrochloric acid (18°). I then gradually stir into the solution
about 105 pounds of carbonate of potash or such quantity as will suffice to exactly
neutralize the free hydrochloric acid the stirring being repeated with each fresh
addition of the potassic carbonate. The reaction of the hydrochloric acid upon the
carbonate of potash will form in the solution itself chloride of potash but if
preferred the hydrochloric acid and carbonate of potash may be dispensed with and
chloride of potash substituted therefor.
When the hydrochloric acid and carbonate of potash are used in preparing the
said, solution or coinpound any free carbonic acid gas generated by them in union
with the other ingredients should be fully discharged or thrown off from the
solution before the same is enclosed in the grenade like vessel by frequent stirring
of the solution or by raising its temperature to such a degree as will ensure the
release of the carbonic acid gas.
I thus obtain a compound or solution which is not only efficient as a fire
"extinguisher when used in hand grenades in the manner described but is chicaper
and safer than those heretofore proposed for the same purpose and is at the same
timo capable of withstanding a low degree of temperature without congoaling, its
anti-freezing qualities being due to the presence of the chloride of sodium potassium
and ammonia.

page_text: By increasing the quantity of ammonic chloride stated the fire-extinguishing
quality of the solution will be further promoted although ordinarily the compound
prepared as before described will serve very efficiently in the uses for which it is
intended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The use of the hereindescribed fire extinguishing solution or compound prepared
in the manner set forth for charging what are known as hand grenade fire
> extinguishers.