A METHOD OF RISING INFLAMMABLE AIR FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROCURING MOTION, AND FACILITATING METALLURGICAL OPERATIONS
Year: 1791

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BARBER, of Attleborough, in the Parish of Nuneaton, in the County of
Warwick, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said John Barber, did, by my petition, humbly represent
to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third that, after
much trouble, care, and expence, I had found out and invented "A METHOD
OF RISING INFLAMMABLE AIR FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROCURING MOTION, AND
FACILITATING METALLURGICAL OPERATIONS;" I therefore most humbly prayed His
said Majesty to grant unto me, the said John Barber, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent for the sole use and benefit
of the said Invention, within that part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of
Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, according to the Statute in that
case made and provided; His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement
to all arts and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously
pleased to condescend to my request; and therefore, by His Royal Letters
Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of October, in the thirty
second year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere
motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me, the
said John Barber, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Barber, my
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, and every of then, by myself and them-
selves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said John Barber, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention, within that part of
His Majesty's said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said
John Barber, my executors, administrators, or assigns, or any of us, should
in our discretions should seem meet; and that I, the said John Barber, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have, hold,
and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to
time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention,
for and during the term of years therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise,
and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before
granted, or mentioned to be granted, unto me, the said John Barber, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full
end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent
next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended according
to the Statute in that case made and provided; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that if I, the said John Barber, should not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and scal, and cause the same to be inrolled in Ilis Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly
cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the
contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters
Patent, relation being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Barber, in compliance with the
said proviso, do hereby describe the nature of the aforesaid Invention, and
declare that the same is to be performed in manner following, that is to say:
"It consists of a metallic vessel called a retort, so contrived that (when
heated by a circumambient fire) coal, wood, oil. or any other combustible
matter may bo put therein, and the smoke or vapour therein collected may be
brought out by a small pipe, and conveyed in a regular stream into another
metallic vessel called an exploder, by means of an air pump and a compresser
or regulating bellows, which pipe opposing its orifice to another similar pipe
which enters the exploder (on the opposite side from the pipe which brings in
the inflammable vapour from the retort) and injects by similar means a prope
quantity of atmospheric or common air, causing an admixture of the two airs
which, so mixed, will take fire on application of a match or candle to the

page_text: mouth of the exploder, and rush out with great rapidity in one continued
stream of fire, so long as the exploder is supplied with proper quantities of the
respective airs. The fluid stream is also considerably augmented both in
quantity and velocity by water injected into the exploder by means of another
small pipe entering therein, which water is also intended to prevent the inward
pipes and the mouth of the exploder for melting by the velocity and intensc-
ness of the issuing flame. This water, as well as the airs, are forced into the
exploder by means of a pump, which in lieu of common crank carries upon
the axis of one of its wheels two esses or double portions of circles, whereby
a more regular motion is procured than can be done by any crank work. This
engine is wrought by the stream issuing from the mouth of the exploder, and
may be applied to grinding, rolling, forging, spinning, and every other mechani-
cal operation; and the fluid stream may be injected into furnaces for smelting
metallic ores, or passed out at the stern of any ship, boat, barge, or other
vessel, so as by an opposing and impelling power directed against the water
carrying such vessel, the vessel with its contents may be driven in any
whatsoever."
direction
In witness whereof, I, the said John Barber, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-one, and in the
Thirty-second year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the
Third, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland
King Defender of the Faith, and so forth.
Scaled and delivered (being first duly
stamp'd) in the presence of
BENJ DICKENS.
W LEE.
JU (L.S.) DARDER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of November,
in the year above-mentioned, the aforesaid John Barber came before our Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained, in form abovo written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
in that case made and provided.

page_text: Is a Retort with its Neck (Aand, a Stop Cock (A) I make use of two of these Retorts in order to keep the Engine working with one
of them whilst the other isleansed of the Coaks and
Ashes of the rials used for procuring Inflammable Air.
Is a Receiver wherein the from either of the Retorts is collected and cooled
and carried by a small pe B into the Pamp for supplying the Engine
"
32 Are the Air pumps why by means of an Admission Valve through
Gistern of the Inward ipe. cf(left open at the bottom) and anoti
r means of a Ciraarmambrient Cistern of water BB
buflammable Aur.
ch the respective Airs are to be drawn into the
Valve where the Aurs are to pass out of the
of the cutward pipes D.D. (filled with water)
Cistern into the Compressers des upon the alternate raising and fall
the Airs into the spective Compressers by being successively raised and fallen by means of two Beams 5.5.
convey
compress
means
the Air
4.4. Are Compressers which being filled in their lower parts with water and the respective Airs forced into them by
of their ad Pumps do according to the altitude of the Pipes rising up to their listern
loders, with a power proportioned to such altitude In some cases I chase to use.
performing as Operation.
forcing
and
Pump
5 Two b
Esses or
portions of Circles fixed on one of the Aris's of the ingine Wheel.
I
Treble Air Comment Air and Wate
the Exploder
GR
introdures
Pipe fiF) which on roduces Common Air and
8.
The Exploder with
he
uple dirime
Pipe (6) which inreduces Water into this Vessel, at whose Mouth or outlet (Hipon, the approach of Flame)
combined Streams of Airs and Water do issue out with amazing force and velocity against.
The Fly Wheel on whis's Axis a Pinion being placed turns a toothed Wheel of proper dimensions and on
the same
Axista
Axis are affixed
by rotation of the Axis
whereon they be fastned they bear upon the Wheel (II) in the Plig frame (K) suspended to the Beams
5.5 and thereby wor those Beams two strokes each.
9.9. Two Metallic Esses or Portions of Circles set at right Angles from each other so as
in
retation..
every
may upon
10. Is the second Wheel in the Engine wrought by the Pinion upon the Fly Wheel and upon whose Axis is
diameter
the Axis
fixed another Pinion which working upon another toothed Wheel of any proper
thereof carry either Cogs or Esses for lifting Hammers, Barrels for Ropes to wrap upon. Cog Wheels for
communicating Motion to Grinding or Spinning Machinery rolling slitting and pressing Metals or other Substan-
ces and also for an kind of Motion whatsoever.
1