CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolphe Girard, Chemist, of Pertuis, in the Depart-
ment of Vaucluse, Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
London, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING
FIRES."
. .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolphe Girard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
February 1855.
I, ADOLPHE GIRARD, Chemist, of Pertuis, in the Department of Vaucluse,
Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, do hereby declare.
the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING
FIRES" to be as follows, viz. :-
This apparatus consists, firstly, of a distributing pipe perforated with fine
apertures for producing jets of gas.
Second, of a box of wood or other suitable material, being cased internally
with lead, and containing pieces or powder of carbonate of lime or of white"
marble.
Third, of another box, cased with lead inside, and containing common
chlorhydric acid. There is a pipe for connecting the upper portion of these
two boxes, a cock in said pipe allowing to intercept the communication between

page_text: them. By means of another pipe, a communication is established between the
bottom of the chlorhydric acid box and the top of the box containing the
carbonate of lime. When a fire is to be extinguished, the distributing pipe
being supposed to be in or near the place where the fire breaks out, the first
mentioned of the communication is first opened and then the second; thus, the
acid vessel being placed above the lime vessel, the acid will run on the lime,
and cause carbonic acid gas to be evolved, which immediately passes into the
distributing pipe above mentioned. The carbonic acid remaining after the
fire has been extinguished may be absorbed by liquid ammonia.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filel
by the said Adolphe Girard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ADOLPHE
GIRARD, Chemist, of Pertuis, in the Department of Vaucluse, Empire of
France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Adolphe Girard, Her special licence that I, the said Adolphe Girard, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, tho said Adolphe
Girard, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
EXTINGUISHING FIRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Adolphe Girard, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 Offico within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Adolphe Girard, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-

page_text: This apparatus consists, firstly, of a distributing pipe perforated with fine
apertures for producing jets of gas.
Second, of a box of wood or other suitable material, cased internally with
lead, and containing pieces or powder of carbonate of lime or of white
marble.
Third, of another box, cased with lead inside, and containing common
chlorhydric acid. There is a pipe for connecting the upper portions of these
two boxes, a cock in said pipe allowing to intercept the communication
between them. By means of another pipe, a communication is established
between the bottom of the chlorhydric acid box and the top of the box
containing the carbonate of lime. When a fire is to be extinguished, the
distributing pipe being supposed to be in or near the place where the fire breaks
out, the first mentioned or the communication pipe is first opened, and then
the second; thus, the acid vessel being placed above the lime vessel, the acid
will run on the lime, and cause carbonic acid gas to be evolved, which
immediately passes into the distributing pipe above mentioned. The carbonic
acid gas remaining after the fire has been extinguished may be absorbed by
liquid ammonia.
Having thus briefly set forth the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I will now proceed to
describe the form of the apparatus which I prefer using, as probably yielding
the best results.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings is an elevation of the whole
improved safety apparatus, partly in section; Fig. 2 is a plan of the end of the
distributing pipe.
A is the distributing pipe, which leads the extinguishing gas from the
generator to the locality which it is desired to protect from fire; B, box of
wood or other material, lined with lead and containing pieces or powder of
carbonate of lime or of white marble; C is a like box, for containing common
chlorhydric acid; D is the equilibrium pipe, connecting the upper portions of
the two boxes, so that when the cock E is opened the same pressure exists in
both boxes, and the liquid may descend from the box C into the box B by
gravity alone; F, pipe and cock for the passage of the liquid from the vessel
or box C into the box B; G, H, openings for introducing the carbonate and
acid into the boxes B, C, respectively; I, J, discharge and emptying taps;
K, glass guages, for indicating the level of the acid.
In order to make the apparatus ready for use, the different taps or valves
must first be tried, so that they be well shut. For the size of apparatus shewn
on the Drawing, I then fill the box B, with 400 lbs., about, of carbonate of

page_text: lime or white marble, reduced to small pieces, and spreading the same carefully
over the bottom of the box. The box C is also filled or nearly so with
chlorhydric acid through the openings II, and both openings G and H are
then carefully luted and closed. When a fire breaks out in a house the doors
of the locality must immediately be shut, the cock F opened first, and then the
cock E. The chlorhydric acid thus passes into the box B, and by decomposing
the carbonate, carbonic acid gas is evolved in the box B, and is directed
through the pipe A into the coil, with two or more orifices L, L (see Fig. 2);
also, in order more readily to penetrate the air contained in the place on fire, I
perforate said pipe on its under half with small apertures M, M, and whilst
the gas thus escapes, the clefts or other openings through which the external
atmosphero might communicate with the fire, may be stopped up, beginning
at those nearest to the ground. When the fire has been extinguished, i. c. an
hour or two after the application of the gas, the doors, &c. are opened again,
and the locality may be gone into after using the ordinary precautions, and
fixing the carbonic acid by liquid ammonia, if required.
The apparatus above described, although shewn in a stationary position, may
also be made portable, so that may be carried and applied to the place
where a fire is to be extinguished. I would also observe that the apparatus,
besides being used for putting out combustion, may also be employed for
sanitary purposes, by completely destroying rats and vermin in ships,
cellars, &c. &c. &c.
I claim, first, the use and application of carbonic acid gas for extinguishing
fires, this gas being produced instantaneously by the means above described, or
any equivalent ones.
Second, the method of causing said gas to arrive upon the burning parts
from above in the shape of a shower, produced by perforated tubes fixed:
at the ceiling or above, as shewn on the Drawing, or in any other suitable
way.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolphe Girard, have hereunto set my
band and seal; this 31st day of July, in the year of our Lord 1855.
GIRARD. (1.S.)