MANUFACTURE OF BURNING FLUIDS FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING PURPOSES
Year: 1859

page_text: MANUFACTURE OF BURNING FLUIDS FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING PURPOSES."
-A communication from Levi Lewis Hill, resident at Greenport, in the
County of Columbia and State of New York, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 4th January 1860, and dated the 8th July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elijah Livermore at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th July 1859.
I, ELIJAH LIVERMORE, of the City of New York, in the United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BURNING FLUIDS FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING
PURPOSES," a communication from Levi Lewis Hill, resident at Greenport, in
the County of Columbia and State of New York, in the United States of
America,) to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in the manufacture of a composition of
matter which is susceptible of being acted upon by or combining with atmos-
pheric air or other gas, in such a manner as to produce a cheap and brilliant
light, and an economical heat of great intensity.

page_text: To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the invention, I will
proceed to describe the method of making such chemical compound or mixture,
and the manner of using the same. I first prepare wood tar, or coal tar, and
crude turpentine, as follows:-I heat the tar or turpentine until sufficiently
thin, and then agitate it thoroughly with from one to two per cent. of sulphuric
acid. In treating coal tar I use from five to ten per cent. of the acid. I then
wash out the acid by means of several changes of hot water; I then thoroughly
mix the tar and turpentine, preferring equal parts, though the process will
bear various proportions.
In using coal tar I should state that it is advantageous to follow the acid
treatment by chloride of lime or some other deodorizing agent. This mixture
Into the
is next placed in a common still with or without a portion of water.
top of the still I place an air pipe connected with a bellows or blower; this
pipe should project to within one or two inches of the mixture. Another pipe
enters this just above the still, and this latter pipe I connect with a generator
or reservoir of hydrogen gas; on heating the still to the desired point, say from
150° to 212° Fahrenheit, I open the air pipe, using a moderate pressure on
the bellows, and at the same time let into said air pipe about one-twentieth
the bulk of air used of hydrogen gas. The vapor thus driven over is passed
through a coil of pipe immersed in ice water, and collected in a suitable
receiver. The distillate is a peculiar combination of the more volatile ingro-
dients of the tar and turpentine, and is eminently fitted for the purpose in
hand; I sometimes omit the use of the hydrogen pipe, and instead thereof
place the distillate in a deep jar, at the bottom of which are the materials for
generating the hydrogen, and in this case I find an advantage in surmounting
the jar by a cover, in which is a valve opening upwards and loaded with a
weight of one or two pounds to a square inch; I would further state that I
obtain a great increase of product by mixing the tar and turpentine with
about one-fourth of their united bulk of pulverized clay previously to their
being placed in the still. The compound as above procured I will here
designate as No. 1; I next prepare a mixture as follows:-In a deep jar or
vessel surmounted as in the former case by a cover and valve, 1 place the
materials for generating hydrogen, say, one ounce of zinc, two ounces of
sulphuric acid, and four ounces of water; I pour upon these a mixture of half
a piut of crude resin oil, one quart of coal naptha, preferring crude naptha,
half an ounce of Canada balsam, one-eighth of an ounce of gum camphor, and
one quart of benzole. Having loaded the valve as before, I let the arrange-
ment stand for several hours, after which I decant the oil, treat it with chalk

page_text: sufficient to remove all acidity, and then after it has become perfectly clear by
repose, I decant and bottle it for use. This mixture I will call No. 2. The
third ingredient is caoutchousine prepared by distilling caoutchouc at a tem-
perature of about 600° Fahrenheit, redistilling the oily product at a temper-
ature of from 180° to 205° Fahrenheit, and again redistilling the product
thus obtained at the lowest possible temperature. I thus obtain a liquid
which boils at 90° Fahrenheit. This when mixed even in very small quantities
with my other hydrocarbons, greatly increases their illuminating power, and
renders them more volatile; this I call No. 3.
Having the above ingredients at hand, I proceed to mix and incorporate
them together. Among many proportions which I have tried I prefer the
following, viz., one quart of No. 1, two quarts of No. 2, and one ounce of
No. 3; these I mix by thorough agitation, and suffer the mixture to stand for
one or two days, I then decant the clear liquid from the precipitate formed,
when it is ready for use. It is much improved, however, by another repose of
two or three weeks. This liquid I will here distinguish as Neubian oil A.
To the above quantity of the oil A, I add various proportions of highly rectified
naptha or of benzole, say from one pint to a gallon, and thus produce a
highly volatile combination less flashy and less liable to condense the benzole,
and yielding a better and more economical light, this I call Neubian oil B.
By omitting the benzole in oils A and B, and substituting therefor from ten
to fifty per cent. of caoutchousine, I produce Neubian oil C. This will work
well at a very low temperature. Neubian oil D, which is designed as a means
of economical heat, I prepare by combining mixture No. 1 with about five
per cent. of common resin, ten per cent. of resin oil, twenty per cent, of
naptha, and ten per cent. of spirits of turpentine. To this compound I add
small proportions of oils A, B, or C, when I wish to increase the volatility of
oil D, said oil D requires to be warmed when in use to from 100° to 150°
Fahrenheit.
The method of using said Neubian oil A or its modifications consists
essentially in the use of a bellows, air bag, gasometer, or other means of
generating a current of atmospheric air, bydrogen or carburetted hydrogen
gas, and directing said current of air or gas upon or into said Neubian oil,
and passing it thence by means of pipes to suitable burners, the temperature
of the oil will be maintained at a degree corresponding with the purity of the
chemical and the nature of the gas. For hydrogen or carburetted hydrogen
gases, the ordinary temperature of the oil is sufficient, as it also is for common
air during the mild seasons of the year, but in cold weather the temperature

page_text: of said oil should be maintained at from 70° to 100° Fahrenheit. I prefer
atmospheric air on account of its great economy and its superior effects. In the
use of from five to eight cubic feet of air per hour, I produce a flame as large
as that of ordinary coal gas of very great illuminating power, and at a cheap
rate. By largely diluting said carbonized or catalized air with common air,
even to the extent of from one hundred to five hundred per cent. I obtain a
beating flame of great purity and extraordinary intensity. For light alone I
prefer to use Neubian oil A, but I can use oils B, C, D, or mixtures of either
or all four of the oils. For heating flame I prefer to use Neubian oil D on
account of its superior economy, but for the reason of it requiring a higher
temperature it may be advantageously mixed with either or all of the other
oils in a great variety of proportions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Elijah Livermore in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIJAH
LIVERMORE, of the City of New York, in the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Elijah Livermore, Her special licence that I, the said Elijah
Livermore, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Elijah Livermore, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
THE MANUFACTURE OF BURNING FLUIDS FOR ILLUMINATING AND HEATING PURPOSES,"
(a communication from Levi Lewis Hill, resident at Greenport, in the County
of Columbia and State of New York, in the United States of America,) upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Elijah Livermore, 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

page_text: 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 Elijah Livermore, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
The nature of the Invention consists in the manufacture of a composition of
matter which is susceptible of being acted upon by or combining with atmos-
pheric air or other gas in such a manner as to produce a cheap and brilliant
light and an economical heat of great intensity.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the Invention I will
proceed to describe the method of making said chemical compound or mixture
and the manner of using the same. I first prepare wood tar or coal tar, and
crude turpentine as follows:-1 heat the tar or turpentine until sufficiently
thin and then agitate it thoroughly with from one to two per cent. of sulphuric
acid. In treating coal tar I use from five to ten per cent. of the acid, I then
wash out the acid by means of several changes of hot water, I then thoroughly
mix the tar and turpentine, preferring equal parts, though the process will
bear various proportions.
In using coal tar I should state that it is advantageous to follow the acid
treatment by chloride of lime or some other deodorizing agent. This mixture
is next placed in a common still with or without a portion of water. Into the
top of the still I place an air pipe connected with a bellows or blower, this
pipe should project to within one or two inches of the mixture. Another pipe
enters this just above the still, and this latter pipe I connect with a generator
or reservoir of hydrogen gas; on heating the still to the desired point, say,
from 150° to 212° Fahrenheit, I open the air pipe, using a moderate pressure
on the bellows, and at the same time let into said air pipe about one-twentieth
the bulk of air used of hydrogen gas. The vapor thus driven over is passed
through a coil of pipe immersed in ice water, and collected in a suitable
receiver; the distillate is a peculiar combination of the more volatile
ingredients of the tar and turpentine, and is eminently fitted for the purpose in
hand. I sometimes omit the use of the bydrogen pipe, and instead thereof
place the distillate in a deep jar, at the bottom of which are the materials for
generating the hydrogen, and in this case I find an advantage in surmounting
the jar by a cover, in which is a valve opening upwards and loaded with a weight

page_text: I
of one or two pounds to square inch. I would further state that I obtain a great
increase of product by mixing the tar and turpentine with about one-fourth of
their united bulk of pulverized clay previously to their being placed in the
still. The compound as above procured I will here designate as No. 1.
next prepare a mixture as follows:-In a deep jar or vessel, surmounted, as in
the former case by a cover and valve, I place the materials for generating
hydrogen, say, one ounce of zinc, two ounces of sulphuric acid, and four ounces
of water; I pour upon these a mixture of half a pint of crude resin oil, one
quart of coal naptha, preferring crude naptha, half an ounce of Canada balsam,
one-eighth of an ounce of gum camphor, and one quart of benzole. Having
loaded the valve as before I let the arrangement stand for several hours, after
which I decant the oil, treat it. with chalk sufficient to remove all acidity, and
then after it has become perfectly clear by repose I decant and bottle it for use ;
this mixture I will call No. 2. The third ingredient is caoutchousine prepared
by distilling caoutchouc at a temperature of about 600° Fabrenheit, redistilling
the oily product at a temperature of from 130° to 205° Fahrenheit, and again
redistilling the product thus obtained at the lowest possible temperature; I
thus obtain a liquid which boils at 90° Fahrenheit. This, when mixed, even
in very small quantities with my other hydrocarbons, greatly increases their
illuminating power and renders them more volatile; this I call No. 3.
Having the above ingredients at hand I proceed to mix and incorporate
them together. Among many proportions which I have tried I prefer the
following, viz.-One quart of No. 1, two quarts of No. 2, and one ounce of
No. 3; these I mix by thorough agitation, and suffer the mixture to stand
for one or two days, I then decant the clear liquid from the precipitate formed,
when it is ready for use. It is much improved, however, by another repose of
two or three weeks. This liquid I will here distinguish as Neubian oil A.
To the above quantity of the oil A, I add various proportions of highly
rectified naphtha or of benzole, say, from one pint to a gallon, and thus
produce a highly volatile combination, less flashy and less liable to condense
the benzole, and yielding a better and more economical light; this I call
Neubian oil B. By omitting the benzole in oils A and B, and substituting
therefor from ten to fifty per cent. of caoutchousine, I produce Nubian oil C.
This will work well at a very low temperature. Neubian oil D, which is
designed as a means of economical heat, I prepare by combining mixture
No. 1 with about five per cent. of common resin, ten per cent. of resin oil,
twenty per cent. of naptha, and ten per cent. of spirits of turpentine; to this
compound I add small proportions of oils A, B, or C, when I wish to increase

page_text: the volatility of oil D. Said oil D requires to be warmed when in use to from
100° to 150° Fahrenheit.
The method of using said Neubian oil A, or its modifications, consists essen-
tially in the use of a bellows, air bag, gasometer, or other means of generating a
current of atmospheric air, hydrogen, or carburetted hydrogen gas, and directing
said current of air or gas upon or into said Neubian oil, and passing it thence by
means of pipes to suitable burners; the temperature of the oil will be main-
tained at a degree corresponding with the purity of the chemical and the
nature of the gas. For hydrogen or carburated bydrogen gases, the ordinary
temperature of the oil is sufficient, as it also is for common air during the mild
seasons of the year, but in cold weather the temperature of said oil should be
maintained at from 70° to 100° Fahrenheit. I prefer atmospheric air on
account of its great economy and its superior effects. In the use of from five
to eight cubic feet of air per hour I produce a flame as large as that of
ordinary coal gas, of very great illuminating power, and at a cheap rate. But
largely diluting said carbonized or catalized air with common air even to the
extent of from one hundred to five hundred per cent., I obtain a heating flame
of great purity and extraordinary intensity. For light alone I prefer to use
Neubian oil A, but I can use oils B, C, D, or mixtures of either or all four of
the oils. For heating flame I prefer to use Neubian oil D, on account of its
superior economy, but for the reason of it requiring a higher temperature, it
may be advantageously mixed with either or all of the other oils in a great
variety of proportions.
Having now fully described the nature and object of my said Invention of
Improvements in the Manufacture of Burning Fluids," together with the best
means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I would
remark in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself to the exact
proportions herein mentioned, as many slight alterations therein would give
various results; nor do I claim the mere admixture of tar and crude turpentine,
nor the above method of making caoutchousine, nor any peculiarity in the
form of the apparatus used; neither do I claim the use of benzole of naptha
for carbonizing air or gas, for benzole alone and benzole mixed with alcohol
has been used for air, and naptha for gas; but what I claim as my Invention
intended to be secured to me by the herein in part recited Letters
Patent, is,
Firstly, the use of cautchousine only in combination with the liquids herein
described.
And, secondly, the liquids herein described as Neubian oils, A, B, C, D,

page_text: having the composition and properties before described to be used singly or in
such relative proportions and admixtures as may be necessary to accomplish
the purposes herein described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elijah Livermoro have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
ELIJAH LIVERMORE. (L.S.)
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE, Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross.