IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE, NIGHT SOIL, AND TOWNS REFUSE AND LIKE MATTERS TO UTILIZE THEM AS MANURE, AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF AN ARTIFICIAL FUEL TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID TREATMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Henry Hughan. at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on thọ
5th June 1874.
I, WILLIAM HENRY HUGHAN, of Southport, in the County of Lan-
caster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE, NIGHT SOIL, AND TOWNS REFUSE AND LIKE
MATTERS TO UTILIZE THEM AS MANURE, AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF AN ARTIFICIAL
FUEL TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID TREATMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be
as follows:-
The Invention is herein-after explained in three divisions as it relates
to sewage, night soil, and fuel. I throw into waterclosets or at con-
venient places, into the sewers or into sewage tanks, a preserving powder
which prevents decomposition and the formation of any gaseous
compounds, and which I will call the sanitary powder herein-after
described, and when thoroughly mixed with the sewage in which the
powder partially dissolves, I use a second powder which I will name the
precipitating powder prepared as herein-after described, which causes the
manurial products of the sewage to be precipitated. The water is next

page_text: subjected to downward nitration through sand or other vi
and the precipitate or residuum obtained from the precipitation and
filtration is mixed with hot superphosphate manufactured in the usual
manner, and run liquid out of the mill until the said residuum is of a
thick consistency. In twenty-four hours (or less) the whole becomes a
united dry mass, and thus forms sewage phosphate manure or night soil
phosphates.
The sanitary powder is made of Portland cement or like material,
sulphates of soda, magnesia, and potash, mixed in oil, (mineral oil such
as paraffine or petroleum being preferred), until of the consistency of
mortar, the mixture being then decomposed with sulphuric acid until
the whole is well boiled together, and when dry is then ready for use.
°
I also manufacture a powder possessing all these elements from cheap
sources, such as kainit and seaweed. I boil seaweed, clay, (china
preferred) and soda waste, all reduced to fine pulp until thoroughly
saponified, and then treat the mass with sulphuric acid. The resulting
mixture will be the sanitary powder. The precipitating powder is
formed of Portland cement or like material with a little fluor spar
mixed, soaked, or set in oil (by preference mineral or the oil distilled
from the carbonisation of coal ashes herein-after described), until
indurated for about three days and then powdered.
I now come to the second division, night soil. A dry closet powder
is made from the carbonisation of coal ashes. They are carbonised in gas
revolving retorts, the gas and oil being carefully collected. The cinders
are then separated and the black ash portion is the powder for the closets.
When these powdered closets are emptied at the manufactory the
contents are mixed with the following animal cement powder: —
Farmyard manure such as stable, cow, or other manure (or rich street
sweepings or seaweed), is triturated in a mortar mill with diluted
sulphuric acid (or plaster of Paris), and further incorporated with clay,
and quartz or sea sand until of a consistency that enables the mass to
be formed into bricks. The bricks are then dried upon a flue and when
ready for handling are carried to the retorts afore-mentioned, in which
they are calcined, closed from the air until the oil is collected, and then
burnt open as cement until all the charring has disappeared. When
crushed this animal cement powder with its oil is mixed with the dry
:

page_text: closet powdered contents, the resulting mixture after digestion forming
a rich nitrate manure..
A cheap fuel is required for the processes of my Invention, and when
the cinders and gas obtained in the before-mentioned manufacture are
not sufficient, I produce a fuel by mixing peat, pulp, sand, and clay with
hot Yorkshire lime (or of like constitution), (I prefer sea sand or quick-
sand, the silica being semi-soluble in that condition for this and the other
mentioned processes). These materials are mixed and slaked. in closed
vessels strong enough to resist the slaking pressure, and when cool the
product is the required artificial fuel.
Another recommendation and as a part of the above processes consists
in the fact that the ashes of this fuel are a good Portland cement.