Im- PROVEMENTS IN CURING, DRYING, AND EXTRACTING MOLASSES OR LIQUID FROM SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bancroft Espeut, of the Retreat, in the
Parish of Saint Andrew, in the Island of Jamaica, at present residing
at No. 14, Southwick Street, Hyde Park, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN CURING, DRYING, AND EXTRACTING MOLASSES OR LIQUID FROM
SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 12th February 1869, and dated the 15th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bancroft
Espeut at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th August 1808.
:
I, WILLIAM BANCROFT ESPEUT, of the Retreat, in the Parish of
Saint Andrew, in the Island of Jamaica, at present residing at No. 14,
Southwick Street, Hyde Park, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CURING, DRYING, AND EXTRACTING MOLASSES
OR LIQUID FROM SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in curing, drying, and
extracting molasses from sugar and other substances, and in apparatus
employed therein. For this purpose the sugar to be operated on is placed

page_text: upon a surface of wire gauze or other suitable open material forming the
bottom of a chamber, which when the sugar has been introduced is closed
air-tight by a cover. Beneath this chamber there is a space in which a
vacuum is produced by any convenient means, and then the air enclosed
in the upper chamber over the sugar forces its way downwards through
the sugar into the vacuum space, and in doing so carries with it much
of the moisture which the sugar contained. An air valve or cock is now
opened to admit air into the chamber over the sugar, and this air forcing
its way downwards through the sugar completes the curing; or should
the first operation not produce a perfect result it may be repeated. In
order to obtain the vacuum in the space beneath the sugar chamber I
sometimes fill the space with molasses, and then by opening a connection
with a descending pipe, the lower end or opening of which is immersed
in molasses or liquid, the molasses is allowed to run out, leaving the
vacuum required in the vacuum space.
This arrangement is applicable when the molasses is to be used in
making rum; it can in this case be caused to descend at once into the
still house. In other cases water or other liquid may be used in a
somewhat similar manner in lieu of molasses, but a slight modification
is then made in the apparatus to prevent the moisture draining from the
sugar mixing with the water or other liquid. In some cases it may be
more convenient to employ air pumps or other apparatus to produce a
vacuum. The apparatus may be fitted with a vacuum guage to guide
the workmen in conducting the operation. Other substances, as for
example brewers' grains, may be similarly dried.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Bancroft Espeut in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BANCROFT ESPEUT, of the Retreat, in the Parish of St. Andrew, in the
Island of Jamaica, at present residing at No. 14, Southwick Street,
Hyde Park, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-

page_text: second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Bancroft Espeut, Her special
licence that I, the said William Bancroft Espeut, my executors, adminis-
trators; and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Bancroft
Espeut, 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 Ircland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CURING, DRYING, AND EXTRACTING MOLASSES OR LIQUID
FROM SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Bancroft
Espeut, 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 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 William Bancroft Espout, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in curing, drying, and
extracting molasses or liquid from sugar and other substances, and in
apparatus employed therein. For this purpose the sugar to be operated
on is placed upon a surface of wire gauze or other suitable open material
forming the bottom of a chamber, which when the sugar has been
introduced is closed air-tight by a cover. Beneath this chamber there is
a space in which a vacuum is produced by any convenient means, and
then the air enclosed in the upper chamber over the sugar forces its way
downwards through the sugar into the vacuum space, and in doing so
carries with it much of the moisture which the sugar contained. An
air valve or cock is now opened to admit air into the chamber over the
sugar, and this air forcing its way downwards through the sugar com-
pletes the curing; or should the first operation not produce a perfect
result it may be repeated. In order to obtain the vacuum in the space
beneath the sugar chamber I sometimes fill the space with molasses,
and then by opening a connection with a descending pipe (the lower

page_text: end or opening of which is immersed in molasses or liquid) the molasses
is allowed to run out, leaving the vacuum required in the vacuum
space.
This arrangement is applicable when the molasses is to be used in
making rum; it can in this case be caused to descend at once into the
still house. In other cases water or other liquid may be used in a some-
what similar manner in lieu of molasses, but a slight modification is then
made in the apparatus to prevent the moisture draining from the sugar
mixing with the water or other liquid. In some cases it may be more
convenient to employ air pumps or other apparatus to produce a vacuum.
The apparatus may be fitted with a vacuum gauge to guide the workmen
in conducting the operation. Other substances, as for example, brewers'
grains, may be similarly dried.
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shown an apparatus,
such as is above described, and adapted more especially for curing, drying,
and extracting molasses from sugar,
In the arrangement shown upon this Sheet of the Drawings, the
vacuum is obtained by an air pump, but, as before stated, it may very
conveniently be obtained by a column of liquid.
Figure 1 shows a side view, partly in section, of the apparatus, and
Figure 2 shows a plan view of the same.
In these Figures a is a large air-tight vessel, to the top of which is
fitted an air pump not shown in the Drawing, from the upper end of the
vessel pipes b, b, pass out horizontally; the pipes b, b, have short branch
pipes standing up from them at intervals, and each of these branch pipes
is fitted with a stop-cock and socket to receive the lower end of one of
the moulds or vessels c, in which the sugar to be cured or dried is
placed. The vessels are made somewhat taper, as shewn, and at their
lower ends they are each fitted with false bottom of wire gauze, upon
which the sugar is to rest. Below this false bottom the vessel is con-
tracted, and at its lower end it is suitably formed to fit into the sockets
on the vacuum pipe b; a washer of vulcanized india-rubber is placed
at the bottom of each socket, as is shewn, so as to make an air-tight
joint. The upper end of each vessel c is closed by a lid, this joint being
also made air-tight by a washer of india-rubber; these ends are fitted
with stop-cocks to admit air to or exclude air from the vessel; the lids
are severally carried by screws working through nuts fixed on the
framing of the machine, so that by turning the screws by the hand

page_text: wheels upon them the covers may be raised or pressed firmly down
to make a tight joint.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-A quantity of the sugar to
be cured or dried is placed upon the false bottom of one of the vessels c,
by preference to a depth of from 6 to 10 inches, and the lid is screwed
firmly down on to the top of the vessel; the stop-cock below the vessel
is then opened, and a vacuum is thus produced below the false bottom,
and the air in the upper part of the vessel will be drawn down through
the sugar. When a vacuum is formed above the sugar the vacuum cock
is closed and air is admitted to the top of the vessel, and it forces its
way down through the sugar into the void space below, carrying the
molasses or moisture with it; the vessel is then again exhausted, and
this is repeated two or three times. When the air is found to pass rapidly
through the sugar the sugar is cured. The average time required for
thus curing a column of sugar 8 inches in depth is about 10 minutes.
When the sugar in the mould is cured the mould is removed, and
another containing a fresh quantity of wet sugar is put in its place. The
molasses which is drawn off from the sugar in the moulds passes into
the receiver a, and may be drawn off from it through a valve at the
bottom, or it might be allowed to run off by gravity if the column of
liquid were sufficiently great.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings is shewn an apparatus more especially
applicable for drying brewers' grains; in this arrangement of apparatus
the vacuum is obtained by a-column of liquid.
a is a chamber which can be closed air-tight at the top by a lid b; c is
an inner box or case which is made with a perforated bottom, and which
can be lifted out from the case a. When the case c is within the case a
its bottom rests upon a ledge cast around the interior of the case a, as
shewn, a washer of india rubber being placed between the two, so that
when a vacuum is formed below the bottom of the case c an air-tight
joint will be formed, and the air which is above the perforated bottom
will be forced to pass down through it. The bottom of the case a is
connected to a vertical pipe d, which is over 32 feet in height and is in
connection with a supply of water. When it is desired to form a
vacuum in the lower portion of the chamber a, water is allowed to flow
up through the pipe d into this part of the chamber until the water
comes nearly up to the perforated bottom of the case c; the lid of the
case a is then closed air-tight, and the communication between the

page_text: water supply and pipe d is cut off, and afterwards the water in the pipe d
is allowed to escape from its lower end, and so produce a vacuum in the
chamber a.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,―
Combining apparatus for curing, drying, and extracting molasses or
liquid from sugar and other substances in the manner herein described,
so that the substances to be operated on rest upon a perforated or open-
work bottom, below which a vacuum may be formed, the space above
the perforated or openwork bottom being closed in air-tight by a lid or
cover fitted with a cock or other contrivance for the admission of air
as required.
I also claim curing, drying, and extracting molasses or liquid from
sugar and other substances by placing the substance on a perforated or
openwork bottom in a suitable chamber or space, which is closed in
air-tight and exhausted, and to which air is then admitted over the sugar
or other substance, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bancroft Espeut, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine,