IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Almond Metcalfe, of Falsgrave, near
Scarborough, in the County of York, and William Massingham, of
East Stockwith, near Gainsborough, in the County of Lincoln,
for the invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Almond
Metcalfe and William Massingham at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 15th October
1873.
We, THOMAS ALMOND METCALFE, of Falsgrave, near Scarborough,
in the County of York, and WILLIAM MASSINGHAM, of East Stockwith,
near Gainsborough, in the County of Lincoln, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
MANURE," to be as follows:-

page_text: We grind and convert into manure refuse fish, or fish abandoned as
human food, which may be collected in a fresh state at any fishing
station. We at once grind it up (by a mill constructed for the purpose)
with gypsum and vegetable charcoal or other absorbent or deodorizing
material, thus retaining all the salts, ammonia, and manurial properties,
at the same time fixing all the gases, so that there is no escape of any
poisonous or unpleasant effluvia. After it has been ground up as already
described the manure is put through a drying and pulverising machine,
and thus immediately made ready for use as manure.
such as flesh or animal refuse could be put through the same process
with equally satisfactory results, which is far better than treating with
sulphuric acid, as is now often practiced, as all effluvia and gases are at
once fixed in the manure.
Other matter
By this process fish is ground up very small and is thoroughly mixed
with the deodorising material as they pass through the mill, which fixes
the ammonia and prevents any unpleasant smell during the drying and
pulverising process.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Almond Metcalfe and William Massingham
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
ALMOND METCALFE, of Falsgrave, near Scarborough, in the County of
York, and WILLIAM MASSINGHAM, of East Stockwith, near Gainsborough, 2
in the County of Lincoln, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the of
year
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 1
give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Almond Metcalfe and William
Massingham, Her special license that we, the said Thomas Almond
Metcalfe and William Massingham, our executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Almond Metcalfe, and
William Massingham, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Almond
Metcalfe and William Massingham, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Thomas Almond Metcalfe, on behalf
of myself and the said William Massingham, 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 the manufacture of
manure.
We grind and convert into manure refuse fish, or fish abandoned as
human food, which may be collected at any fishing station. We at once
grind it up by a suitable grinding mill, together with gypsum and vege-
table charcoal or other absorbent or deodorising material, thus retaining
all the salts, ammonia, and manurial properties, at the same time fixing
all the gases, so that there is no escape of any poisonous or unpleasant
effluvia. After it has been ground up as already described the manure
is put through a drying and pulverising machine, and thus immediately
made ready for use as manure.
Other matter, such as flesh or animal
refuse, could be put through the same process with equally satisfactory
results, which is far better than treating with sulphuric acid, as is
now often practiced, as all effluvia and gases are at once fixed in the
manure.
In order that ous Invention man readily be carried into effect
We wil

page_text: manufacture of manures from fish, flesh, blood, slaughter house refuse,
and other such like animal refuse.
1st. To Manufacture Manure from Fish or other Animal Refuse
which does not Contain Oily or Fatty Matter. The refuse animal
matter is collected in as fresh a state as may be, and whilst
it will bear removal without creating a nuisance, and is at one
reduced to a pulp by machinery, preferring to use for this purpose
machinery similar to that employed for pulping roots. We then weigh
it out in proportions of about 1 cwt., and spread thinly in order to get
the deodoriser evenly distributed, which we add in the form of a liquid
or powder containing carbolic acid in such quantity as the season or
circumstances may demand; but it must be understood that we do not
confine ourselves to any particular deodoriser, whether in the form of a
liquid or powder. The bulk after treating as described is then turned
over several times and passed through a machine, which cuts, pulverises,
and effectually mixes the whole to the state of one uniform mass, pre-
ferring to use for this purpose a machine similar in construction to an
ordinary sausage machine. The mixed materials are afterwards dried at
leisure, or as soon as time or circumstances will permit over any
machine suitable for that purpose; but we prefer to use a drying
machine known as Milburn's drying machine; the prevention of any
noxious or poisonous gases during the drying process is thus effected.
The dried material is afterwards reduced to powder to fit it for use as a
manure. This course of manufacture being perfectly free from any
sanitary objection renders the locality of the works conducive to a
healthy atmosphere.
2nd. To Manufacture Manure from Fish or other Animal Refuse
which Contains Oily or Fatty Matter.--The refuse matter is collected
in as fresh a state as may be, and whilst it will bear removal,
and is reduced to a pulp by machinery. The deodoriser is then
added and the whole ground up as herein-before described. It
is then boiled in a pan or vessel for a few minutes, and by reason
of its having been previously reduced to a pulp it is readily acted
upon by the boiling water. The oil or fat rises to the surface and
is skimmed off, and the solid matter, which from the short time thus
taken to extract the oil or fat retains nearly the whole of its manurial
properties, is then taken from the pan or other vessel and subjected to
a pressure sufficient to take out the surplus water, leaving only about

page_text: the original moisture from 50 to 75 per cent. It is then dried over any
machine suitable for that purpose; thus the prevention of any noxious.
or poisonous gases during the boiling and drying process.
3rd. In applying our process to the manufacture of manure from
blood we first allow the serum to drain off from the clotted or solid
portion. The former is put into casks with a proper amount of deodoriser
added, and is occasionally stirred so as to thoroughly mix. The latter is
then put through the same process as described for other solid (fish or
fleshy) substances. They are then dried over any machine suitable for
that purpose; thus the prevention of any noxious or poisonous gases
during the drying process.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim,
the manufacture of manure from fish, flesh, blood, slaughter house
refuse, and other such like animal refuse by the process substantially as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Almond Metcalfe, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
THOMAS ALMOND METCALFE. (L.S.)