IMPROVED. LIDS OR COVERS for RETORTS, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINT THEREOF WITH THE RETORTS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Wotherspoon, Gentleman, and William
Foulis, Civil Engineer, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVED. LIDS OR COVERS for
RETORTS, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINT THEREOF WITH THE
RETORTS."
Sealed the 19th September 1873, and dated the 11th July 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Wotherspoon
and William Foulis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th July 1873.
We, JAMES WOTHERSPOON, Gentleman, and WILLIAM FOULIS, Civil
Engineer, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVED LIDS
OR COVERS FOR RETORTS, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINT THEREOF WITH
THE RETORTS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to simplify the construction of the
lids or covers of retorts, such as are used in gas works, mineral oil
works, and in other manufactures, as well as the making tight the joint
between the lid or cover and the retort proper.

page_text: The improved lids or covers constructed in accordance with this
Invention are formed with lugs at the outside, by which they are
attached loosely to a bar hinged at one side to the retort. At the side
of the retort opposite to the hinge a tightening catch is situated. This
catch is carried in a socket, through which a pin formed with an eccentric
on it passes. On turning round the pin the eccentric first raises the
tightening catch into contact with the free end of the hinged bar, and
on being turned further round draws the catch inwards, so that the lid
or cover is pressed against the retort mouth.
That portion of the lid or cover which bears against the retort mouth :
is formed with a groove in it for receiving a soft, elastic, or compressible
packing material, which on being firmly pressed up by means of a screw
in the hinged bar takes the impression of the retort mouth, and thus fills
up any interstices or uneveness thereon. In place however of forming
the groove in the lid or cover it may be formed in the retort mouth, and :
the packing may be placed therein, or grooves for receiving the packing
may be formed in both the lid or cover or the retort mouth. The
packing for placing in the grooves may be an alloy of tin and lead, or
tin and zinc, or other metal forming a slightly compressible packing, or
soft copper wire may be used. When a metal is used it may be run
into the groove through an opening left in the top of the lid, and while
the lid is in its position against the retort mouth, so that the metal when
cold takes the impression of the retort mouth, or Portland or other
cement may be used, it is however preferred to use asbestos or amianthus.
In using asbestos or amianthus for this purpose it is plaited, braided,
twisted, or woven into a continuous length, so that it can be laid in
between the parts requiring to be made tight. In place however of
using the asbestos or amianthus in this manner, it may be disintegrated
or teased and mixed with water or other liquid to form a pulp which
may be spread over the joint, or the pulp may be compressed in moulds
or dies or rolled into sheets, and cut or stamped into any required shape
for the purposes intended.
The asbestos or amianthus may also be prepared for the purpose set
forth by saturatino it with acetic aoid or ammonia on hath
1..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Wotherspoon and William Foulis in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JAMES
WOTHERSPOON, Gentleman, and WILLIAM FOULIS, Civil Engineer, both
of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the 37th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said James Wotherspoon and William Foulis,
Her special license that we, the said James Wotherspoon and William
Foulis, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said James Wotherspoon and William Foulis, our executors,
administrators, or 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 "IMPROVED
LIDS OR COVERS FOR RETORTS, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING 'THE JOINT THEREOF
WITH THE RETORTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said James Wotherspoon and William Foulis, by an instrument in
writing under our 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 we, the said James Wotherspoon and William
Foulis, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked.
thereon, that is to say :-
Our said Invention relates to improvements in the lids or covers of
ני

page_text: manufactures, and it also relates to improvements in making tight the
joint between the lid or cover and the retort proper.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood we
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, that is to say :-
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended, Figure 1 illustrates in
front elevation a portion of a retort lid or cover with the improvements
constructed in accordance with our Invention applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the retort lid or cover shewing the 1
said improvements partly in plan and partly in horizontal section.
Figure 3 is a detailed view of part of the fastening apparatus, and
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on a smaller scale of the mouth pieces of
two retorts, illustrating the different positions of the lid or cover A when
the mouth of the retort is shut and open respectively. The lid or
cover A is formed with lugs B at the outer side, and by screwed bolts C
passed through oblong holes in the said lugs; the lid or cover A is
attached loosely to a bar D hinged at one end to the side of the retort
as seen at E, Figure 2. At the side of the retort opposite to the hinge E
a tightening catch F is situated. The catch F shewn in detailed side
clevation at Figure 3, is carried in a socket G formed on the side of the
retort, and through the said socket and catch a pin H formed with an
eccentric I upon it, passes, as shewn at Figure 2. On turning round the
pin H in the direction of the arrow, Figures 2 and 3, by a key or wrench
applied to the outer extremity thereof, the eccentric I first raises the
tightening catch F from the position shewn in dotted lines at Figure 3,
into contact with the free end of the hinged bar D, and as the pin is
further turned round, the eccentric I draws the catch inwards, and
causes the heel or projection a formed thereon to bear tightly upon the
free end of the bar D, as shewn at Figure 3, by which means the lid or
cover A is pressed against the retort mouth.
That portion 6 of the lid or cover A which bears against or is situated
nearest to the retort mouth is formed with a groove c extending round
it, as shewn at Figure 2, for receiving an elastic or compressible
packing material, which when the lid or cover A is pressed up against
the mouth of the retort, takes the impression of the face of the retort
mouth, and filling up any interstices or uneveness thereon makes tight

page_text: the joint between the lid or cover A, and the retort mouth. A screw J
is provided at the centre of the bar D for the purpose of adjusting the
pressure on the lid from time to time as required. In lieu of forming
the groove c in the lid or cover as shewn, a groove for receiving the
packing may be formed in the retort mouth, or grooves for receiving the
packing may be formed in both the lid or cover A and the retort mouth.
At the lower part of the lid A a lip X is placed, the object of which is to
prevent the tar from touching the packing placed in the grooves. This
lip may, however, be dispensed with, and the tar kept out of contact
with the packing either by making the bottom of the mouth picce
of the retort to incline towards its inner end, or by forming a recep-
tacle in the bottom of the mouth piece to hold the tar. If the packing
is metallic it is not necessary to use the lip ✗.
It is to be understood that although we have shewn a system of
apparatus for opening the retort lid from and closing it against the
retort mouth, yet we do not limit ourselves to that apparatus, as other
forms or arrangements may be used for opening and closing the retort
lids constructed according to our Invention. The packing placed in the
groove of the lid or of the retort mouth piece, or of both the lid and
mouth piece may be an alloy of tin and lead, or tin and zinc, or a metal
(excepting lead) forming a slightly compressible packing, or wire such
as soft copper wire may be used. When an alloy is used it is easily
applied by running it whilst in a molten state into the groove through
an opening left in the top of the lid or cover A, and whilst the lid or
cover is in its position against the retort mouth, so that the alloy when
cold takes the impression of the retort mouth. Portland or or other
suitable cement may be used to form the packing, but in lieu of any of
the herein-before mentioned materials, it is preferred to employ asbestos
or amianthus as the material of which the packing is composed. In
using asbestos or amianthus for this purpose the fibres are plaited,
braided, twisted, or woven into a continuous length, so that it can be
laid in the groove or grooves situate at the parts requiring to be
made tight. In place however of using the asbestos or amianthus in
this manner it may be disintegrated or teased and mixed with water or
other liquid to form a pulp, which may be spread over or laid in the
grooves, or the pulp may be compressed in moulds or dies or rolled into
sheets, and cut or stamped into any required shape for the purposes
intended.