IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CONVERTING SALT WATER INTO FRESH WATER, AND IN OXY- GENATING WATER
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MCBRIDE, Junior, of Sligo, in the Kingdom of Ireland, but now of Havre, in
the Republic of France, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of April, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William M.Bride, Her special licence that I, the said William M°Bride,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
McBride, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within that part of Her said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plan-
tations abroad, the following new Invention, being a communication from
a Foreigner residing abroad, namely "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS
AND PROCESS FOR CONVERTING SALT WATER INTO FRESH WATER, AND IN OXY-
GENATING WATER;" and whereas a Disclaimer has, since the granting of the
said Letters Patent, been duly entered with the Clerk of the Patents of

page_text: England, of the words "and in oxygenating water," in the title of the said
Invention, and it is intended to inroll the said Disclaimer with these Presents.
And whereas in the said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me,
the said William McBride, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 5
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same
to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William McBride, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention to
consist in condensing the steam or vapour arising from heated sea water
or brine, or salt water of any kind, in a strong current of air, which is
of a temperature lower than the surrounding atmosphere.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said William
McBride do hereby describe the manner in which the same is to be performed,
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, similar letters being
used to denote similar parts in all the Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the whole apparatus. A is a steam
pipe leading from any ordinary steam boiler supplied with sea water or brine,
or other salt water; and it will be observed that this pipe approaches very
near to, but without touching the mouth B, of the zigzag tube C, C, C, C,
which is one special feature of the Invention, as regards the apparatus. This
zigzag tube is enclosed in a case D, D, filled with water, and the two together
constitute the condenser. The exit end E of the zigzag tube it will be seen is
connected with the pipe F which leads to the fan box G, which contains a
blowing apparatus, which will be hereafter more particularly described, and
forms another important feature of the Invention as regards the apparatus.
H is an air cock. for the escape of air, while the case D, D, is filling
with cold water, and I is a discharge cock for emptying the water. J is a
receiving vessel, into which the condensed steam or vapour falls, and collects
in the form of water from the lowest point K of the zigzag tube C, C, C, C.
This receiving vessel it will be observed is placed within a general outer
casing L, L, which forms a drawer to preserve the distilled water from all
external dirt that might otherwise reach it. This casing is supported on

page_text: feet M, M, and the whole apparatus stands upon one general platform N, N;
a cranked handle for the blowing apparatus is shewn at O; U, U, U, U, U, are
stays to support the tube C, C, C, C.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of Figure 1, and shows the pipe P through
which the case D, D, is supplied with cold water, and which could not be
shewn in Figure 1. It is connected of course with a cold-water cistern at a
higher elevation than the case which it is intended to fill. Figure 3 is a side
elevation of the whole apparatus, shewing the tap Q connected with the
receiving vessel for drawing off the fresh water, and Figure 4 is a plan of the
apparatus, and Figure 5 a sectional plan of the same.. And now before I
describe the details of the blowing apparatus (which should perhaps more
correctly be called an exhausting apparatus, as that is the effect produced by
it), I will proceed to describe the modus operandi, and general action of the
parts already described. Suppose salt water of any kind boiling under pressure
in an ordinary steam boiler, and giving off steam through the pipe A. If tho
cranked handle O of the blowing apparatus be worked round in the direction
indicated by the arrows on Figure 6, even at a very moderate rato, the effect
will be a rapid exhaustion of the zigzag tube C, C, C, C, and a rush of cold
air into the mouth B of that tube in the direction of the arrows, and this rush
of air will carry in with it to the zigzag tube all the steam that is escaping
from the boiler (an important feature of the Invention as regards the process),
which will be condensed, and fall as fresh cold water into the receiving vessel
J, and will continue to do so as long as the action of the cranked handle O is
continued, and may be drawn off for use as required at the tap Q, and the
water thus produced will be found fresh and more cold and bright, and may be
produced more rapidly than water obtained by any means of distillation and
condensation now in use.
I will now proceed to describe the details of the blowing apparatus by
reference to the remaining Figures on the Drawing. Figure 6 is a sectional
elevation, showing the inside of the blowing apparatus. G is a circular fan
box, open for the exit of the air only at the escape passage S. Mounted. on
an axis in this box is a three-armed fan T, T, T, and round a small fixed
pully on this axis is a driving band V, V, leading over a large driving
wheel W, to the axis of which wheel is fixed the cranked handle O. In order
to secure the proper tension at all times of the driving band V, V, an adjusting
rod X, with a screw nut Y, supports the axis of the diving wheel, one at each
end, the slots marked Z being cut to allow of the rising of the axle of the
driving wheel when acted upon by the adjusting rods and nuts. These slots
are shown more clearly at Fig. 7, where one of the adjusting rods and its nut

page_text: and screw are shown on a larger scale. Figure 8 is an elevation of that end
of the blowing apparatus next the pipe F; and Figure 9 is a sectional eleva-
tion of a part of the blowing apparatus. Figure 10 is a perforated diaphragm
to be inserted in the mouth B of the zigzag tube to prevent dirt being drawn
into the tube by the current of air.
And now, having described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I hereby claim the condensing
of the steam or vapour arising from heated sea water, brine, or other salt water,
in a strong current of cold air, which gathers the escaping steam into it by
means of a blowing or other exhausting apparatus, as herein-before described.
And the said Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief, entirely
new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, nor in Her Majesty's Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, or Man, nor in any of Her Majesty's
Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Specifica-
tion of the said Invention, and that I do verily believe this my Specification
doth comply, in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the
proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;
wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my said
Invention.

page_text: In the Matter of Letters Patent granted to WILLIAM MACBRIDE
the younger, of Sligo, in the Kingdom of Ireland, but now of
Havre, in the Republic of France, Merchant, for a new Invention,
being "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CON-
VERTING SALT WATER INTO FRESH WATER, AND IN OXYGENATING WATER,"
such Invention being a communication from a Foreigner residing
abroad, and such Letters Patent bearing date at Westminster, the
Second day of April, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
DISCLAIMER entered by the said William MacBride the younger,
pursuant to the provisions of an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years
of the reign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth, entitled "An
Act to amend the law touching Letters Patent for Inventions.
I, the said William MacBride the younger, do hereby declare that since
the granting of the said Letters Patent doubts have been suggested to me as
to whether the term "oxygenating water" correctly describes the Invention,
and for this reason I, the said William MacBride the younger, do hereby
disclaim the words "and in oxygenating water" in the title of the said
Invention in the said Letters Patent.
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
W* M°BRIDE, Jr. (L.S.)
This is to certify, that the above-named William MacBride the younger, of
Sligo, in the Kingdom Ireland, but now of Havre, in the Republic of France,
Merchant, has applied to me for leave to enter with you the above-written
Disclaimer of part of the title of a certain Invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to him under the Great Seal of Great Britain, dated at West-
minster, the 2nd day of April, 1849, and having considered of the said appli-
cation, and no objection having been made to the same, I hereby grant leave
to the said William MacBride to file his said Disclaimer pursuant to the
Statute passed in the fifth & sixth years of His late. Majesty King William

page_text: the Fourth, entituled "An Act to amend the law touching Letters Patent for
Inventions."
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid William MacBride came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Disclaimer
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Disclaimer aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.