IMPROVE- KENTS IN THE PRESERVATION AND DISINFECTION OF ANIMAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Napoleon Legras, of Wardour Street, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
KENTS IN THE PRESERVATION AND DISINFECTION OF ANIMAL AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Napoleon Logras
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th February 1869.
I, LOUIS NAPOLEON LEGRAS, of Wardour Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION AND DISINFECTION OF ANIMAL AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as
follows:-
ניי
This Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar mode or method of pre-
serving animal and other substances, but is more particularly applicable
to the preservation of meat in a fresh and natural state during long
voyages or extended periods of time.

page_text: .
According to this part of the said Invention it is proposed to employ
three chambers or reservoirs of iron or other suitable metal or material,
and of any convenient form, placed one inside another. The outer
chamber is to be filled with any well-known or other good non-conductor
of heat. One of the two inner compartments is to be filled or partially
fiilled with ice or other refrigerating substance or substances, whilst the
other serves to contain the meat or other substances to be preserved,
such, for example, as butchers' meat, game, poultry, or fish. Or, if
desired, such compartment may be employed for the preservation of raw
hides, thereby keeping them perfectly sweet and fresh. The compart-
ment containing the substance to be preserved must be made air-tight,
and a vacuum or partial vacuum is to be produced therein by means of
a closed chamber or vessel connected by a pipe with the compartment
containing the substance to be preserved, and provided with means for
enabling the air therein to be readily consumed or burned when required.
With this object a tight-fitting stopper fits into an opening in the vessel,
and carries a sponge, which sponge when a vacuum is to be produced is
to be dipped into spirits of wine or other similar inflammable liquid,
and ignited, and inserted in its ignited state into the interior of the
vacuum producing vessel, the plug or stopper preventing the inlet of
further air. The air in the vessel is thus consumed, and so soon as the
vessel has become cool again the air contained in the preserving
chamber and, if desired, that contained in the ice chamber, rushes into
the vacuum vessel, thus producing a partial vacuum therein. The
communicating pipes are provided with stop-cocks. The partial vacuum
thus produced in the preserving chamber or compartment is rendered
more complete by placing in such compartment or chamber salts of
calcium contained in suitable receptacles, which salts absorb both air
and moisture. By maintaining the vacuum and the supply of calcium
and of ice or refrigerating substance it is found that animal and other
substances may be preserved for several months in a sound and natural
Btate.

page_text: The second part of this Invention relates to the disinfecting of animal
and other substances, and may be used either in conjunction with the
preserving process and apparatus described under the first head of this
Invention, or may be used separately and distinct therefrom.
According to this part of the said Invention it is proposed to place
in the vessel or receptacle containing the substance to be disinfected; or
in the substance itself if it be fluid or of a plastic or soft nature, potatoes
which have been subjected to a steaming process sufficient to cook the
same. The action of the potatoes so prepared is to take up or absorb all
the unpleasant or rank odour and flavour from the surrounding sub-
stances, leaving them sweet and pure. In treating rancid oil, butter,.
milk, lard, and such like substances it is found that one pound of
potatoes to every three gallons of the infected substance will generally
be found sufficient, and that the period required to complete the dis-
infection will vary from about three to ten days, according to the
impurity of the substances.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said 'Louis Napoleon Legras in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
NAPOLEON LEGRAS, of Wardour Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Louis Napoleon Legras, Her special
license that I, the said Louis Napoleon Legras, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis
Napoleon Legras, my executors, administrators," or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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

page_text: "
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION AND DISINFECTION OF
ANIMAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Louis Napoleon
Legras, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing.
under my hand and seal, 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 Louis Napoleon Legras, do.
hereby declare the nature of my 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 accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
My said Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar mode or method of
preserving animal and other substances, but is more particularly
applicable for the preservation of meat in a fresh and natural state
during long voyages or extended periods of time; secondly, to the
disinfecting and purifying of animal and other substances..
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both
Figures.
Figure represents a sectional elevation of an improved apparatus
constructed in accordance with the first part of my Invention for
preserving animal and other substances, and Figure 2 is a half plan and
horizontal section of the same.
This apparatus consists of three chambers or reservoirs A, B, and C
of iron or other suitable metal or material, and of any convenient form,
placed one inside another. The outer chamber A may be made of
wood and is supported upon feet a to raise it from the ground, it is to be
filled with any good non-conductor of heat, such as felt, powdered
charcoal, or carbonized sawdust. The next inner compartment B is to
be filled or partially filled with ice or other refrigerating substance or
substances, whilst the third compartment or chamber C serves to contain
the meat or other substances to be preserved, such, for example, as

page_text: butchers' meat, game, poultry, or fish, or if desired such compartment C.
may be employed for the preservation of raw hides, thereby keeping
them perfectly sweet and fresh: The chambers B and C are provided
with air-tight felting man-hole lids bando respectively for the.
introduction of the ice or refrigerating substance, and for the introduc-
tion and removal of the substances to be preserved. The compartment.
C, shewn of an annular form, must be made air-tight, and a vacuum or.
partial vacuum is to be produced therein by means of a closed chamber
or vessel D connected by a pipe d with the compartment C and
provided with means for enabling the air therein to be readily consumed.
or burnt when required. With this object a tight fitting stopper e fits.
into an opening in the vessel D and carries a sponge f, which sponge,
when a vacuum is to be produced, is to be dipped into spirits of wine.
or other similar inflammable liquid, and ignited and inserted in its
ignited state into the interior of the vacuum producing vessel D, the.
plug or stopper e preventing the inlet of further air. The air in the
vessel D is thus consumed, and so soon as the vessel has become cool.
again the air contained in the preserving chamber, and if desired that
contained in the air chamber B, rushes into the vacuum vessel D through.
the pipes d and d¹ respectively, thus producing a partial vacuum in the
chambers B and C; the communicating pipes d, d¹, are provided with
stop-cocks g, g. The partial vacuum thus produced in the preserving.
chamber or compartment C is rendered more complete by placing
in such compartment or chamber salts of calcium contained in.
suitable receptacles, which salts absorb both air and moisture. By.
maintaining the vacuum and the supply of calcium and of ice or
refrigerating substance I have found that animal and other substances
may be preserved for several months in a sound and natural state. If
preferred the vacuum may be produced by an air pump in connection
with the pipes d³, d³. I further propose to keep the ice contained in
an ordinary refrigerator employed for domestic purposes in a vacuum
or partial vacuum, whereby considerable economy will be obtained,
inasmuch as the ice will be preserved for a much longer period than
when subjected to atmospheric pressure. This vacuum may be produced
either in the special manner herein-before described by the aid of the
vessel D, or in any other and well-known manner. I sometimes, if the
meat or other substance to be preserved be not quite pure and fresh,
introduce dry cold air into and amongst the substances contained in the.
chamber C before producing the vacuum
therein and at intervals.

page_text: afterwards for the purpose of drying and freshening such substances.
For this purpose I employ an air forcing apparatus consisting of a
bellows Ę (for example), the outlet opening of which communicates with
a chamber F, which is filled or partially filled with pulverized charcoal
mixed with a little sulphate of calcium and a very small quantity of
chloride of calcium. This chamber communicates again with a coil G
kept cold by placing ice or other refrigerating substances in the central
chamber H round which such coil passes. The coil G is connected by
the pipe G¹. (provided with a stop-cock) with a second coil G2 placed in
the bottom of the ice chamber B and opening into the preserving
chamber C. On working the bellows air will be forced through the
chamber and will be dried and purified by passing through the
substances contained therein and cooled on its passage through the
coils G, G2, to the chamber C. In addition to this I sometimes introduce
a portion of the mixture of pulverized charcoal and calcium into a closed
bottle or vessel which is connected by a pipe i (shown broken away.
partially in Figure 1) with the preserving chamber C, and I pour a little
sulphuric acid on to the said mixture in the bottle or vessel, whereby
sulphurous acid gas is generated, which enters freely into the chamber C,
a-cock on the pipe i being opened for that purpose, whilst another, cock.
in the opening through which the mixture and the sulphuric acid are
introduced into the bottle is closed to prevent loss or escape of the gas
through such opening. After this gas has been allowed to act upon the
contents of the chamber C for a few minutes the vacuum is reproduced.
Suitable openings k, k, capable of being closed air-tight are provided
on the top of the apparatus for the introduction of thermometers and
vacuum gauges when required.
The second part of my Invention, which relates to the disenfecting of
animal and other substances, and which may be, used either in con-
junction with the preserving process and apparatus described under the
first head of my Invention or may be used separately and distinct
therefrom, consists in placing in the vessel or receptacle containing the
substance to be disenfected (or in the substance itself) if it be fluid or
of a plastic or soft nature potatoes which have been subjected to a
steaming process sufficient to cook the same. The action of the potatoes
unpleasant or rank odour
so prepared is to take up or absorb all the
and flavour from the surrounding substances, leaving them sweet and
pure. In treating rancid oil, butter, milk, lard, and such like substances

page_text: it is found that one pound of potatoes to every three gallons of the
infected substance will generally be found sufficient, and that the period
required to complete the disenfection will vary from about three to ten
days according to the impurity of the substances.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the.herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The system or mode of preserving animal and other substances
by subjecting the substance to be preserved to as low a temperature as
possible, and at the same time the subjecting such substance as well as
the cold producing substance to a vacuum or partial vacuum,
substantially as herein-before described.
"
Second. The combination of a non-conducting chamber, a refrigerating
chamber, and a preserving chamber, placed one within the other, when
the two latter chambers are subjected to the action of a vacuum,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Third. The system or mode of producing a vacuum in a chamber or
chambers containing animal or other substances to be preserved by the
action of a flame in a separate air-tight vessel connected with pipes and
stop cocks with the chamber or chambers to be exhausted or partially
exhausted of air, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth. The making of ordinary ice containers used for domestic
purposes air-tight, and the exhausting of the air from the same for the
purpose herein-before described.
Fifth. The application and use to and in the discnfecting of animal
and other substances of potatoes which have been cooked by steaming or
boiling, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Napoleon Legras, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day
of August One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
L. N. LEGRAS. (L.s.)