IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPOUND CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS, AND GASES GENE- RATED THEREFROM, FOR INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER AND PURIFYING COAL GAS, AND IN USING AND APPLYING THE PRODUCTS DERIVED THEREFROM TO VARIOUS Useful PurpoSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Atkins, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey.
Gas and Hydraulic Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF COMPOUND CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS, AND GASES GENE-
RATED THEREFROM, FOR INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING POWER AND PURIFYING
COAL GAS, AND IN USING AND APPLYING THE PRODUCTS DERIVED THEREFROM
TO VARIOUS Useful PurpoSES."
'
Sealed the 11th February 1879, and dated the 24th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Atkins at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th August, 1878.
i
THOMAS ATKINS, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey, Gas and Hydraulic
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF
MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPOUND CARBONACEOUS
MATERIALS, AND GASES GENERATED THEREFROM, FOR INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING
POWER AND PURIFYING COAL GAS, AND IN USING AND APPLYING THE PRODUCTS
DERIVED THEREFROM TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES."
•
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of machinery and
apparatus for the manufacture of compound carbonaceous materials and gases
generated therefrom in connection with shale and other carbonaceous matter for
increasing the illuminating power and purifying coal gas, and in using and applying
the compounds derived therefrom to various useful purposes.
The first part of this Invention relates to the construction of small portable
retorts, cylinders, or tubes made of any suitable material, provided with small
outlets for the escape of the gases evolved from the materials employed in said
cylinders or vessels. These vessels are charged with crushed bones in the
proportion of 2 to 3 pounds, more or less, in combination with from 3 to '5
pounds of shale to 1 cwt. of coal, the object being to evolve the gascous products
I Drine 9,71

page_text: from the bones and the shale during the process of carbonizing the coals in gas
retorts or ovens.
By employing the above equivalents I obtain a gas of much higher illuminating
power, and thereby remove and neutralize a large portion of the sulphur evolved
during the process of carbonization.
The vessels above named may be placed in the retort either before the coals are
added or in the middle of the thickness of coal applied, or they may be employed
when the retort is charged, and rest on the top of the coals, and may be
removed when the materials in the retorts are burnt off, when the said materials
may be separated and employed for various useful purposes, some of which are
herein-after described.
For purifying the said gases and removing sulphur therefrom I employ the
following proportions, viz.:-14lbs. of the coke used in this process, 3 lbs. of bones
granulated, 3 lbs. of wood charcoal, 3 lbs. of coke of shale. With this combination
of material I obtain a combination of equivalents of purifying materials, by which
a large quantity of gas may be purified and set free from carbonic acid, sulphuretted
hydrogen, and ammonia.
I employ 1 foot surface for each retort, 8 feet in length, 10 inches in thickness,
with three layers of line, 6 inches thick each. I employ a fourth layer of the
granulated compound, 6 inches thick. By the employment of the last layer I obtain
the exact equivalents of chemical unity, when the gas is fit for storage and
distribution.
The second part of this Invention relates to improvements in the construction of
cylinders and pistons of various diameters for the manufacture of globular and
annular compounds of carbonaceous materials, whether of the mineral, animal, or
vegetable kingdom.
The object to be attained by this part of my Invention is to obtain greater per-
fection in the combustion of gases than is at present obtained by the ordinary
'process, and to obtain gaseous products as near as possible of the same specific
gravities, such gases being employed for various useful purposes, some of which are
herein-after described. The lower parts of the said cylinder are cut to the various
circles required, similar to oscillating valves, and the said pistons may be bored
globular or cut in other forms, as may be found most suitable. The bottom parts
work on hinges, and are bored or cut in like manner.
The material to be moulded is fed from a hopper into the cylinder, the piston
acting with suitable pressure to mould it into the desired form.
The third part of this Invention relates to improvements in fire-grates or furnaces
made of fire-brick, wrought or cast iron, or such material as may be found most
suitable for the purpose.
The said grates are arranged to rotate on a pivot in the centre, or are made to
travel on friction rollers, and are furnished with cups attached thereto, or may be
worked with a ratchet or rack actuated by hand, or kept in motion by machinery,
or may be worked by any required power and at such speed as may be found to
be most suitable for attaining the object sought, viz., the nearest approach to per-
fect combustion.
The passages through the grate bars are straight or spiral, the said grate and
bars are arranged to undulate, and thus agitate the fuel whilst rotating, and are
constructed on an incline of one to three inches to the foot or thereabouts.
When the grates are in action it will be seen by the oscillating principle of the
grate that the fuel will gravitate from the centre to the circumference in proportion
to the power and speed applied.
The said grates are employed in stoves, kitchen ranges, steam and other
boilers, and may be adopted for kilns, and used for burning every description of
ware for bakers' and other ovens, also for steamships and locomotives, and for such
other purposes where the greatest perfection is sought in combustion, and may be
employed in glass, gas, and other works, where great regularity of temperature is
required, and sudden checks to heat may be avoided.
'

page_text: The said stoves or other furnaces to which this part of my Invention is applied
may be fed either from the top or side; as may be most convenient.
The fourth part of this Invention relates to the construction of ovens for baking
or carbonizing any kind of fuel or carbonaceous substance. For this purpose ovens
are constructed of any convenient length or width, and arranged with a travelling
band of guaze or wire, or wrought or cast iron boxes, for retaining the said globular
compound manufactured by the process previously described.
In the front of the said oven a hopper is arranged, constructed and worked by
rotary machinery, such machinery being capable of delivering the said cubes or
balls of carbonaceous compounds into the travelling boxes whilst in motion, or may
be employed for feeding the fire, the object being to carry on distillation, and to
drive off the hydrocarbon gases during the process of passing the said materials .
through the oven, and delivering the said compound material in the shape of coke,
and rendering the same free by heat from all noxious vapours.
The same compound or fuel may be used for various useful purposes, some of
which are herein stated, and being compounded of various proportions of carbon-
aceous materials will evolve when in combustion gases of different specific gravities
and densities, and may be employed in various ways for depolarizing and rendering
neutral all noxious and poisonous gases and vapours.
And further, the said gases may be employed in globular or other vessels for
generating steam, the fluid to be admitted into the said vessels at various
pressures, as may be found most convenient in practice. By this process steam may
be rapidly generated in combination with the said gases, and may be employed for
communicating power to engines or for heating purposes.
Atmospheric air or gases may be forced by suitable bellows or other blowing
apparatus through the carbonaceous fuel, and the gases may be washed and purified
in their passage to a gasometer or store chamber. The said gases may be inhaled
in respiration for effecting cures in various diseases of the chest and respiratory
organs, and may be mixed with water at any desired pressure, and may be employed
either for drinking purposes, extinguishing fires, and for removing or curing all
kinds of inflamatory action; or such gases may be used or passed through fountains,
by which spirits, wine, or beer may be de-alcoholized.
The gaseous fluid may be also used for burns or scalds, and is capable of
rendering caverns, coal pits, tunnels, or other subterraneous passages healthy, also
buildings, ships, and dwellings.
For effectually carrying out the objects here sought I employ boxes, cylinders,
or chambers to contain any proportion of the granulated material, such as is used
in the purification of hydrocarbon gas or small chambers suitable for gas burners, or
fire-grates, or furnaces, by which the common atmosphere may be drawn or forced
through the said materials either by the employment of pumps, bellows, or any
suitable blowing or forcing apparatus.
For charging the said atmosphere with the exact equivalents for depolarizing the
hydrocarbon gases, or regulating and adjusting their automatic chemical equivalents,
I employ an improved form of injector, arranged and constructed so as to be capable
of adjustment.
This improved injector has for its object adjustinent and regulation of the
quantities of atmospheric air or fluids containing the gases for regulating the pro-
portions of the mixtures required, and may be used for softening water and drawing
water from various depths, and for forming a partial vacuum either for mixing or
adjusting the proportions of the gases and fluids for smelting metals and other pro-
cesses where such gases are employed.
By this combination or construction the exact quantities or chemical proportions
may be adjusted and regulated, and the same may be employed for various
purposes.
When the said fluids or gases are deposited in store chambers it is important that
a sustaining pressure and internal tube be added to each store vessel, by which the

page_text: said gases may be supplied at a pressure varying from 150 pounds to 750 pounds to
the square inch.
The conical contents of the interior cylinder may be one-fourth of the outside
annular space. It must be borne in mind the point of delivery should be 150
pounds to, the square inch, seeing that this is the proper pressure by which water
possesses the greatest affinity for the said gases, and still retaining the gas in
solution for a considerable time after having been thrown by a jet to a considerable
distance.
The fifth part of this Invention relates to the construction of a box or cylinder
of any convenient form, by which the said compounded carbon may be placed in
layers or other ways for the purposes of respiration. By this discovery it has been
ascertained that the same air used in respiration may be breathed over again a
great number of times.
A rotary band of canvas, flannel, or other porous material is passed over rollers
dipped in a solution of lime water or other absorbant of carbonic acid
gas.
This apparatus may be used with perfect safety to life in brewers' vats, mines,
or-caverns containing carbonic acid gas, and is capable of protecting the wearer
without danger to life.
The same apparatus may be constructed to be used under water, and is also
capable of sustaining combustion of lamps for giving light.
1.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Atkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th February
1879.
OF
THOMAS ATKINS, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey, Gas and Hydraulic
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT
MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPOUND CARBONACEOUS
MATERIALS, AND GASES GENERATED THEREFROM, FOR INCREASING THE ILLUMINATING
POWER AND PURIFYING COAL GAS, AND IN USING AND APPLYING THE PRODUCTS
DERIVED THEREFROM TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES."
4
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
machinery, apparatus, and processes for the manufacture of compound carbonaceous
materials and gases generated therefrom, in connection with shale and other car-
bonaceous matter, for increasing the illuminating power, and purifying coal gas, and
in using and applying the compounds and gases derived therefrom to various useful
purposes.
The first part of my Invention relates to the construction of small portable
retorts, cylinders, or tubes made of any suitable material provided with small
outlets for the escape of the gases evolved from the materials employed in said
cylinders or vessels.
And in order that this part of my Invention may be clearly understood and
readily carried into practice I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereto
Figure 1 shows an elevation; and Figure 2, a horizontal section of an ordinary
gas retort constructed and arranged according to this part of my improvements,
with an inner tube or retort a, perforated with small holes for the escape of the gas
evolved from the materials it is charged with.
b, b, is the ordinary chamber of the retort containing coal; and c, c, is the flue
surrounding the same. The mouth of the retort is closed in the ordinary manner
by a cover b¹, one end of the tube or retort a being supported in the cover b', the
other end being supported at the other end of the retort; c' is the furnace door; and
c3, the ash-pit. The tube a may be introduced and withdrawn at either end of the
retort or oven, as may be most convenient, or the carbonaceous materials may be
forced into and out of the tube a by a screw or otherwise, by which means the
contents may be increased or diminished, according to the nature and quality of the
coal used in the retort b.
The internal tubes or retorts a are charged with crushed bones in the proportion
of from 2 to 31. pounds, more or less, in combination with from 3 to 5 pounds
of shale to 1 cwt. of coal, the object being to evolve the gaseous products from the
bones and the shale during the process of carbonizing the coals in the gas retorts or
ovens b, the gases from the chamber or retort b and the tube or retort a combining
together as they are evolved, and conducted away to the condensers, purifiers, and
gasometer.
By employing the above equivalents I obtain a gas of, much higher illuminating
power, and thereby remove and neutralize a large portion of the sulphur evolved
during the process of carbonization.
The tubes or retorts a may be placed in the retort or oven b either before the coals
are added or in the middle of the thickness of the coal applied, or they may be
employed when the retort is charged, and may rest on the top of the coal, and
may be removed when the materials in the retorts are burnt off when the said
carbonaceous materials may be separated and employed for various useful purposes,
some of which are herein-after described.

page_text: For purifying the said gases and removing sulphur therefrom I employ the
following proportions of coke, bones, wood, charcoal, and shale, viz., 14 pounds of
the coke used in this process, 3 pounds of bones granulated, 3 pounds of wood
charcoal, 3 pounds of coke of shale; with this combination of equivalents of puri-
fying materials a large quantity of gas may be purified and set free from carbonic
acid, sulphuretted hydrogen, and ammonia. The purifying apparatus may be of
the ordinary description, as is well understood.
I employ one foot surface of purifying materials for each retort 8 feet in length,
10 inches in thickness, with 3 layers of lime 6 inches thick each; I employ a fourth
layer of the granulated compound 6 inches thick. By the employment of the last
layer I obtain the exact equivalents of chemical unity when the gas is fit for storage
and distribution. When the said purifying materials are saturated they may be
re-carbonized in the retorts, and thus revivify the same for further purification.
The second part of this Invention relates to improvements in the construction of
cylinders and pistons of various diameters for the manufacture of globular and
angular compounds of carbonaceous material, whether of the mineral, animal, or
vegetable kingdom.
In carrying out this part of my improvements a metal block is bored with a
series of cylinders or passages, in which a series of pistons or plungers move up and
down, being carried by a lever for this purpose.
The object to be attained by this part of my Invention is to obtain greater per-
fection in the combustion of gases generated from the compound in globular,
angular, or other forms than is at present obtained by the ordinary process, and to
obtain gaseous products as near as possible of the same specific gravities, such gases
being employed for various useful purposes, some of which are herein-after
described. The lower parts of the said cylinders are cut to the various circles
required, similar to oscillating valves, and the said pistons are bored or formed
globular or cut in other forms as may be found most suitable. The bottom parts
of the dies work on hinges or joints, and are bored or cut in like manner of semi-
globular form
The material to be moulded is fed from a hopper into the-cylinders, the pistons
acting with suitable pressure to mould it into the desired form.
The third part of this Invention relates to improvements in fire-grates or
furnaces made of fire-brick, wrought or cast iron, or such material as may be found
most suitable for the purpose.
The said grates are arranged to rotate on a pivot in the centre, or are made to
travel on friction rollers, and are furnished with cups attached thereto, or may be
worked with a ratchet or rack actuated by hand, or kept in motion by machinery,
or may be worked by any required power and at such speed as may be found to be
most suitable for obtaining the object sought, viz., the nearest approach to perfect
combustion.
The passages through the grate bars are straight or spiral. The conical surface
of the said grate and bars are arranged with undulations so as to agitate the
fuel whilst rotating, and are constructed on an incline of one to three inches to the
foot or thereabouts.
When the grates are in action it will be seen by the oscillating principle of the
grate that the fuel will gravitate from the centre to the circumference in proportion
to the power and speed applied.
Figure 4 (Sheet 1) shows an elevation partly in section; and Figure 5, a plan in
section on the line 2, 2, Figure 4, of a furnace for generating gas arranged in
accordance with this part of my improvements.
g is the fire-grate formed with a conical surface as previously described; g' is a
toothed rim on the under surface, into which a toothed pinion gears, the axis of.
which passes through the side of the furnace, and has motion imparted thereto in
any convenient manner so as to cause the conical grate to rotate, or it may be
arranged to oscillate.

page_text: * For generating compound gases on a large scale in a comparatively small compass
one furnace may be mounted upon another as shown in Figure 4.
i
The said grates are employed in stoves, kitchen ranges, steam and other boilers,
and may be adopted for kilns, and used for burning every description of ware for
bakers' and other ovens, also for steamships and locomotives, and for such other
purposes where the greatest perfection is sought in combustion, and may be
employed in glass, gas, and other works, where great regularity of temperature is
required, and sudden checks to heat may be avoided.
The said stoves or other furnaces to which this part of my Invention is applied
may be fed either from the top or side, as may be most convenient.
The fourth part of this Invention relates to the construction of ovens for baking
or carbonizing any kind of fuel or carbonaceous substances. For this purpose.
ovens are constructed of any convenient length or width and arranged with a
travelling band of gauze, or wire, or wrought or cast iron boxes for retaining the
said globular compound manufactured by the process previously described.
In the front of the said oven a hopper is arranged, constructed and worked by
rotary machinery, such machinery being capable of delivering the said cubes. or
balls of carbonaceous compounds into the travelling boxes whilst in motion, or may
be employed for feeding the fire, the object being to carry on distillation, and to
drive off the hydrocarbon gases during the process of passing the said material
through the oven, and delivering the said compound material in the shape of coke,,
and rendering the same free by heat from all noxious vapours.
The same compound or fuel may be used for various useful purposes, some of
which are herein stated, and being compounded of various proportions of carbona-
ceous materials will evolve, when in combustion, gases of different specific gravities
and densities, and may be employed in numerous ways for depolarizing and rendering
neutral all noxious and poisonous gases and vapours.
And, further, the said gases may be employed in globular or other vessels for
generating steam. The fluid to be admitted into the said vessel at various pressures,
as may be found most convenient in practice. By this process steam may be
rapidly generated in combination with the said gases, and may be employed for
communicating power to engines, or for heating purposes.
Figure 6 shows a vertical section of a furnace g for generating steam, in accord-
ance with this part of my improvements.
h is a globular or other shaped vessel of copper or other suitable metal suspended
within the chamber of the furnace, and is a steam chest or receiver mounted on
the top of the furnace. h¹ is a pipe which conducts the steam from the generating
vessel h into the steam chest or receiver i, the lower end of the pipe within the
vessel being open, and the upper part within the vessel i being perforated with
holes for the escape of the steam into the vessel i. A mixture of 10 parts or
atmospheres of compound gas and one cubic inch of water (as the most effective
chemical equivalents) is injected into the vessel or generator h through the pipe k
by means of a pump or injector, the fluid being at once converted into steam. The.
most economical pressure at which the compound gas and water are forced into the
generator his about 150 lbs. on the square inch. 1, 1, are pipes for conducting the
steam to an engine, or elsewhere, for various purposes.
Atmospheric air or gases may be forced by suitable bellows or other blowing
apparatus through the carbonaceous fuel, and the gases may be washed and purified
in their passage to the gasometer or storechamber. The said gases may be inhaled
in respiration for effecting cures in various diseases of the chest and respiratory
organs, and may be mixed with water at any desired pressure, and may be employed
either for drinking. purposes, also for extinguishing fires, as herein-after described,
and for removing or curing various kinds of inflamatory action; or such gases may
be used or passed through fountains, by which spirits, wine, or beer may be
de-alcoholized.
:
In applying my compound gase for extinguishing fire, I mount the compound gas--
generating apparatus in combination with a force pump, or in combination with a

page_text: hand or steam fire engine, and the gas is conducted into the hose pipe through a
regulating cock at a pressure of about 150 pounds on the square inch, and mixes
with the water from the force pump near to the discharge orifice or nozzle, by
which it can be discharged in the form of spray, vapour, or jet by suitable
apparatus, as herein-after described.
Figures 3, 3, and 3**, show a side view partly in section, an end view, and a
plan of a jet pipe or nozzle to be connected with the hose pipe of a fire engine, for
the purpose of producing a large volume of spray of combined gas and water, the
object of such apparatus being for the purpose of protecting the fireman, and for
filling a chamber on fire with a dense vapour for extinguishing fire.
's
a is the jet pipe, the end of which, on being turned at right angles to the pipe,
cuts off the supply, but when in the position shown, a combined jet of gas and water
is forced against the disc 6 mounted on the hose pipe, by which arrangement the
jét is converted into spray in front of the fireman..
The gaseous fluid may be also used for burns or scalds, and is capable of rendering
caverns, coal pits, tunnels, or other subterraneous passages healthy, also buildings,
ships, and dwellings.
Pipes may be employed for conveying the compound fluid and gases to mines,
buildings, ships, or other places where it is required.
For effectually carrying out the objects hero sought, I employ boxes, cylinders, or
chambers to contain any proportion of the granulated carbonaceous material herein-
before described, such as is used in the purification of hydrocarbon gas, or small
chambers suitable for gas burners, or fire grates, or furnaces, by which the common
atmosphère may be drawn or forced through the said materials either by the
employment of pumps, bellows, or any suitable blowing or forcing apparatus.
•
This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figure 6, where the air for supplying
the furnace g is caused to pass through gauze wire boxes or chambers z, z, contain-
ing the carbonaceous compound in a granulated form.
Similar chambers may be applied to gas burners, or for purifying and vitalizing
air for other purposes.
For charging the said atmosphere with-the-exact equivalents for depolarizing
hydrocarbon gases, or regulating and adjusting their atomic chemical equivalents, I
employ an improved form of injector, arranged and constructed so as to be capablo
of adjustment.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 show longitudinal and transverse sections of an injector
arranged and constructed in accordance with this part of my improvements.
The injector is shown connected with a gas store chamber, Figure 7×, in which
the compound gas is stored under a high pressure in the central chamber, and at a
pressure of about 150 pounds (or thereabouts) on the square inch in the external
annular chamber.
The gas supply tube m passes through a stuffing box into the tube n of the
injector, within which a central tube .o is mounted. Upon the tube o a toothed
pinion o¹ is fixed, and a screw on the tube o passes through a fixed nut o³; so that
when motion is given to the pinion o' by means of the toothed rack o³ on the
axis of the conical end of the tube o can be adjusted to the greatest nicety within
the conical end of the jet tube n¹ of the injector; so as to regulate the discharge of
the gas or fluid therefrom.
This improved injector has for its object the adjustment and regulation of the
quantities of atmospheric air or fluids containing the gases for regulating the
proportions of the mixtures required, and may be used for softening water, and
drawing water from various depths, and for forming a partial vacuum, either for
mixing or adjusting the proportion of the gases and fluids for smelting metals,
heating furnaces; gas retorts, and other processes where such gases are employed.
By this combination or construction the exact quantities or chemical proportions
may be adjusted and regulated, and the same may be employed for various
purposes:
"
When the said fluids or gases are deposited in store chambers, it is important that.

page_text: a sustaining pressure and internal tube be added to each store vessel, by which the
said gases may be supplied at a pressure varying from 150 pounds to 750 pounds to
the square inch.
The cubical contents of the interior cylinder may be one-fourth of the outside
annular space. It must be borne in mind that the point of delivery should be
150 pounds to the square inch, seeing that this is the proper pressure by which
water possesses the greatest affinity for the said gases, and still retaining the gas in.
solution for a considerable time after having been thrown by a jet to a great
distance.
Figure 7 shows a vertical section, and Figure 8* a plan of a gas store chamber
or vessel, arranged and constructed in accordance with this part of my improve-
ments. p and q are two metal cylinders, one within the other, closed at each end,
as shown.
The internal cylinder is charged with compound gas at a pressure of from 500 to
700 pounds on the square inch, whilst the annular chamber is charged with the gas
at a pressure of about 150 pounds on the square inch. Suitable valves are applied
to regulate the pressure in the two chambers at the different pressures required.
The fifth part of this Invention relates to the construction of a box or cylinder
of any convenient form, by which the said compounded carbon may be placed in
layers or other ways for the purposes of respiration. By this discovery I have
ascertained that the same air used in respiration may be breathed over again a great
number of times.
Figure 11 shows a section, Figure 12 a plan, and Figure 13 an end view of an
apparatus suitably arranged and constructed in accordance with this part of my
improvements. r is a tin or other metal case, and s, t, are diaphragms covered with
flannel or other porous material, one being dipped into or saturated with a solution
(by capillary attraction) of lime water or other absorbants of carbonic acid gas
contained in the reservoir s¹, and the other with distilled water contained in the
reservoir t¹; u, u, are perforated chambers or wire gauze containing my improved
compound carbonaceous materials; b¹ is a pipe, cominunicating by a flexible tube
and valve be with the mouth-piece x, for withdrawing and inhaling purified air from
the chamber v; and w' is a pipe and flexible tube, with valve w², connected with
the mouth-piece x, through which the air respired by the user of the apparatus is
forced into the chamber w, from which it passes through the chamber's u, u, con-
taining the carbonaceous materials by which it is purified before it re-enters the
chamber to be again inspired by the user; y, y, are flexible diaphragins, which
pulsate with the breath of the user; 23, 23, are protecting covers, with openings
covered with wire gauze.
This apparatus may be used with perfect safety to life in brewers' vats, mines, or
caverns containing carbonic acid gas, and is capable of protecting the wearer with-
out danger to life.
The same apparatus may be constructed to be used under water, and is also
capable of sustaining the combustion of lamps for giving light.
Having thus described the nature of my improvements, and the manner of
performing or carrying the samé into practice, I would remark that I do not limit
myself to the exact details herein-before described so long as the main features of
my Invention are retained, neither do I claim any of the mechanical parts or
processes separately, which are well known and in common use, but what I
claim is,―
First. The improved arrangement and construction of retorts for generating
compound gases from a mixture of bones, shale, and coal in the retort a, and com-
bining such gases with coal gas, as it is generated in the retort b, for illuminating
and other purposes, substantially in the manner herein-before described with refer-
ence to Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second. I claim the improved manufacture of compound carbonaceous materials
from a mixture of bones, shale, and coal in the retort a, and in the application

page_text: thereof to various useful purposes, substantially in the manner herein-before
described, and represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
I also claim the purification of the said compound gases by means of layers
consisting of a mixture of coke, bones, wood, charcoal, and shale, in combination
with layers of lime, substantially in the manner herein-before described.
Thirdly. I claim the manufacture of compound carbónaceous materials by means
of cylinders and pistons, or other mechanical equivalents, to compress the same into
globular, angular, and other suitable forms, for use as fuel for generating gases of
the same specific gravity, or as near as may be, substantially in the manner herein-
before described.
:
I also claim the improved method of baking or carbonizing the carbonaceous
materials when pressed and moulded into various forms, substantially as and for the
purposes herein-before described.
Fourthly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of rotating or
oscillating fire-grates or furnaces g, for generating compound gases, applicable also to
various useful purposes, substantially as herein-before described with reference to
Figures 4 and 5 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Fifthly. I claim the improved method of generating steam by means of the
compound gases and water, substantially in the manner herein-before described with
reference to Figure 6 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Sixthly. I claim the application of the improved compound gases for curing
various diseases, and for extinguishing fire by combining it with water, also for
purifying air and liquids, and for other useful purposes, all substantially in the manner
herein-before described.
Seventhly. I claim the application of my improved carbonaceous materials in
boxes, chambers, or cylinders, for the purification of hydrocarbon gas and air
supplied to gas burners, stoves, and furnaces, substantially in the manner herein-
before described.
Eighthly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of injectors capable
of adjustment and regulation for injecting the improved compound gases and air at
various pressures and proportions, for softening and drawing water, forming a partial
vacuum for smelting metals, for heating furnaces, gas retorts, and other processes
where such gases are employed, all substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described, and represented in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the Drawings
annexed.
Ninthly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of chambers or
vessels for storing the compound gases at various pressures, substantially as described,
with reference to 7* and 8* of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Tenthly. I claim the improved arrangement and construction of respiratory appå-
ratus, to enable the user to breathe the same air over and over again, so as to afford
safety to life in mines and other places containing deleterious gases and air, or for
use under water, substantially as herein-before described with reference to Figures 11,
12, and 13 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Atkins; have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year of our Lord One-
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
THOMAS ATKINS. (L.S.)