IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANU- FACTURE OF VINEGAR
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We WALTER HICKLING PERRY of 85 Waterloo Crescent, Nottingham Nottingham-
shire, and JOSEPH Oakwell BouLTON of Alfreton Road in the same town both of
the firm of Perry and Boulton, Vinegar Makers, Nottingham, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF VINEGAR” to be as follows that is to say :-
This Invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of vinegar in which the
wash or liquid from which the vinegar is made is passed over beech or other wood
shavings in contact with a current of air, and it has principally for its object the
utilization of ordinary casks in the construction of such apparatus and generally
the improvement of the construction and arrangement of apparatus for the
manufacture of vinegar whereby such manufacture is greatly facilitated and the
vinegar produced thereby is improved.
When making vinegar according to this system it is of great importance to
maintain a constant and steady flow of the wash or liquid through the apparatus
so as to keep the shavings constantly moistened. This Invention aims at
maintaining a steady flow of wash automatically and with this view the wash or
liquid used in making vinegar is held in an ordinary cask or other suitable vessel
hereinafter called the supply cask which is placed on end or otherwise above the
vessel in which the vinegar is made and which vessel is hereinafter called the
acetifier. The supply cask is arranged to automatically maintain until the liquid
is exhausted a constant supply of wash to the acetifier below, which is preferably a
large cask. To effect this the supply cask is fitted with two pipes one entering the
upper and the other the lower part of the cask. The outer and lower ends of these
two pipes are arranged to dip down into the space above the head of the large cask
or acetifier below but with the end of the longer pipe slightly above the end of
the shorter one. There is sufficient space above the head of a cask to hold a
considerable quantity of liquid and the wash will flow from the small cask into
this space until the liquid reaches the ends of the two pipes. There are a number
of small holes made in the wood forming the head of the acetifier and into these
holes there may be inserted threads or wicks but preferably there are small
carthenware pipes. These pipes have a very fine bore which allows the liquid to
pass so slowly that it forms instead of a stream a constant succession of drops.
This large cask or acetifier is filled or nearly filled with beech or other wood
shavings which are kept constantly moistened by the drops from the liquid above

page_text: the head of the cask. The liquid or wash thus slowly but continuously passes over
the shavings and accumulates at the bottom of the cask whence it issues through a
pipe provided with a stop cock and is discharged into a suitable vessel or receiver
which is exactly similar to the supply cask. It is essential to the manufacture of
the vinegar that a constant supply of air be admitted and to provide for this there
are a number of holes formed in the sides of the cask a little above the bottom and
in the bottom also there are a few holes made having inserted in them suitable
tubes which project inside the cask so as to reach above the liquid should any
accumulate at the bottom. These holes may be fitted with tubes having stop cocks
or they may be closed by means of plugs when it is desired to lessen or discontinue
the admission of air to the interior of the cask. To ensure a draught there are a
few holes made in the top of the cask either in the sides of the cask near the top or
in the top itself. When the holes are made in the top there must be fitted in the
holes short tubes which will reach above the liquid contained above the cask head.
With the foregoing improved arrangements when the liquid in the cask head falls
below the level of the long pipe connected to the top of the supply cask air will be
admitted to the cask and a supply of liquid will pass through the short pipe into
the cask head and this action being constantly repeated a steady flow of wash is
maintained to the cask head and thence through the earthenware pipes to the
shavings. A suitable thermometer is inserted in the cask to enable the operator to
get the temperature of the interior of the cask which temperature rises sometimes
as high as 60 degrees above the external temperature and this temperature may be
regulated either by opening or closing the air inlets or by increasing or diminishing
the flow of the wash. When the wash in the supply cask is exhausted it will have
passed through the acetifier and into the receiver below. The receiver may then
be used as the supply cask and the former supply cask become the receiver and this
interchanging of the supply and receiver casks may be continued until the process
of acetification is complete.

page_text: We, WALTER HICKLING PERRY of 85 Waterloo Crescent, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, and JOSEPH OAKWELL BOULTON of Alfreton Road in the same
town, both of the firm of Perry and Boulton, Vinegar Works, Nottingham, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF VINEGAR," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of vinegar in which
the wash or liquid from which the vinegar is made is passed over beech or other
wood shavings in contact with a current of air, and it has principally for its object
the utilization of ordinary casks in the construction of such apparatus, and
generally the improvement of the construction and arrangement of apparatus for
the manufacture of vinegar whereby such manufacture is greatly facilitated and
the vinegar produced thereby is improved.
When making vinegar according to this system, it is of great importance to
maintain a constant and steady flow of the wash or alcoholic liquid through the
apparatus, so as to keep the shavings or chips constantly moistened during the
process of acetous fermentation. Our Invention aims at maintaining a steady flow
of the liquid automatically and with this view, the liquid from which the vinegar
is manufactured is held in an ordinary cask, or it may be any other suitable vessel,
hereinafter called the supply cask. This supply cask is preferably placed on end,
but it may be placed otherwise above a vat or vessel in which the acetous
fermentation takes place, this vat being hereinafter termed the acetifier. The supply
cask is arranged to automatically maintain, until the liquid in it is exhausted, a
constant supply of liquid to the acetifier below. This acetifier is preferably a large
cask or vat and its construction will be hereinafter described. To effect this constant
supply of liquid, the supply cask is fitted with two pipes which are so arranged as
to allow their lower ends to dip down into the space above the head of the vat
forming the acetifier and to automatically regulate the flow of the liquid. This
supply cask may be conveniently transformed when empty into a receiver by
merely disconnecting the pipes, reversing its position and placing it under the
acetifier, so as to receive the liquid flowing therefrom, and this interchanging of the
casks may take place until the process of acetification is complete.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings
to be hereinafter referred to and representing by a diagram one way of carrying
out our Invention.
The diagram on the accompanying sheet of drawings represents one preferable
arrangement of our improved apparatus for the manufacture of vinegar, the vessels
being shown in sectional side elevation, as supported on suitable thralls or
shelving 1, and flooring 2. The uppermost vessel 3, preferably an ordinary cask is

page_text: fitted with two stop cocks 4, 5, to which pipes may be attached and this vessel 3
forms the supply cask for supplying the liquid required for the acetous fermen-
tation. The stop cocks are fitted one, 4, near the top and the other, 5, near the
bottom of the cask and a suitable length of tubing 6 is fitted to each of these stop
cocks. These tubes 6 extend downwards and dip into the space 7 above the head 8
of a vat or large cask 9 placed below the supply cask 3. The tube 6 connected
to the stop cock 4 dips only a little way into the space 7 whilst the other tube
extends lower to near the head 8. By this arrangement an automatic regulation of
the flow of liquid is obtained as whenever the level of the liquid in the space 7 falls
below the end of the tube 6 connected to the top of the supply cask 3 air will be
admitted to the cask 3 and a further flow of liquid will take place into the space 7
until the admission of air to the tube 6 is stopped by the rise of the liquid. Stop
cocks 10 may if found convenient be fitted to both tubes 6. The liquid flowing
into the space 7 above the head 8 is equally and suitably admitted to the interior
of the vat 9 by means of numerous small holes formed through the head 8 which
holes have fitted in each of them a small length of earthenware or clay pipe, by
which means a uniform distribution of the liquid takes place. The vat 9 which
forms the acetifier has a false bottom fitted in it so as to leave a space between it
and the true bottom, this false bottom 12 being formed of perforated wood or
wickerwork. The space above this false bottom 12 is filled to nearly the top
of the vat, with chips or shavings of beech or other suitable wood, and it is in
passing over these chips or shavings that the acetous fermentation mainly takes
place the liquid from this space 7 in its downward course meeting an upward
current of air. This current of air is admitted through a number of suitable
holes 13 formed round the sides at the bottom of the cask between the false and
true bottoms, and a set of similar holes are formed for the exit of the air round the
side of the vat at the top below the head 8. Additional air holes are formed by
tubes 14 passing through the head 8 and extending up above the level of the
liquid in the space 7. In order to enable an attendant to observe the temperature
in the acetifier a thermometer 16 is fitted near the middle of the vat for this to
be done conveniently, and the temperature may be regulated by opening or closing
one or more of the air holes by means of plugs or the air holes may be fitted with
stop cocks for this purpose. It may be convenient to fit a cover or lid 17 over the
head of the vat 9 having suitable holes to receive the tubes 8 and air tubes 14 and
After the liquid has passed
so prevent admission of dust or other foreign matter.
over the shavings or chips and through the false bottom it collects at the bottom at
the part below the air holes 13. A suitable stop cock 18 is provided at the bottom
of the vat 9 for carrying off the liquid as it collects at the bottom the stop cock
being of a size sufficiently large to effect this and prevent the liquid accumulating
and overflowing through the air holes 13. The liquid passes through this stop-
cock 18 and through a suitable length of tubing 19 into a vessel or receiver which
is preferably similar to and may be used as a supply cask (3). A supply cask 3
when empty being simply reversed in position so that the stopcock 5 becomes the
upper one and has the tubing 19 connected to it thus admitting the liquid into the
receiver from the acetifier the lower stop cock 4 being of course closed. It is
obvious that the three vessels, namely the supply cask 3, the acetifier 9, and the
receiver or reversed supply cask may, if found desirable be arranged in the order
shown each one on a different floor or storey of a building instead of being in one
room on shelving or thralls as shown. In this case of course the tubes 6 and 19
will be lengthened to suit this arrangement.
In some cases it may be found desirable to draw the air through the acetifier
with increased velocity. To effect this, the tubes 14 are connected to a Roots
blower or other suitable air blowing engine which may be driven by any convenient
motor and the air is drawn into the våt 9 through the inlet air holes 13.
It is obvious that by duplicating the herein before described apparatus large
quantities of vinegar may be manufactured simultaneously.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
(1) The combination and arrangement of apparatus for manufacturing vinegar
by acetous fermentation substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
(2) The utilization of ordinary casks or vats in the manufacture of vinegar as
and for the purposes herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
(3) The utilization of the space (7) above the cask or vat (9) when placed on
end for holding a supply of liquid substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(4) The arrangement of apparatus for automatically supplying and regulating
the liquid from the supply cask (3) to the vat (9) substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(5) The use of earthenware or clay pipes substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
(6) The use of a supply cask (3) capable of being used as a receiver or vice
versa substantially as herein before described.