AN ECONOMICAL APPARATUS OR MACHINE TO BE APPLIED TO THE PROCESS OF BAKING, FOR THE PURPOSE OF SAVING MATERIALS
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HICKS, late of Conduit Street, in the Parish of Saint George, Hanover Square,
in the County of Middlesex, but now of Wimpole Street, in the Parish of
Saint Marylebone, in the same County, Surgeon, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the first year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Hicks, (then residing in Conduit Street, in the Parish of Saint George,
Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex,) His especial licence, that I,
the said Robert Hicks, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I or they 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 England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also within all His Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "AN ECONOMICAL APPARATUS OR
MACHINE TO BE APPLIED TO THE PROCESS OF BAKING, FOR THE PURPOSE OF SAVING
MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said Robert Hicks, by an instrument in writing, under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters-Patent,

page_text: as in and by the same (reference being thereunto had) will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in comp with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Hicks, do hereby declare that the naturo' of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be-performed are described and ascer
tained as follows, that is to say:-
My economical apparatus or machine is a combination of an oven (for
baking fermented dough into bread,) with a conducting pipe and a refrigeratory
or condenser. It bakes the bread. and 'collects a certain spirituous vapour,
which is-always-disengaged from fermented dough during the process of baking
the same into bread, and which vapour is usually dissipated and lost, but by
the refrigeratory or condensing part of my economical apparatus or machine,
the said vapour is condensed into liquid materials containing spirit, or alcohol,
and from which materials useful spirituous liquors may be drawn, by the
processes usually practised for the rectification of raw spirits. The part of my
economical apparatus or machine which consists of the oven may be made of
the same internal form and capacity as the ovens commonly used for baking
bread, but instead of being built of brick or stone only, it must be made of
metal, in order that the vapour containing the spirituous materials may not be
lost or allowed to escape;-and-I-prefer-cast or wrought iron
SIADA
stop
Figure 1 of the Drawing hereunto annexed is a vertical section, represent-
my econom apparatus or machine A, A; B, B; is the iron oven; it is well
closed ắt every part except one opening a, at the top, and another opening for
the door D, at which the dough is to be introduced, and the bread withdrawn
the door D must be made to shut so close as to prevent the escape of any
vapour at the flat bottom B B of the oven on which the bread is to stand
during, the process of baking. The iron must be lined or floored with the same
kind of bricks, or files, or stones as are commonly used for flooring bakers'
ovens the said iron oven must be enclosed or set in-brickwork E, E, leaving &
vacant space b, e, e, all around it for conducting the flame, heated gas, and
smoke from the fire, by which the oven is to be heated, and admitting the
same to act against the outside of the iron' oven (for the flame and smoke must
not enter into the interior of the oven, as it usually does). The fire may be
made upon a fire-grate F, within a furnace or fire-place G, situated at a
sufficient distance beneath the iron bottom B, B, of the oven, to allow the heat s
to spread under the surface of that bottom; and all around the circumference
of that bottom a number of openings or spaces did, are left between the bricks
on which the weight of the oven rests. Those openings admit the flame, heated
gas, and smoke, which ascend from the fire to pass from under the iron

page_text: bottom B; B; of the oven into the space b, around the outside thereof, and also.
over the top of the oven ate, e; the said flame, licated gas, and smoke being.
conveyed in contact with the outside; of the iron oven in such manner as will.
give heat most uniformly to every part of its interior capacity: The said
vacant space or passage b, e, e; around the outside of the iron oven, and, over the
top of the same, is joined by the flues H, H, to a chimney-of sufficient height.
to-cause-a-rapid draft, which will carry-off the smoke, and draw a current.of
fresh air through the fire.to make it burn-freely on the grate F. A moveable
damper or regulator may be inserted across the passage, of each of the flues <H,.
and those dampers may be set at pleasure, so as to increase or diminish.the.
aperture of the passage through the said flues into the chimney, in order to
regulate the rapidity of the draft .through the fire-place, and through the.
vacant space around-the oven, and consequently to regulate the heat which is
to-be-communicated to the oven. Note:-The fire-grate F may be made in∙a.
moveable box G, which is adapted to slide-along-itwo horizontal rails, fixed one.
at each side of the fire-place, as shewn at M; so that the fire box: G-can be
drawn out by the aid of a long hook, in the manner of 'a drawer; in order to:
give access to the fire when required; and the-fire box G can then be, returned"
or slided back again into its proper place, beneath the.centre of the bottom of
the oven; the entrance to the fire-place, through which the moveable, fire.
box F, G, is introduced to its place or withdrawn therefrom, must be closed by
a fire-door g; and beneath that there must be another. door f, which will close
the lower part of the said entrance that is beneath the level of the fire-grate,.
and the latter door must have an aperture in it, with a regulating damper f, to
retard the admission of fresh air into the fire, and to check the combustion
when required. In order to protect the central part of the iron bottom B, B,
of the oven from too great an intensity of that heat which ascends, directly
upwards from the fire, an iron plate w may be suspended by a hook æ, from
the centre of the bottom B, B, of the iron oven, immediately over the fire, so
as to spread the heat around the outer parts of the iron bottom, and the various.
openings-d, d, in the brickwork' all around the circumference of that bottom
(which admit the flame, heated gas, and smoke to pašs into the space b, around
the outside of the iron oven,) may be regulated. by inserting or withdrawing
loose bricks or flat tiles as at 2, 2, and thus enlarging some of the openings d,
and diminishing others, as may be found necessary, in order that the heat'may
be caused to ascend equally on all sides around the outside of the iron oven, in
such manner as to give heat as equally as possible to every part of the interior
capacity thereof;--the opening for the doorway into the oven may be of the
usual dimensions, and in the usual situation. The door D must be made of

page_text: iron, and fitted very correctly to the iron of the oven; a screw or screws or
other suitable fastenings being provided to press the door forcibly to its place,
and make it shut very close; and either the fitting part of the door must be
ground to its frame so as to fit air-tight thereto, or else suitable luting must
be applied around the fitting part of the door, in order to effectually prevent
the escape of any vapour. At or near to the centre of the top of the oven there
must be an aperture, opening from the highest part of the internal capacity
of the oven; an iron pipe a being joined to that aperture, and standing up.
sufficiently high above the-oven-to-come out through the arc of brick-work
which covers over the space e, e; the upper orifice of the tube a being. adapted
to join to the conducting pipe K; k; as represented in the Figure, the small
end k of that pipe is joined to a long worm pipe or refrigeratory M, which is.
surrounded with cold water, contained in a worm tub N. Note.-The-con-
ducting 'pipe and refrigeratory.or condenser may be constructed according to
any-of-the-various forms used in apparatus for distilling liquors; the part K of
the pipe is to be joined to the iron pipe a, at the top of the oven, by a flange
joint, or by luting, or by exact fitting. The magnitude of the said conducting
pipe and condenser, cómpared with the capacity of. the oven to, which it is
applied, is not very important, and it will be sufficient-directions to state that
an oven of an oblong form, five feet wide, and seven feet long withinside on
the horizontal floor, should have the aperture of the iron pipe a, at the top for
the part K of the conducting pipe K, k, about ten inches diameter within.;
and the worm pipe should be of about the dimensions marked in the Drawing;
or if the refrigeratory or condenser is constructed in any other form (than that
of a worm pipe), the magnitude thereof must be such; that its effect in cooling
and condensing vapour into liquid will be equal to that of the worm pipe
marked in the Drawing. Noté.-In order to ascertain the temperature to which
the said oven is heated by the fire, a small-thin iròn tube l, resembling ȧ.gun
barrel, closed at its lower end and open at the upper end, should be fitted air-
tight in the manner of a safety valve,.-into a suitable socket, fixed into. the
metal of which the top part of the pipe K, k, is composed, so that the tube
will hang down in an upright position (or nearly so) within the pipe a, with
its closed end reaching down a little way into the interior of the top part of
the oven, and its open. end coming out above the external metal of the
pipe K, ; the interior of this tube being filled with oil, the bulb of a thermo-
meter plunged therein will indicate the temperature of the interior capacity
of the oven with sufficient accuracy. Note.-When the oven is used for
baking pastry or meat after the baking of bread is finished, the tube may be,
lifted out and withdrawn from its socket: (Note, it only rests therein by its.

page_text: own weight,) in order to leave an opening in the top of the conducting pipe K,
at which opening the vapours arising from the meat or pastry may escape
freely into the open air without entering into the refrigeratory or condenser;
the stop-cock z at the lower end of the worm pipe may then be closed.
The manner of applying my said economical apparatus or machine, in the
process of baking for the purpose of saving materials, is as follows:-The part
consisting of the above-described oven is to be heated by the fire beneath it,
until the oil in the aforesaid small tube / indicates a temperature of about two
hundred and eighty degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer. The flour having
been previously converted into dough, and duly fermented, and then made up
into the form for loaves (according to the usual method), those loaves are
introduced into the oven and arranged on the flat floor B, B, thereof, in the
usual manner practised by bakers. The door D of the oven is then to be
luted, if necessary, and shut very close by its screw or other fastening, so
that no vapour can escape. By means of the dampers in the flues H, H, of the
oven (and also by the ash-pit door, and its regulator f), the combustion of the
fire is to be regulated so as to maintain the oven steadily heated, (the
thermometer plunged in the oil contained in the aforesaid small tube
indicating about two hundred and eighty degrees,) during all the time
necessary for baking the bread; but the temperature may vary as much as
thirty degrees (that is, the thermometer may indicate from two hundred and
eighty degrees to three hundred and ten degrees) without materially affecting
the process. The thermometer should be used at first, until the person who
conducts the baking has acquired experience in the use of my economical
apparatus or machine, and learned how to regulate the fire properly. During
the process of baking, a spirituous or alcoholic vapour is evaporated from the
dough, mixed with steam or vapour arising from the water used in preparing
the dough; those mixed vapours rise to the upper part of the oven, whence
they ascend through the pipe a into the pipe K, k, and pass therefrom into the
worm-pipe (or other condenser or refrigeratory which may be used in lieu
thereof), and that worm-pipe (or refrigeratory) being surrounded by cold water
on the outside, the vapour within it is cooled and condensed into a liquid,
which runs down to the bottom part of the worm-pipe or refrigeratory, and the
liquid being cooled in so running down, is collected at to run into a suitable
receptacle. The liquid materials thus saved by my economical apparatus or
machine during the process of baking fermented dough into bread is a diluted
spirit, from which a useful spirit may afterwards be extracted by the usual
process of rectification. The alcohol, which constitutes the value of the
materials saved by my economical apparatus or machine, is produced in the

page_text: inner
process of fermentation which the flour or dough has undergone in the manne
usually practised for preparing dongh for bread. That alcohol has been
hitherto dissipated in vapour and totally lost, but my aforesaid economicalt
apparatusfor machine being applied in the process of baking such dough intot
bread, the said alcohol is saved and collected, and although it is intermixed with 51
water and other liquid matters which are evaporated from the dough (atitle]
same time), the liquids so saved are useful materials for the rectifiers of spirits
to extract fine spirit from Note The alcohol that is contained in the
said-liquid materials being produced in the previous fermentation for the flour
or dough.cannot be obtained during the process of baking biscuits: (or other 10
matters) whereof the dough has not previously-undergone such 'fermentation.
Note: The iron oven; which forms parts of my economical-apparatus..or
machine must-be heated by fire applied to the outside thereof, and the heat
so communicated must be distributed as equally as possible to every part!
of the interior capacity of the iron oven! For large ovens which are more: 15
than six feet diameter inside that equality of distribution of the heat will
ber facilitated by applying the fire in at moveable fire grate, situate beneath
the-flat bottom of the iron oven, and that fire grate being supported on an
upright axis which is nearly under the centre of the botton; the fire-gráte!
containing the burning fuel can be carried-round-in-azhorizontal circular 20
orbit, in order to apply the heat of the fire beneath the bottom of the iron
oven at all parts thereof in succession, as the fire is moved round in its
circular orbit
Figure 2 is, a vertical section of an oven with such a moveable fire-grate:
applied beneath it: AA, B B is the iron oven, as before; D, its door; 25
E; E, the brickwork, with which it is surrounded; and b; e, e, the vacant spacet
around the outside of the oven to receive the flame, heated-gas, and smoker
arising from the free H, H; are the flues leading to the vertical chimney;
dis, the central pipe at the top of the oven to the upper part of which the
conducting pipe K is joined; Fis-the-moveable fire-grate; it is adapted to an' 30.
opening in a large circular plate O which extends horizontally beneath..the
bottom of the oven, and prevents the ascent of any cold air from the ash-pit X-
beneath it, except the air which passes through the fire-grate F, and -the
burning fuel upon the same. The circular-plate-O-is fixed-fast-on the upper
end of an upright axis P so as to turn round therewith. The lower end of the 85
axis P. is supported in a socket p, and the axis P is supported near to its
upper end (and immediately beneath the circular plate O) in a bearing R, so
as to be securely retained in a vertical position, (and consequently the plate O
in a horizontal position,) but with liberty to turn freely round in order to carry

page_text: the fire round in its circular orbit beneath the. bottom of the oven.. The
socket p and the bearing R, which sustain the axis P are supported by a firm
framing S, S, S, which is solidly fixed to the brickwork. The upright axis.P,
and the circular plate O, which is fixed on the upper end of it, together with
the-fire-grate F, which is carried by that plate, are all turned round by means
of a bevel cog wheel T, which is fixed on the axis P, and turned round by
another. bevel-wheel -V,--fixed-on-one-end-of-a-horizontal axis W;>>which
extends to the outside of the brickwork, and may have a wheel Yfixed on the
other end of it, to be turned round by a smaller wheel.or. pinion, on the axis of
which is a handle for a boy to turn it round by, in order to give motion::to all
the moving parts, and carry the fire-grate round in its circular orbit, so that it
may in succession apply. its heat beneath every part of the bottom of the oven;
and, by continuing that revolving motion of the fire during the process' of
baking, the application of the heat is repeated to every part of the bottom. at
short intervals, so that every part will receive an equal heat or.nearly so.
To
prevent any cold air ascending from the ash-pit X beneath, the circular plate
O, by passing up around the circular edge thereof, a circular rim v, v, projects
downwards from the circular border of the plate O, and enters into a circular
gutter z, z, which extends all round, and is filled with water (or with fine sand,
into which the circular rim v, v, dips, so as to prevent any passage of air
beneath the circular rim v, v, without materially impeding the motion thereof.
The atmospheric air is admitted into the space X, X, beneath the circular
plate O, by an opening or register formed in the entrance door, by which
admission is given into that space when required. Note. The fire-grate F is
placed at the bottom of a fire box G, which contains the burning fuel, and the
box F, G; is moveable upon the flat surface of the plate O, the fire box being
fitted on the plate so as to slide thereon in the manner of 'a 'drawer in a
direction from the centre of the plate O to the circumference thereof, in order
that the fire may be placed at such a distance from that centre' as is found
best adapted to distribute the heat equally under the bottom of the oven when
the said fire is carried round in its circular orbit as aforesaid. The opening
through the plate O is much longer than the size of the fire-grate F requires,
in order to admit of moving the fire box F, G, on the plate O, so as to place it
at different distances from the centre thereof as aforesaid. The fire box G
has a broad flap or margin projecting out from the sides of it, and also from
that end which is nearest to the centre of the plate O, as is shewn at ?', so as
to apply upon the flat surface of the plate O around the sides and end of
the box, and cover up the opening, in order to prevent any air passing up
around the fire box, except that which passes up through the fire-grate F,

page_text: and through the burning fuel thereon. Note.-The breadth of the fire-grate F
must be narrower at that end thereof which is nearest to the centre of the
plate Oand wider at the other end towards the circumference of that plate.
"Having now described the construction of my economical 'apparatus or
machine, and the manner of using the same, I do hereby declare that what I
claim as my Invention is, the aforesaid economical' apparatus or machine.to be
applied in the process of baking, consisting of a combination of an' oven for
baking fermented dough into bread, with a conducting-pipe and refrigeratory
or condenser as: herein-before described, for the purpose of saving and collecting
the "liquid materials which are evolved from such dough in-a-state-of-vapour
during the process of baking the same into bread, as herein-before is explained,
whatever may be the kind of metal or substance' of which the parts thereof;
viz, the oven, the pipes, the refrigeratory or 'condenser, may be made, or in
whatever way or form the said combination may be varied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Hicks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty.