IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNPOWDER
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hall, of Dartford, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
GUNPOWDER."
Sealed the 30th October 1855, and dated the 4th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Hall at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th August
1855.
I, EDWARD HALL, of Dartford, in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
GUNPOWDER" to be as follows:-
At present the charges of a powder mill are moistened with water at the
commencement of the milling operation, which milling is continued for several
hours, and as often as the charges become partially dry they are again damped
by sprinkling water over them by hand with a small watering pot while the
mill is in motion, but the distribution of the water is not always uniform or
limited precisely to the quantity required. My improvements consist in the
arrangement of apparatus whereby the exact quantity of water can be sprinkled
over the charges in a given time, and continued with little variation for an
indefinite period, by means of which the charges are better worked, the loss
from dust is diminished, and less risk of accident is attained. To provide
water for the apparatus, I use a small pump with slow motion to raise a supply
to a cistern, sufficiently elevated for the distribution of the water, by means of
small pipes to all the mills which are contiguous, each of the mills being pro-
vided with a smaller cistern, fixed to the stone shafts and revolving with them.

page_text: Each of the shaft cisterns in the mills is provided with a float valve for
admitting a regular supply of water to them, so that the head of water of the
sprinkling pipes is maintained in each case at an uniform elevation, which
facilitates the adjustment of the quantity of water to be expended on the
charges. From the shaft cisterns the water is conducted through small pipes
down to near the surface of the mill beds, where a perforated pipe attached to
the stone shaft revolves, and distributes the requisite quantity of water over the
charges. To regulate with precision the quantity of water to be expended on
the charges, a cock is provided with a small aperture, and also an index, so as
to be capable of nice adjustment, and below this regulating cock a stop-cock
is provided, for shutting off the supply of water from the sprinkling pipes
during the time the charges are taken off and others laid on the mill beds.
A steam pipe from a boiler is conducted into the water of the shaft cisterns
when it is required to be heated for the mill charges, and the steam supply is
regulated by a cock as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Hall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HALL, of Dartford, in the County of Kent, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand. eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Hall, Her special license that I, the said Edward Hall, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Hall, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNPOWDER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Hall, my execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: 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 Edward Hall, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :-
At present the charges of a powder mill are moistened with water at the
commencement of the milling operation, which milling is continued for several
hours, and as often as the charges become partially dry they are again damped
by sprinkling water over them by hand with a small watering pot while the
mill is in motion, but the distribution of the water is not always uniform or
limited precisely to the quantity required. My improvements consist in the
arrangement of apparatus whereby the exact quantity of water can be
sprinkled over the charges in a given time, and continued with little variation
for an indefinite period, by means of which the charges' are better worked,
the loss from dust is diminished, and less risk of accident is attained. To
provide water for the apparatus, I use a small pump with slow motion to
raise a supply to a cistern, sufficiently elevated for the distribution of the
water, by means of small pipes to all the mills which are contiguous, each of
the mills being provided with a smaller cistern, fixed to the stone shafts and
revolving with them. Each of the shaft cisterns in the mills is provided with
a float valve for admitting a regular supply of water to them, so that the head
of water of the sprinkling pipes is maintained in each case at an uniform
elevation, which facilitates the adjustment of the quantity of water to be
expended on the charges. From the shaft cisterns the water is conducted
through small pipes down to near the surface of the mill beds, where a
perforated pipe attached to the stone shaft revolves, and distributes the
requisite quantity of water over the charges. To regulate with precision the
quantity of water to be expended on the charges, a cock is provided with a
small aperture, and also an index, so as to be capable of nice adjustment, and
below this regulating cock a stop-cock is provided for shutting off the supply
of water from the sprinkling pipes during the time the charges are taken off
and others laid on the mill beds. A steam pipe from a boiler is conducted into
the water of the shaft cisterns when it is required to be heated for the mill
charges, and the steam supply is regulated by a cock as required.
"
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
Heretofore in working a charge of powder on the bed of a mill the attention
of a workman-has been required several times to supply by hand the requisite

page_text: quantity of water, and unless this duty be carefully and regularly performed,
there is a risk of accident, and also of the charge becoming either too dry or
of being made partially moist or too wet whilst under the runners. It is also
of consequence that succeeding charges should be uniformly well conditioned,
which cannot be the case if the moistening of the charges under the runners is
performed irregularly. Now, the object of my Invention is to obtain regularity
and uniformity in the moistening process, by combining and applying to
powder mills self-acting mechanical apparatus, suitable for insuring a constant
and regular supply of water to the charge when under process, by which the
mill charges are better worked, with less loss from dust, and the risk of
accidents is to a great extent lessened. For this purpose a small water cistern
is attached to each of the runner shafts of the mills; hence such cisterns
move with the runners, and are supplied with water from another stationary
cistern, sufficiently elevated for its distribution, by means of small pipes to the
moving cisterns. The water from the moving cisterns is in each case con-
ducted down to a horizontal perforated pipe near the mill bed to be distributed.
The descending pipe from each cistern is fitted with a regulating cock, with an
index for its adjustment, also a stop-cock for stopping the supply when the
mill is still. The uniform supply of water to the cisterns which move round
with the runners, and on which the regularity of the distribution depends, is
preferred to be accomplished by means of a small pump, put into action by the
motive power of the mill; this pump raises water to the stationary cistern, and
its distribution to the other cisterns is effected, as before explained; but the
quantity of water supplied to each of the moving cisterns is regulated by a
float placed therein, and attached to a small valve in the supply pipe, by
means of which the precise quantity of water required to replenish that which
is expended on the charge is admitted, and no more.
To heat the water in the shaft cisterns, steam is conducted into them from
a boiler by means of a small pipe, and the supply of steam is regulated by a
cock, as required. The apparatus which is applied for each pair of runners
for sprinkling the charges with water is rendered self-acting; first, by means
of the float valves; secondly, by regulating cocks, with very small passages
through them, and which are fitted with index plates for their adjustment;
thirdly, stop-cocks beneath the regulating cocks, for stopping the supply of
water when the mills are at rest, or just before the charges are removed from
the beds; fourthly, perforated pipes, in a horizontal position, and radiating
from the centre of the shafts, which, in the arrangement shewn, is provided
with seven small apertures, at such distances from each other as correspond to
equal areas of the zones to be supplied with water; fifthly, by a projection on

page_text: from the others, and the distribution of water over the charge is rendered
uniform; sixthly, by very fine woven wire strainers fitted to the lower parts
of the moving cisterns to intercept the passage (with the water) of anything
which might obstruct its even flow from each of the small apertures of the
sprinkling pipe.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2 show two vertical sections of a mill, the bed a of which is
arranged for being heated, as was described in the Specification of my former
Patent. Figure 3 is a plan; and Figure 4 is part of a vertical section, on a
larger scale. b is the cistern which moves round with the runners. This
cistern is supplied with water by a fixed cistern at a higher position. c is a
float, which regulates the supply by acting on the valve d on the supply pipe.
The cistern is cased with a jacket when steam is employed for heating the
e is a fine wire strainer; f is the pipe or tube by which the water
from below the strainer is conducted to the distributing pipe g. The quantity
of water allowed to flow through the apparatus is regulated by a cock or tap h,
which has an index and pointer to shew the extent of the opening. i is a tap
or cock below the cock h for stopping the flow of water; j is an arm which
carries the distributing apparatus.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim any of
the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise details;
but what I claim is, the mode herein described of combining and of applying.
apparatus to gunpowder mills in order to supply and distribute water to the
charges on the beds of such mills.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Hall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
EDWARD HALL. (L.S.)
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.