Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GASs
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James M Kelvie, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Coal-master, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GASs.”
Sealed the 14th March 1878, and dated the 27th September 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James M.Kelvie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th September 1872.
I, JAMES MCKELVIE, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, Coal-master, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING Gas,” to
be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention which relates to improvements in the manufacture of
illuminating gas, consists in a mode of treating peat and oleaginous
substances in order to obtain such gas therefrom.
In carrying out the Invention dry peat (which it is preferred to
employ in somewhat large pieces) is soaked in or with one or more
oleaginous substances, and after being thoroughly soaked is allowed to
remain in any suitable place until the free oleaginous substance or
substances drip or fall from it; it is then ready to be placed in any

page_text: kind of gas-making retort. With some oleaginous substances which
are thick or semi-fluid it may be necessary to heat them before or
while in contact with the peat, and such heating may also be necessary
with the peat after the application of such oleaginous substances is
completed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James McKelvie in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th March 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
M°KELVIE, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
Coal-master, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in
the 36th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James McKelvie, Her special license,
that I, the said James MºKelvie, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James McKelvie, my executors,
administrators, or 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF ILLUMINATING Gas,” upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James McKelvie, 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James McKelvie, 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 accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-

page_text: Bly said Invention which relates to improvements in the manufacture
of illuminating gas, consists in a mode of treating peat, turf, or bog, and
oleaginous substances, in order to obtain such gas therefrom.
In carrying out the Invention dry peat, turf, or bog (which it is
3 preferred to employ in somewhat large pieces) is soaked in or with one-
or more oleaginous substances, and after being thoroughly soaked is
allowed to remain in any suitable place until the free oleaginous sub-
stance or substances drip or fall from it; it is then ready to be placed in
a gas retort.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect; that is to say,―
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended a mechanical system
which may be used in treating peat, turf, or bog, and oleaginous
substances according to this Invention, in order to obtain gas therefrom,
is shewn in vertical section.
The peat, turf, or bog having been dried in the open air or in drying.
sheds is placed in wagons A, which are constructed with railed or open.
sides, tops, and bottoms. The wagons A with the dried peat, turf, or
bog therein are run into a drying chamber B which is provided with a
door C at each end. The drying chamber B is placed over the flue or
passage D, through which the products of combustion from the gas
retorts of a gaswork, or from other sources of heat, such as a boiler
furnace, are conducted to the chimney E. Air passages a commu-
nicating with the flue D are situated in the floor of the drying
chamber B. The heated air from the flue D ascends through the air
passages a into the drying chamber B, the air passages a also serving
as the means of escape for air saturated with moisture arising from peat,
turf, or bog drying in the wagons A. When the peat, turf, or bog is
thoroughly dry the wagons A with the peat, turf, or bog still therein
are run into a tank F containing the oleaginous substances, and they are
allowed to remain therein until the peat, turf, or bog is saturated, at
which stage the wagons and their contents are drawn-out of the tank F
into a dripping chamber G, whero the surplus oleaginous substances
retained by the peat, turf, or bog are allowed to drip therefrom, and
these are reconducted back into the tank F by means of the passage b.
The peat, turf, or bog may then be taken to the retort house, and then

page_text: distilled in the usual manner for making gas. A winch H with endless
rope or chain o or other suitable contrivance may be used to draw the
wagons A and their contents into and out of the tank F.
The temperature of the oil and the temperature of the dripping
chamber G should be kept a little over 100° degrees, but this depends on
the nature of the oleaginous substance used.
In using the peat, turf, or bog for making gas, coal may be mixed
therewith before charging the retort, or a little small coal, dross, or duff
may be put into the retort before charging with the peat, turf, or bog,
or small coal, dross, or duff may be put through and upon the peat, turf, 1
or bog after it has been charged. The quantities of peat, turf, or bog
and small coal or dross respectively are to be determined by the quality
of gas desired to be made.
In place of using the mechanical system herein-before described and
shewn on the appended Sheet of Drawing of treating the peat, turf, or 1
bog, it may when dry be simply thrown into the oleaginous substances
and allowed to remain until soaked, then drawn on to a slope to drip,
after which it may be charged into the retorts, or the peat, turf, or bog
when dry may be spread upon a floor, and the oleaginous substance
applied thereto by means of a pipe provided with a "rose."
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and how the same is or may be carried out in practice,
I desire to obseve in conclusion that I make no claim to the apparatus
herein-before described; but what I do consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before 2
in part recited Letters Patent is, the saturating of dry pcat, turf, or
bog with oleaginous substances, and using the same in gas retorts as a
gas-producing material, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said. James M'Kelvic, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March One thou- 3
sand eight hundred and seventy-three.