AN IMPROVEMENT IN DEODORISING THE CONTENTS OF CESSPOOLS, PRIVIES, AND ALSO LIKE MATTERS IN OTHER PLACES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William White, of York Villa, Kensington Park,
Bayswater, Consulting Chemist, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN DEODORISING THE CONTENTS OF CESSPOOLS, PRIVIES, AND ALSO LIKE MATTERS
IN OTHER PLACES."
Sealed the 12th January 1855, and dated the 8th August 1854...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William White at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
August 1854.
I, WILLIAM WHITE, of York Villa, Kensington Park, Bayswater, Consulting
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN DEODORISING THE CONTENTS OF CESSPOOLS, PRIVIES, AND ALSO LIKE MATTERS IN
OTHER PLACES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of applying a combination of the ingredients herein-
after described for the purpose of deodorizing the contents of cesspools, privies,
drains, and manure tanks, and pits and other places for the collection and
passage of decomposed organic matters, and for arresting their decomposition
and neutralizing their obnoxious volatile principles.
The combination is a powder consisting of the following materials, viz.,
charcoal prepared from night soil combined with vegetable matter, or prepared

page_text: from the substantive parts of night soil, with burned clay and sulphate of the
protoxide of iron. I am aware that some of these substances have been before
used for like purposes, but my Invention consists in the employment of these
matters in combination.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William White in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
WHITE, of York Villa, Kensington Park, Bayswater, Consulting Chemist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William White, Her special licence that I, the said William White, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
White, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
DEODORIZING THE CONTENTS OF CESSPOOLS, PRIVIES, AND ALSO LIKE MATTERS IN OTHER
PLACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William White,
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
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 William White, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists of applying a combination of the ingredients herein-
after described for the purpose of deodorizing the contents of cesspools, privies,
drains, and manure tanks, and pits and other places for the collection and

page_text: passage of decomposed organic matters, and for arresting their decomposition
and neutralizing their obnoxious volatile principles.
The combination is a powder consisting of the following materials, videlicit,
charcoal prepared from night soil combined with vegetable matter, or prepared
from the substantive parts of night soil, with burned clay and sulphate of the
protoxide of iron. I am aware that some of these substances have been before
but
my Invention consists in the employment of these
used for like purposes,
matters in combination.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
In preparing compounds according to my Invention for deodorizing the
contents of cesspools, privies, sewers, drains, and other places for the retention
and-passage of fecal matters, and also-for arresting: organic decomposition in
manure heaps and tanks, and further, for neutralizing or destroying the offensive
emanations which proceed froin accumulations of refuse, animal matters, or
which are evolved during the treatment of such matters in various manu-
factures, I combine charcoal produced by means of burning hunian forces in
conjunction with an absorbent and carbonized aluminous earth, schist, or other
matter, with a due proportion of the sulphate of the protoxide of iron.
In the preparation of the focal charcoal, I first combine a given quantity of
human feces, the contents of cesspools or privies, with about a third part their
bulk of spent tan, sawdust, dried peat, or other absorbent, and expose the
mixture to the atmosphere; or I employ artificial desiccating means until the
moisture of the mass is reduced to below fifty per cent, I then intimately
blend this mixture with about twenty per cent. (by weight) of clay, schist, or
other aluminous matter; of these I give the preference to Portland schist
or alum shale. The whole is then to be placed into an iron or carthenware
retort, and exposed to a degree of heat sufficient to secure the complete and
uniform carbonization to the entire mass.
The retort must be provided with a beak, for the exit of the steain, vapour,
and ammoniacal and other gases given off during the process, and which are
allowed to flow into a condenser, containing a solution of common salt, or of
sulphuric acid, or some other matter in solution, to be afterwards employed for
the purpose of manure or otherwise; and care must be taken not to remove the
cover of the retort, or otherwise to permit its carbonized contents to be exposed
to the atmosphere as long as incandescence is maintained. The resulting
charcoal being removed from the retort, it is to be ground fine and incorporated
with about a third of its weight of finely-powdered sulphate of protoxide
of iron. I would remark that I am aware of the employment of charcoal

page_text: prepared from night soil as a means of deodorization, and also of the employ-
ment of the sulphate of the protoxide of iron for a like purpose. I do not
therefore claim the same separately; but what I claim is, the combining of
the three constituents herein mentioned, whereby the desired result is more
efficiently and instantaneously obtained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William White, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
W. WHITE. (L.S.)