STILL OR ALEMBIC, WITH A REFRIGERATORY, WORM, OR CONDENSER, AND A PISTON AND ROD, FOR THE USE OF DISTILLERS, BREWERS, AND OTHER PERSONS USING THE LIKE MACHINERY
Year: 1807

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RALPH
DODD, of Exchange Alley, in the City of London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of September,
in the forty-seventh year of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said
Ralph Dodd, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Ralph Dodd, my exors, admors,
and assigns, 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, my new-invented "STILL OR ALEMBIC, WITH A
REFRIGERATORY, WORM, OR CONDENSER, AND A PISTON AND ROD, FOR THE USE
OF DISTILLERS, BREWERS, AND OTHER PERSONS USING THE LIKE MACHINERY;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Ralph Dodd, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation
being thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Ralph Dodd, do hereby declare that my said Invention is for making
and rectifying ardent spirits and simple waters, also for making malt liquors
and paper pulp, and which is described in and by the annexed Drawings, and
the following description thereof, viz' :-
Plan 1. a, a, the extremities or ends of the still, alembic, mashing tun or
boiler; may be made of a cylindrical, square, or any other form, either of wood,
copper, iron, or any other metal or composition of metals. b, b, the interior
of the still, alembic, mashing tun, or boiler. c, c, the furnace or fire flue
through the said still, alembic, mashing tun or boiler, which furnace or fire flue
may be made double or treble in each vessel, and of any incombustible materials.
d, d, the oars, agitators, or cutters, to be made of any figure, in metal or any
other fit material, and fixed upon a wooden or metal frame, to be put in motion
by the wheel and pinion marked e, f, which motion is made by application of
power to a wheel or pinion marked 9 working through a stuffing box, or by a
sheave connected with the end of the shaft running thro' the boiler, which
oars, agitators, or cutters, may be fixed and wrought on a shaft in the still,
alembic, mashing tun, or boiler, with or without a fire flue passing through the
same. h, the head of the still, alembic, mashing tun, or boiler, communicating
by stopcocks with the condensers k, k, k, for the passage of steam or vapour
during distillation. 7, the condenser spreaders, to be made of any kind of
metal or composition of metals, as well as the condensers k, k, k.
m, the
safety valve, connected with the damper n, which will shut on the rising of the
safety valve and reopen on its shutting. 0, 0, rose pieces or drain grates to
admit of fluids forced by the force pump p into the still, alembic, mashing tun
or boiler, or which may be fixed at any other convenient part, the said rose
pieces or drain grates permitting the return of fluids from the said still,
alembic, mashing tun, or boiler, into the pipes q, q, through the stopcock r, and
through the condensers k, k, k. r, r, stopcocks to regulate the different com-
munications. 8, 8, 8, s, man-holes, the two uppermost to charge the still,
alembic, mashing tun, or boiler with grain when used as a mashing tun, the
two lowermost for discharging the same; or the same man-holes may be fixed
at either end of the said mashing tun, either of which may be used for the
entrance of men to cleanse the interior of the same. t, t, water within a back
or refrigeratory, covering. the condensers. vexhausting or air pump, fixed to
a tube attached to the lower extremity of the condensers k, k,. k, k, for
exhausting and making a vacuum in the still, alembic, mashing tun, boiler, or
condensers, and forces whatever it may draw therefrom to any distant vessels.
w, pump or piston-rod regulator of the force pump p. Fig. 2, piston rod.

page_text: No. 1 the solid part of the piston rod, made of any sort of metal, connected
with the piston by a joint at 2, having sufficient room for vibration within the
tubical part of the rod 3, firmly attached to the piston 4, working through a
stuffing box or guide at 5, 5. 6, 6, the extremity of the piston, to receive the
packing or spring braces, to work air-tight within a cylinder, pump, barrel, &c.
7, the sliding cap, working on the top of the tubical piston rod to prevent any-
thing falling in and stopping the vibration.
Plan 2. Fig. 1, a plan of the fire flues, carried under the still, alembic,
mashing tun, or boiler, to be made of incombustible materials; the red colour
represents brickwork. A, the situation of the furnace and ash-hole. B, the fire
flue, represented as running through C, C, C;. the number of flues may be
increased or diminished, lengthened or shortened at pleasure. D, the chimney
to conduct the smoak from fire flues, to be made of incombustible materials.
Fig. 2, a plan of the top of the still, alembic, mashing tun, or boiler. A, the man-
hole. B, B, the situation for sheaves, or wheel and pinion, to turn round the
agitators by means of any power applied at C, C. D, the safety valve. Fig. 3,
plan of the internal part of the still or boiler, with agitators, to be wrought by
machinery to put the splashers or floats in motion in order to keep the fluids
in action, to prevent the fire from burning the same. A, A, A, A, the bottom
of the boiler. B, B, the agitators. C, the centre of the agitators. D, D, D,
the splashers or floats fixed to the agitators. E, the situation for a wheel
similar to the above, to be made of either wood or iron, or any other metal.
Fig. 4 is a side view of the furnace and fire flue, exhibiting that it may be
applied to heating water in a bath. The flues are surrounded with water to
prevent the vessels taking fire if made of combustible materials; the flues
may be extended or shortened, or made more numerous at pleasure. A, A,
the fire flue, to be made of iron or any other incombustible material. B, B,
the sides of the bath. C, C, C, C, the water around the flue. Fig. 5 is an
end view of the above. A, the furnace. B, the water around the same.
C, the exterior of the bath. Fig. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, exhibit the various parts of the
tape-worm condenser. Fig. 6, 7, 8, are the parts of the tape-worm condenser
before joined. Fig. 9 exhibits the above when joined in a longitudinal form.
Fig. 10 shews them also joined in a circular form, the pieces being made more
numerous or less, as most convenient. Fig. 11 shews them also joined and
made to form a spiral for condensing vapours or cooling liquors, or for convey-
ing steam or fire through to beat liquors, to be made of any kind of metal, glass,
porcelaine, earthenware, or any other fit material. The tape worms, when applied
to cooling liquors, should always be immersed in some cold fluid. Fig. 12 a tape-
worm condenser, exhibited as viewed from underneath when of a spiral form.

page_text: The Mode of Working the above Machinery.-I'or making malt liquors,
deposit within the still, alembic, mashing tun, or boiler, a proportional quantity
of malt or grain, as in common brewing, according to the intended strength
of the beer; then inject the liquor or water either in a cold or heated state
through the rose pieces or drain grates by means of the force pump p through:
the pipe, previously shutting both the upper and lower man-holes; then put
the oars, splashers, or agitators in motion for thoroughly mixing the liquor and
grain, then either make fire in, underneath, or to pass through the furnace or
fire flues until the liquor arrives at a sufficient temperature for mashing, if not
at that temperature at the time of injection; then let the oars, splashers, or
agitators revolve and create a further agitation, after which process the liquor
may be heated to the boiling point for any requisite period; then, after checking
the fire with the damper n, or other means, let the liquor settle, and the worts
gently run through the condensers, which will come off perfectly cool, whilst a
continual run of cold water is kept in the refrigeratory around the condensers.
After the worts are received into an under back, deposit therein such a decoc-
tion of hops, or otherwise boil them in the worts, as will render the bitter
pleasant; afterwards remove the worts to a back for a fermentation, which,
when finished, remove the beer into such vessels as may be convenient for use.
To discharge your mash tun of grains, open the lower man-holes, or one which
may be constructed at the end for that purpose.
This machinery, applied also to the making of ardent spirits, perform the
same process as above described for making the worts. Put them into the
'backs for fermentation, which, when completed, return into the still, alembic,
mashing tun, or boiler, and apply the fire in any or all of the ways before
. described. Let every aperture to the still, alembic, mashing tun, or boiler and
condenser be made perfectly air-tight, then set the oars, splashers, or agitators
to work with the exhausting or air pump, and the spirit will come off from
the wash or worts at a low temperature. The same process may be adopted
without the exhausting pump, but in the latter case it will require a greater
quantity of fuel.
To Rectify Spirits.-The usual process of repeated distillation must be
resorted to, and care taken to keep a good vacuum during the evaporation,
and the oars, splashers, or agitators constantly at work, which makes the spirit
pass off more freely. The same process may be adopted without the exhaust-
ing pump, but in the latter case it will require a greater quantity of fuel.
The same process as the latter must be adopted in making simple waters.
To make Paper Pulp with the said Machinery.-The cutters to be made
like scythes, sword blades, or of any other convenient figure. The said cutters

page_text: to be numerously fixed on the shaft instead of oars or splashers, as well as on
the sides of the still, alembic, mashing tun, or boiler, when of a cylindrical
figure. The materials for making the pulp to be thrown into the same, with a
necessary quantity of fluid, and the cutters set to work till the pulp is made.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ralph Dodd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight-hundred and eight.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of March, in the
forty-eighth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the
said Ralph Dodd came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the
forty-fourth year of His said Majesty's reign.