VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR MAKING CARBONATED HYDROGEN GAS FROM PIT COAL, AND FOR USING THE SAME IN LIGHTING MILLS, FACTORIES, HOUSES, SHOPS, LAMPS, &C. THEREWITH
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MAIBEN, of Perth, in the County of Perth, Sadler and Ironmonger, do send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of May, in the fiftieth year of His reign,
did give and grant unto me, the said John Maiben, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Maiben, my executors, administrators, 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 Invention of "VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR MAKING CARBONATED HYDROGEN GAS FROM PIT
COAL, AND FOR USING THE SAME IN LIGHTING MILLS, FACTORIES, HOUSES, SHOPS,
LAMPS, &C. THEREWITH;" in which Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said John Maiben, under my hand and seal, to
cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be used, to be enroled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within two 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Maiben, in pursuance of and in
compliance with the said proviso, do hereby declare that my said Invention

page_text: and improvements consist in and extend to the following matters, collectively
or separately taken :--
A represents an oblique view of my.retort, which is of an oblong shape,
nearly resembling the folio volume of a book, with a cast metal vent built upon
it, so that the fire affects every part except the mouth. The mouth is shut by
a plate of metal with a groove in it to receive the retort; this groove being
filled with wet-sand is fixed on by the screw B. C, C, C, a metal-pipe raising
from the retort and dividing in two at the cock D, which is so constructed
that either of the pipes shall be open while the other is shut. Z, Z, Z, a pipe
leading through the water chest to the tar pot H. J, J, J, a pipe conducting
the gas from the tar pot to the water chest, into which it is emersed at K.
L, L, L, the water chest which is raised at one end and declines towards the
tar pot, not only that the tar should descend without clogging the pipe, but
likewise that the gas should ascend by its own specific gravity from K to R
without being any strain upon the retort or pipes. N, a funnel through which
the water is conveyed to the chest till filled with water, after which it is closed
by a cock. 0, 0, 0, an inside view of the top of the water chest. P, a plate
full of small holes through which the gas must pass. X, X, X, X, inter-
sections through which the gas must wimple before it arrives at R, where it
meets with the pipe G, G, G, G, by which it is conducted to the reservoir.
Although I have represented G, G, G, G, as a single pipe, yet there may be
fixed to that part of the water chest any number of pipes, each having a stop-
cock; one retort may therefore serve any number of families with gas by.
having only one of these cocks open at a time in the same manner as the New
River Company serves the people of London with water. Y, Y, Y, Y, my:
reservoir, which I deem the most important part of my apparatus, is an air-tight.
vessel constructed of stone, wood, metal, or any other materials which can
contain gas and water, and may be of any shape or size. When in use it is
full of water or gas, or both gas and water. When full of water the pipes
d, d, d, G, G, and L, L, are likewise full; but when the cock M is opened, the
water in these pipes falls to the level of the upper part of cock M, while the
whole of the water in the reservoir remains the same as before, being kept in
by the weight of atmospheric air (which I must here take notice is my principal
agent). When the reservoir is in that state, the gas generated in the retort, after
passing through the water chest, enters the reservoir by the pipe G, G, G, G,
and is emersed into the water near the bottom (or it may go to any depth),
from which, by its own specific gravity, it descends till it meets e, a flat piece
of metal full of small holes, by which it is broke into small particles, and
afterwards, meeting with f, another piece, of which points up and downwards,

page_text: is thereby thrown in the midst of the water.
When arrived at the upper part
of the reservoir it gives liberty to the water, which formerly was kept in by tho
weight of the atmospheric air at the cock M, to escape by it, the water and gas
within the reservoir being now more weighty than atmospheric air; this opera-
tion is continued until the whole of the water is relieved or expelled by tho
gas; after which, any extra quantity of gas which is thrown into the reservoir
is allowed to escape by the waste pipe L, L, LN, N, represents a flat
vessel, in size proportioned to that of the reservoir, in the bottom of which tlio
outer end of the cock M is fixed, and through it the whole of the water that
runs from the reservoir must pass, and escapes from thence by a spout-near
the upper part, such as at O, and consequently is always full when the water
is running from the reservoir. When the gas in the reservoir cools, it condenses,
at which time the water in the vessel N, N, returning by the cock M, fills the
space and prevents the atmospheric air from contaminating the gas. a, a, a, -a
stream of water, which is always the same depth, the extra quantity being
allowed to run over at b. C, C, represents one or moro' syphons for raising
water from the stream, and pouring it into the reservoir. d, d, d, a pipe by which
the water is conducted from the syphons to the bottom of the reservoir. H, a
funnel upon the upper end of that pipe into which the long end of the syphon
is placed. h, a plug of metal fitted, with leather or any other substance, to the
bottom of the funnel H, so as to prevent water from passing into the pipe d, d, d,
except when it is lifted up, as represented. When the lamps are to be lighted,
shut the cock M, open the cock i, and raise the plug h, which is no sooner
done then the water, running through the syphon c, c, passes down the pipo
d, d, d, occupies the under part of the reservoir, and forces out an equal
quantity of gas to the lamps. When the lights are put out, the plug or plugs
are dropt, which causes the water to raise in the funnels, and thereby stops the
syphons. I must observe that although the funnels and syphons are repre-
sented, in the annexed Figure, as fixed to the reservoir, yet they may be placed
at any distance from it, provided the water is conducted from them to.
the reservoir. When running water cannot be got, I supply its place
by an air-tight vessel resembling a bird's drinking-glass, with a trough
at the bottom, in which I place my syphons. n, n, n, a pipe by
which the gas passes to the small box D. Q, a pipe conducting the
gas from the box D into the box K, which is under it and nearly full
of water, the pipe Q going nearly to the bottom of the box. K is therefore
emersed in the water, so that the gas must pass through water before it can go
to the lamps, and thereby prevents fire descending from them into the reservoir;
for granting that the gas, from mischance, should take a retrograde motion in

page_text: the pipes, the worst which can happen is forcing the water from the box K
into the upper box D, through which the gas must pass, and consequently the
flame be extinguished. P, P, P, P, the main pipe raising from the box K,
and leading to all the lamps. R, R, R, R, a box with double bottom, which
I fix to the end of my main pipe. S, S, is the upper bottom. The space
between the two bottoms I fill with water. X, a short tube fixed to the
middle division, and reaching nearly to the bottom; when the gas becomes too
strong in the main pipe P, P, P, P, it urges the water in the lower compart-
ment through the pipe X into the upper part of the box. W, a funnel con-
ducting the extra gas to the waste pipe v, v. By this box the flame from the
lamps can be prevented from exceeding a certain size, however much water be
poured into the reservoir. I likewise use this box by way of regulator, where
there are no room for a reservoir. I make use of lead and iron tubes when
they are indispensable; but as economy in the erection of gas apparatus is my
principle object, I use pipes made of chared wood covered with the gut of
animals coated with varnish, which I claim as my own Invention. I likewise
use tubes of glass, and I cover my reservoirs with large flat plates of glass.
placed in frames beded with putty, which none has done before me.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Maiben, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and ten years.
Acknowledged by John Maiben therein named, at the Town Clerk's Office,
the Twenty-eighth day of May, Eighteen hundred and ten years, before me,
one of the present Majestrates of the City of Perth.
W RITCHIE BAILIE.