IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOSITIONS TO BE USED TO PREVENT THE OXIDATION OF IRON, THE FOULING OF SHIPS' BOTTOMS AND OTHER SUBMERGED THINGS, AND ALSO PRESERVING WOOD FROM DECAY AND WORMS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Brereton Todd, of Stratton Villa, Falmouth, in the
County of Cornwall, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COMPOSITIONS TO BE USED TO PREVENT THE OXIDATION OF IRON, THE FOULING
OF SHIPS' BOTTOMS AND OTHER SUBMERGED THINGS, AND ALSO PRESERVING
WOOD FROM DECAY AND WORMS."
Sealed the 29th July 1864, and dated the 9th February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Brereton Todd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
February 1864.
I, BRERETON TODD, of Stratton Villa, Falmouth, in the County of Cornwall,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COMPOSITIONS TO BE USED TO PREVENT THE OXIDATION OF IRON, THE FOULING OF
SHIPS BOTTOMS AND OTHER SUBMERGED THINGS, AND ALSO PRESERVING WOOD FROM.
DECAY AND WORMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in compositions to be used
to prevent the oxidation of iron, the fouling of ships' bottoms and other
To
submerged things, and for preserving wood from decay and worms.
prevent the oxidation of iron and the fouling of ships'. bottoms and other
submerged things, I use an alkali (potash or soda) combined with sulphur
or white arsenic, or both, and compounded with asphalte, pitch, tar, oil, or
other similar substance that will cause it to adhere to the iron, the ship's

page_text: bottom or other submerged thing, and at the same time allow the compound
to be slightly soluble. I prefer to mix equal weights of alkali and sulphur
or arsenic, and to use one part of the compound to eight of the substance
with which it is mixed to cause it to adhere. It is not essential that the
arsenic should be in the form of white arsenic, it may be in the metallic
form, or other preparations containing arsenic may be employed, or oxide of
antimony may be substituted for arsenic when sulphur is not contained in the
mixture. In some cases in making the sulphur compound, I also employ in
the composition sulphide of arsenic, antimony, or other suitable sulphide.
I mix equal weights of the compound of alkali and sulphur and of the
sulphide, and use one part of the mixture to eight parts of the substance with
which it is mixed to cause it to adhere. In order to prevent the oxidation of
iron ships and structures, when the said ships or structures are sheathed
with copper or similar metal, I employ a compound consisting of asphalte,
pitch, tar, or similar bituminous or resinous substance, combined with an
alkali (potash or soda). I usually employ 1 lb. of potash or soda to 16 lbs.
of asphalte or bituminous or resinous matter. Other matters may be added
to the compound, but they are not required. To preserve wood from decay
and worms, I employ compounds of alkali and other substances as above
described, but in place however of mixing the compound with asphalte or
similar substance as before, I dissolve the compound in water or other solvent,
and force the solution into the timber by the well-known methods. I also
use, in order to prevent the bottoms of ships and other submerged things from
fouling, the dehydrated sulphate of copper, iron, and zinc, ground fine and
mixed with the above-named bituminous substances. I employ by preference
one part of the dehydrated sulphate to ten parts of the bituminous substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Brereton Todd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRERETON
TODD, of Stratton Villa, Falmouth, in the County of Cornwall, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said

page_text: Brereton Todd, Her special licence that I, the said Brereton Todd, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Brereton
Todd, 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 COMPOSITIONS TO
BE USED TO PREVENT THE OXIDATION OF IRON, THE FOULING OF SHIPS' BOTTOMS AND
OTHER SUBMERGED THINGS, AND ALSO PRESERVING WOOD FROM DECAY AND WORMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Brereton Todd, my
executors 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 per-
formed, 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 Brereton Todd, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in compositions to be used
to prevent the oxidation of iron, the fouling of ships' bottoms and other sub-
merged things, and for preserving wood from decay and worms.
To prevent
the oxidation of iron and the fouling of ships' bottoms and other submerged
things, I use an alkali (potash or soda) compounded with asphalte, pitch,
tar, oil, or other similar substance that will cause it to adhere to the iron,
the ship's bottom or other submerged thing, and at the same time allow
the compound to be slightly soluble. I find that a useful alkaline compound
is produced by dissolving one pound of potash (or soda) in eight pounds of
melted pitch and then thinning the compound to the consistency of varnish in
the way usually adopted by the varnish makers. This compound is applied,
either cold or hot, to the surface to be coated by means of a brush in the
same way as varnish is usually employed. This compound is particularly
applicable for coating iron before applying to it a sheathing of copper, but
when copper sheathing is not employed, in place of using the above compound
alone, I prefer, in order to render it more obnoxious to marine animals, to mix
eight ounces of white arsenic or arsenic in other form with each gallon of the
varnish, or a similar proportion of oxide of antimony may be employed. In
some cases also I make a varnish or compound containing sulphur, by pre-

page_text: ference I dissolve one pound of potash (or soda) in twelve pounds of pitch and
then add six ounces of sulphur and thin the mixture as before, so as to make
three gallons of varnish, this varnish may be applied by itself in the manner
already described, but I prefer to mix these with four ounces of sulphide
of arsenic, sulphide of antimony, sulphide of copper, sulphide of iron, or
sulphide of zinc, or it may be a mixtures of these sulphides.
I claim, as respects this part of my Invention, the employment of composi-
tions consisting as described of an alkali and pitch, asphalte, tar, oil, or other
similar substance, either alone or also containing.white or other arsenic or
oxide of antimony.
I also claim the employment of compositions consisting as described of an
alkali together with pitch, asphalte, tar, oil, or other similar substance and
sulphur, and this composition I claim either alone or together with sulphide of
arsenic, antimony, or other suitable sulphide.
To preserve wood from decay and worms, I employ arsenite of potash or
soda, or the antimoniate of potash or soda, or the sulpharsenite of potassium
or sodium, or the sulphantimoniate of potassium or sodium, and I dissolve
it in coal oil (which I prefer to other solvents). I employ eight ounces of
the alkali compound to one gallon of coal oil, and force the solution into the
timber by well-known methods.
I claim, as respects this part of my Invention, the employment of composi-
tions consisting as described of alkali and arsenic or antimony with or without
sulphur, as above described.
I also use, in order to prevent the bottoms of ships and other submerged
things from fouling, the dehydrated sulphate of copper, iron, and zinc ground
fine and mixed with bituminous substances. I use one pound of the dehydrated
sulphate to ten pounds of bituminous varnish or coal tar.
I claim, as respects this part of my Invention, the employment of com-
positions of dehydrated sulphate of copper, iron, or zinc, with bituminous sub-
stances, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Brereton Todd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
BRERETON TODD. (L.S.)