IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, PARTS of - ABLE TO THE DRYING AND CHARRING OF THE APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLIO. OTHER MATTERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lewis Felix Target, of Portsdown Road, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
AND
TREATING EXCRETA
SEWAGE MATTERS AND IN
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, PARTS of
- ABLE TO THE DRYING AND CHARRING OF
THE APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLIO.
OTHER MATTERS"
Sealed the 4th March 1873, and dated the 15th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lewis Felix
Target at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 15th January 1873.
61
I, JOHN LEWIS FELIX TARGET, of Portsdown Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING EXCRETA AND SEWAGE MATTERS AND
IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, PARTS OF THE APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE
TO THE DRYING AND CHARRING OF OTHER MATTERS," to be as follows:-
The primary object of this Invention is to collect the heating and ›
illuminating power of feces in a certain apparatus, and to utilize the.
sanic directly by applying the heat and flames which will result from :

page_text: the carbonization of the feces to the extraction by distillation or otherwise
of the ammonia contained in urine or other liquids, after which the fecal
charcoal may be used as fuel, and the ashes containing all the fertilizing
mineral matters are collected, and may be used as manure together with
the products extracted from the urine. This I attain,-
1st. By dealing with urine and feces separately, either by collecting
them in separate moveable or fixed receptacles, or by separating as much
as possible by filtration the solid parts from the fluid, when the excreta
are mixed and collected from ordinary cesspools.
2nd. The feces or solid parts, containing about 75 per cent. of
humidity, are at the works emptied into a mixing machine or kind of
pug mill, closed if found necessary, and worked either by horse power or
steam. With the feces a certain proportion of any description of
powdered charcoal and sawdust is only for the first time added (say
about 40 per cent. of the weight of fecal matter) together with about
4 per cent. of coal tar, pitch, or any bituminous substance.
3rd. The whole mass being thoroughly mixed is then moulded into
blocks or bricks of an ordinary size by any kind of brick-making machine.
The addition of the absorbants and the agglutinative nature of the feces
together with the disinfecting properties of both the charcoal and tar,
thus admits of forming well made blocks or bricks completely deodorized
and easy to handle, without any repugnance whatever.
4th. The said blocks or bricks can be either air dried or dried in a
special drying house. They are then packed in hoop iron open cradle
frames, suitable dimensions for which are, say, 31.* 19 * 10 inches, so as
to hold 80 bricks each; or they may be simply stacked on the platforms
of trollies, and small chains be passed over so as to keep the mass
together; these are then taken to the charring house or oven to be
converted into charcoal.
5th. The oven built entirely of fire-brick is, say, about 6 feet by 5, and
5 feet in height, and contains two muffle furnaces which are, say,
13 inches in breadth by 42 inches inside dimensions by 3 feet in height,
and are separated by a vertical flue 6 inches in breadth placed directly
over the fire-grate. The muffles are on the two other sides surrounded
by similar vertical flues about 4 inches in breadth, and at the 4th side or
front there is an iron door opening to the whole height of the muffle.

page_text: There is also a movable inner door made of two thin plates of sheet
iron between which are placed layers of talc, asbestos, or any other
uninflammable substance. The inner side wall of the two muffles have
apertures at their base, so as to allow the flames of the fire to enter and
heat the bricks placed in the trollies. There are also above these aper-
tures smaller ones made in the brickwork for the purpose of allowing
the vapours and volatile gases given off during the process of evaporation
to escape.
6th. These vapours on escaping through the apertures become ignited
and after circulating round the muffles, heating the same, pass off by
openings placed at the bottom of the exterior flue, and are then con-
ducted by an underground flue to heat the boiler of the distilling
apparatus herein-after described, or for other heating purposes.
7th. The muffles are charged with the cradle frames containing 80
bricks each on a low trolley, and are run into the muffles by the iron
doorway in front; this double door is then closed and luted so as to
prevent any access of air. In order to maintain regularity of com-
bustion and heating it is preferable to charge the muffles alternately at
6 hours interval, so that the charring process being continued for about
12 hours one is emptied every 6 hours. There are openings or air vents
in front for allowing a certain draught in the vertical flues when found
necessary. These are also used for watching the operations.
8th. On the termination of the process which is known by the fact of
no more flame issuing from the small openings of the inner wall of the
muffle, and is ascertained by looking through the air holes, the iron door
is opened, the cradle frame is run out and immediately covered over by
a thin sheet-iron casing placed over the top of the cradle, and luted with
clay where it bears on the trolley. The charred bricks are then put aside
to cool, which takes about 6 or 7 hours, and are then stored to be used
either as a charcoal fuel or otherwise. When destined to serve as a
charcoal fuel it will perhaps be found necessary to abstract more of the
humidity artificially in the drying house before moulding into bricks,
whereby I obtain a more concentrated produce and charcoal. After it
has been used as fuel, the ashes containing a large percentage of soluble
phosphate of lime, potash, and other fertilizing ingredients are collected
for manure. As there is but a small proportion of ammonia in feces
this is neglected, and it is found far more profitable to utilize its heating

page_text: Although I prefer collecting, when possible, urine and feces separately
I can when dealing with mixed excreta or sewage use the charcoal as a
filtering medium, and proceed as before.
9th. For distilling the urine I prefer the still herein-after described,
but any description of still may be used, together with lime for the
purpose of disengaging the carbonate of ammonia, heating the boiler
by the aforesaid spent heat and flames from the oven, the fires of two
ovens being found sufficient with the auxiliary heat from the bricks to
distil about 6 tons of urine in 24 hours. This is effected with about
6 cwt. of coal by the above method, an economical result obtained by no
other method, the auxiliary heat contributed by each brick being equal
to about that produced by one pound of good coal.
10th. The carbonate of ammonia is converted into sulphate of ammonia
by ordinary crystallization, and is dried on the top of the ovens or in
special drying chamber which may also be used for drying the fecal
charcoal bricks when it is found necessary to obtain a more concen-
trated form of brick for fuel, and the weather does not admit of air
drying.
11th. The drying chamber consists of a square brick drying house or
oven, say, 19 by 13 feet outside dimensions, and 8 feet in height,
divided into two compartments by a vertical hollow wall from 12 to 18
inches in breadth, separated with, say, 6 horizontal flues, the upper one
having its exit in the chimney. This hollow wall or vertical flue is
encased in another brick wall with alternate apertures opposite and
corresponding to each of the 5 upper flues; but the first or lower one
which is directly against the fire has no side openings, and only one or
two in its upper surface and far end, by which the heated air will rise
and enter the two hollow spaces on each side of the main vertical flue.
These hot air lower flues have openings or air regulators in front which
allow of any determined quantity of cold air being admitted. In the
two side walls of this drying house there are, say, 6 small horizontal flues
with side openings corresponding to and on the same level with those of
the inner wall opposite. These at one end communicate with a vertical
flue leading to the chimney; in this flue can be placed an exhausting fan
of suitable dimensions. The two drying chambers are fitted to receive,

page_text: say, 5 shallow drying trays about 12 by 6 feet in dimensions, 6 inches in
depth, and 16 inches apart above each other. These trays being sup-
ported on small wheels are run in and out of the drying chambers on
light angle iron rails fixed to the centre and side walls in such a manner
that the top of the tray arrives at the bottom of the hot air openings in
the wall. The angle iron is continued outside and fixed to supports the
same length as the trays. In front and corresponding to each tray is a
flap door, say, 6 feet by 6 inches in breadth hung on strong hinges
opposite each tray, so that every tray can be withdrawn independently
without opening the other doors. The trays are constructed so that they
can, on being run out and by unclamping a catch underneath, tip their
contents into receivers below.
The trays are charged or loaded with about 3 inches of manure, then
run into the chambers, the door flaps being closed and luted with clay
to prevent any considerable escape of steam. The fire being lighted, the
flames circulate through the vertical flues before entering the chimney,
imparting not only the whole of the heat right and left to the two drying
chambers, but also in the first and lower flue, heating the cold air that
enters these two closed flues, and which lie directly against and on 'a
level with the grate or furnace.
This heated air rises through the
apertures at the top of the far end of the flue, and is distributed over
the surface of the 5 trays, and drawn by the action of an exhaustor or by
the draught of the chimney over the same, together with the vapours
that may arise from evaporation through each special flue in the side
walls into the vertical flue placed at the end. By this means if the
vapours be of a noxious character they can, previously to being dis-
charged into the air, be made to pass through water or any purifying
medium. The manure being sufficiently dried, the trays are run out..
tipped up, emptied, recharged, and run in again instantly. The great
advantage gained by the above drying house is a large economy in fuel,
the whole heat being distributed and utilized right and left in both
chambers before its entering the chimney, whereas in ordinary lateral
heating flues a considerable quantity of the caloric is imparted to the soil
or under surfaces to no purpose. The heated air also by its continual
tendency to rise to the upper part will insure a regularity of surface
evaporation over the upper trays that would not take place otherwise.
Each tray being independent, and having its own separate door flap,
can be withdrawn, or the surfaces raked and renewed, without stopping

page_text: the drying process in the others. Another advantage is a multiplication
of horizontal drying surfaces in the smallest superficial area possible.
The still or distilling apparatus which I prefer to employ is composed,
1st, of a cylindrical boiler made to contain, say, from 5 to 8 tons of
liquid, according to the requirements of the apparatus; 2nd, of a second
boiler or heater the same size placed after the first, and a little more
clevated, so that after the spent flames of the ovens have passed under
and heated the first, they pass under the second before entering the
chimney; 3rd, of another cylindrical vessel smaller than the above, and
containing lime water. All these vessels communicate with each other
by means of pipes, and are fitted with agitators working in stuffing
boxes; 4th, of a close vessel or condenser containing a large worm;
5th, of a smaller one containing also a worm; 6th, of a large reservoir
placed above the large worm; 7th, of the usual crystallizing pans and
apparatus for the sulphate of ammonia.
The two boilers are filled with urine, together with a certain quantity
of lime. The large condenser is also filled with urine, and the smaller
one underneath with cold water. As the boilers are being heated the
liquid is now and then agitated by means of the agitators, and the vapours
together with the carbonate of ammonia are given off and pass into the
third vessel containing lime water, where they are purified. From
thence they enter the worm of the large condenser, where they impart
their heat to the liquid heat contained therein. Leaving this condenser
they pass into the second or smaller one containing cold water, and from
thence the carbonate of ammonia goes off either to the crystallizers if
required to be converted into sulphate of ammonia, or to a series of
three-necked Woulff's bottles of different sizes containing water and
caustic soda, and finally through a condensing trough when it is required
to manufacture liquid ammonia.
[!!
14
After all the ammonia has been disengaged from the liquid contained
in the first boiler, this is drawn off and replaced by that of the second,
which in its turn is replaced by the already heated contents of the
condenser, and a fresh supply of cold liquid is allowed to run into this
condenser from the large cistern above.
The chief advantages of this apparatus over ordinary stills is, first,
tho gradual utilization of the heat in the two boilers, whose vapours

page_text: go to heat the lime water in a separate vessel; and, secondly, the im-
parting of the vapours to the fresh liquid in the condenser whereby the
least quantity of heat is lost.
Instead of treating the urine or liquid portion by distillation, it may
be treated by continued evaporation in close vessels in vacuo, in the
manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to John
Henry Johnson on the 5th July 1870, No. 1900.
The drying house or apparatus herein-before described is applicable to
the drying of other substances, and the muffle furnaces to the charring
of other substances.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Lewis Felix Target in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEWIS FELIX TARGET, of Portsdown Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Lewis Felix Target, Her special
licence that J, the said John Lewis Felix Target, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Lewis
Felix Target, 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 TREATING EXCRETA AND SEWAGE MATTERS, AND IN APPA-
BATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN. PARTS OF THE APPARATUB BEING ALSO APPLICABLE
TO THE DRYING AND CHARRING OF OTHER MATTERS," upcn the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Lewis Felix Target, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or

page_text: 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 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 1, the said John Lewis Felix Target, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:
The primary object of this Invention is to collect the heating and
illuminating power of foeces in a certain apparatus, and to utilize the
same directly by applying the heat and flames, which will result from
the carbonization or from the burning of the foeces to the extraction by
distillation or otherwise of the ammonia contained in urine or other
liquids, after which the focal charcoal (when the foeces have been car-
bonized) may be used as fuel, and the ashes containing all the fertilizing
mineral matters are collected and may be used as manure together with
the products extracted from the urine. This I attain,-
1st. By dealing with urine and foeces separately either by collecting
them in separate movable or fixed vessels or by separating as much
as possible by filtration the solid parts from the fluid when the excreta
are mixed and collected from ordinary cesspools.
2nd. The foeces or solid parts containing about 75 per cent. of
humidity are at the works emptied into a mixing machine or kind of
pug mill closed if found necessary, and worked either by horse power or
steam. With the fœces a certain proportion of any description of
powdered charcoal and sawdust is for the first time added (say about
40 per cent. of the weight of focal matter), together with about 4 per cent.
of coal tar, pitch, or any bituminous substance.
3rd. The whole mass being thoroughly mixed is then moulded into
blocks or bricks of an ordinary size by any kind of brick-making
machine. The addition of the above absorbents and the agglutinative
nature of the fœcces, together with the disinfecting properties of both the
charcoal and tar, thus admits of forming well-made blocks or bricks

page_text: frames, suitable dimensions for which are, say 31 × 19 × 10 inches, so as
to hold 80 bricks each; or they may be suitably stacked on the plat-
forms of trollies, and small chains be passed over so as to keep the mass
together. These are then taken to the charring house or oven to be con-
verted into charcoal.
5th. This oven built entirely of fire-brick is, say, about 6 feet by 5
and 5 feet in height, and contains two muffle furnaces, which are, say,
13 inches in breadth by 42 inches inside dimensions by 3 feet in height,
and are separated by a vertical flue 6 inches in breadth placed directly
over the fire-grate. The muffles are on the two other sides surrounded
by similar vertical flues about 4 inches in breadth, and at the 4th side
or front there is an iron door opening to the whole height of the muffle,
There is also a movable inner door made of two thin plates of thin sheet
iron, between which are placed layers of talc, asbestos, or any other un-
inflammable substance. The inner side walls of the two muffles have
apertures at their base so as to allow the flames of the fire to enter and
light the bricks placed in the trollies. There are also above these aper-
tures smaller ones made in the brickwork for the purpose of allowing
the carburetted vapours and volatile gases given off during the process
of evaporation to escape.
6th. These vapors on escaping through the apertures become ignited,
and after circulating round the muffles, heating the same, pass off by
openings placed at the bottom of the exterior flue, and are then conducted
by an underground flue to heat the boilers of the distilling apparatus
herein-after described, or for other heating purposes.
7th. The mufles are charged with the cradle frames containing 80
bricks each on a low trolley, and are run into the muffles by the iron
doorway in front; this double door is then closed and luted, so as to
prevent any access of air. In order to maintain regularity of combus
tion and heating it is preferable to charge the muffles alternately at. 6
hours interval, so that the charring process being continued for about
12 hours one is emptied every 6. There are openings or air vents in

page_text: front for allowing a certain draught in the vertical flues when found
necessary. These are also used for watching the operation.
8th. On the termination of the process, which is known by the fact
of no more flame issuing from the small openings of the inner wall of
the muffle, and is ascertained by looking through the air holes, the iron
door is opened, the cradle frame is run out, and immediately covered
over by a thin sheet-iron casing placed over the top of the cradle, and
luted with clay where it bears on the trolley. The charred bricks
are then put aside, to cool which takes about 6 or 7 hours, and are then
stored to be used either as a charcoal fuel or otherwise. When destined
to serve as a charcoal fuel it will perhaps be found necessary to abstract
more of the humidity artificially in the drying house before moulding
into bricks, whereby obtain a more concentrated powder and charcoal.
After it has been used as fuel the ashes containing a large per-centage
of soluble phosphate of lime, potash, and other fertilizing ingredients are
conected for manure. As there is but a small proportion of ammonia in
fœces this is neglected, and it is found far more profitable to utilize its
heating qualities for the purpose of extracting this valuable substance
from the urine.
Although I prefer collecting when possible urine and foeces separately
I can, when dealing with mixed excreta or sewage, use the charcoal as a
filtering medium, and proceed as before.
9th. For distilling the urine I prefer the still herein-after described,
but any description of still may be used together with lime for the pur-
pose of disengaging the carbonate of ammonia, heating the boiler by the
aforesaid spent heat and flames from the oven, the fires of 2 ovens being
found sufficient with the auxiliary heat from the bricks to distil about
6 tons of urine in 24 hours. This is effected with about 6 cwt. of coal
by the above method, an economical result in fuel obtained by no other
method, the auxiliary heat contributed by each brick being equal to
about that produced by one pound of good coal.
10th. The carbonate of ammonia is converted into sulphate of
ammonia by ordinary crystallization, and is dried on the top of the ovens
or in a special drying chamber, which may also be used for drying the
focal charcoal bricks when it is found necessary to obtain a more con-

page_text: air drying.
11th. The drying chamber consists of a square brick drying house or
oven, say, 19 by 13 feet outside dimensions and 8 feet in height, divided
into two compartments by a vertical hollow wall from 12 to 18 inches in
breadth, separated with, say, 6 horizontal flues, the upper one having its
exit in the chimney. This hollow wall or vertical flue is encased in
another brick wall with alternate apertures opposite and corresponding
to each of the 5 upper flues; but the first or lower one, which is directly
against the fire, has no side openings, and only one or two in its upper
surface and far end by which the heated air will rise and enter the two
hollow spaces on each side of the main vertical Alue. These lower hot
air flues have openings or air regulators in front, which allow of any
determined quantity of cold air being admitted. In the two side and
outer walls of this drying house there are, say, 6 small horizontal flues
with side openings corresponding to and on the same level with those of
the inner wall opposite. Those at the end all communicate with a ver-
tical flue leading to the chimney. In this flue can be placed an exhaust-
ing fan of suitable dimensions. The two drying chambers are each fitted
to receive, say, 5 shallow drying trays about 12 by 6 feet in dimensions,
6 inches in depth, and 16 inches apart above each other. These trays
being supported on small wheels, are run in and out of the drying cham-
bers on light angle iron rails fixed to the centre and side walls in such
manner that the top of the tray arrives at the bottom of the hot air open-
ings in the walls. The angle iron is continued outside, and fixed to sup-
ports the same length as the trays. In front and corresponding to each
tray is a flap door, say 6 feet, by 6 inches in breadth, hung on strong
hinges opposite each tray, so that every tray can be withdrawn indepen-
dently without opening the other doors. The trays are constructed so
that they can on being run out and by unclamping a catch underneath
tilt their contents into receivers below...
The trays are charged or loaded with about three inches of manure,
then run into the chambers, the door flaps being closed and luted with
clay to prevent any considerable escape of steam. The fire being lighted
the flames circulate through the vertical flues before entering the chim-
ney, imparting not only the whole of the heat right and left to the two
drying chambers, but also in the first and lower flue, heating the cold

page_text: air that enters these two closed flues, and which lie directly against and
on a level with the grate or furnace. This heated air rises through the
apertures at the top of the far end of the flue, and is distributed over the
surface of the 5 trays, and drawn by the action of an exhauster or by the
draught of the chimney over the same, together with the vapours that
may arise from evaporation, through cach special flue in the side walls
into the vertical flue placed at the end. By this means, if the vapours
be of a noxious character, they can previously to being discharged into
the air be made to pass through water or any purifying medium. The
manure being sufficiently dried the trays are run out, tipped up, emptied,
recharged, and run in again instantly. The great advantage gained by
the above drying house is a large economy in fuel, the whole heat being
distributed and utilized right and left in both chambers before its enter-
ing the chimney, whereas in ordinary lateral heating flues a considerable
quantity of the caloric is imparted to the soil or under surfaces to no
purpose. The heated air also, by its continual tendency to rise to the
upper part, will insure a regularity of surface evaporation over the upper
trays that would not take place otherwise. Each tray being independent,
and having its own separate door flap, can be withdrawn, or the surfaces
raked and renewed without stopping the drying process in the others.
Another advantage is a multiplication of horizontal drying surfaces in
the smallest superficial area possible.
The still or distilling apparatus which I prefer to employ is composed,
ist, of a cylindrical boiler, made to contain say from 5 to 8 tons of liquid,
according to the requirements of the apparatus; 2nd, of a second boiler
or heater the same size placed after the first, and a little more elevated,
so that after the spent flames of the ovens have passed under and heated
the first they pass under the second before entering the chimney; 3rd,
of another cylindrical vessel smaller than the above, and containing lime
water. All these vessels communicate with each other by means of
pipes, and are fitted with agitators working in stuffing boxes; 4th, of a
close vessel or condenser, containing a large worm; 5th, of a smaller
one also containing a worm; 6th, of a reservoir placed above the large
worm; 7th, of the usual crystalizing pans and apparatus for sulphate of
ammonia.

page_text: one underneath with cold water. As the boilers are being heated the
liquid is now and then agitated by means of the agitators, and the
vapours, together with the carbonate of ammonia, are given off and pass
into the third vessel containing lime water, where they are purified.
From thence they enter the worm of the large condenser, where they
impart their heat to the liquid urine contained therein. Leaving this
condenser they pass into the second or smaller one containing cold water,
and from thence the carbonate of ammonia goes off either to the crys-
tallizers if required to be converted into sulphate of ammonia, or to a
series of three-necked Woulff's bottles of different sizes, containing
water and caustic soda, and finally through a condensing trough, when
it is required to manufacture liquid caustic ammonia.
After all the ammonia has been disengaged from the liquid contained
in the first boiler, this is drawn off and replaced by that of the second,
which in its turn is replaced by the already heated contents of the con-
denser, and a fresh supply of cold liquid is allowed to run into this con-
denser from the large cistern above.
The chief advantages of this apparatus over ordinary stills is, first, the
gradual utilization of the heat in the two boilers, whose vapours go to
heat the lime water in a separate vessel; and, secondly, the imparting of
the vapours to the fresh liquid in the condenser, whereby the least
quantity possible of heat is lost.
Instead of treating the urine or liquid portion by distillation it may
be treated by continued evaporation in close vessels in vacuo in the
manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to John
Henry Johnson on the 5th July 1870, No. 1900.
The drying house or apparatus herein-before described is applicable to
the drying of other substances, and the muffle furnaces to the charring
of other substances.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood I annex a
Sheet of Drawings, shewing the several apparatus I employ for carrying
it into effect.
Figure 1 is a plan partly in section, and Figure 2 a section through
the line 12, of Figure 1 shewing the charring house or oven, and the
apparatus for extracting the ammonia from urine, and other ammoniacal

page_text: liquids; Figure 3 is a horizontal section; and Figure 4 a front elevation
partly in section through the line 12, of Figure 3, shewing the
drying house.
are
The charring house, Figures 1 and 2, is composed of two muffle fur-
naces a, a, separated by a vertical flue over the fire-grate c; b¹, b',
other vertical flues at the outer sides and back of the muffles. The front
of each muffle is provided with a door d, and also with a movable inner
door e, made of two thin plates of iron, between which are layers of talc
or other uninflammable substance. The inner side walls have apertures
at their base, as seen at ƒ, Figure 2, to allow the flames of the fire to
enter and heat the bricks. g, g, are smaller apertures to allow the vapours
and volatile gases to escape. These vapors and gases after escaping
from the muffles become ignited, and after circulating round the muffles
pass off by openings h, h, at the bottom of the outer side flues b', and are
then conducted by an underground flue i, i, to the boilers of the distil-
ling apparatus. k, k, are openings or air vents to allow of proper draught
in the flues b, b', and also to permit of the operation being watched.
'
The distilling apparatus is composed of a boiler 1, of a second boiler or
heater m situated at a higher level of a vessel n for lime water, of a close
vessel or condenser o containing a worm p, of a smaller vessel also
containing a worm r, of a vessels for receiving the waters of condensa-
tion, of a crystallizing tank t, and of a urine reservoir or tank u. The
boilers l, m, and the lime water vessel n are provided with agitators v,
which can be worked by hand or other power; w is a fire-grate for burn-
ing focal fuel under the boiler 1. The heat from the muffle furnaces
is conveyed by the underground flue i to the under side of the boiler l,
and heats the same or assists in heating the same, and the heat passes on
from the first boiler to the second one m, and thence to the chimney x;
y is a fan for drawing hot air through the pipes z, and forcing it into the
boiler. At the commencement of the operation the two boilers !, m,
are filled with urine and a suitable proportion of lime. The condenser
o is also filled with urine and the smaller condenser q with cold water.
The vapors given off from the liquid in the boilers l, m, pass into the
lime water vessel n, become purified therein and then pass on to the
worm p, heating the urine contained in the vessel o. They then pass on
to the second worm and through the vessel s to the crystallizing tank

page_text: t; a is a discharge pipe for drawing off the liquid from the boiler / after
it has parted with all its ammonia; o' is a pipe by which liquid can be
drawn directly from the vessel o to the boiler m when it is not required
to pass it through the lime vessel n; c' is a pipe for the escape of the
ammonia from the heated liquid in the vessel o, this pipe leads to a
crystallizer not shewn in the Drawings; d' is a damper to the flue i.
The drying house, Figures 3 and 4, is a structure of brick divided into
two compartments a, a, by a vertical hollow wall 6 separated into 6 hori-
zontal flues c, c, the uppermost of which has its exit in the chimney d.
The hollow wall is encased in another brick wall e having apertures f
opposite and corresponding to each of the 5 upper flues c, the lowest of
the 6 flues c has no side openings, being directly over the fire g, but it
has one or two openings at its upper surface and inner end by which the
hot air will enter the spaces or flues between the walls b and e. In
each of the two outside walls of the drying house are 6 small horizontal
flues i with side openings corresponding to the apertures f of the opposite
inside walls. These flues all communicate with vertical flues j leading
to the chimney; fans for assisting the draught may be placed in the
flues jk, k, are shallow drying trays supported on small wheels so as to
readily run in and out of the drying house on light iron rails l, l. These
rails are continued to the outside and fixed to suitable supports; m, m,
are flap doors at the front of the drying house, corresponding with the
trays, so that any tray can be withdrawn, without interfering with the
doors of the others. The trays are hung on centres at n so that by
releasing the holding clamps o the trays can be tipped and the contents
emptied into a pit or receiver below; p is a stage on which the trays can
be loaded and to which they may be taken to be tipped or unloaded.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The utilization, substantially as herein-before described, of the
heat given off either by the carbonization of fœces during their conversion
into charcoal, or by their immediate use as fuel in the dried state for the
purpose of extracting the ammonia from urine or ammoniacal liquids,
and thereby economizing fuel in the production of useful products from
excreta.
Second. Constructing houses or apparatus, substantially as herein-
before decanibed and

page_text: Third. Constructing furnaces, substantially as herein-before described
and represented in Figures 1 and 2, for charring foeces or other
substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lewis Felix Target have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lewis Felix Target have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
J. L. F. TARGET. (L.S.)