IMPROVE- MENTS IN CHARGING HORIZONTAL RETORTH. AND IN APPARATUS THEREFAD
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Manwell, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Contractor, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CHARGING HORIZONTAL RETORTH. AND IN APPARATUS THEREFAD”
Sealed the 9th April 1874, and dated the 13th October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Manwell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1878.
I, JAMES MANWELL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHARGING HORIZONTAL RETORTS, AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the charging of retorts in a rapid,
effective, and simple manner, and consists principally in imparting a
sufficient momentum to the entire charge or quantity of coal, shale, or
other materials with which the retort is to be charged on bringing the
charge up to the mouth of the retort in a scoop or holder, so that when
the scoop or holder is arrested at the mouth of the retort the charge is

page_text: thrown into the retort. With such an action it is in practice found that
the charge becomes deposited in the retort in a suitable manner.
In one arrangement of apparatus for carrying out the Invention the
scoop or charge holder is mounted on wheels, and an inclined railway
is provided for running it down towards the retort mouth so that it may
acquire the necessary momentum.
In a second arrangement the scoop or charge holder is suspended by
sling rods or chains so that it can swing pendulously towards the retort;
whilst in a third arrangement the scoop or charge holder supported on
horizontal rails or guides is propelled towards the retort by a piston
acted on by steam, compressed air, water, or other fluid under pressure.
The rails, guides, or other supports for the scoop or charge holder may
be upon a wheeled carriage or frame capable of being moved along in
front of a bench of retorts so that the apparatus may be brought opposite
each as required. .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said James Manwell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MANWELL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Con-
tractor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Manwell, Her special licence that
J, the said James Manwell, my executors, administrators, and. assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Manwell, my executors, admini-
strators, 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 CHARGING HORIZONTAL

page_text: RETORTS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Manwell, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 James Manwell, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:
W
My said Invention has for its object the charging of retorts in a rapid,
_effective, and simple manner, and consists principally in imparting a
'sufficient momentum to the entire charge or quantity of coal, shale, or
other materials with which the retort is to be charged on bringing the
charge up to the mouth of the retort in a scoop or holder, so that when
the scoop or holder is arrested at the mouth of the retort the charge is
thrown into the retort. With such an action it is in practice found that
the charge becomes deposited in the retort in a suitable manner.
.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing
arrangements for carrying out my Invention. In these Drawings the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
:
One arrangement of my improved apparatus is shown in the Drawings,
Figure 1 being a 'plan, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figures 3 and 4
clevations. of the opposite ends. In this modification the scoop or
charge holder 1, which is made of a shape adapted to the form of the
retort 2, is mounted on wheels 3, and an inclined railway or pair of .
rails 4 is provided for running it down towards the retort.mouth 2 so
that it can acquire the necessary momentum. 'The rails 4 are connected
together by tie rods 5 to form a rigid frame, which is mounted on a
horizontal axle 6 on a carriage 7. Arc-shaped racks 8 are fixed on the
sides of the rail frame 4, 5, and are in gear with pinions 9 on shafts 10,
carried by brackets 11 fixed on the carriage 7. The pinion-shafts 10 are.
..

page_text: geared together by pinions and wheels 12, and a transverse shaft 13
below the lowest position of the rail frame 4, 5, and a handle 14 may be
applied to either or each of them for the purpose of tilting the rail frame
into the position in which it is shown or for lowering its longer outer
end when refilling the scoop 1. When the scoop 1 is filled with the
charge it is set at the outer end of the rail frame 4, 5, and is held there
by catch levers 15 until the rail frame is tilted up, and then the catch
levers 15 being relieved the scoop 1 runs down the inclined rails 4 and
turning into the horizontal position at the bottom delivers its charge
into the retort 2.
In Figure 2 the scoop 1 is shown in both of its extreme positions.
Spring buffers 16 are provided at the inner end of the rail frame 4, 5, to
be encountered by the wheels of the scoop 1 on the scoop reaching the
point whereat its own motion must be stopped, whilst the momentum
acquired in descending along the rails 4 causes the charge to be projected
forward and to be deposited in a regular manner in the retort...
The
carriage 7 is mounted on wheels 17, which run on rails 18 laid down in
front of a series of retorts, and gearing 19 is provided for making the
carriage travel along the rails so as to bring the apparatus opposite to
any particular retort.
In the Drawings the apparatus is shown as being applied to retorts 2,
which are arranged in two horizontal rows, the carriage 7 shown being
designed for use in supplying the lower retorts.
For supplying the upper retorts there may be used a separate carriage
(7) modified in construction to hold the scoops 1 at the requisite higher
level; or scoops (1) raised sufficiently above their wheels 3 may be used;
or again the carriage 7 may be fitted with screw or other gear for raising
or lowering the rail frame 4, 5, to suit the various levels of the retorts.
In a second arrangement of apparatus for carrying out my Invention
the scoop or charge holder (1) is suspended by sling rods or chains from
a frame which may be mounted on a carriage 7, and is swung pendu-
lously towards the retort 2.
In a third arrangement the scoop or charge holder (1) is supported
with or without wheels on horizontal rails or guides, and is propelled
towards the retort by a piston acted on by steam, compressed air, water,
or other fluid under pressure.

page_text: Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the
precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to
be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, in charging retorts the
imparting of sufficient momentum to the entire charge or quantity of
materials on bringing the charge up to the retort mouth to cause the
proper depositing of the materials in the retort and the employing of
apparatus for that purpose, substantially such as is herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Manwell, havo hcreunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES MANWELL. (L.S.)