IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DRAWING GAS RETORTS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John West, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
"
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
CHARGING AND DRAWING GAS RETORTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John West at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th February 1881.
JOHN WEST, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DRAWING GAS RETORTS."
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery and apparatus for which
Letters Patent, No. 1255, dated April 4, 1873; No. 3225, dated Oct. 4, 1873;
No. 1978, dated June 8, 1874; No. 2346, dated June 28, 1875; No. 453, dated
Feb. 4, 1878, and No. 1221, dated March 22, 1880, and has for its object the
application of such additions and modifications as will permit of their being worked
by compressed air, as well as by manual power.
The Invention refers in the first place to the means for conveying the broken
coal from the fixed hopper into which the elevator deposits the coal to the other
fixed hoppers stationed in different parts of the retort house, or to the travelling
hoppers, and consists in providing a trough in which works an archimedean screw
or scroll, which by its revolution will draw the coal introduced at one end from the
first named fixed hopper to its opposite extremity, and there deposit it into any
receptacle that may be placed for its reception. Another method of conveying the
coal is by allowing it to fall from the before mentioned fixed hopper into a series of
carriages which I call "carriers," either linked to or hinged together, or fastened to
a chain or chains, so as to revolve like an endless belt over suitable wheels or pullies
fixed at each extremity of the course, at one of which when the carrier turns over,
the coal will fall out into whatever is placed to receive it.
The Invention relates in the second place to the charging apparatus, which in its
general arrangement is similar to that described in my previous Specifications. At
or near the top of the framing of the apparatus, and on the two opposite sides
thereof, there is fixed an air reservoir, to which is attached a valve operated upon

page_text: by a lever handle, and communicating with both sides of a piston working in a
cylinder fixed to the front of the framing. The piston rod of this cylinder has a
toothed rack at its outer end, which rack gears into a pinion and drives a cupped
chain, drum, or sheave, round which a chain is coiled, and fastened at one end to
the back of the charger, and the other end at or near to the front extremity of
the charger rod. The cylinder may be fixed to the framing as before stated, or it
may be fixed to the hopper, and therefore rise and fall with it and the charger, in
the one case the adjustment for the height of the retorts being made by a short
piece of chain and coupling hooks, and in the other the pipes leading from the air
reservoir to the cylinder would have to be made telescopic. The attachment of
the chains to the charger and charger rods are made by an intermediate loose or
swivel boss, so as to allow the charger to tip and right itself when entering the
retort. In order to support the charger rod, a jib or bracket extends from the upper
part of the hopper, and from this jib or bracket depends a light frame running
upon wheels at the top, and provided near the bottom with small friction pullies,
between which the charger rod passes and is supported.
By a similar arrangement of cylinders to that described above, the raising and
lowering of the hopper and charger, and the travelling of the machine may be
effected, or manual power may be employed for these purposes as at present.
The Invention in the third place has reference to the drawing machines, which
according to these improvements, consists of a framing somewhat similar to that of
the charging machine. In this case the air reservoir is placed on the top of the
framing, but the air cylinder is fixed at or near the bottom thereof, the same sort
of communication between the air reservoir and air cylinder by means of pipes,
valves, and handles, existing as before described. The rake rod to which the rake
is attached is supported between guide bars which rock upon a shaft extending
from guides which slide up and down the framing of the machine. In this case too
the compressed air gives motion to a piston provided with a rack which works into
a pinion. This pinion is fastened to a sheave or drum, round which is passed a
chain which extends from the front end of the rake rod handle, and passes over one
pulley and under another, then round the drum before alluded to, and from thence
under another pulley at or near to the end of the rake rod guide bars, and from
there returns to the front end of the rake rod, where it is fastened. The result is
that a movement of the drum will cause the rake to be thrust forward, and the
opposite movement will draw it backward. A similar arrangement of air cylinders
to those before described may be provided for propelling the machine, or for
raising and lowering the rake to suit the height of the retorts.
The air vessels attached to each machine are not limited in number, as there may
be one, two, or more, and of such size as is found most convenient.
A steam, gas,
or other motive power engine is employed to compress the air and deliver it into a
stationary reservoir, from whence pipes are led to different parts of the retort house,
the pipes being provided with suitable couplings necessary to make connection
between them and the travelling air reservoirs, when the latter require to be
supplied with air.
All the arrangements are such that in the event of any part of the air power
machinery getting out of order, the same may be thrown out of gear, and the
charging and drawing machinery may be then worked by manual force, as is now
the case in many places where my system is adopted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John West in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd August
1881.
JOHN WEST, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DRAWING GAS RETORTS."
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery and apparatus for which
Letters Patent, No. 1255, dated April 4, 1873; No. 3225, dated October 4, 1873;
No. 1978, dated June 8, 1874; No. 2346, dated June 28, 1875; No. 453, dated
February 4, 1878, and No. 1221, dated March 22, 1880, were granted to me and
has for its object the application of such additions and modifications as will permit
of their being worked by compressed air as well as by manual power.
The Invention refers in the first place to the means for conveying the broken
coal from the fixed hoppers into which the elevators B, B, deposit the coal to the
other fixed hoppers C, C, stationed in different parts of the retort house A or to the
travelling hoppers D, D, and consists in providing a trough E in which works an
archimedian screw or scroll F, which by its revolution will draw the coal introduced
at one end from the first named fixed hopper to its opposite extremity, and there
deposit it into any receptacle that may be placed for its reception. Another
method of conveying the coal is by allowing it to fall from the before mentioned
fixed hopper into a series of carriages which. I call "carriers," either linked to or
hinged together or fastened to a chain or chains so as to revolve like an endless
belt over suitable wheels or pulleys fixed at each extremity of the course, at one
end of which when the carrier turns over the coal will fall out into whatever is
placed to receive it. In Fig. 1, G, G, represent the retort stacks; H, H, the coal
breakers; I, I, the secondary fixed hoppers; J, J, the charging machines; K, K, the
drawing machines, and L, the fixed steam, gas, or other power engine for compressing
the air into the reservoir M, from which the air so compressed is led to different
points of the retort house for delivery into the travelling reservoirs or receivers
fixed to the charging and drawing machines.
The Invention relates in the second place to the charging apparatus which in its
general arrangement is similar to that described in my previous Specifications,
Fig. 2 being a side elevation of it, and Fig. 3 a front elevation of the same.
At or
near the top of the framing N of the apparatus' and on the opposite sides thereof
there are fixed air reservoirs 0, 0, from which a pipe P descends to the working
power cylinder Q fixed to the framing. To this pipe is fitted a stop valve R with
coupling nut for making connections with the fixed air reservoir M of Fig. 1. There
is also a pressure guage S and a pressure reducing valve T for regulating the air.
entering the power cylinder Q. The valve for admitting air to either side of the piston
is at U and is worked by a lever handle V seen in Fig. 2. The piston rod of the
cylinder has a toothed rack W at its outer end, which rack gears into a pinion X
and drives a cupped chain drum or sheave Y round which a chain Z is coiled and
fastened at one end to the back of the charger, and the other end at or near to the
front extremity of the charger rod a. The cylinder Q may be fixed to the framing
as before stated, or it may be fixed to the hopper b and therefore rise and fall with
it and the charger c; in the one case the adjustment for the height of the retorts
being made by a short piece of chain d and coupling hooks, and in the other the
pipes leading from the air reservoir to the cylinder would have to be made
telescopic. The attachment of the chains to the charger and charger rod is made
by an intermediate loose or swivel boss so as to allow the charger to tip and right
itself when entering the retort. In order to support the charger rod a jib or
bracket e extends from the upper part of the hopper b, and from this jib or bracket
depends a light frame f running upon wheels at the top and provided near the
bottom with small friction pulleys g between and by which the charger rod a passes
.

page_text: and is supported. h is the platform on which the attendant in charge of the
machine stands, and on which he performs all the operations of filling, charging,
turning, withdrawing, and righting the charger, and from this platform by a
similar arrangement of cylinders to that described above for raising and lowering
the hopper and charger the travelling of the machine may be effected, or these
latter movements may be produced by manual power as at present employed.
The Invention in the third place has reference to the drawing machine, Fig. 4
being a side elevation, and Fig. 5 a front elevation of such machine. It consists
of a framing somewhat similar to that of the charging machine. In this case the
air reservoir is placed horizontally on the top, or one or more reservoirs i, i, may
be fixed vertically, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The air power cylinder Q is placed
at or near the bottom of the framing, and the same sort of communication between
the air reservoirs and the cylinder by means of pipes, valves, and handles being
made as before described in reference to the charging machine. The rake rod j
to which the rake k is attached, is supported between guide bars which rock upon
a shaft extending from guides m that slide up and down the framing of the
machine. In this case too the compressed air gives motion to a piston provided
with a rack W which works into a pinion X. This pinion is fastened to a sheave
or drum n round which is passed a chain o that extends from the front end of the
rake rod and passes over one pulley and under another, then round the drum n
and from thence under another pulley at or near to the end p of the rake rod
guide bars, and from thence returns to the front end of the rake rod where it is
fastened. The result is that a movement of the drum will cause the rake to be
thrust forward, and the opposite movement will draw it backward. A similar
arrangement of air cylinders to those before described may be provided for
propelling the machine or for raising and lowering the rake to suit the height of
the retorts; h is the platform whereon the attendant stands.
The air vessels attached to each machine are not limited in number, as there
may, be one, two, or more, and of such sizes as are found most convenient.
All the arrangements are such that in the event of any part of the air power
machinery getting out of order, the same may be thrown out of gear, and the
charging and drawing machinery may be then worked by manual force as is now
the case in many places where my system is adopted.
Similar letters refer to the same parts or same kind of parts in each of the Figs.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this Invention, and
the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself to the precise
details or arrangements that I have described or referred to, as variations may
be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of this
Invention, but what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as
the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The construction and arrangement of apparatus for conveying the coal
from the first fixed hopper to the secondary fixed hoppers or travelling hoppers, as
herein described and shown on the Drawing, Fig. 1.
Secondly. The construction and arrangement of air reservoirs, air cylinders Q,
and other attendant apparatus, whereby compressed air may be used to charge and
draw gas retorts, and as herein described and shown on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John West, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.