IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Squire, of Latchford, in the County of
Chester, Tanner, and Charles Frederick Claus, of the same Place,
Practical Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
"
Sealed the 21st October 1856, and dated the 23rd April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Squire and
Charles Frederick Claus at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 23rd April 1856.
We, the said THOMAS SQUIRE, of Latchford, in the County of Chester,
Tanner, and CHARLES FREDERICK CLAUS, of the same Place, Practical Chemist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE, to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention consists in dissolving hair, horn, hoof, wool,
or other substances, chemically similar, by means of liquids or solutions con-
taining sulphuret of calcium, sulphuret of sodium, or analogous salts. These
liquids may be prepared or obtained in the manner described in the Speci-
fication of a Patent for "removing hairs from hides or skins," granted to
Thomas Squire, dated April 5th, 1855; and also in that of a Patent granted to
Charles Claus for a similar purpose, dated August 23d, 1855. The hair,
horn, hoof, wool, &c. are placed in the dissolving liquids until they become

page_text: .reduced to a gelatinous mass, when they are ready for use, or the mass so
obtained may be dried and pulverized.
Secondly, we manufacture the aforesaid dissolving agents containing the
sulphuret of calcium, sulphuret of sodium, or analogous salt, or any diluted
solution thereof, and apply the same as an artficial manure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters-Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Squire and Charles Frederick Claus in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
SQUIRE, of Latchford, in the County of Chester, Tanner, and CHARLES
FREDERICK CLAUS, of the same Place, Practical Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Thomas Squire and Charles Frederick Claus, Her especial license that we,
the said Thomas Squire, and Charles Frederick Claus, our executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Squire and Charles
Frederick Claus, our 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE, upon the condition, amongst others, that
we, the said Thomas Squire and Charles Frederick Claus, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
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 I, the said Charles Frederick Claus, do hereby
declare the nature of our said. Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in dissolving animal substances, such as hair, wool,
hoof, horn, woollen rags, shoddy, or other substances, chemically similar, by

page_text: means of liquids containing sulphurét of calcium, sulphuret of sodium, sul-
phuret of amonium, or sulphuret of magnesium (alone or mixed) with any of
the preceding or above-mentioned substances. The sulphuret of magnesium
may be obtained by treating magnesia limestone in the manner described in
the Specification of a. Patent granted to Charles Claus; bearing date the
Twenty-third day of August, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, relating
to lime or salts of lime. It may also be prepared by treating sulphate of
magnesia with carbonaceous matters. The above-mentioned liquods containing
sulphurets of calcium and sodium may be obtained from alkali waste, from gas
waste, or otherwise, by the process described in the Specification of a Patent
for removing hairs from hides or skins, granted to Thomas Squire, bearing
date April Fifth, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five; and also in that
of a Patent granted to Charles Claus for a similar purpose, bearing date
August Twenty-third, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five. The process
we have found to answer is as follows:-The above-named dissolving liquods
are kept in suitable tanks or vats, and in such the animal substances before
mentioned are immersed. To facilitate this operation, I prefer to place the
same into hampers or perforated boxes, by means of which they can be readily
immersed or removed from the liquods aforesaid. After the liquids have acted
a sufficient length of time, which will depend upon the nature of the sub-
stances, whether hoof or hair, &c., and also on the strength of the dissolving
liquids, a part of the hair &c., will be dissolved into a liquid and part into paste.
The former, if not perfectly charged with animal matters, may again be used
for dissolving a further quantity until it is spent or will dissolve no more; both
may then be employed either directly as manure, or may be evaporated to
dryness. To the latter course, we, however, prefer to treat them by means of
acids, particularly phosphoric acid, by which treatment the dissolving agents,
that is to say, sulphuret of calcium, is neutralized, and a precipitate is formed,
which is decanted or filtered off, and may be used for manure as it is, or dried
by slow heat..
Having described and ascertained the nature of our Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be understood
that we claim, as secured unto us in the above in part recited Letters Patent,
dissolving hair, horn, hoof, wool, or other substances, chemically similar, by
means of liquids containing sulphuret of calcium, sulphuret of sodium, or
analagous salts, for the purpose above described and set forth.
According to our Provisional Specification, another part of our Invention
consisted in the use for manure of the aforesaid dissolving agents, containing
sulphuret of calcium and sulphuret of sodium, or analagous salt, or any diluted

page_text: solution thereof, but since the filing of the same we have found that it is not
new, and lay no claim thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Claus, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
CHARLES FREDERICK CLAUS. (L.S.)