IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF ZINC ORES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING ZINC INGOTS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE REDUCTION OF OTHER ORES AND METALS
Year: 1847

page_text: SHEARS' SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
TOWERS SHEARS, of Bankside, Southwark, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
January, One thousand Eight hundred and forty-seven, in the ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Daniel Towers Shears, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Daniel Towers Shears, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Daniel Towers Shears, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF ZINC ORES, FOR
THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING ZINC INGOTS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO
THE REDUCTION OF OTHER ORES AND METALS," communicated to me by a certain
foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that I, the said Daniel Towers Shears, shall cause a particular

page_text: description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to
be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Daniel Towers Shears, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
The Invention consists of making zinc from ores or matters capable of
affording that metal in combination with the making of gas for the purposes
of light and heat, by using a blast or high furnace and anthracite coke, char-
coal, or other suitable fuel; and other metals may be made at the same time.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood I will proceed
to describe the means of performing the same, and in so doing I would, in the
first place, state that in previous Patents granted to John Constable, of the
City of London, Merchant, means of making gas from anthracite and other
fuel in blast or bigh furnaces were described, and such Inventions were com-
municated to the said John Constable by the same foreigner resident abroad,
who has communicated to me the present Invention; and the improvements
secured under the above recited Letters Patent, consist of making zinc and.
other metals at the time of making gas, so as beneficially to employ the
heat, when making gas, to the purpose of making zinc and other metals.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is the section of the furnace and apparatus used. This furnace is
charged through a funnel at the upper part, there being slides to prevent the
passage off of the gas, which may be at the upper part of the furnace, the
lower slide being closed when the upper one is opened at the time of intro-
ducing a charge, the upper slide being closed when the lower slide is drawn
out, to allow the materials to descend into the furnace. The materials for
charging the furnace are raised by an endless chain, as is shown. This furnace
is similar to that before described in Mr. Constable's Patents.
state that if iron be contained in any of the ores or materials to be used (and
And I would

page_text: such is found sometimes to be the case), then the lower part of the furnace is
to be made suitable for tapping off the iron from time to time, in precisely the
same manner as iron furnaces have heretofore been constructed. And I would
state, that I make no claim to the construction of such furnaces, but only
the mode of making zinc therein. At the upper part of the boshes the furnace
is contracted, under which the gas and the vapours of zinc accumulate and
pass off through the pipe a into the receiver b. The pipe a passes through
the vessel c, which has a flow of water constantly through it, passing into
it by a pipe at the lower part, and off at the pipe at the upper part of the
vessel; or oil may be used in place of water, in which case as long as the
oil is kept below its boiling point, it will indicate that the gases are not
carrying off zinc vapours; and I keep the receiver sufficiently heated to
prevent the zinc solidifying, which I prefer to do by a gas burner supplied
with gas from the apparatus, and there is a tap-hole at the lower part of the
receiver to draw off the zinc. The gas passes from the receiver through a
pipe d, in order to convey the gas to be burned for any desired purpose,
whether for light or heat, and it may be used for roasting the ores before they
are used, by placing the same in suitable ovens or retorts and heating such
retorts with the gas. This furnace is similar to that described by the said
John Constable, and would, if no ores or matters capable of yielding zinc be
introduced with the fuel, simply produce gas; but by introducing roasted zinc
ores with the fuel from time to time, zinc will be made and be received
into the receiver, thus beneficially employing the heat of the furnace. The
quantity of ore introduced into the furnace may be varied, according as it is
desired to make a large or a smaller quantity of zinc. I recommend any quan-
tity up to one part by weight of roasted ore to three parts of the fuel
employed. Iron or other ore may be introduced, and treated with the zinc
ore.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood, that what I
claim is, manufacturing zinc and other metals in blast or high furnace in com-
bination with the process of making gas.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Towers Shears, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
D. T. (L.S.) SHEARS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid Daniel Towers Shears came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.