IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND. PURIFYING GAS MADE FROM COAL OR OTHER BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Basford, of Pewsey, in the County of
Wilts, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
GENERATING AND. PURIFYING GAS MADE FROM COAL OR OTHER BITUMINOUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 7th January 1864, and dated the 8th July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Basford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th July 1868.
I, WILLIAM BASFORD, of Pewsey, in the County of Wilts, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND PURIFYING GAS MADE FROM COAL OR OTHER
BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to produce illuminating gas with more
despatch, in larger quantities, and of better quality than when made in the
ordinary manner, also to render the works wherein the gas is manufactured
less obnoxious than usual.
The nature and description of my Invention consists in making the
generating apparatus in the form of a double retort, having two chambers
placed side by side, and communicating at the back. The front ends of the
chambers are open and fitted with lids; over the mouths of the said chambers
apertures are made for the exit of the gas into a vessel fixed over them,
and enclosing two valves fitted therein and covering the apertures. The

page_text: valves are made to act alternately, and all the gas and vapours evolved in the
retorts are made to pass through them when open into the vessel over, after
having by a circuitous route passed over the incandescent coke contained in
the chambers. A connecting pipe attached to the vessel last described
conveys away the gas and vapours to a long vessel containing charcoal and
coke, a longitudinal grating being fixed therein, upon which the charcoal and
coke is laid, and the lower part of the said long vessel is left sufficiently clear
to receive the gas and vapours. An outlet pipe is fixed over the top or at the
end of the said long vessel to carry away the gas after it has passed through
the charcoal and coke to a chest or cistern containing water mixed with lime,
through which the gass passes, and is conveyed away to a vessel containing dry
lime, through which the gas also passes, and is conducted by pipes in the
usual manner to the holder.
The retorts are set in brickwork in the ordinary manner, and flues are
carried from the same to and around the vessel containing the charcoal into
the main flue or chimney.
Instead of having the furnace doors fitted in the usual way under the front
of the retorts, I would prefer their being fitted at the back, so that the furnace
could be attended to on one side of the "bench," while the retort could be.
charged or discharged at the other.
In order to keep in the heats, and prevent the cooling action of the
atmosphere from operating upon the surface of the lids and other parts, of the
apparatus, I would sometimes enclose the same with doors or shutters hung or
suspended from above with chains, pulleys, and counterpoising weights worked
in grooves, and secured with iron frames or rods to the brickwork of the ovens
or "" benches."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed'
by the said William Basford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM. 3
BASFORD, of Pewsey, in the County of Wilts, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, aid, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant 3
unto me, the said William Basford, Her special licence that I, the said

page_text: William Basford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Basford; 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 APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND PURIFYING GAS MADE FROM
COAL AND OTHER BITUMINOUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others). that I, the said William Basford, 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
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 William Basford, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The object of my Invention is to produce illuminating gas with more
dispatch, in larger quantities, and of better quality than when made in the
ordinary manner, also to render the works wherein the gas is manufactured
less obnoxious than usual.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood I have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings, with figures and letters of reference, the same
letters indicating corresponding parts throughout the several Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, front elevation, showing the several parts of the apparatus ;
Figure 2 shows the cross sections of the same; Figure 3 shows the plan over
all; and Figure 4 shows the sectional plan through the several parts of the
said apparatus.
The detailed descriptions of the several parts to which the letters on the
Drawings have reference are as follow:-.
A, A', double retort, with one lid a on and the other lid a' off; apertures
for the escape of gas b, b¹; bed c, cast on the retort to receive the flange c¹
attached to the vessel over, called the gas receiver B, with door d in front;
handle e to work the valve f; manhole g; cap h; connecting pipe C; charcoal
vessel D; manholes to ditto i, i; grating j; outlet pipe H; caps to same k, k;
communicating pipe I; inlet pipe K; casing or reservoir L, to contain water
'

page_text: to surround the outlet pipe; hydraulic chest M, to contain lime water, with
man-hole; outlet pipe N; connecting head O; recess or archway R; iron
door or shutter S.
The nature and description of my Invention consists in making the
generating apparatus in the form of a double retort, having two chambers A, A¹,
placed side by side, and communicating at the back; the front ends of the
chambers are open and fitted with lids, one being shown on at a and the other
off at a; over the mouths of the said chambers appertures c, c', are made for
the exit of the crude gas into a vessel or receiver B fixed over them, and
enclosing a web, valve, or flap f, which is made to lay or fit over either of the
appertures b, b', when worked by the crank handled fitted outside the receiver B.
The valves are made to act alternately to allow the gas and vapours evolved in
the chambers to pass through the open one into the vessel over, after having
by a circuitous route passed over the incandescent coal or coke contained in
the chambers A', A¹. A connecting pipe C, attached to the receiver B, conveys
away the gas and vapours to the lower part of a long vessel D, containing
charcoal and coke, a longitudinal grating ; being fitted therein, upon which
the charcoal and coke are laid, and a small quantity of charcoal and coke is
also laid in the lower part of the vessel, but left sufficienily clear to receive the
gas and vapours in the manner before described, which said gas and vapours
pass through the charcoal and coke, and escape through the outlet pipe H
fixed over the top or at the further end of the vessel to carry away the gas to
the hydraulic chest M, containing water mixed with lime. A casing or
cylinder L is fixed around part of the inlet [pipe K, and fitted with water.
The water is made to dribble into the cylinder in such quantities as will renew
the supply and keep it cool, an overflow pipe being attached thereto to conduct
the surplus water into the hydraulic chest M, and thereby keep it refreshened.
An overflow pipe is also attached to the hydraulic chest to convey away the
waste or overflowing waste into a drain or reservoir made to receive it. The
gas after passing through the limewater ascends the outlet pipe N, and passes
through the connecting head O into the down pipe P, and is then conveyed
away to a vessel of ordinary description containing dry lime, through which
the gas passes, and is conducted by pipes or mains in the usual manner to the
holder.
The retorts are set in brickwork in the ordinary manner, and flues are
carried from the oven containing the retorts to and around the vessel con-
taining the charcoal into the main flue or chimney, and a flue is also formed
over the recess R to convey away the escaped gas or smoke arising from the
retorts when their lids are removed to the main chimney shaft.

page_text: Instead of having the furnace doors fitted in the usual way under the front
of the retorts, I would prefer their being fitted at the back, so that the furnace
can be attended to on one side of the "bench," while the retorts can be
charged or discharged on the other side.
In order to keep in the heats and prevent the cooling action of the atmo-
sphere from operating upon the surface of the lids and other exposed parts of
the apparatus, I would sometimes enclose the same with iron doors or
shutters S, either hinged to the sides or suspended from above with chains,
pulleys, and weights, or with loose shifting shutters.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the parts taken separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise details; ;
but what I claim is, the general arrangement and combination of parts of
the apparatus for generating and purifying gas, as herein described and
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Willliam Basford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM BASFORD. (Ls.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
said Willian Basford, in the pre-
sence of
STEP. W. DIXON,
Sol., Pewsey, Wilts.
J. J. DRURY, his Clerk..
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