IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING TIMBER AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Henry Bernoulli Barlow, of the City of Manchester,
Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING TIMBER
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A, communication from abroad by
Etienne Marechal, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineer on the
Orleans Railway.
Sealed the 17th July 1863, and dated the 28th January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th January, 1863.
I, HENRY BERNOULLI BARLOW, of the City of Manchester, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRESERVING TIMBER AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication
to me from abroad by Etienne Marechal, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Engineer on the Orleans, Railway, to be as follows;-
This Invention is particularly applicable to preserving railway sleepers, but
it may be employed for preserving timber for any other purpose, and it
consists in placing the timber in a closed vessel from which the air is exhausted
by suitable air pump machinery, then subjecting it to the action of a metallic
salt, and then to the action of tar or other bituminous substance.
2.1.
T
The apparatus consists of three. or other convenient number of vessels for
containing the timber, these vessels are connected together and to two boilers
by suitable, pipes, the whole being capable of resisting a pressure of six or
Price Bil

page_text: eight atmospheres.
The boilers are heated by a furnace or furnaces of the
usual construction, and one boiler contains a solution of sulphate of iron
or other metallic salt, while the other contains the tar or other bituminous
substance to which it is necessary to add occasionally a certain quantity of
mineral oil to keep the tar fluid.
In performing this Invention the timber to be operated upon is placed
in one of the vessels from which the air is exhausted, the solution of the
metallic salt is then admitted to the timber at a pressure of six or eight
atmospheres, and after the timber has been sufficiently operated upon by this
solution it is drawn off, and again a vacuum is formed in the vessel containing
the timber, the tar or other bituminous substance, at a pressure of six or eight
atmospheres is then admitted to the vessel containing the timber, which
completes the operation.
In order to ascertain the proper flow of the liquids in the pipes, between
the boilers and the vessels containing the timber, a fan or other suitable
instrument is placed within the pipes, to the spindle of which is fixed a wheel
or index, the rotation of which indicates the velocity and the direction of
motion of the liquid in the pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BERNOULLI BARLOW, of the City of Manchester, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, Her special license that I, the said Henry
Bernoulli Barlow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, 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 PRESERVING TIMBER AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED

page_text: "
THEREIN," a communication to me from abroad by Etienne Marechal, of Paris,
in the Empire of France, Engineer on the Orleans Railway, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, 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 Henry Bernoulli Barlow, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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):---
This Invention is particularly applicable to preserving railway sleepers, but
it may be employed for preserving timber for any other purpose, and it consists
in placing the timber in a closed vessel form which the air is exhausted by
suitable air-pump machinery, then subjecting it to the action of a metallic salt,
and then to the action of tar or other bituminous substance.
The apparatus consists of three or other convenient number of vessels for
containing the timber; these vessels are connected together, and to two boilers
by suitable pipes, the whole being capable of resisting a pressure of six or
eight atmospheres. The boilers are heated by a furnace or furnaces of the
usual construction, and one boiler contains a solution of sulphate of iron or
other metallic salt, while the other contains the tar or other bituminous sub-
stance, to which it is necessary to add occasionally a certain quantity of
mineral oil to keep the tar fluid.
In performing this Invention the timber to be operated upon is placed in
one of the vessels from which the air is exhausted, the solution of the metallic
salt is then admitted to the timber at a pressure of six or eight atmospheres,
and after the timber has been sufficiently operated upon by this solution it is
drawn off, and again a vacuum is formed in the vessel containing the timber;
the tar or other bituminous substance at a pressure of six or eight atmospheres
is then admitted to the vessel containing the timber, which completes the
operation.
In order to ascertain the proper flow of the liquids in the pipes between the
boilers and the vessels containing the timber, a fan or other suitable instru-
ment is placed within the pipes, to the spindle of which is fixed a wheel or
index, the rotation of which indicates the velocity and the direction of motion
of the liquid in the pipe.

page_text: Figure 1 is an end view of the apparatus for preserving timber; Figure 2
is a plan; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same.
The apparatus consists of two boilers, the one marked A containing the tar;
and the other marked B, the solution of sulphate of iron or other metallic
salt; there are also three or other convenient number of vessels C containing
the railway sleepers or other timbers to be operated upon. The boilers A
and B are heated by two separate furnaces, or by one furnace of suitable
dimensions, as shewn in the plan, and each boiler has a dome to receive the
liquids and the vapour. Above or to one side of the boiler are placed the
vessels C, made of strong boiler plates; the boilers and vessels communicate
with each other by the pipes D, E, F, and G, which are furnished with taps
or valves to intercept and regulate their circulation. The pipes E, F, convey
the sulphate of iron or other metallic salt when very hot into the vessel C
containing the wood to be prepared, and back again to the boiler B in which
it is heated. The two other pipes D, G, are for the transmission of the tar or
other bituminous substance. In order to ascertain whether the liquid is
passing between the boilers and the vessels C an indicator furnished with
wings is placed in each pipe, the liquid acting on the wings causes them to
revolve, and the wings are fixed to an axle passing through the pipe; to this
axle is fixed a small wheel or index, which in revolving indicates the velocity
at which the liquid is ascending or descending the pipe. Any other apparatus
might be used to indicate outside of the pipe the speed and the direction of
motion of the liquid within the pipe. The vessels C containing alternately the
timber to be prepared are also provided with domes to collect the vapour;
they are in communication with each other by the pipes H, I, J, K, ail
of which are furnished with several taps to disconnect each vessel while it is
emptied, or while it is being charged, or for other purposes. The pipe I
is in communication with the air pump, and is called the vacuum pipe,
it is not connected to the boilers A and B. The pipe is in communi-
cation with the boiler B containing the sulphate of iron, in order to be able
to keep up the same pressure in the vessel C and in the boiler, and to
insure the circulation of the liquid. The pipe J is in communication with
the dome of the boiler A, and is for the purpose above described in
reference to the pipe I. The pipe K is in communication with a condensor
for condensing the vapours arising from the tar if it should be found desirable
to utilise them. It may be desirable to employ a fifth pipe to carry off into
the atmosphere the vapours from the solution of the sulphate of iron without

page_text: making use of the vacuum pipe, which might not be at liberty. Under the
vessels C is the discharge pipe L. connected to them and furnished with taps;
this pipe conveys the liquid remaining in the vessel after each operation has
been performed, which liquid must be discharged before the tar is introduced,
or before opening the vessel to remove the timber that has been operated
upon. The boilers and vessels A, B, and C, are each provided with a safety
valve, manoscope, and glass guage; it is also desirable to add to the boilers a
whistle and float, and one or more blow-off taps. The manoscopes for the
vessels C are made to act both for vacuum and pressure, and in order to com-
plete the boilers each is furnished with a supply pipe and a discharge pipe
with the requisite taps.
The pipe M for supplying the tar is in communication with a pump, and
the pipe N for the sulphate of iron is connected to a pump or to a Giffard's
injector. or other apparatus for pumping. The furnace is provided with two
doors, one for the fire-place and the other for the ash-pit, to regulate the
draught. Between the two boilers a damper may be placed to shut off entirely
or in part the hot air from the tar boiler and to send it direct to the chimney.
The two boilers traverse the furnace. and they have self-acting doors at the
extremity to facilitate the cleaning of the flues. At the firing end. each of the
vessels C is closed by a self-acting disc, but at the other end a lid is hinged to
facilitate the operations, which are performed in the following manner:-
The timber to be operated upon is introduced into the first vessel C, care
being taken to avoid the contact of flat surfaces; the lid of the vessel is then
closed carefully; a vacuum is then formed in the vessel; in some cases it may
be desirable to introduce superheated steam before the air is exhausted. At
the same time the boiler B, charged with a solution of sulphate of iron of the
proper strength, is being heated; as soon as the requisite pressure has been
attained the tap or valve in the pipe E is opened to convey the sulphate of
iron, heated to about six atmospheres, to the vessel C in which the vacuum
has been made. A fresh supply of sulphate of iron is then admitted to the
boiler B to preserve the same level in the boiler. When the vessel C and the
boiler are filled to the desired level the supply is shut off.
return pipe F is then opened to allow the liquid to flow from
the boiler, as well as the tap for connecting the two domes. The pressure is
maintained in the boiler up to six or eight atmospheres, and the ingress and
egress taps are kept open for some time to ensure a rapid circulation of the
liquid, whereby the heat and the saline solution penetrate the timber. During
this operation it is necessary to observe the instrument which indicates the
flow of the liquid. If the pressure should become too great, the fire must be
The tap in the
the vessel C to

page_text: reduced by closing the door of the ash-pit, and in case of need, steam would be
blown off, either by the vacuum pipe or by a special pipe for that purpose.
During this time the second vessel C has been prepared by introducing super-
heated steam and forming a vacuum. At the proper time the tap is closed,
by which the sulphate of iron is introduced to the first vessel C, and the tap is
opened, which conveys it to the second vessel. The liquid from the boiler then
enters the second vessel C. while it is replaced by that from the first, when this
latter is empty the taps to the boiler and between the domes are closed. The
operation of the sulphate proceeds in the second vessel C, as in the first, and in
the third when the second is completed. When all the operations have been
performed they are recommenced as before described. As soon as the sulphate
of iron has been expelled from the first vessel C, a vacuum is formed therein,
and at the same time the tar in the boiler A is being heated by causing
the products of combustion from the boiler B to pass under the boiler A.
As soon as the pressure has been raised to six atmospheres the tap or
valve in the ascending pipe is opened to admit the tar to the vessel C,
and at the same time the boiler A is fed as described in reference to the boiler
for sulphate of iron. The feed is shut off as soon as the boiler and vessel are
sufficiently filled with tar, and then the taps for the ingress and egress are
opened wide, the domes are also connected by opening the taps in the corre-
sponding pipes to equalise the pressure. A pressure of six to eight atmospheres
is kept up in the boiler and vessel for a certain time, during which the motion
of the liquid in the pipes is gradually increasing, as indicated by the instru-
ment. As soon as the timber has been sufficiently operated upon by the tar
and heat the operation ceases. If the pressure should become too great. the
damper of the furnace is lowered to shut off a part of the products of com-
bustion, and if this should not be sufficient the damper must be closed entirely,
and the vapour must be taken to the condensor. When the process has
continued the requisite time, the tap for the admission of the tar into the first
vessel C is shut, and the tap to the second vessel C', in which a vacuum had
been formed after the running off of the sulphate of iron, is opened. The
operation of the tar in the second vessel proceeds as in the first, and as soon
as the tar has been run off from the first vessel, the tap is closed; the com-
munication between the domes is also closed; at the same time the vapours
from the tar are conveyed to the condensor, and when the pressure is
sufficiently reduced, the discharge tap of the first vessel C is opened to let off
the liquid and vapour. The lid of the first vessel C is then opened to take out
the. timber operated upon, and to introduce a fresh supply. When the lid is
secured..again, the first vessel is ready for the next operation by forming a

page_text: vacuum therein, as before described. When the operation of the tar in the
second vessel C is finished, it is performed in the third; after that it is
recommenced at the first, and repeated in succession. I wish to observe that
it is sometimes necessary to add a certain quantity of mineral oil to the tar or
other bituminous substance to keep it fluid. The various operations are so
timed that a fresh supply of timber is introduced and removed from the
vessels C every two hours.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention as communicated to me by
the within-named Etienne Marechal, I declare that I claim the application of
sulphate of iron or other suitable metallic salt for preserving timber, and the
apparatus described for performing the various operations or processes. I also
claim the instrument described for indicating the direction and velocity of the
fluids in the pipes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bernoulli Barlow, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
H. B. BARLOW. (L.S.)