IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACE RETORTS, TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION PROALED IN CONNECTION WITH OTHER APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OFGAS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samual William Maquay, of Charlemont Terrace,
in the City of Dublin, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACE RETORTS, TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samual William
Maquay at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th February 1873.
I, SAMUAL WILLIAM MAQUAY, of Charlemont Terrace, in the City
of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACE RETORTS, TO BE EMPLOYED
IN CONNECTION WITH OTHER APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," to be as
follows (that is to say): :-
My Invention has for its object the construction and employment of
furnace retorts for conducting the manufacture and generation of gases
on a continuous principle, by which the gas is at all times produced of
uniform quality and with less manual labour and attention than at

page_text: present, and consists in arranging the retort, which is of rectangular
form, horizontally above the furnace, so that the fire shall be enabled to
act immediately upon the floor of the retort and raise it to a dull red
heat as quickly as required. Within the retort is placed a rake, which
is moved backwards or forwards by means of a handle and traversing
bar passing through the front plate of the retort chamber for the purpose
of collecting the coke or other residue, and discharging it into a well
or receptacle enclosed beneath the floor of the retort for receiving the
same.
In connection with the above arrangement I also employ two or more
charging tubes or cylinders horizontally fixed upon the outside and
crown of the retort, each of which are mounted upon concentric bed
plates turned and slotted out to receive the tube or cylinder, with slot
openings corresponding in like manner to the bearing plates, so that
upon the said cylinders or tubes being filled and turned round by a key
or otherwise the whole charge is at once passed through into the retort
below without admitting the air or stopping the process; thus gases for
chemical and other purposes are readily obtained and discharged without
intermission by pipes or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samual William Maquay in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
WILLIAM MAQUAY, of Charlemont Terrace, in the City of Dublin,
Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Samuel William Maquay, Her special
licence that I, the said Samuel William Maquay, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel William Maquay,
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

page_text: 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 CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACE RETORTS, TO BE EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION WITH
OTHER APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Samuel William Maquay, my exe-
cutors 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel William Maquay, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and the Drawings therein referred to (that is
to say) :—
My Invention has for its object the construction and employment of
furnace retorts in connection with charging apparatus for conducting
the manufacture and generation of gases on a continuous principle, by
which the said gas is at all times produced of uniform quality and
with less manuel labour and attention than at present, and consists in
arranging the retort (in a rectangular form) horizontally above the
furnace, so that the fire shall be enabled to act immediately upon the
floor of the same and raise it to a dull red heat as quickly as required.
Within the retort is placed a rake, which is moved backwards or forwards
as required by means of a handle or traversing bar passing through the
front plate of the retort chamber for the purpose of collecting the coke
or other residue within the said chamber, and discharging it into an
inclosed well or other receptacle placed in the ground or beneath the
floor of the said retort untill subsequently and finally removed.
In connection with the above arrangement two or more charging
tubes or cylinders are horizontally fitted on the outside to the top or
crown of the retort, each of which are mounted upon fixed bed plates
bored and slotted out longitudinally to receive the tubes or cylinders,
having slot openings corresponding in like manner to the bearing plates,
so that upon the said cylinders or tubes being filled with the chemical

page_text: substances to be employed, and turned round by a key or other instru-
ment, the whole charge is at once passed through into the retort below
without admitting the air or stopping the process; thus gases for
chemical and other purposes can be readily obtained and supplyed
without intermission through the medium of intervening pipes or
otherwise.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe the same by
aid of the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters
and figures thereon marked (that is to say):-
In
Figure 1 represents a vertical front view of a furnace retort upon my
improved principle of construction; Figure 2, sectional side elevation
thereof; and Figures 3 and 4 enlarged detail views of the same.
each Figure the same letters of reference denote similar corresponding
parts.
A, A, furnace; B, B, furnace bars; C, C, ash bin; D, D, furnace
doors; E, E, flue; F, F, retort chamber; G, G, rake traversing the floor
of the retort from end to end; H, H, handle or rod for working the said
rake; I, I, supply pipe furnished with stop-cock J, as show; K, K, exit
pipe; L, L, charging tubes or cylinders secured to the retort head
through the medium of concentric bearing plates M, in which they are
turned round for discharging the contents into the retort below through
the slot opening N in the direction of the arrow; O, O, mouth opening
through which the charges are received into the tube; P, P, key ways
by which the charging tubes are turned round within the outer fixed
socket bearings aforesaid, by hand or otherwise; Q, Q, brickwork or
other masonry enclosing the retort.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed
and carried into effect, I would have it clearly understood that I do not
by any means intend to confine myself to the precise details herein-
before set forth and described, as the same may be otherwise varied
without departing from the general principle of this my said Invention
nor do I claim as new and of my said Invention the exclusive use of
the several parts, combinations, and arrangement herein-before set forth
and described, except when the same are employed in and for the
of my
purposes
said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist in

page_text: constructing and employing furnace retorts with charging tubes or
cylinders for feeding continuously under slight pressure within the same,
without checking the manufacturing process, in the manner and for the
purposes above set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel William Maquay, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this First day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
SAMUEL WILLIAM MAQUAY. (L.S.)
.
SAMUEL WILLIAM MAQUAY. (L.S.)