IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING TIMBER AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS.
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Scott Jackson, of Cannon Street, City,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING TIMBER AND
OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS.
Sealed the 19th December 1853, and dated the 12th October 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Scott
Jackson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th October 1853.
I, CHARLES SCOTT JACKSON, of Cannon Street, City, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING TIMBER
AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS" to be as follows:-
It is well known that salts of zine have been found very useful in
preserving timber and vegetable matters from decay, and it is also well
known that salts of alumina and of ammonia are useful in pre-
serving timber and other vegetable matters from fire. Now my Inven-
tion consists of subjecting timber and other vegetable matters to the two
classes of salts in place of to one of them, and by their combined use
to preserve such timber and vegetable matters from decay, and from
flaming when acted on by fire.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Scott Jackson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
CHARLES SCOTT JACKSON, of Cannon Street, City, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day-of-October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Scott Jackson, Her special
licence that I, the said Charles Scott Jackson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Scott Jackson,
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 OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS," upon the condi-
tion (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Scott Jackson, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Scott Jackson, 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 thereof (that is to say):
It is well known that salts of zinc have been found very useful in
preserving timber and vegetable matters from decay, and it is also
well known that salts of alumina and salts of ammonia are useful in
preserving timber and other vegetable matters from fire. Now my
Invention consists in subjecting timber and other vegetable matters to
the two classes of salts-in-place-of-to-one-of-them, and by their com-

page_text: bined use to preserve such-timber and vegetable matters from decay,
and from flaming when acted on by fire.
In carrying out my Invention I employ principally the chloride and
sulphate of zinc, the chloride of aluminum and sulphate of alumina, and
the muriate, sulphate, and phosphate of ammonia, but any soluble salts
of the above bases may be employed, though not, I believe, so advan
tageously. The solutions of the salts of zine may be mixed with solutions
of most of the other salts mentioned above, and the mixed solutions ap-
plied to the wood or other material, or the solutions may be applied in
succession as may be most convenient, but when the phosphate of am-
monia is employed the latter method only is available. I dissolve at the
rate of one pound of sulphate or chloride of zinc (by preference the latter)
in fifteen pints of water, and I add thereto seven pints of a solution of
chloride of aluminum of specific gravity 1200 (this solution contains
about 3007 grains of dry chloride of aluminum per pint), and I im-
pregnate the wood or other matters with the mixed solution by any of
the processes well known and practised for that purpose. I do not con-
fine myself to the proportions of the materials above or hereafter given,
but they are, I believe, those which produce the best results. Sulphate
or other soluble salt, of alumina may be substituted for the chloride of
aluminum, the same amount of dry salt being employed for the same
quantity of water.
..When the solutions are employed in succession I find it best first to
impregnate the wood with the solution of the salt of zinc containing one
pound of dry salt to fifteen pints of water, and subsequently to subject
the wood or vegetable matter so impregnated to the action of a solution
of chloride of aluminum or sulphate of alumina containing one thou-
sand grains of dry salt to a pint of water.
In using either the muriate or the sulphate of ammonia in conjunc-
tion with a salt of zinc I find the following proportions answer the
purposes of the Invention:-One pound of chloride or sulphate of zinc
and five pounds of muriate or sulphate of ammonia dissolved in 20
pints of water.
In using the phosphate of ammonia (which is very effectual, but from
its price it can be employed only when the cost is not an object,) it is

page_text: best first to impregnate the wood or vegetable matter with a solution of
chloride or sulphate of zinc containing one pound of dry salt to twenty
pints of water, and subsequently to subject it to the action of a solution
of phosphate of ammonia containing one pound of dry salt in ten pints
of water. It is important that wood or vegetable matter thus prepared
should be allowed to dry in the air, or be subjected only to a very slight
degree of artificial heat during drying, as drying at a high temperature
interferes with the success of the process.
It should be stated that all timber materials should be reduced to the
desired scantling before undergoing the process.
The solutions of zinc, alumina, and ammonia may be employed in
conjunction on wood; and vegetable matter which has been impregnated
with the mixed solution of zinc and alumina may be subjected to the
action of a solution of phosphate of ammonia; all the solutions in this
case being proportionably diluted; but in general I find that the use of
a salt of zinc in conjunction with any one of the salts before mentioned
answers well.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
make no claim to impregnating of wood or other vegetable matter with
solutions of salts of zinc when separately considered, nor do I claim the
use of solutions of the alumina or of ammonia for saturating wood or
other vegetable matter when separately considered; but what I claim
is, the combined use of such solutions to saturate wood and other
vegetable matters in order to preserve such matters.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Scott Jackson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
CHA. S. JACKSON. (L.S.)