IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John West, Gas Engineer, of Maidstone, in the
County of Kent, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS."
Sealed the 23rd December 1875, and dated the 28th June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John West at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th June 1875.
I, JOHN WEST, Gas Engineer, of Maidstone, in the County of Kent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to afford means whereby the with-
drawal of coke from gas retorts may be facilitated, and the labour of
the men reduced, and consists in the construction of a quadrilateral or,
by preference, triangular frame in plan, furnished with wheels which run
along a tramway on the retort house floor in front of the benches.
Fixed to the bottom frame is a vertical frame, and attached to a part of
this upright frame is a cross piece or arms capable of sliding up and

page_text: down, that side of it nearest the retorts being furnished with suitable
guides fo that purpose. The cross piece and arms are suspended by a
chain passing over a pulley fastened to the top of the frame and
descends to the front, where it passes round a drum or windlass turned
by a winch handle fixed to a wheel, upon the axis of which a worm is i
keyed. This worm gears into a toothed wheel attached to the drum,
and thus imparts motion to it. By this means the cross piece, and con-
sequently the arms, carrying the rakes may be adjusted so as to suit the
varying heights of the retorts. Each of the arms has a sheave or pulley
upon which rests the rake rod. The rake head is made loose upon the 1
rod, so that although the rod may be turned the rake head retains the
same position.
In front of the rake head and fixed to the rod is a broad curved plate
of iron called a slipper. The object of this slipper is to permit of the
rake being slipped or slid in over and unimpeded by the coke, until it
has reached the far end of the retort when short retorts are employed,
and to the middle if through or long retorts are used, when, on the rake
handle being partially turned the slipper is raised against the top of
the retort while the rake head is depressed and prepared to draw out the
coke.
2

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
3 successors, give and grant unto me, the said John West, Her special
Licence that I, the said John West, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John West, 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 DISCHARGING GAS RETORTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John West, my executors or adminis-
› trators, 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 John West, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
3 Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
Bay :-
The object of this Invention is to afford means whereby the with-
drawal of coke from gas retorts may be facilitated and the labour of
the men reduced, and consists in the construction of a quadrilateral or,
) by preference, triangular frame in plan furnished with wheels which
run along a tramway on the retort house floor in front of the benches.
Fixed to the bottom frame is a vertical frame, and attached to a part
of this upright frame is a cross piece or arms capable of sliding up and
down, that side of it nearest the retorts being furnished with suitable
guides for that purpose. The cross piece and arms are suspended by a
chain passing over a pulley fastened to the top of the frame and
descends to the front, where it passes round a drum or windlass turned
by a winch handle fixed to a wheel, upon the axis of which a worm

page_text: is keyed. This worm gears into a toothed wheel attached to the drum,
By this means the cross piece, and
rakes, may be adjusted so as to suit
Each of the arms has a sheave or
The rake head is made loose!
may be turned the rako head
and thus imparts motion to it.
consequently the arms carrying the
the varying heights of the retorts.
pulley upon which rests the rake rod.
upon the rod, so that although the rod
retains the samo position.
In front of the rake head and fixed to the rod is a broad curved plate
of iron called a slipper. The object of this slipper is to permit of the
rake being slipped or slid in over and unimpoded by the coke, until it 1
has reached the far end of the retort, when short retorts are employed,
and to the middle if through or long retorts are used, when, on the
rake handle being partially turned the slipper is raised against the top
of the retort, while the rake head is depressed and prepared to draw out
the coke.
1
Power, either manual or otherwise, being then applied to the
rake, the coke is withdrawn at one operation, when on the reversal
of the rake handle it is ready for insertion in the next retort to be
discharged.
When necessary a platform may be attached to the frame so that
the workman may stand thereon and obtain greater command over the
rake.
In order that the foregoing may be more easily understood, Drawings
are attached hereto of which the following is a description :—
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a side elevation; ?
and Fig. 8, a plan; while Figs. 4 and 5, show a modification in the
form of the rake bar to suit retorts of shallow height.
Figs. 1 and 2 are drawn to the same scale, but the other Figures are
shown on a smaller scale for the sake of convenience.
In Fig. 1 A represents the bottom frame supported by wheels B, B, B,
running upon a tramway C; D is the front upright and curved part of
the frame to which is attached the hand wheel E, worm F (shown in
Fig. 2), worm wheel G, and drum or windlass H. Above the point I
the curved part of the frame is drawn as removed, in order to exhibit
more clearly the vertical part of the frame J at the back. This part of
the frame carries the horizontal arms K, K, and curved arms L, L,

page_text: which are free to slide up and down the said frame, and are suspended
and adjusted to their proper position by a chain M which is fixed at one
end to the drum H, and at the other end is, after passing over the
sheave N, fastened to the junction piece O of the horizontal arms K, K.
P is a sheave upon which the rake bar Q is supported, R being the rake
head and 8 the slipper before described.
.
It will be seen on reference to Fig. 2 that the slipper is fixed to the
rake bar, while the rake head is free to turn upon it, but by virtue of
its gravity always retains its vertical or nearly vertical position;
T, T, are guards to wheels B to clear the tramway from coke or other
material that may have fallen upon it. In Fig. 2 U shows the cross
handle of the rake bar.
In Figs. 4 and 5 the lines V and W represent the interior surface of a
retort of shallow height; and the Figures show how the rake bar is
bent or cranked near the end so as to be adapted to the discharging of
retorts of such a section.
Similar letters refer to the same parts in each of the views.
The mode of applying the apparatus is exceedingly simple. The
machine is driven along the tramway until it reaches the retort to be
discharged, when by means of the hand wheel and chain the position
of the rake is adjusted. The workman then seizes the cross handlo,
thrusts the rake into the retort, being assisted in so doing by the slipper
gliding over the surface of the coke, and when the rake has reached the
extremity of the retort, he will give the handle a half turn, thereby
raising the slipper and depressing the rake head. A long and steady pull
upon the cross handle is then generally sufficient to discharge the
whole of the coke at one operation.
In any arrangement for discharging retorts by machinery it has been
customary to use a tramway, but all the rest of the machine or apparatus
described herein is new.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of this
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confino
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
described or referred to, as variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of this Invention; but

page_text: what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the construction of apparatus for discharging gas retorts, as
herein described and shown on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John West, have hereunto set 5
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
..five.