In- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUET
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
ARMAND LE COMTE DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the
County of Middlesex, and 24, Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, in the Republic
of France, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of May,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-onc, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Pierre Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Pierre Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Pierre Armand le Comte de
Fontaine Moreau, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in
the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all
Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUET," communicated to me from abrod;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Pierre
Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be

page_text: inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Pierre Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, do hereby declare that the
nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to bo per-
formed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:―
The Invention communicated to me consists in producing charcoal from the
small branches of trees, animal plants, and from all kind of refuse of wood,
such as tan shavings, sawdust, &c., and in combining the same with other
Inflamable substances. As the manufacture of the charcoal requires several
operations, it is necessary to describe them successively, and the apparatus
with which they are carried on. The first operation is to submit the vegetable
substances to a preparatory carbonisation, in order to render them fit for being
pulverized. To carry out the first operation or the carbonisation of vegetable
substances, and which operation can be put into execution in all places
where the herein-before enumerated substances are found in abundance, the
furnace represented by Figures 1, 2, 3, Drawing 1, is employed. These three
Figures represent a front view of a furnace, which, in Figure 1, is constructed
with bricks, and in Figure 2 the furnace is of cast-iron, and in Figure 3
of cast-iron surrounded by wood. When it is of metallic construction the
furnace has the advantage of being portable from one place to another, and
being put in operation where the vegetable substance are abundant, which
presents the economy of the carriage of such bulky materials. In order to
prevent the escape of the caloric when the furnace is of cast iron, it is sur-
rounded by an outer envelope in sheet iron, cast iron, or wooden board, which is
erected at about three feet distant from the furnace. The space left betwee
is filled with substances which are not conductive of heat, such as
sandor
earth; the Figure 3, Drawing 1, represents a furnace surrounded by a wooden
case, in which A, A, A, are the poles, to which are attached the boards B, B,
forming the casing.
The furnace is of a cylindrical form, and is provided at its upper extremity
with the round hole C serving to its alimentation, as herein-after described.
The furnace has also a square opening D at its basis provided with a door.
The height of the opening D is generally larger than the width. The furnace

page_text: can be sunk into the ground either in part or in whole, but in that case it is
necessary to cut an inclined road reaching its basis, and the door D to enable
the workman to have free access to it. The furnace can also be constructed
by means of a sufficient hole dug in the ground, surrounding the side with a
brick wall, taking care in that case also to have a proper road reaching the
door D, as herein-before stated.
The furnace being constructed by any of the means herein-before described,
the operations for carbonising is conducted as follows:-Twenty or twenty-five
bundles of small branches of trees or any other kind of ligneous substances
are thrown into the furnace through the opening at the top C, and the fire is
applied to them by the aperture D, set at the lower part of the furnace, when
the woody substances are well lighted; the door D is shut air tight, and well
Juted to prevent internally any introduction of the external, air, and another
quantity of alimenting substances is thrown again into the furnace by the said
opening at the top, through which the smoke escapes; the same mode of
feeding the furnace is carried on during the whole time the carbonising takes
place, which allows the furnace to be filled with vegetable charcoal to nearly
three-fourths of its height. The opening C is then shut with a sheet iron
damper, or any other suitable contrivance, and the bottom door D opened, in
order to withdraw with an iron raker the charcoal from the furnace. The
charcoal is immediately extinguished either by sprinkling water over it with a
watering pot, or by throwing it into convenient close vessels, in which it is
immediately extinguished, or again by covering it with a thick layer of charcoal
perfectly cold.
As soon as the charcoal contained in the furnace has been withdrawn, as
herein-before described, the door D is shut and well luted again, and the
furnace is fed with bundles or any other ligneous substances in order to repeat
the former operations, without however, being obliged, then and for all the
following ones if they are carried successively one after the other, to put on
fire the woody substances contained in the furnace, as the caloric retained by it
is quite sufficient for carbonising without producing the smallest incinerations.
PULVERIZATION OF THE CARBONISED SUBSTANCES..
The substances being carbonized, as herein-before described, are sub-
mitted to the pulverizing apparatus represented by Drawing 11, Figure 1,
which is a plan of the machine. In that Figure A is a circular cast-iron
through, having about nine feet in diameter and one foot in heighth; B is a
vertical shaft giving the motion to the cylinders serving to pound the carbonized

page_text: charcoal; C is a roller provided with teeth for tearing; D is another roller for
pounding; E is a wooden board to carry the gathering rakes F and the
levellers G of the pounded charcoal; H, H, are rakes forcing the pulverized
charcoal to fall through a lateral opening; I, I, wooden frames passing into the
socket on which the rakes I, II, are set; J, J, cast-iron sockets supporting the
axis of the rollers; K is a lever serving to raiso or to lower the rakes F, F.
When the charcoal is pounded by means of the herein-before described appa-
ratus, it is impregnated with coal tar or any other similar bituminous or
resinous substance, and well mixed into a paste by means of the following
apparatus, represented by Figure 2, Drawing 11.
The Figure 2 represents a plan of the said apparatus, which is nearly
similar to the pulverising apparatus, except, however, that the through is more
elevated, and that also the roller C is provided with teeth larger, longer, and
wider apart, in order to operate a better mixing of the component substances;
this apparatus is put in motion by the same means than the apparatus herein-
before described. The substances having undergone a thorough mixing, they
are moulded into small cylinders or into prisms of a regular form by means of
the apparatus herein-after described and shewn by Figure 4, Drawing 1; that
Figure 4 represents a front elevation of the machine at work, in which A is
the wooden cross-head of the machine, provided with four sockets B, B, serving
to guide the cross-head A. C, C, C, C, are ramming pistons fixed to the head-
picce A, by means of a cast-iron plate and screws; D, D, D, D, are iron rods
serving to dislodge by the bottom the moulded charcoal; E, cast-iron frame
carrying the bags to receive the substances, and in which is exercised the
pression of the ramming pistons C, C, C, C; F, slide having a forward and back-
ward motion, and carrying the tubes into which the substances are moulded.
It is from the slide F that the charcoal having received the required shape, is
'forced out of the tubes by means of the rods D, D, D, D, herein-before described.
G is an horizontal shaft to which the cog-wheel II is keyed, and on which is
fastened the bolt I; J, J, connecting rods attached to the cross-head; A, K,
is a shaft on which a pinion, two drums and a fly-wheel are set; L is the
excentric, communicating the forward and backward motion to the slide F;
M is a cog-wheel catching with the cog-wheel N; O, cast-iron stay serving to
support the pression of the machine; P, cast-iron frame set in massonry work,
or in strong wood work. The charcoal cylinders or prisms being prepared as
herein-before described, are subjected to the last operation (that is to say), to
the final carbonisation in close cast-iron or refractory clay pots, placed in a
furnace represented in Drawing III. In that Drawing Figuro 1 is a sectional

page_text: elevation of the basis of furnace, and A is the external part of the wall of the
furnace; B, partition of the retort; C, interior of the retort in which two rails
are fixed; D, hearth and grating of the furnace; E, ventilating holes for the
egress of the gas; F, empty space surrounding the retort, and serving when
the gases are burning for the warming of the said retort in all its extent; G,
aperture for the discharge of the smoke, which escapes into the main chimney by
means of a subterraneous discharge pipe. Figure 2 is a front view of the same
furnace II; in that Figure is a cast-iron door luted with earth in the interior, to
close hermetically the retort; K, retort opened, and representing the pots placed
on a carriage introduced into the interior; L, iron fastenings for the consoli-
dation of the furnace and retort, and serving to fix with hinges the doors H;
M, aperture for the introduction of cold air; N, hearth of the furnace, serving
only once to light the gas. P, Figure 4, is a plan of a cast-iron carriage.
Figure 3 represents a side elevation of a carriage, with two sets of cast-iron
or earth pots filled with charcoal, prepared as herein-before described, and
placed on the carriage ready to be introduced into the retort.
The advantages and result obtained by this furnace are, firstly, to prevent
the pots containing the moulded charcoal coming in contact with the flame
during the operation of carbonising, to preserve them from a two rapid de-
struction, which is the natural consequence of all other systems. Secondly,
to employ no other combustible than that given out by the gases submitted to
carbonisation. Thirdly, to maintain the furnace at an equal and continual
temperaturo during the whole of the operation. Fourthly, to burn infectious
gases, and, in this respect, to solve one of the most important problems of
public health.
Fifthly, to prevent the workmen from entering into the
furnace when it is heated to take out the pots, and to render their work more
healthy and less difficult. Sixthly, to add to the fabrication a great rapidity
of operation, with a very important economy.
The working of this improved furnace is carried on as follows:-The pots
filled with the moulded charcoal are placed upon the carriages, two of which
loaded with pots are introduced into each retort by means of rails. The doors
II, H, of the retorts are hermetically closed by carefully luting them air-tight.
The fire of the hearth N, by introducing itself into the space F, left vacant
between the retorts, warms them, and causes the evaporation of the gases
which escape from the pots, and the fire only lights after their exit from the
retorts by the ventilating holes E. By these means the flame is entirely
separated from the pots; when the retorts are hot enough, and the gases
escape in sufficient quantity to maintain the furnace at the necessary heat, the

page_text: fire of the hearth is put out, and the hearth is closed up with bricks or earth.
When there is no longer any flame to be seen in the space F the operation is
completed. The doors H, H, of the retorts are opened, the carriages taken
out and placed apart, so that the pots and the charcoal cylinders may cool.
At the same instant, by means of a truck rolling on rails, two other carriages
loaded with fresh sets of pots are introduced into the retorts, and the doors aro
hardly closed when the gases light again. The operation is continued thus
without interruption, and without it being necessary to light the fire, the heat
of the retorts and furnaces being, by the incessant combustion of the gases,
more than sufficient to cause constantly the carbonisation. The refuse of the
carbonised turf submitted to the treatment herein-before described (that is to
say), being pulverised and mixed with the tar of pit coal, moulded like the
vegetable charcoal already described, and being also submitted to the final
carbonisation in closed pots, presents a charcoal very hard, burning without
smell or smoke, and fit for all domestic and culinary uses. The same process
applied to the refuse or dust of coko gives also an excellent combustible, burning
in the same way as the charcoal before described, without smell or smoke,
and present a very fit combustible for the heating of apartments. By adding
the dust of the coke some dust of coal, in the proportions of one-fifth, a quarter,
a third, or even one-half, the produce is remarkably bard, and possessed of a
very great quantity of caloric.
It is easy to understand that tho combustible matters I have just indicated
can be employed together, separately, mixed in equal or unequal proportions,
according to the quality of charcoal required, and also according to the
matters which are cheaper and more conveniently procured.
To manufacture the last produco herein-after described, that is to say, a
charcoal having a kind of metallic sound, coke of good quality, possessing as
few cinders as possible, is employed; it is pulverized very fine, indeed passed
through a sieve, mixed with a large proportion of tar of pit coal, so that a
well-formed paste may be mado; this paste is moulded in an iron or cast iron
tube, in which it is very strongly compressed, by pressing screws, or by any
other means which will lead to the same result. The cylinders of paste thus
formed, are submitted to carbonisation in closed pots at a very high tempera-
ture; after this operation, they are dipped in boiling pitch, where they are left
a sufficient time for the pitch to penetrate into their pores, and they are then
again submitted to carbonisation. This second operation is repeated three or
four times until the weight of the produce ceases to increase; this process
produces a charcoal extraordinarily close, compact, and of a metallic sound.

page_text: INFLAMMABILITY GIVEN TO THE CHARCOALS BY THE INTRODUCTION OF AN
ARTIFICIAL POROSITY.
When by their nature or their density the charcoals are less easy to light, the
difficulty is got over by giving them an artificial porosity. To obtain that
species of separation of molecula which facilitates the inflammability and com-
bustion of the charcoals in all their parts, a salt capable of crackling, melting,
or decomposing itself during the calcinating or carbonisation is introduced.
This result is obtained by sprinkling marine salt or chlorate of soda dissolved
in water over the pulverized charcoal to be employed. Alcaline chlorates,
azotic acid, the azotates of soda, of potassium, of lime, and all soluble salts in
general, susceptible of undergoing chemical changes at certain temperatures,
are also calculated to produce the same effects. These salts may also be
employed without being dissolved in water, by pulverizing them very fine
indeed, and mixing them with the charcoals before their being manufactured.
The quantity of salt to be employed differs according to the nature of the salt
and according to the amount of inflammability to be given to the charcoals.
And having now described the Invention communicated to me, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details herein-before described, so long as the
general features of the arrangements be retained for the carrying out of the
said improvements; but what I do claim as the Invention communicated to
me and intended to be protected by the said Letters Patent is,―
Firstly, the carbonising the small branches of trees and other animal plants,
the refuse of all ligneous substances, by means of apparatus as herein-before
described, reference being had to Figures 1, 2, 3, of Drawing 1.
Secondly, the pulverising of carbonised small branches of trees and other
animal plants, refuse of all ligneous substances herein-before described,
reference being had Figure 1, Drawing II.
Thirdly, the mixing of carbonised and pulverised small branches of trees
and animal plants, refuse of all ligneous substances, by means of apparatus, as
herein-before described, reference being had to Figure 2, Drawing II.
Fourthly, the moulding of carbonised, pulverised, and mixed small branches
of trees, animal plants, and refuse of all ligneous substances, by means of appa-
ratus as herein-before described, reference being had to Figure 4, Drawing 1.
Fifthly, the mode of carbonising in close vessels the carbonised, putrefised,
mixed, and moulded small branches of trees, animal plants, and refuse of