AN IMPROVED PROCESS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES, AND MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREFOR.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel William Maquay, of Charlemont Terrace,
in the City of Dublin, Ireland, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES, AND MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS THEREFOR.
"
Sealed the 8th August 1873, and dated the 12th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel William
Maquay at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th February 1873.
I, SAMUEL WILLIAM MAQUAY, of Charlemont Terrace, in the City of
Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED PROCESS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES, AND
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My Invention has reference to an improved process for manufacturing
manures from the earths, bones, coprolites, or similar substances, by
submitting the same previously ground, pounded, or otherwise to the
direct action of acids or bases in the form of gases in their nascent
state within closed air-tight chambers or vessels, so arranged that the

page_text: acids or bases shall be chemically retained in union with the substances
under treatment to form the body or ground work of the manures, and
pass off into the atmosphere when properly combined in a perfectly
neutral state, whereby all unhealthy odours in the manufacture, as at
present, are avoided, and consists in introducing the powdered coprolites
or substances aforesaid into the lower hopper of the machine, raising
the coprolites by elevators enclosed in casings, so as to fall down
through a shoot into a mixing drum or cylinder having three platforms,
each of which is provided with stirrers or scrapers revolving horizontally
upon a fixed axis, so that the said substances received upon the upper
platform are carried round by the scraper and passed down to the second
platform and stirrers and then to the lower ones, and finally discharged
into a bag or sack for receiving the manure, the sulphurous and other
acid gases employed in the operation being uniformly supplied to the
machinery or apparatus by my improved furnace retorts, patented by
me on the 7th of February 1873, No. 450, thus making the whole
process a continuous operation.
The charge to be introduced into the retort for forming sulphurous
or sulphuric acid, or otherwise, to consist of about 12 parts of sulphur,
2 parts of nitre, and 2 parts of sulphuric acid, which being allowed
to fall on the floor of the retort previously heated is immediately
converted into gas, and passed to the lower part of the drum direct
to the substances in connection with a jet of steam for mixing and
condensing the gases absorbed by the coprolites or otherwise in the
mixer, the manures by this continuous process being obtained uniformly
dry throughout the manufacture.
The machinery or apparatus consists of a drum or cylinder containing
the scrapers suspended from a horizontal beam, to which an endless
chain elevator is attached and enclosed within an outer case having
the hopper affixed thereto, a bag or receiver connected with the lower
part of the drum, together with a pipe for supplying steam, and another
for the gas direct from the retort, being also employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel William Maquay in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th 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 Twelfth 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, admini-
strators, 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 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
"AN IMPROVED PROCESS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANURES,
AND MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Samuel William Maquay, 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 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 reference to an improved process for manufacturing
manures from the earths, bones, coprolites, or similar substances, by
submitting the same, previously ground, pounded, or otherwise, to the
direct action of acids or bases in the form of gases in their nascent

page_text: state within closed air-tight chambers or vessels so arranged that the
acids or bases shall be chemically retained in union with the substances
under treatment to form the body or composition of the manures,
allowing the residual products only to pass off into the atmosphere
in a perfectly neutral state, whereby all unhealthy odours in the manu-
facture of manures, as at present, are avoided.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe in detail the
mode of performing the same by aid of the accompanying Drawings,
reference being had to the letters and figures thereon marked (that is
to say):
:―
Figure 1 represents a side elevation partly in section of my improved
machinery or apparatus to be employed in the manufacture of manures;
Figure 2, a top or plan view thereof; Figure 3, an enlarged transverse
sectional view of the mixing drum or cylinder, with platform and
stirrers seperately shown; and Fig. 4, vertical side view of a furnace
retort described in a former Patent granted to me on the Seventh day
of February One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, No. 450,
for maintaining within the apparatus a constant and uniform supply
of the acid gases to the substances under treatment throughout the
entire process.
In each Figure the same letters of reference denote
similar corresponding parts.
A, A, hopper in which the powdered coprolites or other substances
are introduced into the apparatus; B, B, clevators secured to an endless
belt or chain passing over pulleys C and C¹ enclosed within a vertical
box or casing D for raising the said substances under operation, and
causing the same to fall down a shoot E into the mixing drum or
cylinder F upon the platform G and G', where it is carried round
and thoroughly mixed by the revolving scrapers H and H³, untill it
falls into the bag I or other receptacle through the descending spout J
attached to the bottom of the drum or cylinder. K, K, horizontal
beam supporting the apparatus in a fixed position; L, L, driving
band passing over pulley wheels M for giving motion to the scrapers
Hand H¹ through the medium of mitre wheels O direct to the
spindle P upon which the crapers are mounted and revolve; Q, Q,
intermediate strap gear giving motion to the elevators B in manner
shown; S, S, furnace retorts; T, T, pipe supplying gas from the retort

page_text: to the mixing drum of the apparatus; U, U, tub econveying a jet of steam
to the mixing drum immediately above the point at which the gas
enters.
In conclusion to the foregoing description, I now proceed to treat
of the manner in which the said gases are employed, for example, in
using sulphurous acid gas to fix ammonia in guano or other substances
containing free ammonia, or to form superphosphate of lime when the
phosphates are not sufficiently soluble, the coprolites or other substances
are first placed in the hopper of the machine, and then passed into the
mixing chamber, as aforesaid, under pressure of the sulphurous acid
or other gases which are thereby absorbed by the powdered coprolites
or other substances during the whole of the process, and thus converted
into manure by being thoroughly impregnated therewith.
The charge for forming the sulphurous and sulphuric acids or other
gases when placed within the retort (previously heated by means of
the furnace to a dull red) is immediately converted into acid, alkaline,
or other gas which passes along the pipe T, Figure 1, and enters
the drum together with the jet of steam aforesaid, to assist the con-
densation of the gases employed in forming the said manures, which
under the improved manufacture are as comparatively dry when leaving
as when first entering the hopper.
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 substances herein-before set forth
and described, except when the same are employed in and for the
purposes of my said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist,―
Firstly. In the employment of acids or bases in the form of gases
for effecting the complete chemical combination of the constitulents
thereof with the carth or other substances forming the manures, as
aforesaid.
Secondly, and lastly. The construction and employment of machinery

page_text: aforesaid for manufacturing the said manures upon a continuous
process, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel William Maquay, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in 5
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
SAMUEL WILLIAM MAQUAY. (L.S.)