IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAISING LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH,TS PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF FERMENTED LIQUORS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Luke Smith and Matthew Smith, both of Heywood,
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanics, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAISING LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH, PARTS OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Luke Smith and Matthew
Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 19th November 1861.
We, LUKE SMITH and MATTHEW SMITH, both of Heywood, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanics, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAISING LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE-
WITH, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF FERMENTED
LIQUORS," to be as follows:-
Our improvements in raising liquids are applicable to beer engines, to pump-
ing water out of mines, and in most cases where liquids have to be raised. Our
Invention consists in forcing air into the cask. or other vessel containing the
liquid to be raised, which air displaces the liquid and occupies the -space in
beer or other fermented or distilled liquids; this mode of raising them will be
found very advantageous, as the compressed air forced into the cask prevents.
the evaporation of the liquid. We prefer to employ an air chamber, into which
the air is forced by an ordinary air pump, or by a pump provided with one of
our improved pistons, consisting of a thin metal dished block, and a lining of
vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable material. The end of the pipe com-.
municating from the air vessel to the cask is covered with a piece of vulcanized
india-rubber, or other suitable elastic material, which covers the hole in the-`

page_text: pipe, thus forming a valve to prevent any escape from the vessel containing the
liquid to the air vessel, but which allows the air to enter the vessel containing
the liquid.
In pumping water from mines a continuous flow is obtained by the use of
two pipes communicating from the air vessel to the chambers in which the
water is collected; these pipes and chambers are provided with taps and valves,
which are opened or open themselves alternately.
That part of our Invention which relates to improving the quality of fermented
liquors consists in collecting the gases evolved by the fermented liquors and in
forcing these gases again into the vessel containing the liquors from which they
had escaped; these gases may either be forced into the vessel in combination
with the compressed air employed for raising the liquid or alone. The valve
above described as applied to the end of the pipe connecting the air vessel with
the chamber containing the liquid to be raised, may also be used as a vent
plug for beer and other barrels to admit air when the beer is being drawn off.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Luke Smith and Matthew Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LUKE
SMITH and MATTHEW SMITH, both of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanics, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Luke Smith and Matthew Smith, Her special license that we, the said Luke
Smith and Matthew Smith, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others_as_we, the said Luke-Smith-and-Matthew Smith, our 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 RAISING, LIQUIDS, AND IN APPARATUS CON-
NECTED THEREWITH, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY
OF FERMENTED LIQUORS," upon the condition: (amongst others) that we, the
said Luke Smith and Matthew Smith, our. executors or administrators, by.

page_text: an instrument in writing under our or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Luke Smith and Matthew Smith,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say)
Our improvements in raising liquids, are applicable to beer engines, to
pumping water out of mines, and in most cases where liquids have to be raised.
Our Invention consists in forcing air into the cask or other vessel containing
the liquid to be raised, which air displaces the liquid and occupies the space;
in beer or other fermented or distilled liquids this mode of raising them will
be found very advantageous, as the compressed air forced into the cask pre-
vents the evaporation of the liquid. We prefer to employ an air chamber, into
which the air is forced by an ordinary air pump, or by a pump provided with
one of our improved pistons, consisting of a thin metal dished block and a
lining of vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable material. The end of the
pipe communicating from the air vessel to the cask.is covered with a piece of
vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable elastic material, which covers the
hole in the pipe, thus forming a stop valve to prevent any escape from the
vessel containing the liquid to the air vessel or to the air pump, but which
allows the air to enter the vessel containing the liquid. This valve may also
be used as a vent plug for beer and other barrels, to admit air when the beer
or other liquid is being drawn off. In pumping water from mines a continuous
flow is obtained by the use of two pipes communicating from the air vessel to
the chambers in which the water is collected; these pipes and chambers are
provided with taps and valves, which are opened or open themselves alternately.
That part of our Invention which relates to improving the quality of fer-
mented liquors consists in collecting the gases evolved by the fermented liquors
and in forcing these gases again into the vessel containing the liquors from
which they had escaped; these gases may either be forced into the vessel in
combination with the compressed air employed for raising the liquids, or alone.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a section of part of a building containing an apparatus for
raising beer or porter from the cellar to the ground floor constructed according

page_text: to our improvements; we wish, however, to observe that the same apparatus
is capable of raising the beer or porter to any floor of the building in which it is
applied. a, a, is a row of beer or porter barrels supported on stillages of the
usual construction; 6 is the barrel of the air pump vibrating upon a fulcrum 'c,
the plunger or piston of the air pump is attached to the rod d, the upper end
of which is jointed to a crank pin in the fly wlicel e, which is turned round by
hand or other power when required. The trunnion's of the air pump barrel b
are provided with stop valves similar to % in Figure 2, and they are jointed to
the ends of the pipes f and g; the former is carried upwards and is connected
to the glass syphon h, which is partly filled with mercury to indicate the
pressure, and the latter passes downwards to the horizontal pipe i, which
communicates by means of flexible or other pipes j, with the stop valves
k or n, fitting in the upper sides of the barrels a, a; the lower ends of the
barrels a are connected by the pipes to the taps y, each barrel having a
corresponding tap. An air chamber may be applied between the air pump
and the barrels, in order to form a reserve of compressed air. The mode of
operation is as follows:-When it is requisite to draw from one of the barrels,
the air pump is worked until the pressure of the air in the barrel overcomės
the height of the 'column of the liquid to be raised, the pressure can be
ascertained by the syphon h, the tap y is then turned, and the beer or other
liquid flows off into the glass or other vessel placed under the tap.
The valves and n are shewn full size in Figures 2 and 3. In Figure 2
the end of the pipe j is connected to the upper end of the hollow valve 'k,
the lower end of which is closed. There are two small openings through the
side of the valve near the lower end, which are covered
nised india-rubber or other suitable elastic material .
by the tube of vulca-
When the air is forced
through the pipe, it escapes through the openings in the side of the valve.k,
and thence into the barrel between the elastic tube and the outside of the
valve, and when the air has entered the barrel the elastic tube closes the
openings in the valve k, thus preventing_the-escape-or-return-of-the-air.
In Figure 3 the end of the pipe j is connected to the side pipe m of the
valven, in which is a tube of vulcanized india-rubber or other elastic material o;
when the compressed air is entering the barrel the tube o collapses to allow
it to pass down the pipe n', but when the air pump ceases to act the
compressed air in the barrel acting on the interior of the tube o, closes the
orifice in the side pipe m and prevents its escape. We wish to observe that
these valves may be used as stop valves for all purposes, and as vent plugs for
beer and other barrels containing fermented, vinous, or spirituous liquids, to
admit air while the liquid is being drawn off.

page_text: Figure 4 represents a section of our improved air pump piston. p is a thin
sheet metal block of the form required, and by preference the circumference is
cut in two or more places to allow it to expand,;. q is a lining of vulcanized
india-rubber or other suitable material fitting within the block p; pl.are two
two holes through p and q, and p is washer of india-rubber or other, suitable
elastic material. When this piston is at work the washer på yields during the
up-stroke to allow air to pass, but during the down-stroke the washer p² closes
the holes p' and the piston fits air-tight in the barrel of the pump.
in
Figure 5 is a section of our improved apparatus suitable for raising water
out of a mine., is an air vessel; into which the air is forced by an air pump
any convenient manner. At the top of the vessel r is a safety valve of the
usual construction. At the lower side of the vessel is attached the branch
pipe s, having two taps t and u, to which are connected the pipes t' and u¹,
which are attached to the tops of the chambers t² and u², in which the water
to be raised is collected. At the bottom of the exit pipes t³ and u³ are placed
the valves 'v and w, and the valves x and y are placed in the bottom of the
chambers t and u². "The mode of operation is as follows:-The chambers t²
and u are at first both filled with the water to be raised, and the air vessel r
is charged with compressed air of the force required to raise the water to the
desired level, the tap t is then turned to allow the compressed air to descend
the pipe t'on to the water in the chamber t³, thus forcing the water through
the valve into the exit pipe 3; as soon as the chamber t2 is empty the tap t
is closed and the tap u is opened, and while the water is escaping from the
chamber through the valve w, the chamber t is being filled from the pit
through the valve a¹. These operations are repeated as long as required, a
continuous flow being obtained by the use of the double apparatus shewn.
The taps t and u must be double-acting, so that when the chambers t² and u²
are empty the compressed air is allowed to escape, in order that the water may
flow into the chambers from the pit.
That part of our Invention which relates to improving the quality of
fermented liquors may be described without the aid of Drawings, as it consists
simply in collecting the gases evolved by the fermented liquors, and in forcing
these gases again into the vessel containing the liquors from which they had
escaped; these gases may either be forced into the vessel in combination with
the compressed air employed for raising the liquids, or alone.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention; and described the manner of
performing the same, we declare that we claim,-
First, the raising of liquids by forcing air into the vessel containing them, as
shewn and described.

page_text: Secondly, the improved stop valves and vent plugs as shewn and described
in reference to Figures 2 and 3..
Thirdly, the improved air pump piston, as shewn and described in reference
to Figure 4.
Fourthly, the improved apparatus shewn and described in reference to
Figure 5, for raising liquids.
And, lastly, the improving the quality of fermented liquors by forcing into
them the gases evolved during fermentation.
In witness whereof, I, the said, Matthew Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One 1
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
MATTHEW SMITH. (L.S.)