A CERTAIN IMPROVED MODE OF DISINFECTING PUTRIFIED AND FECAL MATTERS, AND CONVERTING FECAL MATTERS INTO MANURE; ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE, DISINFECTION OF CESSPOOLS, DRAINS, SEWERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES-A
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Armand Gilbee, of the English and
Foreign Patent Office, 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "A CERTAIN
IMPROVED MODE OF DISINFECTING PUTRIFIED AND FECAL MATTERS,
AND CONVERTING FECAL MATTERS INTO MANURE; ALSO APPLICABLE TO
THE, DISINFECTION OF CESSPOOLS, DRAINS, SEWERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
RECEPTACLES-A communication.
Sealed the 31st December 1852, and dated the 6th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Willian Armand
Gilbee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th October 1852.
"1" WILLIAM ARMAND GILBEE, of the English and Foreign Patent
5 Office, 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF DISINFECTING PUTRIFIED AND FECAL MATTERS, AND
CONVERTING FECAL MATTERS INTO MANURE; ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE DIS-

page_text: INFECTION OF CESSPOOLS, DRAINS, SEWERS, AND OTHER SIMILAR RECEPTACLES,"
to be as follows, that is to say:
In producing a new deodorizing powder, and the mode and machinery
employed in the manufacture and in the application of the saine.
The fecal and other matters are first partially disinfected, to allow of
their being operated upon, and then completely disinfected and converted
into manure suitable for agricultural purposes. The powder is obtained
by the combustion of the detritus of forests, lignites, vegetables, marine
plants, or any ligneous substance, rags, refuse of wool, &c. &c., mixed
in suitable proportions with substances which give them the property of
absorbing or decomposing. One of the constituents of the powder
having an absorbing property combines with the fecal and ammoniacal
gases which are disengaged from the solid and liquid excremental
matters. The other decomposing clement precipitates the salts con-
tained in urine, renders the water inodorous, and allows the operation
of cleansing to be performed at any hour of the day without the slightest
inconvenience.
By reference to the Drawing the apparatus which I employ for
obtaining the powder will be seen, and I will afterwards point out how
it is to be employed, and with what substances it is to be combined.
DESCRIPTION.
Figure 1, is a plan or horizontal view of the carbonizing ovens (or
kilns) in which I burn the detritus of forests, &c. Figure 2, is a section
through the line A, A, of Figure 1. Figure 3, is a section through the
line B, B, of Figure 2. Figure 4, is an elevation or end view of the
same. a, being the upper oven or kiln, on which I effect the combustion
of the vegetable matters; D, D', the boxes called extinguishers, on which
it rests. The section of the interior of these ovens, as seen in the
Drawings, resembles in form an egg standing on one end. The oven a,
is supported on wheels travelling on rails c, which are laid down along
the whole of the upper part of the boxes D, D'. This oven a, is open at
top and bottom; and two plates arranged one above and the other below
serve to open and shut it at pleasure. The ovens D, D', are each pierced
at the upper part with an opening corresponding with that at the bottom

page_text: of the oven a, and are likewise shut by means of drawers. The oven a,
is provided at its sides with apertures E, E, which allow the combustion
to be inspected at pleasure. The ovens D, D', are provided at the
bottom with a door F, by which the contents of each may be taken out.
The manner of operating is as follows:-Vegetable matters of any sort
intended to be burnt are poured into the upper opening of the oven a,
until it is two thirds full; and when the carbonization is complete
the lower orifice is to be opened by displacing the drawer, care being
first taken to withdraw the door or slide of the lower oven, and all the
carbonized matter will be precipitated into the lower oven or box; the
lower opening of the oven «, must be shut immediately, by pushing in
the drawer. Vegetable matters are also poured into the said oven to fill
the second oven or box D, and it is to be pushed along until its lower
orifice corresponds with that of the box D'. The combustion is allowed
to proceed in the oven a, and the aninial matters of any kind which are
to be carbonized by heat are put on the hotest part of the box D', and
the box is shut. Combustion takes place, and the gas produced by the
heat penetrates into the pores of the vegetable carbon, which is extin-
guished; the door placed below this box is then opened, and the car-
bonized matters are taken out and sifted, and the powder produced by
this sifting is then ground.
To produce an absorbing powder with this carbonized powder it is
necessary to mix it with wool flock.
In order to convert the matters treated by the absorbing powder into
manure fit for agricultural purposes, it is necessary to mix them with
the decomposing powder of the following composition:-
Molasses from indigenous sugar, or the residue of the manufacture
of such; slacked lime, in powder; pulverized sulphate of iron or zine;
pulverized clayish magnesian earth; and the absorbing powder above
described. This mixture produces a powder which has the property of
completely decomposing and disinfecting. These powders are employed
in the following manner :-
In private houses, by means of an intercepting plate, as shown in the
Drawings, Figures 5, and 6, for intercepting bad odours and emanations
from water closets, it is applied to the bottom of the opening of the

page_text: principal conduct pipe into the cesspool, and is fixed to the sides. It is
provided with a scoop underneath with a range of tube, and contains
water, in which the matters fall, shutting instantaneously by their
weight the opening. This scoop when half empty, shuts of itself by
the weight of a counterpoise, and retains à sufficient quantity of water
to receive the dry matters and intercept their exhalations. This
hydraulic intercepting apparatus is provided with another pipe contain-
ing a quantity of disinfecting powder, which escapes each time the
scoop or basin opens, and is renewed by equal quantities.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Armand Gilbee in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 6th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
WILLIAM ARMAND GILBEE, of the Patent Office, 4, South Street, Fins-
bury, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two,. in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Armand Gilbee, Her especial
license that I, the said William Armand Gilbee, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Armand
Gilbee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term of years 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 of "A CERTAIN IMPROVED MODE OF DISINFECTING PUTRIFIED
AND FECAL MATTERS, AND CONVERTING FECAL MATTERS INTO MANURE; ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THE DISINFECTION OF CESSPOOLS, DRAINS, SEWERS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR RECEPTACLES," communicated to me from a foreigner residing
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William.
Armand Gilbee, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal..

page_text: should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 William Armand Gilbee, 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, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, that is to say:
The Invention communicated to me consists in combining certain
animal and vegetable substances, and in apparatus for the production
of powders applicable to the disinfection of fecal and other matters;
also applicable to disinfecting drains, sewers, and other similar recep-
tacles, and to converting fecal matters into manure suitable for agri-
cultural purposes. The powders are produced by mixing the products
of the combustion of matters, such as the detritus of forests, lignites,
vegetables, marine plants, or wood of every kind, rags, refuse of wool,
horse hair, or other similar substances, with certain substances capable
of giving them the property of absorbing or decomposing. One of the
powders serves to absorb the fecal and ammoniacal gases from the-solid
and liquid fecal matters; the other for decomposing and precipitating
the salts contained in urine, by which treatment the water is rendered
iodorous.. Then the removal of the fecal matters may be effected 'at
any hour of the day, without inconvenience to the workmen employed,
or to the passers by.
My system consists in first disinfecting the fecal matters to permit of
their extraction, and afterwards in converting them into manure, in a
more complete and expeditious manner than by any of the processes
hitherto invented.
I will now proceed to describe the apparatus which I make use of,
by preference, for manufacturing the above stated powders; and I will
afterwards describe. in what manner and in what proportions they are
to be employed, and the substances, with which they are to be com
bined.."

page_text: In the Drawing, Figure 1, represents a plan or bird's eye view of the
carbonizing ovens in which the detritus of forests, or other substances of
the above described nature, are to be burnt.
Figure 2, is a section through the line A, A, of Figure 1.
Figure 3, is a section through the line B, B, of Figure 2.
Figure 4, an end elevation of the same.
In these Figures, a, is the upper furnace, in which I effect the com-
bustion of the vegetable substances; D, D', extinguishing boxes. The
furnace a, and the boxes D, D', on which it is set, are constructed of
sheet or cast iron, or of brick covered with sheet iron, or merely secured
by means of bands of sheet iron. The interior of the ovens, as seen in
Figure 3, of the Drawing, is made in the form of an egg standing on
its point. The sides of the furnace a, are provided with openings E, E,
to inspect the state of combustion; it is supported on small rollers tra-
velling on rails C, which are laid down on all the upper surface of the
extinguisher boxes D, D'. The oven a, is open at top and bottom, and
two cast iron or strong sheet iron plates, set one at top and the other
underneath, placed like slides, serve to open and shut it. The boxes
D, D, are each provided at their upper parts with an opening corre-
sponding with that in the lower part of the furnace, which openings
are shut by means of plates, as herein-before described. The lower parts
of the boxes D, D', are provided with an orifice closing by a door F,
serving to withdraw the contents of each of the extinguishing boxes.
The mode of operating is as follows:-1 draw back the top plate of
the furnace a, and fill it full of vegetable matters, which are reduced
by their combustion to two thirds of the capacity of the furnace; the
alimentation must be constantly kept up. When the combustion is
complete, I draw back the upper door or slide of the box D, and open
the lower orifice, of the furnace a. All the carbonized matter in the
furnace a, will then be precipitated into the extinguishing box D, after
which the oven door must be shut immediately. Fresh vegetable
matters are then introduced into the oven a, in order to fill the extin-
guisher box D'; and for that purpose the furnace a, is pushed forward

page_text: until its lower orifice corresponds with the upper one of the box D¹, and
combustion is allowed to proceed in the oven a, as before. I then
introduce animal matters upon the lighted coal in the box D, in order
to disaggregate them by heat in the proportion of one third of animal
matters to two thirds of carbonized vegetable substances, and shut the
box D. Combustion takes place directly; and the gases produced
penetrate into the pores of the vegetable carbon, which is by that means
extinguished. The lower door of the box D, is then opened, and the
carbonized animal and vegetable matters are taken out and sifted, the
larger parts being reduced to powder by any convenient means. Το
convert this carbonized powder into an absorbing powder, it is neces-
sary to mix it with wool shearings in the following proportions, that is
to say, seventy-five per cent. in weight of carbonized animal and vege-
table powder; twenty-five per cent. of wool shearings. To convert
fecal or other matters treated by the said absorbing powder into manure
fit for agricultural purposes, it is necessary to treat them with the
decomposing powder herein-after described, which I compose as follows:
I mix two hundred and twenty pounds molasses of sugar, or the residues
of the manufacture thereof, two hundred and twenty pounds slacked
lime reduced to powder, two hundred and twenty pounds sulphate of
iron or zinc pulverized, two hundred and twenty pounds of pulverized
clayish magnesian earth, with two hundred and seventy-five pounds of
the absorbing powder prepared as herein-before described. The pro-
portion of absorbing powder must be varied according to the nature of
the fecal or other inatters and the state of the lime; and it is necessary,
when the lime is not sufficiently slacked, to continue the supply of
absorbing powder until all smell is subsided.
By this mixture I produce a powder combining the properties of
absorbing and disinfecting, precipitating the salts from urine, and form-
ing therewith a manure possessing superior fertilizing properties to
those of solid fecal matters. These powders are employed in the fol-
lowing manner:When employed in private houses, I first apply to the,
waterclosets an intercepting plate, as shewn in Figures 5, and 6, of the
Drawing, for intercepting bad odours and emairations therefrom. This
plate is applied to the opening into the cesspool, at the lower part of

page_text: the conduct pipe, and is fixed to the sides of the opening in the masonry
work of the cesspool, and covered with cement. It is provided with a
scoop underneath, with a range of downward tubing about two inches in
length, containing about one and three quarters inches deep of water,
equivalent to about seven pints. When the matters fall into the scoop
their weight causes the instantaneous opening of the: scoop,. which shuts
of itself when half full by means of a counterpoise, the weight of which
is in due proportion with its capacity, and it retains a sufficient quan-
tity of water to intercept the exhalations of the solid maters falling
therein. This hydraulic intercepting apparatus is provided with a pipe
of a smaller diameter than that of the principal conduct pipe, and serves
to conduct a quantity of disinfecting powder into the scoop, which is
made to escape each time the scoop or basin opens, and is replaced by
fresh quantities. I can also apply a third kind of hydraulic intercepting
apparatus, which consists of a railed syphon for the reception of the
waters or urine fallen upon stones of waterclosets upon the ground
floor. The ordinary dimensions of the plate are about sixteen inches
long and thirteen inches wide, which dimensions, however, are not
invariable, but will depend upon those of the cesspool. The. scoop is
suspended underneath the plate by means of brass pivots, to which it is
fixed by means of pins, without any other recipient but the cesspool:
This plate distributes the decomposing powder contained in a recipient
on the ground floor in the proportion of about five pints per cubic foot
of precipitated matters.
In public establishments drains or sewers, I employ the decomposing
powder alone, which is spread by hand in the proportions before stated,
and produces the same result: Before the removal of fecal matters, I
add to them about twelve per cent. in volume of absorbing powder.
The mixture is moved about with care and rendered homogenous
throughout, and is then completely disinfected, and forms a powerful
manure fit for agricultural purposes.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention commu-
nicated to me, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I
would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details or proportions herein described. But what I claim as the

page_text: Invention communicated to me is, the combination of agents and
apparatus for the production of powders applicable to disinfecting and
converting putrified and fecal matters into manure for agricultural
purposes; also applicable for disinfecting cesspools, drains, sewers, and
other similar receptacles, as herein-before described and referred to in
reference to the Figures of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Armand Gilbee, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.