IMPROVE MENTS IN PURIFYING SPIRIT
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Schaeffer, of Stanhope Terrace, in
the County of Middlesex, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN PURIFYING SPIRIT."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Schaeffer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th December 1858.
I, WILLIAM SCHAEFFER, of Stanhope Terrace, in the County of
Middlesex, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING SPIRIT" to be as follows:-
For this
Heretofore it has been usual to purify spirit by repeated distillation.
My Invention consists of purifying spirit by filtration.
purpose I employ a filter composed of charred wood (preferring birch
wood), boiled grain (preferring wheat), broken oyster shells, and sand.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Schaeffer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
5 WILLIAM SCHAEFFER, of Stanhope Terrace, in the County of Middlesex,
Chemist, send greeting.

page_text: •
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Schaeffer, Her special
licence that I, the said William Schaeffer, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Schaeffer, 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, 1
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING SPIRIT," upon the condition (amongst
others) that
the said William Schaeffer, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 William Schaeffer, 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 (that is to say) :-
:-
Ieretofore it has been usual to purify spirits by repeated distillations.
My Invention consists of purifying spirits by filtration. For this p purpose
I employ a filter composed of charred wood (preferring birch wood),
boiled grain (preferring wheat), broken oyster shells, and sand.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
In a suitable vessel, the form of which is not material, I construct a
filtering bed in the following manner, supposing the filtering is to take
place downwards; if upwards, the arrangement of the several strata
will be reversed:-On a false perforated bottom covered with woollen
or other fabric, on which I place about six inches of well, washed and
very clean river sand, then about twelve inches of granular charcoal,

page_text: preferring that made from birch; and in order that the charcoal may
be suitable for the purpose, for I do not use it in the ordinary state of
preparation, I cause it to be placed in a retort or oven, and heat it to
a red heat until the blue flame has passed off, and the flame becomes
red; I then cool the charcoal in water, having dissolved therein about
two ounces of salts of tartar to each fifty gallons of water. The charcoal
being deprived of the water is to be reduced to a granular state as is
customary when using charcoal in filters. I employ it as above, and
also as hereafter stated. On the charcoal I apply a layer of about an
inch of wheat boiled to such an extent as to cause it to swell as large
as possible, and so that it will readily crush between the fingers.
Above this I place about ten inches of the charcoal, then about one
inch of broken oyster shells, and then about two inchos of charcoal, and
over this I place a layer of woollen or other fabric, and over it a per-
forated partition on to which the spirit to be filtered is to be placed.
The filter is kept covered, and in order that the spirit may flow freely
into the compartment of the filter below-the-filtering, materials, a tube
connects such lower compartment with the upper compartment of the
filter, so that the air may pass freely between the lower and upper
compartments of the filter. I would remark that on each of the several
strata above described, I find it desirable to place a layer of filter
paper. A filter such as above described will last several months; and
it is the construction and use of such filters which constitutes my
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Schaeffer, havo hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
0.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
W. SCHAEFFER. (Ls.)