IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING THE WATER CONTAINED IN FECAL OR EXCREMENTITIOUS MATTER
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Bishop, of Headingley, near Leeds, in the
County of York, Doctor of Medicine, and William Bailey, of Halifax,
also in the County of York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING THE WATER CONTAINED IN FECAL
OR EXCREMENTITIOUS MATTER."
Sealed the 8th September 1864, and dated the 9th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Bishop and
William Bailey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th March 1864.
We, EDWARD BISHOP, of Headingley, near Leeds, in the County of York,
Doctor of Medicine, and WILLIAM BAILEY, of Halifax, also in the County
of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING THE WATER CONTAINED IN
FECAL OR EXCREMENTITIOUS MATTER," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has for its object the drying of focal or excrementitious
matter by means and apparatus herein-after explained and described, in order
to render it more easy of transport than in its natural state, and also the more
thorough mixing of the same with any foreign matter, such as ashes, thereby
rendering it in a condition capable of being spread as manure upon land with
greater uniformity than is ordinarily attainable, to the material benefit of such
land.

page_text: For these purposes we use a series of troughs, open at the top and placed,
by preference, one above another. Each trough is provided with a continuous
and hollow worm shaft actuated by suitable gearing on its extremity, and also
with a chamber underneath, the whole being fixed in a convenient frame.
The operation is as follows:-Fecal or excrementitious matter together
with calcined ashes being supplied to one end of the top trough of the series,
steam, hot water, or hot air is admitted to the hollow worm shafts before
named, and also to the chambers under and in connection with the troughs.
Slow rotary motion being now imparted to the worm shafts the matter under
operation is traversed, by means of the continuous screw on the worm shaft
to the extreme end of the trough from that at which it entered, and suffered to
fall by gravitation through an aperture in the bottom of such extreme end of
the trough into the trough immediately below, the operation being repeated
until it arrives at the end of the series, and is discharged in a dried state into
any suitable receptacle.
Although the operation above described may be performed upon focal or
excrementitious matter in its natural state as taken from the ash-pit, yet it
will be found more advantageous to apply to the excrement a certain propor-
tion (varying according to the strength of manure required) of the powder
known as Doctor Bishop's fixing and deodorizing sanitary powder, by means of
which gases which would otherwise be given off and wasted when the excre-
ment is in a heated state are preserved, and the full value of the concentrated
excrement as a manure is thereby secured.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said Edward Bishop and William Bailey in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
BISHOP, of Headingley, near Leeds, in the County of York, Doctor of Medicine,
and WILLIAM BAILEY, of Halifax, also in the County of York, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Edward Bishop and William Bailey, Her special licence that we,
the said Edward Bishop and William Bailey, our executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Bishop and William
Bailey, 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 "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS
FOR EVAPORATING THE WATER CONTAINED IN FOCAL OR EXCREMENTITIOUS MATTER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edward Bishop and
William Bailey, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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 we, the said Edward Bishop and William Bailey,
our 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
:-
Our Invention has for its object the drying of focal or excrementitious
matter, by means and apparatus herein-after explained and described, in order
to render it more easy of transport than in its natural state, and also the more
thorough mixing of the same with any foreign matter, such as ashes, thereby
rendering it in a condition capable of being spread as manure upon land with
greater uniformity than is ordinarily attainable, to the material benefit of such
land.
For these purposes we use a series of troughs open at the top and placed,
by preference, one above another. Each trough is provided with a continuous
and hollow worm shaft actuated by suitable gearing on its extremity, and also
with a chamber underneath, the whole being fixed in a convenient frame or
supported by any well-known method.
The operation is as follows:-Focal or excrementitious matter together with
calcined coal ashes, by preference, being supplied to one end of the top trough
of the series, steam at a low temperature, hot water, or hot air, is admitted to
the hollow worm shafts before named, and also to the chambers under and in
connection with the troughs. Slow rotary motion being now imparted to the
worm shaft the matter under operation is traversed by means of a continuous
screw on the worm shaft to the extreme end of the trough from that at which

page_text: it entered and suffered to fall by gravitation through an aperture in the bottom
of such extreme end of the trough into the trough immediately below, the
operation being repeated until it arrives at the end of the series and is
discharged in a dried state into any suitable receptacle.
Although the operation above described may be performed upon focal or
excrementitious matter in its natural stato as taken from the ash-pit, yet it
will be found more advantageous to apply to the excrement before operating
upon it a certain proportion (according to the strength required) of the powder
known as "Dr. Bishop's fixing, deodorizing, and disinfecting powder," by
means of which gases which would otherwise be given off and wasted (the
troughs being open) when the excrement is in a heated state are preserved
and the full value of the concentrated excrement as a manure is thereby
secured, the moisture being evaporated and the vapours driven off in requisite
by the application of an ordinary fan; or the said powder may be mixed, if
desired, with common oil or vitriol or nitric acid, both acids having, as is well
known, the property of fixing ammoniacal
gases.
But in order that our Invention may be better understood, reference is
made to the accompanying Drawings and to the letters and figures marked

page_text: alternately from right to left by means of worms or screws e', shewn in section
and elevation in the two bottom troughs of the series, until it eventually
reaches the aperture; and falls into the trough j³, being then fit for use by
the agriculturalist or for mixing with excrement not yet operated upon.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus shewing the hollow worm
shafts e with worms or screws e¹ working within the hollow troughs A, having
loose tops A¹ which swing on hinges k, also shewn in Fig. 1. The brackets a
are also shewn supporting the troughs A and chambers g.
indicate the pitch lines of the driving wheels. The steam and
not shewn in this view.
The red circles
waste pipes are
Having now particularly ascertained and described the nature of our
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise mechanical details
herein described, but what we claim as and of our Invention is, the combined
operations of evaporating the water contained in focal or excrementitious
matters when in a state of motion, and the more thorough mixing of such
matter with other matters, such as calcined coal ashes, by means and apparatus
herein-before described and represented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward Bishop and William Bailey,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
EDWARD BISHOP, M.D. (L.S.)
WILLIAM BAILEY.
(L.S.)