IMPROVEMENTS IN DESICCATING AND TORREFYING FARI- AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DESICCATING AND TORREFYING FARI-
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad by
Francis Huckins, of Roxbury, in the County of Norfolk, and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 26th September 1861, and dated the 29th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th April 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DESICCATING AND TORREFYING
FARINACEOUS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to expel moisture from farinaceous and other
substances by artificial heat, applied through such a means as will give the
operator or attendant better control than hitherto over the heat employed for
the purpose, and which will also enable him to stir the substance while within
the retort, so that the substance will be equally heated throughout, and not
liable to be burned. The usual plan in desiccating and torrefying substances
is to withdraw the pans from the retort occasionally. for the purpose of stirring
the contents. This cools the substance, and consequently prolongs the process.
and increases the consumption of fuel. The present Invention consists in
heating the substance to be desiccated or torrefied through the medium of
animal oil, and employing strainers arranged within the retort, so that they

page_text: may be operated from the outer side. The apparatus consists of a semi-
cylindrical vessel of cast metal set directly over a furnace, which may be made
of masonry. Within the semi-cylindrical vessel there is fitted or placed a
smaller semi-cylindrical vessel or retort, so as to leave a space between them
at all points. The retort is so constructed as to admit of being tilted on either
side. This tilting of the retort enables its contents to be removed with great
A
facility. Any suitable hoisting device may be used for tilting the retort.
shaft is placed longitudinally on the upper part of the retort, and allowed to
rotate freely in its bearings. On this shaft there are placed a series of arms,
in each of which is fitted a rod having collars and spiral springs on them. The
springs have a tendency to keep the rods forced outward, and at the ends of
the rods there are placed scrapes, one on each rod, the scrapes being simply
bars of V-shape in their transverse section, and made to bear against the inner
surface of the retort as they pass over it. On one end of the shaft is placed a
pinion, into which a toothed segment gears. This segment has a vibrating
movement given it. On the shaft, near each end of it, there are placed arms
or scrapers, which work over the surfaces of the heads of the retort. The
operation is as follows:-The jacket of the retort is supplied with animal oil,
so that the retort will be in contact with it all around. The substance to be
desiccated or torrefied is placed in the retort, and heated through the medium
of the oil, the latter being heated by the furnace. Oil, as is well known, boils
at a temperature of 550°, and, consequently, the substance may be subjected
to a gentle or extreme degree of heat, as circumstances may require, and the
heat to which the substance is subjected will be constant or uniform, not
subject to the quick fluctuations that it would be were the retort over the fire
chamber, and heated directly from the fire. The substance is stirred while
being heated, and having its moisture expelled from it by communicating a
vibrating or oscillating movement to the segment, which, in connection with
the pinion, gives a reciprocating rotary movement to the shaft, the latter
making a complete revolution first in one direction and then in the other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 29th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN DESICCATING AND TORREFYING FARINACEOUS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,
being a communication from abroad upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton; by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what nianner 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 Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
The object of this Invention of improvements in desiccating and torrefying
farinaceous and other substances is to expel moisture from farinaceous and
other substances by artificial heat applied through such a means as will give
the operator or attendant better control than heretofore over the heat employed
for the purpose, and which will also enable him to stir the substance while
within the retort, so that the substance will be equally heated throughout, and
not liable to be burned. The usual plan in desiccating and torrefying sub-
stances is to withdraw the pans from the retort occasionally, for the purpose of
stirring the contents. This cools the substance; and, consequently, prolongs
the process, and increases the consumption of fuel. The present Invention
consists in heating the substance to be desiccated or torrefied through the
medium of animal oil, and employing strainers arranged within the retort, so
that they may be operated from the outer side.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of
an arrangement of parts for carrying out the Invention; x, x, Figure 2,

page_text: indicates the plane of section; Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of
the apparatus taken in the line y, y, in Figure 1.
The apparatus consists of a semi-cylindrical vessel A of cast metal set
directly over the furnace B, which may be constructed of masonry. Within
the semi-cylindrical vessel A there is fitted or placed a smaller semi-cylindrical
vessel or retort C, which being smaller than the vessel A, leaves a space a
between them at all points. The retort C is suspended within the vessel A by
flanches b, which project from the ends and from both sides of the retort at its
upper part. The flanches b, b, rest in rebates c in the upper edges of the
vessel A, and on the upper part of the retort C there is placed a semi-
cylindrical top or cover D, which is perforated, or has small tubes d fitted in
it to allow the escape of vapors from the retort. The edges of the flanches b, b,
are grooved longitudinally, or each has a V-shaped recess e extending its whole
length. The form of these grooves or recesses is shown clearly in Figure 1,
and they admit of the retort C being tilted at either side, the grooves e at one
side catching on the upper edge of the rebate c of the vessel A at the opposite
side as the retort is tilted. This will be fully understood by referring to
Figure 1, in which the retort in a tilted position is shewn in red. This tilting
of the retort enables its contents to be removed with great facility, and any
suitable hoisting device may be used for tilting the retort. A shaft E is
placed longitudinally on the upper part of the retort, and is allowed to rotate
freely in its bearings. On this shaft E there are placed a series of arms F, in
each of which a rod f is fitted. These rods f have collars g and spiral springs h
on them. The springs h have a tendency to keep the rods f forced outward
against the stops i at the ends of the arms F. At the ends of the rods f there
are placed scrapers j, one on each rod f; the scrapers are simply bars of
V-shape in their transverse section, and are made by the springs h to bear
against the inner surface of the retort C as they pass over it. The arms E
project from opposite sides of the shaft E, as shown clearly in Figure 2, and
on one end of the shaft E there is placed a pinion k, into which gears a toothed
segment 1, shewn by dots in Fig. 1. This segment is mounted on a stud
attached to the front end of the vessel A, and has a vibrating movement given
it by means of a crank m and connecting rod n. On the shaft E near each
end of it there are placed arms or scrapers o, which work over the surfaces of
the heads of the retort, and prevent anything from adhering thereto.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The vessel A is supplied
with animal oil, as at p, so that the retort C will be immersed in it. The
substance G. to be desiccated, torrefied, or operated upon, is placed in the
retort C, and heated through the medium of the oil p, the latter being heated

page_text: by the furnace B below. Oil, as is well known, boils at a temperature of 550°,
and, consequently, the substance in the retort C may be subjected to either a
gentle or an extreme degree of heat, as circumstances may require, and the
heat to which the substance is subjected will be constant or uniform, and not
subject to the quick fluctuations that it would be were the retort C over the
fire chamber, and heated directly by the fire. The substance G is stirred
(while being heated) by rotating the crank m, which, by means of the rod n,
communicates a vibrating or oscillating movement to the segment 1, which, in
connection with the pinion on the shaft E, gives a reciprocating rotary
movement to the shaft E, the latter making a complete revolution, first in one
direction, and then in the other. Thus it will be seen that the substance G
may be stirred while within the retort C, and, consequently, without retarding
in the least the desiccating or torrefying process, and the moisture when expelled
from the substance will escape from the retort C through the apertures d, d,
in the lid or cover D.
Having now described this Invention of improvements in desiccating and
torrefying farinaceous and other substances, and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid,
1st, desiccating and torrefying farinaceous and other substances by sub-
jecting the same to artificial heat, applied through the medium of animal oil,
as set forth.
2nd, the arrangement substantially as shown of the reciprocating rotating
arms F placed within the retort C, and provided with self-adjusting or spring
scrapers, as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)