DISTILLING SCHIST OR BOGHEAD COAL AND OTHER MINERALS FOR LIGHTING
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Réné Landre, Polydore Gras, and Antoine
Louis Auguste Boucherie, all of the City of Marseilles, in the Empire of
France, Merchants, trading under the firm Landre, Gras, & Co., for the
Invention of "DISTILLING SCHIST OR BOGHEAD COAL AND OTHER MINERALS
FOR LIGHTING."
Sealed the 11th November. 1859, and dated the 17th May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexandre Réné Landre,
Polydore Gras, and Antoine Louis Auguste Boucherie at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 17th May
1859.
We, ALEXANDRE, RENE LANDRE, POLYDORE. GRAS, and ANTOINE LOUIS
AUGUSTE BOUCHERIE, all of the City of Marseilles, in the Empire of France,
Merchants, trading under the firm Landre, Gras, & Co., do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "DISTILLING SCHIST OR BOGHEAD COAL AND
OTHER MINERALS FOR LIGHTING," to be as follows:-
We form the vertical sides of our retorts of partially cylindrical columns,
alternately projecting and re-entering, thus increasing by nearly one half the
surface exposed to the action of the fire, the result being that a greater

page_text: quantity of the mineral in the retort is simultaneously affected by the caloric,
and notably that within the projecting columns which is attacked at the same
time on three sides, namely, the extreme point of projection and the two
flanks. We apply the fire at the base of the retort, so that the vapour from
the lower layers of mineral must traverse a centre not yet distilled, where it
has less chance of being converted into gas, and further, the caloric enveloping
simultaneously the whole of the sides, exercises a more uniform action upon
the mass of mineral than has hitherto been attained. We place in the centre
of the retort a vertical tube extending from its lower to its upper orifice; this
tube is pierced throughout its entire length with holes, through which the
bituminous vapours escape to the refrigerator. This system presents the
additional advantage of dividing the mineral into vertical layers of less than
usual thickness; it is therefore no longer necessary to increase the intensity of
the fire in order to act upon the centre of the mass further, the surfaces of
the retort, being exposed to a more moderate heat than hitherto, will last
much longer, the distillation will be more rapid by 8 or 9 hours, and the
product be increased by a third or fourth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexandre Réné Landre, Polydore Gras, and Antoine
Louis Auguste Boucherie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALEXANDRE
RENE LANDRE, POLYDORE GRAS, and ANTOINE LOUIS AUGUSTE BOUCHERIE, all
of the City of Marseilles, in the Empire of France, Merchants, trading under
the firm Landre, Gras, & Co., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Alexandre Réné Landre, Polydore Gras, and Antoine Louis
Auguste Boucherie, Her special licence that we, the said Alexandre Réné
Landre, Polydore Gras, and Antoine Louis Auguste Boucherie, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Alexandre Réné
Landre, Polydore Gras, and Antoine Louis Auguste Boucherie, our executors,

page_text: 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 ex-
pressed, 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 "DISTILLING SCHIST OR BOGHEAD COAL AND OTHER
MINERALS FOR LIGHTING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Alexandre Réné Landre, Polydore Gras, Antoine Louis Auguste
Boucherie, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or one of our, or their or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 Alexandre Réné Landre, Polydore
Gras, and Antoine Louis Auguste Boucherie, 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 state-
ment :-
The disadvantages of the apparatus hitherto used for the purposes of our
Invention are, firstly, that the retorts being of an ovoid form and fully charged
with mineral, a very intense fire becomes necessary in order to submit the
column of mineral in the centre of the retort to the action of the caloric, the
evils of which are that the retort wears more quickly (the homogeneity of the
metal of which it is constructed being impaired by the intense heat), and that
gases are disengaged from that portion of the mineral which rests against the
interior surface of the retort; secondly, that the fire being now applied at
about the middle or two-thirds of the height of the retorts, and the natural
tendency of caloric being, to rise, the fire exercises its strongest action upon
the upper part of the charge, which is therefore in distillation before the lower
layers, and when these latter feel the effect of the fire, the bituminous
vapours which they evolve must traverse a burning centre where they are
turned into gas, proportionably diminishing the liquid which it is desired
to obtain.
By our improvements, the surfaces of the retorts are submitted to a more
temperate heat, the retorts consequently last much longer, distillation becomes
more rapid, (being effected in from fifteen to sixteen hours in lieu of twenty-
four, as under the old system), and the return or product is greater by one-
third, or at the lowest one-fourth.

page_text: To comprehend readily the following description of our Invention, reference
should be had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed and forming part
of this our Specification, and to the Diagrams placed thereon, on which
similar letters of reference are placed to denote similar parts at each of the
Figures respectively.
Figure 1, being a longitudinal and vertical section of our apparatus taken
through the line a, b, Figure 2; Figure 2, plan in section of Figure 1 through
the line c, d; Figure 3, elevational section through the line e, f, Figure 1;
and Figure 4, vertical section through the line g, h, Figure 1. A, retort;
B, interior vertical tube pierced with holes; C, vapour chamber or head of
the retort; D, basement supporting the interior tube; E, fire-place; F, vent
holes for the escape of the flames; G, vent holes corresponding to the chim-
ney; H, chimney; I, vent hole for cleansing; K, arch roof or escapement
vault; L, masonry of the furnace; M, course of the flames; N, brickwork
protecting the retort from the direct action of the fire; O, fire-grate. The
vertical sides of our retorts (which we term "vertical and parabolical retorts)
are formed of semi-cylindrical columns, alternately projecting and re-entering
(see A, Figure 2,) thereby increasing by nearly one-half the surface submitted
to the action of the fire. The result being that a greater quantity of the
mineral is simultaneously attacked by the caloric, and more particularly that
in the projecting columns, which is attacked on three sides at once, namely,
the point of projection and the two flanks. We apply the fire at the base of
the retort, so that the vapour disengaged from the bottom layers of mineral
shall traverse a centre not yet distilled, meeting fewer chances of conversion
into gas. We place in the centre of the retort a vertical tube (see B, Figures 1,
2, and 4), extending from the lower to the upper opening. This tube is
pierced in its entire height with holes, through which escape the bituminous
vapours discharging themselves into the refrigerant. This system presents
the advantage of dividing the mineral into vertical layers of less than ordinary
thickness, so that it no longer becomes necessary to increase the intensity of
the fire in order to reach the centre,
Having now described the nature of our said improvements, and the
means by which we carry them into practical effect, we desire it to be
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein
set forth, and shewn in the annexed Drawing, as such may (be) modified
without essentially departing from our Invention, which we declare to be,
and we claim, the formation of the retort, and the general arrangement and
combination herein described and shewn in the Drawing, as forming an

page_text: improved means of "Distilling Schist or Boghead Coal and other Minerals
for Lighting."
In witness whereof, we, the said Alexandre Réné Landre, Polydore Gras,
and Antoine Louis Auguste Boucherie, have hereunto set our hands
and seals, this Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
A. R. LANDRE.
POLYDORE GRAS.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
A. L. A. BOUCHERIE. (L.S.)
PIERRE HAM.
РЕЕ НАМ,
Proprietaire a Six Chartreux, No. 33, Marseille, France,
témoin des trois signatures, ci-contre.