IMPROVEMENTS IN RE-BURNING ANIMAL CHARCOAL
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WILLIAM BOWMAN, of Great Alie Street, Goodman's Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Sugar Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James William Bowman, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
James William Bowman, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as J,
the said James William Bowman, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others; from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RE-BURNING ANIMAL CHARCOAL;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I; the said James
William Bowman, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar. months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
James William Bowman, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of applying revolving retorts to the re-burning of
animal charcoal, whereby animal charcoal requiring such process of re-burning
will be more readily and uniformly operated on, than when using fixed
apparatus.
And in order tha tmy Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of a retort and furnace, suitably arranged for
carrying out my Invention; Figure 2 is a back view; Figure 3 is a longi-
tudinal section; and Figure 4 is a transverse section of the apparatus. In
each Figure the same letters are used to indicate the same parts.
a, a, are the two fixed end plates, which form the bearings in which the
cylinder 6 turns. The cylinder 6 is the retort in which the process of re-burn-
ing animal charcoal is carried on. The retort 6 has a pulley formed at each
end to receive an endless chain c, or other means may be resorted to for
giving motion to the retort b. On the interior of the retort 6 are a series of
projections 6, which in the revolution of the cylinder 6, cause the animal
charcoal to be deflected off towards the centre of the cylinder b, and by such
means the animal charcoal is constantly changed in position and kept moving,
by which all parts will be more readily and uniformly acted on than when the
process is carried on in fixed retorts or apparatus. At each end of the retort
there is fixed a door or cover d, d, as shewn, the front cover d being so fixed
as to be readily removed; and when removed it may be suspended by the chain
Z which passes over pullies, and has a counterbalance weight m attached to it, as
shewn; e is an opening with a cover, through which the progress of the process
can be observed; and f is a tube in the back cover d, through which any vapours
driven off from the animal charcoal may pass away to a suitable condenser, or
otherwise; g is the fire-place or furnace for heating the retort, and to prevent
the fire acting too violently on the retort fire bricks or lumps h with openings
are interposed between the fire and the retort; i, i, are dampers, to regulate
the fire;j is an axis, which receives motion from a steam engine or other
power. On the axis j are fixed two pulleys k, k, which give motion to the

page_text: endless chains which move the retorts. The animal charcoal to be re-burned
is introduced into the retort, and the retort is then closed, and the process
goes on till the animal charcoal is sufficiently re-burned, as heretofore, the
retort being turned during the process; and when the process is complete, the
animal charcoal is withdrawn into suitable vessels, as heretofore.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood, that I do not
confine myself to the details shown and described, so long as the peculiar
character of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is, the application of
revolving retorts in the process of re-burning animal charcoal.
In witness whereof, I, the said James William Bowman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
JAMES WILLIAM (L.s.) BOWMAN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of January in
the year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid James William Bowman came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.