IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SMELTING AND REDUCING ORES AND METALS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 12, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SMELTING AND REDUCING ORES AND METALS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Loomis George Marshall, of Philadelphia,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 30th August 1864, and dated the 22nd June 1864.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 22nd June 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 12, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SMELTING AND REDUCING ORES AND METALS," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration
that it has been communicated to me from abroad by Loomis George
Marshall, of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawing, with letters marked thereon, making
a part of this Specification.
These improvements relate to a furnace constructed with four wings at the
bottom, for which reason it is designated a "winged furnace," and other
devices connected therewith, and said Invention consists chiefly in arranging
a reservoir containing water at the top of the stack, and another containing
the refining flux at the side, with the arrangement and novel combination
of the pipes for conducting water, refining flux, and hot air, and also in
constructing the furnace with wings arranged on each side of the same, the
said wings having moveable tops, with side doors, and a perforated inclined
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete apparatus; Figure 2 is a
view of the moveable cover of the wings G. The same letters refer to like
parts in both the Figures.
A is the reservoir located at the top of the stack containing heated water,
which is a conductor and aids in fluxing the metals; B, B, are pipes leading
from the wings of the furnace to the reservoir A; C is the stack or bosh with
a door D at the side, through which the ores and coal are admitted. It bas a
square bottom E and four wings G connected with it, one on each side.
H, H, are reservoirs which contain a composition to be carried down the
pipes J to combine with the heated air and water at the orifice pipes K, and
compose the flux at the bottom of the wing under the fluid mass.
Each wing
has a similar furnace L in front, and when it is covered, all the blast is on the
The blast is carried through the upper aperture M into the
bosh C, and the fluid mass is drawn from the lower aperture on to the bed N,
where it is refined, left to settle, and the slag is discharged or drawn through
the aperture P at the side of the wing, and the refined metal is drawn from
the aperture R underneath; S are doors at the sides of the wings for the
purpose of watching the operation of the fluxing on both sides of the wings.
The pipes connect alike with the orifice pipe K, and pass through its two
conducting pipes T into the lower part of the wing. The hot air pipes V
extend up into the bosh or stack, and are also connected with the orifice
pipes K to regulate the pipes B with heat. The wings are covered with a

page_text: moveable top G¹. The platform I that surrounds the stack is for the purpose
of enabling the workmen to feed the stack with the ore and coals for the
furnace underneath. The cut-off or slide W is for the purpose of covering
the lower aperture N³, and opening or closing it while the fluid is being
drawn off at each one, opening one wing after the other, so as to keep drawing
off continually the fluid while the fluxing is going on in the bosh C. This
furnace is intended for the smelting of all the various ores and refining the
metals, and especially adapted to the smelting and refining gold, silver,
copper, tin, platinum, lead, nickel, and iron by fluxing. The rock or ores are
first broken into small pieces and laid in a pile, then a thin solution of clay
water is poured on the mass until well saturated and covered, then the mass
is put into the furnace at the door of the stack with sufficient coal or wood to
melt the same. When the metallic ores are melted in the furnace, they are
drawn out into one or more of the wings, and the following fluxes are applied,
viz., heated water, petroleum oil, borax, and salamoniac, prussiate of potash,
in proper quantities for the different kinds of ores, the ingredients being
dissolved in heated water; they are introduced into each wing through a pipe
leading into orifices at both sides of each wing, and this flux is deposited in
the bottom of the wing directly under the perforated bed plate N, where the
melted mass of ores is settling, and as the flux comes in contact with the
intense heat, tho adhesive force of the caloric vapor and the expansion being
so great it is impossible for the metal to touch the bottom before it is
thoroughly expanded, and the heated air drives the heated water and the
mixtures with the greatest heat known, thus purifying the metals. When the
mpass is well purified the flux is shut off, but the furnace in the front end of
wing is still in full blast, so as to hold the fluid mass as fluid as possible until
the mass is well settled, then the slag is drawn off through the aperture at the
side, and the purified or refined metal at the aperture in the bottom of the
wing. With this apparatus I refine iron from the ores, so as to make a good
quality of steel, by adding a sufficient quantity of alcohol to the flux in the
pipes, and a portion of carbon and limestone in the furnace with petroleum
oil or their equivalents.
Having particularly described and ascertained the nature of said improve-
ments, I claim as my Invention,-
First, the arrangement of the reservoir of water at top of stack in com-
bination with a reservoir at side of stack containing the refining flux, with
their connecting pipes that conduct the heated water and flux to the side
wings below.
Second, the four side wings with their connecting pipes, moveable top, and

page_text: perforated inclined bed, as arranged in combination with the smelting furnace
for the purpose of smelting and refining the ores, and drawing off the fluid
continually while the fluxing is going on in the bosh.
In witness whereof, I, the said George. Haseltine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)