IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF VINEGAR, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE SAID Manufacture
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rothwell Pounsett, of Milton House, Lindfield,
in the County of Sussex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF VINEGAR, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE SAID
Manufacture:"
Scaled the 27th July 1875, and dated the 5th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rothwell Pounsett at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th February 1875.
I, ROTHWELL POUNSETT, of Milton House, Lindfield, in the County
of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF VINEGAR, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE," to be as follows:-
According to the method of making vinegar usually practised the
liquor or "wash" which is to be converted into vinegar is caused to
trickle through birch twigs or strainers contained in a vat through which
a current of air passes, the alcoholic mixture in the said "wash" being

page_text: acetified by contact with the oxygen of the air. I have found in practice
that the time required for the process varies according to the tem-
perature and purity of the atmosphere, and that the acetification is more
quickly completed in winter than in summer.
According to my Invention instead of allowing the surrounding air to
pass at its then prevailing temperature direct into the acetifying vats as
is now usual I supply the said vats with air which has been artificially
cooled and purified. For this purpose I connect the said vats by means
of pipes with any suitable refrigerating apparatus, into and through
which the air is caused to pass on its way to the vats. In that part of
the said cooling apparatus through which the air passes I put charcoal
or other chemical deodorizing or purifying agent, and wool or other
suitable filtering medium, the object of the former being to absorb any
volatile impurities with which the air passing through it. may be con-
taminated, and that of the latter to arrest dust and other particles. The
acetifying vats are thus constantly supplied with puro or nearly pure air
of low temperature, whereby the process is expedited and vinegar of
superior quality is produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Rothwell Pounsett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROTHWELL
POUNSETT, of Milton House, Lindfield, in the County of Sussex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Rothwell Pounsett, Her special license that I,
the said Rothwell Pounsett, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Rothwell Pounsett, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF VINEGAR, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Rothwell Pounsett,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, 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 I, the said Rothwell Pounsett, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
According to the method of making vinegar usually practised the
liquor or "wash" which is to be converted into vinegar is caused to
trickle through birch twigs or strainers contained in a vat, through
which a current of air passes, the alcoholic mixture or "wasli" being
acetified by contact with the oxygen of the air. I have found in practice
that the time required for the process varies according to the tom-
perature and purity of the atmosphere, and that the acetification is moro
quickly completed in winter than in summer.
According to my Invention instead of allowing the air of the chamber
or building in which the acetifying vats are situated to pass at its then
prevailing condition and temperature direct into the said vats, as is now
usual, I supply the said vats with air (drawn by preference from outside
the said building, i.c., the external atmosphere), which has been
artificially cooled and purified. For this purpose I connect the said vat
by means of pipes with any suitable refrigerating apparatus, into and
through which the air passes on its way to the vats. In that part of the
apparatus through which the air passes I put charcoal or other chemical
or deodorizing, or purifying agent, and chloride of calcium or other.
suitable deliquescent salt, and wool or other suitable filtering medium,
the object of the charcoal being to absorb any volatile impurities with.
which the air passing through it may be contaminated, that of the

page_text: :
chloride of calcium or other deliquescont salt being to absorb moisture,
and that of the wool or other filtering medium being to arrest dust and
other particles. The acetifying vats are thus constantly supplied with
pure or nearly pure air of low temperature (containing it is believed on
an average at least two per cent. more oxygen than the atmosphere
ordinarily contains) whereby the process is expedited and vinegar of
superior quality is produced.
Having now described the naturo of my Invention I will proceed to
describe the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawing and to the letters and figures
marked thereon.
The said Drawing represents in vertical longitudinal section apparatus
constructed according to my said Invention for cooling and purifying
the air to be admitted to the acetifying vats. The arrows indicate the
course of the said air.
A is a wooden box or case containing chambers B, C, D, E. a' is the
inlet opening through which the air passes from a chamber F containing
wool or other filtering medium, which is held in position by wooden
gratings f, f¹; b is a partition by which the chambers B and C are
separated, space being left between its lower edge and the bottom of the
box for the passage of the air. G, G; are copper vessels extending from
side to side of the box A and connected by the pipe g', through which
vessels cold water is caused to pass, the said water entering through the
pipe g, and passing out through the pipe g³, both of which pipes are
furnished with stop-cocks g*, g*. The chambers D, E, which are coated
with some suitable waterproof composition, such as varnish, are nearly
filled with chloride of calcium or other suitable deliquescent salt.
a³, a³, are lids or doors, by removing which access may be had to the
chambers D and E when it is required to charge them; as, a³, are holes
for the passage of air; a¹, at, are air passages; d¹, d², d³, and e, e, are
holes through which the solution of chloride of calcium drops as it is
formed by the continual absorption of the moisture from the air; the
holes d³, d², also serve for the passage of the air into the chamber E.
From the box A the air passes by the pipes a' and ¹ to another wooden
box or case I, surrounded by a wooden jacket or casing ³. The said box
contains chambers J, K, L, and M, the sides k¹, k¹, l¹, l', and m³, m³, of

page_text: which are of slate or other suitable substance. Charcoal or other
chemical deodorizing or purifying agent is placed in the chamber J and
on the grating j¹, and ice. is placed in the chambers K, L, and M.
k², m³, are perforated supports upon which the bottoms of the chambers
K and M respectively rest; 12, 13, are pipes throngh which any water
from the ice in the chambers K and M passes into the chamber L, the
water from which is drawn off by means of a pipe 1, furnished with a
stop cock . ³, i³, are air passages; is one of the exit pipes through
which the cooled and purified air passes to the vats; ³, ³, are lids or
doors through which access may be had to the chambers when it is
wished to charge them.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-The air to be cooled and
purified (which is drawn by preference from outside the building, the
apparatus being by preference placed outside the said building), enters
by the openings in the side f of the chamber F. As the said air passes
through the chamber F any dust and other solid impurities are arrested
by the wool or other filtering medium in the said chamber, from which
the air then passes over the surface of the vessels G, G, in the chambers
B and C and is cooled thereby. It then passes through the chloride of
calcium, which takes up all or nearly all the moisture of the said air,
which air then passes to the box or case I and through the charcoal or
other disinfectant or deodorant in the chamber J, and is thereby deprived
of volatile impurities. As the air passes over the surfaces of the
chambers K, L, and M it is cooled. When the said air has been thus
purified and cooled it passes by the pipes to the acetifying vats.
The apparatus A may be used without the apparatus I, or vice versa,
but I prefer to use them in combination.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein-before described, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention;
neither do I limit myself to any particular kind of refrigerating and
purifying apparatus, as any other suitable apparatus for refrigerating
and purifying air may be used in carrying out my said Invention. But
I claim as my said Invention, using air which has been artificially
cooled and purified for the purpose of supplying the acctifying vats in

page_text: which weak spirit or other alcoholic wash or mixture is converted into
vinegar, such air being preferably drawn from the external atmosphere.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rothwell Pounsett, have hereunto
set hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
my
Witness,
B. WILLCOX,
Clerk to H. H. Murdoch,
7, Staple Inn,
London.
ROTHWELL POUNSETT. (L.S.)