Screws-Phipps' Patent for Paving Streets, Roads, and Ways Poole's Patent for Improvements in the Construction of Masts for Ships and Vessels, and in Applying Shrouds. PLATE IX. Clement's Patent for ascertaining the Temperature of Fluids and Pressure of Steam-Waterhouse's Patent for Machinery for Carding Cotton, &c.-Sealey's Patent for an Improved Tile. PLATE X. Marsden and Robinson's Patent for Machinery for Dressing and Heckling Flax-Napier's Patent for Improvements in Steam-engines and Steam-boilers. PLATE XI. Varroc's Patent for Apparatus to be applied to Chimneys to prevent Fire, and render sweeping of them unnecessary. Chatwin's Patent for Improvements in the Manufacture of Covered Buttons-Ridgway's Patent for a New Method of Conveying and Distributing Heat in Ovens used by Manufacturers of China, &c. PLATE XII. Chance's Patent for Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass-Woolrich's Patent for Coating with Metal the Surfaces of Articles made of Metal. PLATE XIII. Henson's Patent for Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying Passengers, &c., through the Air. PLATE XIV. Taunton's Patent for Improvements in Machinery for Raising Weights-Betts' Patent for Improvements in Covering and Stopping the Necks of Bottles. PLATE XV. Juckes' Patent for Improvements in Furnaces— Hazard's Patent for Improvements in Ventilating Carriages and Cabins of Steam-boats-Stewart's Patent for Improvements in Hinges for Pianofortes, and other Purposes. PLATE XVI. Preller's Patent for Improvements in Preparing, Combing, and Drawing Wool, &c.-Rand's Patent for Improvements in Making and Closing Metallic Collapsable Vessels-Budd's Patent for Improvement in the Manufacture of Iron. PLATE XVII. York's Patent for Improvements in Axles for THE REPERTORY OF PATENT INVENTIONS. No. I. ENLARGED SERIES.-JANUARY, 1843. Specification of the Patent granted to THOMAS HEDLEY, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gentleman, and CUTHBERT RODHAM, of Gateshead, in the County of Durham, Millwright, for an Apparatus for Purifying the Smoke, Gases, and Noxious Vapours arising from certain Fires, Stoves, and Furnaces.-Sealed March 7, 1842. WITH AN ENGRAVING, To all to whom these presents shall come, &c., &c.Our invention relates to a mode of constructing an apparatus for purifying by washing the smoke, gases, and vapours of such fires, stoves, and furnaces, as during the process of combustion emit smoke, gases, or vapours highly charged with unconsumed carbon or chemical mineral and metallic matters of a noxious character. And in order that our invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the drawing hereunto annexed, first remarking, that we are aware that many attempts have been made to purify the smoke, gases, and vapours arising from the fires, stoves, or furnaces of manufactories, works, and buildings, by means of water, particularly copper and No. I.-VOL. I. B lead works, and some chemical works, also steam-engine boiler and other furnaces, but we believe without success, owing to the mode of applying the water having materially injured or destroyed the draft of the flues and chimney, and the application of water for such purposes has in many cases been abandoned. Now according to our invention, the smoke, gases, and vapours arising from fires, stoves, and furnaces when of a highly impure character are effectually purified, and the draft of the flues is improved, and the deposit of matters or solid particles separated from the water will be of value. Description of the Drawing. The drawing represents the section and plan of an apparatus constructed according to our invention, and it will be seen to consist of a series of ascending and descending flues connected with each other, as hereafter explained. The vapours, gases, and smoke arising from one or more fires, stoves, or furnaces, are made to pass through these flues, and then the purified products evolve from the chimney or other vent, and the apparatus is so arranged that streams or showers of water are caused to descend and mix with the vapours, gases, and smoke in the descending flues, by which means the vapours, gases, and smoke are washed and forced downwards. In the ascending flues no water is applied, consequently the vapours, gases, and smoke freely ascend, without any interruption, which they would not do if they were opposed by water falling upon them in their upward course, and it will be seen that the descending flues are placed so far apart from the ascending flues as to leave sufficient room to turn an arch at the top in a sloping or inclined direction downwards, and the partitions which divide the ascending from the descending flues are rounded at their lower ends, the effect of which will be found to be that the rush of water down the descending flues will cause a quick and powerful draft in the ascend ing flues; and] that the vapours, gases, and smoke will be purified by mixing with and being washed by the water in their downward course, and the draft in the ascending flues will at the same time be so powerful that the partly purified smoke, gases, and vapours will rush up the ascending flues. a, a, is the flue which comes from the fire, stove, or furnace to which the apparatus is applied. b, b, is an ascending flue leading to and turning over into the descending flue, d, by a flue, d', sloping down from the spring of the arch at the top of the flue, b, b. Above the flue, d, is placed a water box with a perforated plate at the bottom, d', through which the water in streams or showers passes down the flue, d, and mixing with the vapours, gases, and smoke, force them downwards and increase the draft in the ascending flue, b, b, in consequence of the flue or passage, d2, connecting the ascending flue, b, b, with the descending flue, d, being sloped or inclined downwards from the spring of the arch at an angle, as is shown in the drawing. It should be observed, that round the inside of the descending flues are ledges or projections, n, n, of an inch to an inch and a-half in breadth of brick, stone, slate, or other suitable material, which are placed at a distance of from three to four feet from each other, with an edge slanting down to prevent the possibility of any gases, vapours, or smoke escaping the water and passing up by the sides of the flue. The gases, vapours, and smoke in their downward passage become partly purified, and the matters carried thereby are separated and mix with the water, which passes into the tank or reservoir marked D, D, D, in figure 2, through the side apertures, k, k, k, k, at the bottom of the flues, and are run off by a sluice at the end into other reservoirs where the water is gradually drained off, and the matter so separated from the gases, vapours, and smoke removed. The water in the tank or reservoir, D, D, D, is so regulated by the sluice at the escape end as to stand as high above the aperture at the bottom of the flue, d, as will leave the passage into the ascending flue, e, e, to be of the same dimensions as the ascending and descending flues. The surface of the water being above the level of the aperture, k, forms a bottom to the flue, and offers such resistance to the current of gas, vapour, and smoke, then partly purified in its progress down the flue, d, as to cause it to pass round, into, and ascend up the flue, e, e, which communicates with the flue, d, at the lower end. The vapours, gases, and smoke then rise freely up the flue, e, e, in consequence of a strong draft being kept up in that flue by its opening into the descending flue, f, f, at its upper end, by a second inclined connecting flue, e', sloping downwards from the spring of the arch, where the smoke, gases, and vapours are forcibly driven down the descending flue, ƒ, ƒ, by another strong shower or stream of water rushing from another perforated box placed at the top of the flue, ƒ, ƒ, which mixes with further washes and purifies the gases, vapours, and smoke, and passes into the tank or reservoir, D, D, D, by the apertures, k, at the bottom of the flue. The surface of the water in the tank being also kept so far above the apertures at the bottom of the flue, f, f, as to leave a passage equal to the size of the flues for the gases, vapours, and smoke to pass round into and to ascend up the flue, g, g, (which communicates with flue, ff, at the lower end,) in consequence of the draft being kept up in the flue, g, g, by its opening into the descending flue, h, h, at its upper end, by a third inclined connecting flue sloping downwards from the spring of the arch where the gases, smoke, and vapours are forcibly driven down the descending flue, h, h, by another strong shower from a similar perforated box or cistern placed at the top of this flue, which mixes with and further washes the gases, vapours, and smoke in the same manner as above described, and a further deposit is made which flows through the opening at the bottom of this flue into the tank or reservoir, D, D, D. The process will be |