rollers or pulleys is caused to assume an upright position, and the rope will be bent out of a straight line by passing over one roller or pulley and under the other, by which its progress will be retarded and kept more under control of the power which is applied to work the upright barrel or capstan.

Having thus stated the nature of my said invention, I will proceed more fully to describe the manner of performing the same.

Description of the Drawing.

Figs. 1 and 2, show two similar arrangements or combinations of apparatus according to my invention, but the ropes in the two cases are shown to be moving in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows; a, a, are the capstan barrels of the form which is preferred; b, b, are pairs of guide pulleys between which the ropes, c, c, pass. These pairs of pulleys are mounted or carried by uprights, d, d, which are capable of inclining in one direction by moving on their axes, e, e, when the motion of the ropes is in that direction, but the uprights are prevented inclining in the opposite direction by the stops, f, f.

In fig. 1, the rope is shown to be moving from left to right, in which case the rope would be unwinding from a drum or barrel to the left of the upright, then around the barrel or capstan, and thence to the weight which is being lowered, and the rope under such circumstances will be bent out of its course by the pair of guide pulleys.

The rope, in fig. 2, is shown to be moving in the opposite direction, and is supposed to be winding on a barrel to the left of the guide rollers, and that the right hand end of the rope is raising a weight, in which case by the inclination of the upright the rope is not deflected but is kept in a straight line; the guide pulleys under such circumstances do not tend to retard the passage of the rope between them. The axis of the guide pulleys may be arranged, if desired, so that they may be caused to work nearer to or farther from each other at different times.

Having thus described the nature of my invention, and the manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of the mechanical parts separately; but what I claim is, the combined apparatus herein described.—In witness, &c.

THOMAS BROWN.

3

Specification of the Patent granted to GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for Improvements in the Preparation of Dough for Bread, Pastry, Cake, and other Farinaceous Articles of Food.-Dated August 15, 1857.-(A com munication.)

WITH AN ENGRAVING.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c., &c.— Fig. 1, is a plan of the machine employed in the working of the process.

Fig. 2, is a vertical section thereof; and

Fig. 3, is a separate view of the central shafts and blades. The same letters indicate like parts in all the

or arms.

figures.

The object of this invention is to prepare dough or paste in such a way that in the process of preparing and baking it will be raised or leavened without the necessity of mixing therewith chemical agents, the presence or consequences of which are deleterious; and to this end the said invention consists in mixing the dough in a close vessel under gaseous pressure. And the said invention also consists in discharging the dough or paste which has been mixed under gaseous pressure from the vessel in which it was so mixed by the pressure of the gas, so that it can be taken in quantities of the required size directly from the discharge to the oven or other cooking apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing, a represents a vertical vessel with a closed bottom, b, provided with a discharge pipe, c, having a cock or valve, by opening which the dough will be allowed to be forced out, and as the dough is forced out the attendant works the cock or valve to cut off in quantities required for the determined size of loaves. The section of the passage through the plug of the cock may be varied in form as may be desired. The said vessel has a moveable head, d, at top, formed with a rebate, e, all around the under surface thereof, and near its edge, and provided with suitable packing to make a perfectly air-tight joint, when the said head is forced down by means of screw nuts and bolts, f, f, or other equivalent means on to the edge of the vessel; within this vessel is a vertical rotating shaft, g, turning on a pivot at bottom, and formed with a journal at

top that passes through a stuffing box, A, in the bead or top, d that it may carry a paley, i, at its upper end and outside of the vessel, a, by which motion may be imparted. Radial blades or arms, j, project from different parts of the length of the scaft, and of such length as just to clear the inner surface of the vessel, a; the faces of the blades are from the shaft outward oblique to the plane of motion, so that their under surfaces shall act on the dough, to gradually force it downward towards the bottom of the vessel as the shaft rotates, and there are corresponding blades or arms, A, projecting inward from the inner surface of the vessel, a, and extending to within a short distance of the surface of the shaft, and so located that the Blades on the shaft pass between them. The vessel, a, is provided with a receiving cock, 4, and an exhaust cock, m, at the top or at the side as seen in fig. 2, one of which is to be connected by suitable pipes with a gasometer or other apparatus containing carbonic acid gas under high pressure, which said apparatus may be such as is used for soda water, and therefore does not require to be described or represented; the other cock, m, is to be connected with any suitable apparatus for exhausting the vessel of air.

For working the said process, take off the top, d. and put into the vessel, a, the required quantity of flour previously mixed with salt and water, and then put on the top, and exhaust the vessel of atmospheric air, and then open the connexion with the gasometer that the gas may be forced in under heavy pressure, and then put the shaft in motion that the blades on the shafts and vessel may thoroughly mix the ingredients; the continued rotation of the shaft causes the blades to thoroughly mix the flour with the water, and to work the dough, which thus becomes charged with gas under heavy pressure.

When the operator is under the impression that the dough has been sufficiently worked and charged, he has only to open the cock or valve of the discharge pipe, c, and the pressure inside will force out some of the dough for inspection. If it has not been sufficiently worked, the cock or valve is to be reclosed and the working continued, but if sufficiently worked, as the dough is forced out of the discharge pipe by the pressure inside, the operator cuts it off in pieces of the required size to form loaves, cakes, &c., and which are immediately put into the oven to bake.

As the dough is thus mixed and worked, it becomes

thoroughly charged with gas, and so soon as the dough is discharged from the vessel, a, and its exterior surface thereby relieved of the pressure under which it was mixed, the compressed gas expands, and in expanding swells the dough, and continues to swell it under the action of the heat in the oven during the process of baking, leaving the bread thoroughly raised or leavened.

It is obvious, from the foregoing, that a sufficient degree of lightness may be imparted to the dough by regulating the degree of pressure under which it is mixed, but care should be taken not to manipulate or work the dough after it is relieved from such pressure, which working or manipulating is avoided by discharging the dough from the vessel, a, by the force of the gaseous pressure, so that as it comes out of the vessel, a, it can be cut off in quantities of the required size, and be taken immediately to the oven without manipulation, which manipulation would have a tendency to force out of the dough a part of the gas, and cause the bread or other article to be heavy, or unleavened; care should also be taken not to diminish the pressure under which the dough has been mixed until the dough has been discharged from the vessel, a, as such diminution of pressure also has a tendency to cause the bread to be heavy or unleavened.

And although I have stated that a soda water apparatus may be used for containing and supplying the carbonic acid gas, as a means of producing the required pressure in the process of mixing the dough, and I have also described a construction of apparatus for mixing the dough under pressure, I do not wish it to be understood as limiting the invention to the use of such special means, as it will be obvious that any other apparatus for supplying the gas, and for mixing or kneading dough or paste under gaseous pressure in a closed vessel may be substituted.

And although I have found it more convenient to introduce the water and gas separately, it will be obvious that the water previously charged with carbonic acid gas may be introduced instead, but in that case care should be taken to exhaust the atmospheric air from the vessel, a, and charge the vessel, a, with carbonic acid gas under sufficient pressure to prevent the escape of gas from the charged water as it is being forced into and mixed with the flour, &c., in the vessel.

And it will be also obvious that instead of carbonic acid

gas any other gas which is not deleterious may be substituted, although I have given preference to carbonic acid gas, having found it to produce the best results.

What I claim as the invention, and desire to secure by letters patent is, the process of preparing dough or paste for making bread, cakes, or other farinaceous articles of food, by mixing the materials with gas, under pressure, in a closed vessel, substantially as described, as a means of leavening or raising the same, as set forth; and I also claim discharging the dough, &c., as aforesaid from the vessel by the gaseous pressure, as it is required, substantially as and for the purpose specified.—In witness, &c.

GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD.

Specification of the Patent granted to GEORGE WILLIAM LENOX, of Billiter-square, in the City of London, Iron Cable and Anchor Manufacturer, for Improvements in Apparatus for Sounding Alarums at Sea.-Dated September 1, 1857.

WITH AN ENGRAVING.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c., &c.— This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for sounding alarums at sea. For these purposes, in constructing buoys, floating lights, and other floating bodies anchored at sea, they are made with keels, or in such manner that they will turn with the tide, and through or under such floating bodies passages are formed below the lines of flotation, through which the water will flow, and within these passages the lower parts of undershot wheels are applied. On the axes of the water wheels are cranks, which give motion to rods which pass through guides near their upper ends. At the upper parts of such floating bodies are fixed bells, the hammers of which are mounted on weighted levers, and as the upper ends of the connecting rods are raised they come under, lift, and pass the tail ends of the hammer levers, which descending by their weights strike the bells,

Having thus stated the nature of my said invention, I will proceed more fully to describe the manner of performing the same.