Specification of Richard Goodwin : prepared fuel.

  • Goodwin, Richard B., 1934-
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of Richard Goodwin : prepared fuel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Goodwins Improved Prepared Fuel. and tlie manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that is to say):— My Invention of an improved prepared fuel consists in mixing or combining certain materials (which in themselves are nearly useless) in various pro¬ portions, so as to produce when combined a cheap and good fuel. 5 The composition consists of the under-mentioned articles, and is combined in the following proportions:—Seven parts of fullers’ earth or strong blue clay or loam, such as is or may be found in abundance in the neighbourhood of London, or the sediment mud or loamy earth from the banks or bottoms of rivers, canals, moats, or ponds; two parts of coal tar or pitch, or Stockholm 10 tar ; eight parts of small bituminous coal, such as will pass through a quarter- inch sieve (and which of itself is comparatively of no use for domestic purposes) ; three parts of mire, mud, or scrapings from the public highway roads, whether macadamized or paved, as in London. In combining these ingredients I use the following method ;—First, 115 make a layer of fullers’ earth, blue clay, or loam, or the sediment mud or loamy earth from the banks or bottom of a river, canal, moat, or pond ; I then take one of the two parts of coal tar, pitch, or Stockholm tar, and make a layer of it by pouring it on the before-named seven parts of fullers’ earth or clay; after which I take the eight parts of small coal with which I make a 20 layer upon the former; I then make another layer, consisting of the mud, mire, or scrapings of the public highway roads, and add, lastly, the remaining one part of coal tar, pitch, or Stockholm tar. If the mud, mire, or scrapings be in a fluid state, it will most probably contain sufficient water for the perfect mixing of the whole ; but if nearly dry, a sufficient quantity of water must be applied 25 to cause the whole of the materials to amalgamate; I then have the whole turned over with a shovel or other suitable instrument and thus mixed, and afterwards, for the more perfect incorporation of each component part with the other, I grind the whole in a mill actuated by horse, steam, or other power, the mill being constructed on a similar principle to those used for grinding or 30 mixing brick earth or mortar. The whole being thus thoroughly compounded and reduced to about the consistency of clay prepared for tile making, it may be formed or made into any convenient shape by the hand or in a mould, and afterwards dried in the same manner as bricks, and when hard the fuel will be fit for use. I would here notice, that when the fuel is about half dry it is 35 susceptible of compression, and may be reduced from the original size full one- sixth or more, still retaining its full strength as a fuel, which I believe to be equal to that of Merthyr coal, and spreading in its flame to that of Hartley Main, and consequently it presents to the steam navigator most incalculable