A.D. 1806, July 25.-No. 2952.

LAMB, JOHN.- Improvements in and upon a machine for extracting fresh water from the salt water of the ocean "(by distillation), and other purposes, at sea and elsewhere.” The principal points that relate to distilling in this apparatus

are:

The distilling arrangements are a part of a caboose for the purpose of cooking at sea.

Dampers are freely used to confine the heat and to direct it to the part of the machine which is being used. "All the "boilers are to be placed in the back part of the hearth or

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caboose, and by drawing out a horizontal damper to be "made in the back side of the hearth or caboose, and to draw "out from between the cooking boilers and the distilling "boiler, will admit the fire to draw under the distilling "boiler."

A movable cover is fitted on the top of the distilling boiler, by which the sea water is introduced. By the side of this cover is a still head, into which the steam rises and passes along a tube into the worm of a condensing vessel, which vessel is filled with cold sea water. The fresh water flows out of the worm into a reservoir.

On the top of one or more of the cooking boilers is also fitted a distilling apparatus.

In the top of the refrigerating vessel is to be a hole to admit a kettle for cooking by steam. The steam is let into the kettle by a pipe leading from the pipe fitted to the cooking boiler, and the steam passes out of the kettle into a pipe that leads into the worm of the refrigerating vessel. A hand pump,

fitted to the said vessel, draws off the water when it becomes hot, "so as to admit cold sea-water for condensing the evaporation as before mentioned."

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[Printed, 4d. No Drawings. See Repertory of Arts, vol. 11 (second series), p. 407.]

A.D. 1809, April 18.-No. 3225.

ARCHBOLD, JOHN FREDERICK. "A method of converting "salt or sea water into fresh water, both on land and on "board of ship at sea."

This invention "is for producing pure fresh water from "salt or sea water by distillation on a new principle and by "filtration."

The method of distillation is by enclosing the still in a steam jacket, and thus exposing its exterior to a heat much beyond that of boiling water. The steam jacket has a safety valve and may have a horizontal flue. On board ship a reservoir of salt water on the deck of the vessel supplies the still or stills with water by means of pipes, the pipes being suitably fitted with cocks.

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"For the purpose of condensing on board of ship, the tube containing the steam to be condensed may pass through the ship, and along any part of the outside of it which lies immediately in the water, and again entering the ship it "discharges the condensed matter into any vessel which may "be designed for its reception."

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After the sea water has been distilled "it is passed through a filterer, of which the following is a description :—A small cylindrical case is made of tin or other metal, and being "filled with pounded charcoal, each end is stopped by a "circular cover, perforated with holes fine enough to prevent "the charcoal from passing through; one end of this case is "inserted into a cask, also partly filled with pounded charcoal, " and the water being poured into the cask filters out through "the case.

[Printed, 4d. No Drawings. See Repertory of Arts, vol. 16 (second series), p. 262.]

A.D. 1810, February 27.-No. 3312.

STEPHENSON, JOSEPH. "purifying water."

-A"machine for filtering and

This filter consists of an arrangement of parts whereby water poured into the "descending branch descends through

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compressed spunge through a stratum of charcoal, and then "through another stratum of sand, when it reaches the bottom "of the compartment, under the descending branch, whence "it passes through the opening at the bottom of the middle "division into the other compartment, and then ascends through a stratum of sand, through a stratum of charcoal, "and through another stratum of sand, and rises into the ascending branch, which serves as a reservoir for the filtered

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"water. In the last-mentioned compartment a cock or pipe as may be required, is inserted above the upper face of the upper stratum of sand for the purpose of drawing off the "filtered water as it may be wanted for use."

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In one of the forms of this apparatus, the body consists of a chest with a vertical and central partition. In the cover, there is a hole over each compartment; into one hole is inserted the smaller end of a conical vessel, and over the other hole is placed a conical vessel with its base downwards. Each conical vessel communicates with the interior of the chest by means of its open bottom. The inverted cone is called the descending branch, the upright cone the ascending branch. The descending branch has sponge compressed into its small end, and the ascending branch carries a cock or pipe to draw off the filtered water.

In another form, sponge compressed between gratings is employed.

[Printed, 4d. No Drawings. See Repertory of Arts, vol. 17 (second series), p. 65.]

A.D. 1811, August 7.-No. 3472.

ASHLEY, JOHN.-" An improved filtering vessel for purifying "and cleaning water."

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The vessel may be made of any "material that is sweet "and water-tight. The filtrating medium consists of well"cleansed sand from the sea, Thames drift, or quarry, and "fine gravel, the quantity about half the contents of the "" vessel. An inch from the bottom of the vessel is fixed a " perforated plate, having a pipe in the centre extending up"wards to the cistern." "On the plate is put a layer of fine gravel about two inches thick, but not so fine as to pass the "holes in the plate; on the gravel is laid a stratum of the "sand, about eight inches thick, and then a layer of fine gravel about two inches thick; which filtrating medium is closely pressed down with the perforated plate like the other, and the plate made fast to the side of the vessel; "four inches above this plate is secured water-tight, to the "inside of the vessel a sound plate," "which makes the upper part of the vessel a cistern to hold the water to be filtered, wherein if the fœtedness of the water require it, may be immersed bruised charcoal in canvass bags." "At

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"the upper end of the pipe, which is fixed in the centre of "the lower plate, is a perforated screw socket, to receive a "hollow screw fixed to the end of a small pipe, which, when " in the socket, gives air to the space at the bottom of the ❝ vessel. The water from the cistern passes through the perforated screw to the bottom space, and ascends through "the filtrating medium, whereby it is purified and made clear, " and remains in the space above it to be drawn off by the "cock when wanted; by raising or lowering the screw pipe in "the socket the water is filtered quick or slow. In the bottom "of the cistern is placed the washer and plug or valve, by opening of which and filling the cistern with water the "filtering medium is cleansed downwards and the foul water "drawn off by the lower cock. By taking out the screw pipe "the water in the cistern also washes the sediment that "settles at the bottom of the vessel through the cock; a "small pipe is fixed in the cistern to give air to that part of "the vessel that contains the clear water."

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[Printed, 6d. Drawing. See Rolls Chapel Reports, 8th Report, p. 85.]

A.D. 1812, February 8.-No. 3538.

DICKINSON, ROBERT, and MAUDSLAY, HENRY.—“ A process for sweetning water and other liquids, and applicable "to other purposes.

"Our process consists simply in forcing a stream or streams "of air through the foul or tainted water intended to be "rendered sweet." "The means which we have found best "for this purpose are either bellows or a pump. If bellows "be employed, a tube or hose made of leather or any similar "contrivance will be found a convenient appendage fastened "to the nozle of the bellows for conveying the air into the "water casks, and it will be found convenient to attach to the "end intended to discharge the air a piece of tube made of " iron or copper and perforated with small holes, to divide the "air into numerous small streams, that the surface of water brought into contact with the air may be the greater. If a pump be employed, which we prefer, it should be furnished "with a similar hose or pipe, and the valves may be so dis66 posed that the pump on being worked may at each stroke "take in a charge of air, and force it to pass through the

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"water intended to be purified. In either case, the tube that discharges the air into the water should pass into it deep enough to reach the bottom of the cask." "The pump "intended for this process may 'be rendered applicable to "other useful purposes on board ship, as for watering a ship "from alongside, and conveying the water, when required, "from the hold to the deck; and by means of an air vessel "and discharging pipe judiciously attached to the pump, it may be employed as an engine for wetting the sails or extinguishing fire; and, in addition to all these uses, the same pump may be easily adapted to the purpose of venti“lation, by drawing foul air from the hold and replacing it "with fresh air."

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[Printed, 4d. No Drawings. See Repertory of Arts, vol. 22 (second series), p. 129; and Rolls Chapel Reports, Sth Report, p. 89.]

A.D. 1818, January 15.-No. 4201.

FRASER, JAMES." A cooking machine for the more simple "and effectual decomposition of salt water, and render the "said salt water more useful to the general purposes of a

ship's crew at sea, without any extra apparatus except the "said cooking machine; or in other words, its structure will answer the end of a worm or condenser and worm tub, &c. "&c."

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This invention consists in the combination of a cooking apparatus with such additional parts as will enable sea water to be distilled; "also in making a flue or flues to pass through "the water of the boiler, for the joint purpose of heating the "water in the boiler and the oven above it at the same time; " and, lastly, in applying a breakwater and current of air to act upon the distilled water when in a divided state."

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"The sea water is boiled and converted into steam in a "boiler or vessel so constructed as to be heated by the surplus heat of an open fire, at which roasting or the ordinary operations of cooking can and may be " "performed "in addition to the cooking which may at the same time be going on in the vessels which are heated by the steam of "the sea water issuing from the boiler, to which other extra "fires are applied for quickening the process; or, when cooking in these vessels is not required, they may be filled

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