THE MECHANICS' MAGAZINE, MUSEUM, Register, Journal, AND GAZETTE, JANUARY 6TH.-JUNE 29TH, 1844. EDITED BY J. C. ROBERTSON. VOL. XL. "Man invents-there lies his strength."-DE LA MARTINE. LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JAMES BOUNSALL, 1844. DR. PAYERNE'S IMPROVED METHODS OF SUPPORTING RESPIRATION IN CONFINED PLACES, AND OF PURIFYING MINES, FACTORIES, HOSPITALS, ETC. [Patent dated, June 15, 1843; Specification enrolled, December 15, 1843.] WHEN about eighteen months ago Dr. Payerne made his well-remembered exhibitions at the Polytechnic Institution, West India Docks, &c., (see Mech! Mag., vol. xxxvii., pp. 185 and 260,) a patent for England was at the same time taken out (July 7, 1842) on his behalf by Mr. William Revell Vigers, for a "mode of keeping the air in confined places in a pure or respirable state to enable persons to remain at work under water, and in other places, without a constant supply of atmospheric air;" which patent was duly specified January 7, 1843. Since then Dr. Payerne has made several valuable improvements in his invention, which form the subject of a patent taken out in his own name 15th June last, and specified on the 15th of last month. All the notices which we have previously given of Dr. Payerne's labours having been of a very general and cursory character, and having now before us the specifications of both patents, we propose, with the aid of these documents, to trace the Doctor step by step through his course of discovery and improvements to the point of superior practical efficiency at which he appears to have now arrived. The Specification of the first patent (that in Mr. Vigers's name) gives the following statement of the means which Dr. Payerne then considered to be the best for accomplishing the objects he had in view : "The said mode of keeping the air in confined places in a pure or respirable state to enable persons to remain, or work under water and in other places without a constant supply of fresh atmospheric air, is performed by absorbing from the air, in confined places, the carbonic-acid gas, wherewith such air will always become more or less contaminated in consequence of the breathing of men and animals, or burning of candles, lamps, or gas-lights, or burning of fires of wood, charcoal, coals, turf, or other fuel, or in consequence of any evolution of carbonicacid gas, or any explosion of gunpowder, which may take place in the said air in confined places. And further, in case such air is to be kept in a pure state by supplying the said air from which the carbonic-acid gas has been absorbed, as aforesaid, as much oxygen gas as may be requisite for replacing the oxygen which may have been abstracted from the said air during such breathing or burning, or such evolution or explosion as aforesaid. The absorption of carbonic-acid gas from air in confined places which has become contaminated with such acid gas, is effected by forcing the air to pass in a current or currents in contact with an alkali rendered caustic by means of recentlyburned quick lime, so as to be capable of absorbing carbonic acid from the air which is so brought in contact with such caustic alkali and quicklime, which are to be mixed together in water. Or such quicklime may be used alone without alkali, and either in a pulverulent state and slaked, or the quicklime may be mixed with water, and the restoration of oxygen to air in confined places, which is become deficient thereof, is effected by allowing oxygen gas to escape gradually into such air from some kind of close vessel into which a large quantity of oxygen gas has been previously compressed with great force and retained therein under strong compression, or otherwise, by means of potash previously prepared in the state of peroxyde of potassium, that is, potassium charged with an additional portion of oxygen beyond what is contained in caustic potash, fragments of such peroxyde being put into water will emit, or give out the said additional portion of oxygen in the state of gas. Or otherwise, by means of chlorate of potash, or of peroxyde of manganese, or of both those substances, which, being submitted to heat in a suitable apparatus, will (as is well known) emit, or give out a portion of oxygen in the state of gas. And the oxygen gas, whether proceeding directly from such substances, or from compression in close vessels as aforesaid, by mixing with the air in confined places which has become deficient in oxygen (but which is already freed from carbonicacid gas) will restore the said air to a pure or respirable state. The removal of carbonic-acid gas from the air in confined places is the most important part of the invention, and that alone will be sufficient for keeping the air in a respirable DR. PAYERNE'S IMPROVED METHODS OF SUPPORTING RESPIRATION, ETC. 3 state, in places which, although they may be confined places, nevertheless, contain a large quantity of confined air in proportion to the number of persons, or animals breathing, and of lights or fires burning in such confined air, such, for instance, as crowded theatres, courts of justice, and other public places, also the lower parts of the interior of large ships, the cells of prisons, wards of hospitals, and apartments of sick persons, also in extensive excavations of mines, in all which cases the ordinary means of ventilation can be practised with some effect. In still more confined places, and where such ventilation is difficult and inefficient, the restoration of oxygen will be important, as well as the removal of carbonicacid, such for instance, as long and small galleries of deep mines, and in diving apparatus, or submarine boats or vessels, wherein persons are to remain and work under water; also in crowded transport ships, and hospital ships, where the quantity of confined air is small in proportion to the persons, animals, lights, or fires breathing or burning in such confined air. Respecting the absorption of carbonic-acid gas from the air in confined places, the said air is to be put in motion by some means which will produce a current thereof, and such current is to be passed in contact with the caustic alkali and quicklime, or with the quicklime." A great many contrivances for giving motion to the vitiated air, and bringing it into contact with the absorbent and purifying mixtures, are then described; but we select the description given of what is truly termed "the simplest" of all, as illustrating better than any of the others the principles of this part of Dr. Payerne's system :— "The invention may be practised in the simplest manner, with very ordinary apparatus; for instance, a common pair of leathern bellows for domestic use in kitchens, but strongly made, and in good condition, so as to blow forcibly, will serve for producing the required motion and current of the air in a confined place; and an ordinary wooden pail, or bucket, or earthen pan, or other like vessel, will serve to contain the caustic alkali and lime, and the water wherewith the same is to be mixed, or the quicklime and water, and by means of which water the ingredients are to be reduced to a liquid state. The quantities of those ingredients may in general be reckoned at the following rate for each person who is to breathe the air of the confined place in question, viz., four ounces of the potash of commerce of the best quality, and twenty ounces of newly burned quicklime, and about twelve pounds of fresh water. Or otherwise-two pounds of newly burned quicklime, and about sixteen pounds of fresh water, without alkali. The said ingredients or ingredient being mixed up in the water in the bucket, or other vessel, and the nozzle of the bellows being prolonged by an iron pipe, bended downwards, the end of that pipe is to be immersed in the liquid, so as to descend nearly to the bottom of the vessel, and then by blowing strongly with the bellows, the air of the place wherein the bellows are situated will, by action thereof, be blown downward some depth into the liquid, nearly to the bottom of the vessel; and by its buoyancy, the air will ascend again through the liquid in bubbles, so as to be passed very effectually in con- .. tact therewith, and with the caustic alkali and quicklime, (or with the quicklime,) which is mixed with the water, and which is kept mixed by the agitation occasioned by the bubbling of the air through the mixture. The lime which is thus employed having, by its recent burning, been deprived of carbonic acid, has a strong tendency to absorb carbonic acid; and when the lime is mixed, as aforesaid, with the potash of commerce, which contains carbonic acid, the latter is absorbed by the lime, so as to deprive the potash of its carbonic acid, and render it caustic, and the mixture of caustic potash and lime and water, will, owing to the quantity of lime it contains, or the lime, if that alone be used with water, will have a strong tendency to absorb carbonic acid from the air which is brought into contact with it. The water acts as a medium for bringing the potash and the lime into a state of intimate admixture, in order that the lime may operate on the potash, to absorb the carbonic acid therefrom, and render the same caustic; and also that the mixture of caustic potash and lime, or that the lime, if that alone is used, may operate on the air, which is passed in a current through the mixture of caustic potash and lime, and water, or through the mix›ure of lime and water, by means of the |