to the nib g, passing behind the lower edge of the staple or eye.

A fastening of another construction, essentially different from either of the above, is shewn at figs. 15, 16, and 17. Fig. 15, representing a front, and fig. 16, an edge view of this contrivance. The fastening consists of a straight bar of metal h, (see fig. 17,) which may be attached or connected to the trousers by sewing, or in any other manner that will allow of its being easily removed when the trousers require washing. At each end of this bar h, there are notches i, i, covered by a flat spring k, k, slightly turned up at its ends.

The corners of the metal bar h, are rounded off, in order that the loops 7, 7, (which are attached by joints to a bar m, connected to the leather or other strap,) may be easily passed into the notches i, i, and thereby made secure, as scen in the figures 15 and 16. These jointed loops are

easily removed from the bar, and the fastenings disengaged when required, by lifting the ends of the springs k, k, and sliding the loops l, l, over the ends of the bar.

Figs. 18 and 19, represent a similar construction of fastening to figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4; but, in this instance, the staplecatch is attached to the trousers, and the hook to the strap. -[Inrolled in the Petty Bag Office, October, 1841.]

Specification drawn by Messrs. Newton and Son.

TO MOSES POOLE, of Lincoln's-inn, in the county of Middlesex, Gent., for an invention of improvements in producing and applying heat,-being a communication.[Sealed 26th June 1841.]

THIS invention consists, firstly, in a new mode of heating furnaces, used in the different manufactures, by employing carbonic oxide gas as fuel, instead of coal, coke, peat, or wood. In the manufacture of iron and other metallurgic operations, where blast furnaces are used, this carbonic oxide gas is obtained in a pure and uninflamed state; from

these blast furnaces it is taken some distance below their mouth, and conveyed to any other furnaces requiring heat. Secondly, in a new mode of heating furnaces by means of carbonic oxide gas, which may be obtained from a separate furnace, expressly constructed for that purpose. Thirdly, in a mode of applying the blow-pipe to furnaces, whereby the withdrawal of the carbonic oxide gas, in the working furnaces, is facilitated, and the combustion in the furnaces or boiler, assisted by the mixture of heated air with the carbonic oxide gas, thus producing a most intense heat.

This invention may be applied to the furnaces used in the different processes for the manufacture of iron, and the treatment of other minerals generally, as well as to ovens or furnaces requiring a high temperature, such as glass or pottery furnaces, gas works, breweries, for evaporating liquids, and to the purpose of generating steam.

The improvements are first shewn as applied to the manufacture of iron, as large quantities of combustible or carbonic oxide gas, are necessarily produced in blast furnaces. These are collected before they arrive at the top or mouth of the furnace, and conducted, under a pressure, into the refining, puddling, and welding furnaces. Here they are ignited, and continued jets of heated air are forced through a series of blow-pipes amidst the inflamed gases, whereby their combustion is so completely effected, as to heat the furnaces to an intense degree, without the use of any other fuel.

In cases where the carbonic oxide gas cannot be obtained from a blast furnace, a separate furnace should be constructed, for the purpose of generating the gas, which is thence conducted into the smelting, or refining, puddling, and welding furnaces. This separate furnace should be constructed somewhat like a small blast furnace. When filled with coal, a small quantity of atmospheric air is forced in by means of any ordinary blowing machine, just sufficient to produce a slow combustion of the coal; and thus it will generate the required quantity of carbonic oxide gas, the same as a blast furnace. The combustible gas is thence conducted through tubes or pipes, into the furnaces to be

heated. Here it is met by the continued jets of heated air that are forced through the blow-pipes, and the combustion of the mixed hot air and carbonic oxide gas, will produce a most intense temperature. The atmospheric air, that is forced through the blow-pipes into the furnaces, should be heated to about from 250° to 330o Reaumer. The same arrangement may be applied to a cupola furnace, and sufficient combustible gas obtained from it to heat any reverberatory furnace.

In all the furnaces to which the invention is applied, the combustion is most completely effected without a chimney. The atmospheric air, which is forced into the furnaces, is received from any ordinary blowing machine; and the pipes, through which the air, as well as those through which the gas enters the furnaces, must be provided with cocks or slide-valves, by which the quantity of gas and air to be admitted, may be regulated with the greatest exactness. In this manner it is possible to save much of the metal that is lost in the ordinary processes of the manufacture of iron.

In Plate V., at fig. 1, the manner of conveying the gas from a blast or high furnace, is shewn a, a, a, are openings, leading into the vertical channels or passages b, and from thence into the chamber c. There is a top to this chamber, with openings corresponding to the passages b; these openings are closed with cast-iron plates, that can be taken off for the purpose of clearing out the passages b, and the chamber c. From the chamber c, the gas may conducted in any direction, and to a distance of several hundred feet.

be

In some localities, and in cases where it is required to take the gas from a blast furnace, in operation, a metal cylinder, of a smaller diameter than the top of a furnace, and of a depth equal to its diameter, is suspended vertically in the top of the blast furnace, the whole of its length. The space between the cylinder and the furnace, at the top or mouth, is to be hermetically closed, and the furnace charged through the cylinder, which must be kept full of minerals and combustibles. Thus the chamber between

the exterior of the cylinder and the interior of the furnace cannot be filled with either minerals or coals, but the gas passes into it, and is conducted thence, as may be required. Sometimes it becomes necessary to heat the gas before it is burnt in the furnaces; for this purpose, the tubes through which it passes, are surrounded by a brick flue, into which the waste heat, from the gas furnace, is conducted.

Figs. 2, and 3, represent a refining furnace, with the necessary apparatus for working it with gas, without the use of any other fuel. Fig. 2, is a vertical section; and fig. 3, a sectional plan view of the same.

The gas, from the blast furnace, is brought into the chamber a, a, and passing through an opening b, b, it enters the furnace. c, c, are a series of blow-pipes, through which the heated air is forced into the furnace. In the space between the part marked b, and the tubes c, the gas becomes mixed with the heated atmospheric air.

This combustible gas, from the blast furnace, mixed with the heated air, produces an intense temperature in the furnace, sufficient for the operation of refining the iron. The warm air required to burn the gas, is ordinarily obtained from the blowing machine and hot-air apparatus of the blast furnace.

For the purpose of heating to a still higher temperature, (say from 2500 to 400° Reaumer,) it is carried through a tube f, into the iron chambers g, g, or a system of pipes; thence it is led through the tube h, into the semi-circular chamber i, from whence it passes through the small pipes c, c, c, into the furnace.

The metal to be refined, is placed in the space d, d, in a liquid state, if the arrangement of the furnaces will admit of its being taken in this state from the blast furnace; if not, it may be brought nearly to that state by the waste heat in the chamber e, e. In order to decarbonize the metal, a quantity of warm air, from the pipe h, is conducted through the pipe k, which is divided into two tubes or tuyeres l, l, and blown upon the liquid metal in the space d, d. After the metal, in the liquid state, has been ex

posed for about one hour and a half to the hot air, thus blown upon it, it is run off through the opening m, and will be found to be refined metal.

Figs. 4 and 5, shew the application of the invention to a puddling furnace. The difference between this and the refining furnace is not great, and can be best observed from the drawings, which will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The openings n, n, are for the purpose of letting a stream of cold water flow through the castiron piece o, o, to preserve this casing of the hearth against the destructive effects of the fire.

Fig. 6, shews the application of the invention to a welding furnace, the gas being obtained, as in the other cases, from a blast furnace. It resembles, in general, the puddling furnace, only the interior dimensions and the casing of the hearth are different, as is also the fire-bridge. The pipes, through which the gas is to be conducted to the different furnaces, should be made of cast-iron, and have at least one foot sectional area for every furnace that is to be heated.

Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, shew the application of this invention to the purpose of generating steam. In this description of apparatus, a chimney is employed, only at the commencement of the operation. The air is forced into the furnace by any sort of blowing machine, or in any other convenient way. The fuel is introduced into the fire-place, upon the gate n, n, through the door a, which can be closed. The fire-place must be large enough to contain a sufficient quantity of combustible matter to produce heat for several hours. When the fire is first lighted, the combustion takes place in the ordinary manner, by opening the door d, and the slide-valve b, and carrying through them a current of air, by means of the chimney. This is continued until the steam-engine furnace, or any working engine, is in operation; after which, a blowing apparatus is put in action, that forces the air through the tube c, as shewn in fig. 8. The openings d, and b, are then closed; the air which is forced in passes through the flues f, f, f, which are placed around and under the boiler, thus applying the heat which would otherwise be lost. The