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An account of a useful discovery to distill double the usual quantity of sea-water, by blowing showers of air up through the distilling liquor : $b and an account of the great benefit of ventilators in many instances, in preserving the health and lives of people, in slave and other transport ships ... also an account of the good effect of blowing showers of air up through milk, thereby to cure the ill taste which is occasioned by some kinds of food of cows.Hales, Stephen

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An account of a useful discovery to distill double the usual quantity of sea-water, by blowing showers of air up through the distilling liquor : $b and an account of the great benefit of ventilators in many instances, in preserving the health and lives of people, in slave and other transport ships ... also an account of the good effect of blowing showers of air up through milk, thereby to cure the ill taste which is occasioned by some kinds of food of cows.

Name: An account of a useful discovery to distill double the usual quantity of sea-water, by blowing showers of air up through the distilling liquor : $b and an account of the great benefit of ventilators in many instances, in preserving the health and lives of people, in slave and other transport ships ... also an account of the good effect of blowing showers of air up through milk, thereby to cure the ill taste which is occasioned by some kinds of food of cows.
Author: Hales, Stephen

Hales, Stephen

Seawater -- Distillation; Ships -- Heating and ventilation

78. Mr. _Wyche_, who was present at the Trials near the
_Falcon-Stairs_, observing the Water in the upper Part of the Worm-tub
to be reeking hot, tho’ the Water below it was cool, very rightly
proposed to have the hot Water run from the upper part of the Worm-tub,
thro’ a small Copper Pipe, into the upper Part of the Still, as fast as
it was distilled off, the running Quantity of Water to be adjusted by
a Turn-cock in the Pipe. This I tried in my little Still, by conveying
the upper warm Water of the Worm-tub into the Still thro’ a small Pipe
Which passed thro’ a Hole in the Head of the Still, almost down to
the Bottom of the Water in the Still: My Reasons for doing of which
were, _viz._ lest the less hot Water, by running on the Surface of
the boiling Water, might considerably check the Ascent of the rising
Vapours; whereas, being mixed and blended with the lower Water, it
will soon acquire a due Heat. Another Reason why I chose to lead the
entering Rill of Water so slow, was, that it might be intimately mixed
with the Chalk, which is there in an agitated State by reason of the
Action of the Fire. The Event was as follows, _viz._ that six separate
Pints of Water were distilled by Ventilation during the running in of
the warm Water, some in 3½ Minutes, others in 4 Minutes, 4 + ½, and 4
Minutes, 50 Seconds, which was the case of the second Pint.

79. Hence we see the great Benefit of this ingenious Improvement of
Mr. _Wyche_’s in distilling Sea-water, where the Still will be filled
with the same Liquor as the Worm-tub; but this Method cannot so well
be put in Practice in other Distillations. The Benefit of thus gently
and incessantly keeping the Still full, will save about one-fourth of
the Time and Fuel, which it would otherwise require to refill with cold
Liquor, and bring to a distilling Heat. This great Advantage, added to
that of distilling about double the Quantity by Ventilation, must needs
both together be of so great Improvement in distilling three Parts in
four more than usual, as will be of the greatest Benefit to Navigation
in several respects. By this means the Still need be emptied and
cleansed from the Chalk, and very salt Water, only at the end of each
daily Distillation.

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