6 WILLIAM GOSSAGE 



on "The History of Alkali Manufacture," 

 read before the British Association in Man- 

 chester, in the year 1861, he thus refers to 

 this subject ; "In the early days of the soda 

 trade, no attempt was made to condense the 

 liberated hydrochloric acid gas." After a 

 time Woulfe's bottles and earthenware 

 cylinders were adopted, but these proved 

 inadequate to effect the condensation of the 

 quantities of hydrochloric acid gas produced in 

 the rapidly growing manufacture of sulphate 

 of soda from common salt. Many plans were 

 suggested, but none were effective, until, 

 having demonstrated the practicability of 

 effecting complete condensation of hydro- 

 chloric acid, by the erection and working of 

 a set of apparatus at the soda works with 

 which he was then connected, at Stoke Prior, 

 he introduced the plan to the trade, and it has 

 since then been used by every manufacturer. 

 The principle of the invention consists in 

 causing the acid gas to percolate through a 

 deep bed of coke, in small lumps, contained 

 in a high tower, at the same time that a 

 supply of water flowed very slowly over the 

 surface of the pieces of coke. By this means 

 an almost unlimited extent of moistened 

 surface was presented to the gas for effecting 



