IMPROVE. MENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER FARINACEOUS GRAINS, AND IN THE TREATMENT OF THE PRODUCTS THEREFROM
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul Rapsey Hodge, of Albion Grove, Islington, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER FARINACEOUS GRAINS, AND IN THE
TREATMENT OF THE PRODUCTS THEREFROM."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul Rapsey Hodge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th September 1856.
I, PAUL RAPSEY HODGE, of Albion Grove, Islington, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER FARINACEOUS GRAINS, AND IN
THE TREATMENT OF THE PRODUCTS THEREFROM," to be as follows:-
I construct the runner and lower bed of a pair of millstones with cast-iron
casings to receive the grit or burr stones on the periphery of such casings, so
as to grind wholly by the skirt, and make such casings water-tight and of a
form in one casing to receive and hold a current of water around the top of
the runner, and to circulate or change such water while it is running, and of a
form in the other casing to receive and hold a current of water under the burr
stone of the bed, and to circulate and change the water therein likewise. I

page_text: also construct, when desirable, the outer casing of a pair of runners or mill-
stones with an annular chamber, and keep up a circulation of cold water
therein while the mill is in operation; and I also make or construct the casings
of elevators for the conveying of flour or meal from the millstones in such a
manner as to be surrounded with a circulating medium of water to take away
the flour or meal; and, further, I construct, where desired, metallic chambers
with double casings, and keep up between such casings a circulation of cold
water for the purpose of still further removing the superfluous heat or caloric
from the flour or meal, and to render it fit for packing immediately after
grinding.
And I also use in combination with the before-mentioned hydraulic arrange-
ment in the runners an exhausting apparatus to exhaust the air down through
the eye of the stone, or a blowing apparatus to blow the air down through
such eye; and I construct the bottom edge of casings of millstones in a manner
to render them perfectly air-tight by means of indian-rubber or flexible
packing rings in a recess or groove to receive the bottom edge of such casings,
such bottom edge being made at an angle, so that when impinged upon the
indian-rubber or flexible packing, it becomes perfectly air-tight, thereby
preventing the stive or dust from passing off in any other way but with the
flour or meal, or enabling the miller to conduct the same stive into a
chamber or revolving screen where the air would be filtered from the stive in
the ordinary way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Paul Rapsey Hodge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PAUL
RAPSEY HODGE, of No. 4, Albion Grove, Barnsbury Park, Islington, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, Her special licence that I, the said Paul
Rapsey Hodge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
LENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER FARINACEOUS GRAINS, AND IN THE TREAT-
LIENT OF THE PRODUCTS THEREFROM," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the.
following statement thereof, that is to say: -
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing of the runner and bed
of a mill of cast or wrought metal to receive water internally as a cooling
medium, and also to circulate and convey water in and out of these bed stones
and runners for the purpose of carrying off the caloric generated by the
friction of the grinding surfaces, the grit or burr stone being let into the
recesses formed around the skirt of the bed and runner.
Secondly, in constructing of a casing around the bed stone and runner of
wrought metal having an annular chamber to circulate water through as a
cooling medium.
Thirdly, in circulating water in chambers or casing around the trunks of
screw conductors, elevators, or meal or flour chambers, for the purpose of
further cooling the meal or flour after it has passed through the mill.
Fourthly, in the use of a current of air passing between the grinding
surfaces by exhaustion, in combination with water, as cooling mediums, and
in the peculiar construction and arrangement of such casing to effect the
object intended.
In order, therefore, that the Invention may be most fully understood and.
carried into effect, I proceed to describe the means of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a pair of millstones fitted with
the casing, air tube, and exhausting apparatus, in which A, A, is the spindle;

page_text: B, the carrier; C, C, C, C, C, C, the cast metal casing forming the bed, which
is hollow. I make this casing water-tight, to contain water as a cooling
medium, to be conveyed into and passed away from this hollow case by means
of ingress and egress pipes fitted for the purpose. D, D, is the burr stone or
grinding material let in the recess around the periphery of the said metallic
bed; E, E, is also the burr stone or grinding material in the top runner
F, F, F, F, F, F, which is merely a repitition of the same form nearly as the
bed, with the exception of the annular opening G, G; this opening is for the
purpose of conveying the water into the hollow casing by means of the pipe
H, H, and passing it out by means of the pipe I, I, which pipe is bent in the
opposite direction to the motion of the runner, having a bell mouth J pre-
sented to the action of the water; while the pipe is kept clear of contact with
K is the eye
the runner, the water is forced out and passed away with ease.
of the runner, through which the grain passes down, and also the air, by means
of exhaustion, passing thence in the direction of the arrows between the two
grinding surfaces, and up the passage L, L, formed by the annular apron
M, M, M, and then into the annular pipe N, N, and out through the
exhaust pipe 0, 0, as shewn in Figure 3. I also construct an annular water
chamber around the casing P, P, P. This annular water chamber is about
two inches in width, and the height of the casing. The water is conveyed into
and
from this annular chamber by the ingress pipe Q and the egress
away
pipe R. S, S, a recess holding an elastic joint to keep the lower part of the
casing air-tight.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan through W, W, as shewn by the dotted red
line; Figure 3 is a ground plan of the casing; Figure 4, a view of the lower
bed stone; and Figure 5, a view of the runner or upper stone, shewing the
manner in which the burr stone is let into and held fast in the hollow cast
casings.
Another part of my Invention consists in circulating of water as a cooling
medium, around the trunks of screw conductors, meal or flour chambers or
elevators, as a cooling medium. These trunks should be made of sheet
metal, and as thin as possible, for the ready transmission of the superfluous
caloric from the meal or flour, thereby rendering it fit for immediate packing.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into effect, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details herein mentioned, so long as the
character of either part of the Invention be retained; but what I claim is,
Firstly, the use of water as a medium to convey away caloric from grinding

page_text: surfaces, either in connection with or without the exhaust process; or the use
a medium to convey away caloric from the screw conductors,
elevators, or flour and meal chambers, as herein described.
Secondly, the peculiar construction of the casing with the annular pipe and
drop apron, for the proper distribution of the exhausted air, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
PAUL R. HODGE. (L.S.)
Witness,
BENJ BROWNE,
Clerk to Messrs. Prince & Co.,
Patent Office, 4, Trafalgar Square.