INVENTION OR APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE OPERATION OF WASHING CLOTHES AND OTHER PROCESS NECESSARY IN FAMILY AND OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, ROBERT
BILL, of Rathbone Place, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-sixth day of March last, did, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Bill, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert Bill, ny exors,
adiors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my
and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said
Robert Bill, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
"INVENTION OR APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE OPERATION OF WASHING CLOTHES AND
OTHER PROCESS NECESSARY IN FAMILY AND OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Robert Bill,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Bill, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, as particularly described
and ascertained as follows, that is to say:
My said Invention or Apparatus to Facilitate the Operation of Washing
Clothes, and other Process necessary in Family Establishments, doth consist
of the following particulars:-
Firstly, a boiler, of a quadrangular form, made of some proper metal (sheet
iron answers very well), and of any required size, but from twenty-four inches
to fifty inches in length and twenty to twenty-four inches wide comprehends a
sufficient variety for ordinary purposes; may be of any depth, but in general
eight inches will answer best, round the exterior edge. I solder or otherwise
secure to it water grove, two inches deep. A cock is inserted to draw off the
water when wanted, and a feeder vessel is attached which communicates with
this vessel within about one inch off the bottom. This vessel I case on the
outside with a tin covering secured by soldering, and leaving an interstice
of one inch or thereabouts between the case and the boiler. A steaming
vessel must then be made adapted to the boiler. This vessel I make of tinned
copper or any fit metal, and of any necessary depth; but I prefer ten inches.
The bottom of the steamer rests on the top of the boiler, and a projecting
piece fits into the water groove of the boiler, of the same depth as the water
groove, so that when the groove is filled with water no steam can escape but
through certain openings in the bottom of the steamer vessel. These openings
are of any size and number, according to the size of the steamer; three for
that of fifty inches I find sufficient. I cause a tube of one and an half or two
inches long to be soldered into each opening from the boiler to the steamer, so
that whatever liquid may happen to be in the steamer it will not interfere
with the water in the boiler, unless the depth exceeded the heighth of the
tubes, which must never bappen. The steamer I divide into compartments, so
as not to render the covers too heavy or cumbersome. Each of the divisions
communicates with the other, the plates which form the divisions not being
closed at the bottom. The top edges of this vessel, and each division, are
furnished with water grooves, so that the rims of the covers may rest in the
grooves filled with water, and prevent the escape of the steam. Double covers
are fitted to these divisions, the interior of which are metal soldered to rims,
which project sufficiently to rest on the bottoms of the water grooves. These
rims receive the exterior upper covering, made of wood or metal, but wood I
prefer, painted, to defend it from the wet sides of the steams; like those of the

page_text: boiler, I cover with a tin or other matter, leaving, as in the boiler, a space
from the sides of the interior vessel of about one inch. This space, both in the
boiler and steamer, I fill with cotton or some nonconducting substance, so as to
prevent the escape of heat. To the end of the steamer I attach a metallic
box, three or four inches deep, and twelve or fourteen inches long, about six
inches wide. On the top holes are made to receive saucepans fitted. tight
into them. An opening of about an inch is made from the steamer to this
box for the steam to pass into it, and another opening at the other end of the
box for the steam to pass away, to which is fixed a metal tube to conduct the
steam whenever desired. Proper vessels fit for holding the object intended
to be operated upon by the steam must be placed in the steaming vessels;
whether the object be to cook meat or aid in the operation of washing cloaths,
the end will be answered. For washing, let the cloaths not made of animal
matter be well soaked in a strong lixivium of alkali, or well soaped if animal,
and laid in the vessels supported above the entrance steam tubes on wooden
racks. Let the steam operate on them, the longer the better, and it will be
found on taking them out, and rinsing them in water, that on their being
operated upon by hand in the usual way of washing, that at least half the
labour will answer the purpose of cleaning the clothes.
"
A flange cast
Secondly. Roasting apparatus.-I provide a cast-iron box of a proper size,
open on one side; a box twelve inches by nine inches, and thirteen inches
deep, with sides projecting three or four inches from the open part, is large.
enough for my largest boiler. This box has a grate fixed in it at six or
seven inches from the top. A cast-iron plate is fitted upon it with an opening
so that the top edge of the box just passes through the plate.
round the sides of the box receives the plate to rest upon it. A cast metal
front is provided with an opening about one inch wider than the box, and
another wide enough to introduce whatever may want to be placed in the
waster. The ends and back may be made of metal or bricks, or of stone;
bricks I prefer, and must be a size adapted to the purpose, for a large machine
fifty inches by twenty-four inches. The plate through which the fire boxes
pass covers the whole of this chamber, which is about thirteen inches deep, and
stands on a platform of masonry six or eight inches high. The cheeks of the.
fire box project through the front plate, leaving a space of about half, or three
quarters of an inch on each side. Through these openings the air passes. into.
the air chamber, and not only heats but ventilates it, so that anything placed is
effectually roasted. A tubo is inserted in this chamber under the covering
plate at the end opposite the fire, and thus a current of hot air is established

page_text: through the roasting apparatus, and during the whole time of roasting a door
of any fit kind is adapted to the mouth of the box. I generally use a slide
with grooves on the interior sides of the projecting cheeks of the fire box.
The fuel I introduce by a feeder placed so that it may pass readily into the
fire box by means of an opening in the frame hereafter mentioned. This
opening has a plate to shut against the opening, or the air may be excluded
by keeping the feeder full of small coal. The frame is intended to be placed on
the covering plate of the roaster; is about four inches. deep; it fits the boiler;
has an interior projecting ledge on which the boiler rests. This ledge is about
three inches from the bottom of the frame. A mash or rib of iron passes
down about the middle to divide and form a return flue. An opening in the
end of the frame admits the fuel, and another opening is left for the smoak to
escape. After having passed round the end of the middle rib or flue divider,
when this part of the apparatus is used as a house warmer the boiler is
removed, and a plate of cast iron substituted, resting on the frame in the same
way the boiler did. Upon this plate is fixed a box six inches deep which
covers the whole plate, the bottom of the box upwards, with a hole about six
or eight inches diameter to receive the tube. The end of the box farthest
from the fire has a notch cut in it one or two inches deep, and the whole
width of the box. This makes an opening for the passage of air, which,
sweeping over the hot surface of the plate which covers the fire, passes
through the opening into a tube placed in the upper hole, and the air thus
heated may, by tubes, be conducted where wanted, and the ventilating tube
from the under air chamber has the same power of supplying heated air where
wanted. By this construction nearly the whole quantity of heat generated by
the combustion of any quantity of fuel is prevented from passing, up the
chimney, a more effectual circulation of air is effected, and all the inconve-
niences of cold currents of air guarded against.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
fifth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and eleven.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1811, the aforesaid Robert Bill came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.