IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING PEAT
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theodor Erich, of No. 77, Newgate Street, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PRESSING PEAT." A Communication from abroad by Christian
Augustus Erich, residing at Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Sealed the 26th February 1864, and dated the 1st September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theodor Erich at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
September 1863.
I, THEODOR ERICH, of No. 77, Newgate Street, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PRESSING PEAT," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements 'in machinery for pressing
peat. For these purposes two horizontal cylinders or rollers are used, which
are geared together by cog wheels on their axes; the perepheries of these
cylinders or rollers are composed of numerous parallel bars placed at short
distances apart, so that the water pressed from the peat may pass freely
between the bars into the interior of the cylinders or rollers; it is received
into suitable gutters and conducted thereby out of the cylinders or rollers.
The sides of the bars are not radial from the centres of the cylinders, but
incline downwards. To give freer passage to the water two strong endless
fabrics are employed, one to each of the cylinders, and to the selvages of these
fabrics are fixed strong cords, by which and by guide pulleys the fabrics are

page_text: held extended as they are caused to circulate by the motion of the two
cylinders or rollers. On the outer side of one of the endless fabrics parallel
transverse ridges of wood or other suitable material are fixed; by these the
surface of the endless fabric is divided into parallel hollow spaces, which are
further enclosed at their ends by means of flexible ridges of leather or other
suitable material placed parallel with the selvages of the fabric and near
thereto. The transverse ridges extend up to but not beyond the ridges which
are parallel with the selvages. The peat is placed in a hopper, the lower end
or outlet of which comes between the two fabrics where they meet, and
descends between the pressing cylinders or rollers, and the ledges on the one
endless fabric assist in carrying down the peat between the cylinders or rollers.
By these means the peat is pressed into a sheet having transverse indentations
on one side. The sheet of compressed peat on leaving the fabrics is conducted
to circular saws or cutters, which cut the sheet longitudinally. The endless
'fabrics are cleansed by means of jets of water, which are capable of being
moved to and fro across the surfaces of the two fabrics.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Theodor Erich in the. Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THEODOR
ERICH, of No. 77, Newgate Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
•Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Theodor Erich, Her special licence that I, the said Theodor
Erich, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Theodor Erich, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PRESSING PEAT," a communication to me from abroad by
Christian Augustus Erich, a person resident at Munich, in the Kingdom of
Bavaria, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Theodor
Erich, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Theodor Erich, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for pressing
peat. For these purposes two horizontal cylinders or rollers are used, which
are geared together by cog wheels on their axes. The peripheries of these
cylinders or rollers are composed of numerous parallel bars, placed at short
distances apart, so that the water pressed from the peat may pass freely
between the bars into the interior of the cylinders or rollers; it is received
into suitable gutters, and conducted thereby out of the cylinders or rollers.
The sides of the bars are not radial from the centres of the cylinders, but
incline downwards, to give freer passage to the water. Two strong endless
fabrics are employed, one to each of the cylinders; and to the selvages of
these fabrics are fixed strong cords, by which and by guide pulleys the fabrics
are held extended as they are caused to circulate by the motion of the two
cylinders or rollers. On the outer side of one of the endless fabrics parallel
transverse ridges of wood, or other suitable material, are fixed; by these the
surface of the endless fabric is divided into parallel hollow spaces, which are
further enclosed at their ends by means of flexible ridges of leather, or other
suitable material, placed parallel with the selvages of the fabric, and near
thereto the transverse ridges extend up to but not beyond the ridges, which
are parallel with the sclvages. The peat is placed in a hopper, the lower end
or outlet of which comes between the two fabrics where they meet, and descends
between the pressing cylinders or rollers, and the ledges on the one endless
fabric assist in carrying down the peat between the cylinders or rollers; by
these means the peat is pressed into a sheet, having transverse indentations on
one side. The sheet of compressed peat on leaving the fabrics is conducted
to circular saws or cutters, which cut the sheet longitudinally. The endless
fabrics are cleansed by means of jets of water, which are capable of being
moved to and fro across the surfaces of the two fabrics..
And in order that the said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.

page_text: Figure 1, lateral view; Figure 2, front view; Figure 3, bird's-eye view.
To explain the fundimental principles of this Invention consider,—
(1.) The two cylinders A and B drawn over with pressing cloths of
cotton or other stuffs.
(2.) The one cloth on the cylinder B is provided with bands and girths of
wood, leather, metal, and other stuffs, by means of which the water is pressed
out of the turf, and the formation of the tiers or layers of turf is accomplished
as well as
(3.) The washing process, by which the pressing cloths are thoroughly
cleaned during the operation.
.
a, a, is a frame of wood to which all the ironwork is attached, it being
fastened with cast-iron corners b, b, to render it harder and stronger. The
cast-iron plummer blocks c, c, are screwed firmly to the frame, the shifting is
protected by the connecting screws d, d, with the nut boxes (female screw) e, e,
which without these must take place through the pressure between the two
wheels. By these screws the position of the wheel with regard to each other
can be easily and exactly determined. In the plummer blocks c, c, are placed
the two cylinders A and B, which must be strongly built in order to resist the
pressure of the turf. These two cylinders A and B consist of the two wrought-
iron axles f,f, on which two strongly screwed centre plates 9, 9, are wedged.
These centre pieces have a large circumference to enable the different round,
cast-iron arms h, h, to be screwed, and at the same time to give greater.
strength to the wrought-iron axles f. f. At both ends of the centre piece g
there are screwed cast-iron wheels i, 14 feet in diameter, each consisting of
two halves screwed together, In the round cast-iron arms there are shafts at
the top for the reception of cast-iron shield plates k, screwed together, in
which on the upper side equally large and sloping notches have been made,
and in the circle of which flat planed greaves are inlaid. To prevent the
greaves from, falling out, rods are inserted into both the wheels i, and a passage
turned under the same, Figures 1 and 2, in which the pins of the greaves are
laid; but, the wheels are in addition to this screwed firmly together with
24 connecting screws m; above all these flat-planed inlaid greaves perforated
tin is drawn, and firmly attached to the greaves with flat headed screws 'and
nut boxes. The flat greaves must be in a slanting position that the water
may flow quickly to the middle of the tube in the middle between the two
wheels where the pressure of the turf takes place, and that there may be no
possibility of its returning as long as the turf is in the press, and not too far off

page_text: The water collects in the middle of the wheel, returns again through the
greaves, and through the perforated tin in a vessel l attached to it, which for
the removal of the water has drawing pipes on all sides. To secure the wheel.
in its place connecting screws n are added. Over each of the cylinders a cloth
without ends for pressing, having rope attached on both sides to give it firm-,
ness and seadiness, whilst the rope before each passage over a cylinder must
pass through a pulley o. The said cloth is stretched through the cylinders, which-
move gently, and as may be seen from Figure 3, it must be placed together
with the pulley as the stretching of the cloth may require it. The cloth on
the wheel B has on the front side across stretched bands of wood, metal,
leather, or other stuffs which are at certain distances from each other. At the
side these bands are closed by girths of leather, hemp, or other stuff of the.
same height as the bands, so that between these bands and girths nothing but
closed spaces are formed, in which the turf is pressed, and the water removed.
from the latter by means of the cloths. The pressed pieces of turf are carried
away between the two cloths till the cloth moves with the band under the
frame or stand over the cylinder r, where the pieces of turf disengage them-.
selves and fall upon the cylinder 1. Over these cylinders ropes without ends
are stretched, which carry away the pieces of turf through the cylinder ¹, with
the screwed-on wheel in conjunction with the motion of the conical crossing or
passing over of the wheels D, E, F, G, and of the second crossing curve H.
On these ropes without ends, and indeed on the rope cylinders 1³, 73, 7, the
pieces of turf as already mentioned are carried off of themselves as far as under
the circular saws S, which cut the turf bands crossways, after which the sepa-
rate pieces, put in frames constructed for the purpose, are carried to the drying
houses, or to places with heated air, whence "after they are dried perfectly in
the course of a few days they are conveyed to the magazine.
The machine itself is put in motion, and the power regulated at pleasure,
and that with the strap S, spring T, both springs V, V₁, the wheels W, W³,
besides the two great springs X, X', which catch the teeth of the screwed-on
dented rims or circles of the chief wheel A. The cogged rims on the wheels,
put together from single pieces, are screwed to the wheels.
In Figure 1 a moveable funnel is annexed, through which the turf is .con-
ducted to the two cylinders, and is so constructed that it is easily brought in
and out. This funnel box must be exactly of a width as to suit the quantity
of turf the cylinder wheels are capable of containing, so that none of the turf
can escape between the cogged wheels. The turf dug from the pit is brought
up with a scoop, and by means of a sloping path conveyed to the receiving
funnel. The equal or even distribution of the filling is attended to by a man.

page_text: From the unceasing pressure, the cloths through which the water is
pressed become soiled, and small pieces of turf stick here and there to them,
which necessarily impede the progress of the work, they must therefore at
times be washed, and that whilst the pressure is going on that there may
be no interruption; this washing takes place by means of the two tubes C, C',
each having six apertures, out of which the water flows with great force and
makes the cloths fit for use again.
However, to secure the complete application of the flash of water to the
cloths, the tube C is suspended from the hinge beam y, which in conjunction
with the propelling beam z and and the two winches ✗ move the tube back-
wards and forwards, and in such a manner that the flashes of water follow
each other in close succession; but the hinges ✗ are connected by a pipe ẞ.
which are moved by the two curves 8 and è in conjunction with a couple of
conical spring wheels as well as the necessary straps. The motion itself is
given by the impulse from the press curve, which produces a regular velocity ;
the water is forced into the tube C from the double working pump with large
air vessels, that there may always be an even pressure on the flash of water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theodor Erich, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.