IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GINNING, BURRING, AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Colin Mather, of the Salford Iron Works,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GINNING, BURRING, AND CLEANING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad
by Charles Grandison Sargent, of Graniteville, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
Sealed the 23rd November 1869, and dated the 14th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Colin Mather at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th June 1869.
I, COLIN MATHER, of the Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GINNING, BURRING, AND
CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," being a communication to

page_text: me from abroad by Charles Grandison Sargent, of Graniteville, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, to be as follows:-
These improvements in machinery for ginning, burring, and cleaning
cotton and other fibrous substances consist in the application of a blade
of metal placed between the ordinary fine toothed cylinder and revolving
fluted guard, made by preference of some elastic substance. The blade of
metal may be stationary or made to vibrate, and its edge bevelled and left
plain or serrated on its lower side; attached to it and lying on the fine
toothed cylinder I sometimes employ a strip of raw hide or leather. When
this blade of metal is used in combination with a fine toothed cylinder and
revolving guard it acts in the following manner :-The cotton or other
fibre when fed into the machine is carried upon the toothed cylinder
until it reaches the blade of metal, when the fibre passes between it and
the cylinder and is stripped from the seeds. The revolving guard keeps
the seeds and other impurities constantly turning over until they are
entirely divested of fibre, when the seeds fall back over the wire cylinder
and through a grate out of the machine. The fibre adhering to the
toothed cylinder is stripped off by means of a brush or other equivalent.
In some cases I dispense with the revolving guard, and substitute for it
one or more racks suspended above the toothed cylinder; these racks
are formed of one or more rows of teeth inserted in a metal axle; the
ends of the teeth project so as only just to clear the toothed cylinder. A
reciprocating motion is given to the racks. The stationary plate is placed
also on the upper surface of the toothed cylinder somewhat beyond the
vertical line, passing through the centre of the wire cylinder. In this
case the cotton or other fibre is carried upon the toothed cylinder until
the seeds or other impurities meet the reciprocating racks, which will
not allow the seeds to pass through them until they are thoroughly or
partially stripped of fibre. When the seeds are cleaned they pass over
the stationary plate and fall into a suitable receptacle. The fibre is
stripped from the toothed cylinder by means of a brush or other equi-
valent. The fine toothed cylinders above referred to are made of flat
toothed wire having a shoulder at its lower edge which is wound in a
spiral groove turned in the cylinder. The space between the toothed
wires is filled up by a copper binding wire of the requisite thickness,
which is pressed in to give security to the toothed wire and to regulate
the depth of the teeth.

page_text: Another mode of making the fine toothed cylinders is as follows:-
The toothed wire is rolled of a wedge form in section, and the binding
wire is tapered to correspond. These two wires are wound together on
a plain cylinder, the ends of which are provided with washers screwed
on the axle; by screwing these washers up the toothed and binding
wires are tightened endwise; or the fine toothed cylinders may be made
in the usual manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Colin Mather in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, COLIN
MATHER, of the Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Colin Mather, Her special licence that I, the
said Colin Mather, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Colin Mather, 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 Ircland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GINNING, BURRING,
AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," being a communication
to me from abroad by Charles Grandison Sargent, of Graniteville, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Colin Mather, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Colin Mather, do hereby declaro
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 (that is to say): -
These improvements in machinery for ginning, burring, and cleaning
cotton and other fibrous substances consist in the application of a blade.
of metal placed between the ordinary fine toothed cylinder and revolving
fluted guard; the blade of metal may be stationary or made to vibrate;
on its lower side attached to it and lying on the fine toothed cylinder I
sometimes apply a strip of raw hide or leather. The fibre adhering to
the toothed cylinder is stripped off by means of a brush or other
equivalent.
In some cases I dispense with the revolving guard, and substitute
for it one or more toothed racks suspended above the toothed cylinder,
the ends of the teeth clear the toothed cylinder, and a reciprocating
motion is given to them. The stationary or vibrating plate is placed
on the upper surface of the toothed cylinder.
My improved fine toothed cylinders are made of flat toothed wire
having a shoulder at its lower edge, which is wound in a spiral groove
turned in a cylinder; the spaces between the toothed wires are filled up
by a copper binding wire of the requisite thickness, which is pressed
in to give security to the toothed wire, and to regulate the depth of the
teeth.
Another mode of making the fine toothed cylinders is as follows:—
The toothed wire is rolled of a wedge form in section, and the binding
wire is tapered to correspond; these two wires are wound together on a
plain cylinder, the ends of which are provided with washers screwed on
the axle.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference being had
to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a cotton gin con-
structed according to the first part of my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan
of the same; and Figures 3 and 4 are right and left hand elevations of
the machine.
In these views a represents the frame sides; b, the fine toothed or
ginning cylinder; c, a fluted or plain semi-elastic revolving guard

page_text: cylinder; d is a revolving brush for stripping the cotton from the
cylinder b. The toothed cylinder b and guard cylinder c revolve in the
directions shewn by the arrows, their surfaces nearly meeting; between
these cylinders a comb plate e, which is either stationary or made to
vibrate, is supported by the bar e¹; f, see Figure 1, is a thin plate of
steel or other metal secured to the frame of the machine to prevent the
fibre or seed adhering to and being carried round on the revolving
guard c; g is an adjustable swing frame, into which the prongs g¹ are
fastened at suitable intervals; h is a hopper into which the cotton seed.
or other fibre to be operated upon is placed. The sliding panel i is for
the purpose of regulating the current of air through the opening g, the
object of which will be explained hereafter. The revolving guard c I
prefer to make by slipping on a shaft discs of raw hide, and compressing
them by means of a nut and washer, or other equivalent, the raw hide is-
then turned true on its circumference, and fluted or left plain as the-
case requires; this guard may also be made of leather, india-rubber, or
gutta percha, or it may be constructed by letting into the surface of a
wooden or iron roller straight strips of raw hide.
Motion is imparted to the various parts of the machine as follows:--
The fine toothed cylinder 6 is driven by hand or other power, and to
its shaft is keyed a grooved pulley ; a band 2 passes round b¹ over a
pulley d' on the shaft d to drive the brush, and then round the loose
pulley j', which runs on a stud in the end of the lever j, which lever.
swivels on a pin ; by loosening the nut and moving the handle of the
lever the pulley j' is moved, thus tightening or loosening the band 62.
The guard c is driven by the spur wheels k, k', and ². When it is
necessary to make the comb plate e vibrate I employ the following
means: On the shaft of the cylinder 6 at the opposite side of the
machine to that just described is keyed a bevel wheel 6', which gears.
into and drives a bevel wheel ' keyed to the shaft ; on the upper end
of this shaft is a crank pin l, see Figures 2 and 3, which passes through
a slot cut in a projection of the bar e', to which the comb plate is
fastened. In this manner a vibrating motion is given to the bar e' and
comb plate e, which may be provided with a serrated edge, or made
plain.
The operation of the machine is as follows:- The cotton, seed to be
operated upon is fed into the hopper h, where it is caught upon the teeth
of the cylinder b and carried forward until it reaches, the comb plate e,

page_text: where the fibre is stripped from the seeds and passes between the comb
The guard keeps the seeds con-
toothed cylinder to act upon the
plate e and the toothed cylinder b.
stantly turning over, and allows the
fibres on all sides of the seeds until they are entirely divested of fibre,
after which the sceds roll down the wire cylinder 6 and through the
openings between the teeth g' into a box or other receptacle. The cleaned
cotton, after passing the comb plate e is struck off the cylinder 6 by
the revolving brush d, and thrown by centrifugal force through the
opening p, while the heavier portions drop down through an opening
at q; the current of air passing upwards through the latter opening can
be varied by sliding the panel i. The toothed or ginning cylinder bis
made in the ordinary manner, or according to the last part of my
Invention, as will be hereafter described. A strip of raw hide or other
clastic material may be fastened to the lower edge of the comb plato e,
between it and the toothed cylinder b.
On Sheet 2, Figures 5 and 6 represent a side elevation and an elevation
in section of an improved gin for Sea Island or long stapled cotton. a is
the framing; b, the toothed ginning cylinder; c, c', two oscillating
shafts, to which the racks or teeth c³ are fastened; d is a doffer or brush
cylinder to strip the fibres off the toothed cylinder 6; e is an adjustable
vibrating comb plate secured to the bar e¹, see also Figures 7, 8, 9, and
10; fis a stationary guard, having on its edge a strip of raw hide f¹; the
plate e and bar e¹ are supported on the guard f; the metal cap e' is to
guide the comb plate e and bar e¹; f2, see Figure 6, is a screw for
adjusting the position of the edge of the plate e; fs is a trough, into
which the seeds and impurities pass over the comb plate e, and thence
through the pipe finto a suitable receptacle; g is a stationary wire
grid forming the bottom of the hopper h; h¹ is a box for containing
the cotton to be operated upon. A swing door w, Figure 6, is placed
below the grid g to catch any seeds or impurities which may fall through
the grid g. The mode of driving is as follows:- is the main driving
shaft; on this shaft is a fast pulley ; a belt 2 passes round the
pulley r¹, over a pulley ¹ on the shaft of the ginning cylinder b, and
then over a pulley d on the doffer or brush cylinder d, thus giving
motion to the ginning cylinder and the brush when the shaft r revolves.
A bevel wheels keyed to the shaft r gears into a wheel fast to the
lower end of the diagonal shaft ; at the upper end of this shaft is a
crank pin, see Figures 5 and 10, which passes through a slot in the

page_text: bar e¹ of the comb plate e, thus giving a vibrating motion to the comb
plate e. To this shaft bis keyed a slotted cam p, in which slot the
pin p' of the rod p' is secured by a nut; the other end of the rod p² is
secured in a slot of the lever n, which is fastened to the axle of the
rack c'; the two racks c, c¹, are geared together by the spur wheels
m, m³.
When the ginning cylinder 6 is in motion the cam p imparts
a rocking motion to the racks c, c'. The operation is as follows:-The
seed cotton or other fibre is placed in the box h' and is fed by hand
into the hopper and drops upon the surface of the ginning cylinder b,
the teeth of which scize the fibre and carry it forward to the first
oscillating toothed rack c²; these teeth are wide enough apart to allow
a seed and its fibre to pass between them. A portion of the fibre is
carried between the teeth of the first rack, the rest being thrown back,
and the whole prevented from clogging by the action of the said rack.
The seeds, with the fibres on them, thus separated from the mass in the
hopper are carried by the cylinder 6 forward to the second oscillating
rack c², the teeth of which are finer or closer together than those of the
first rack. This rack in vibrating passes beyond the edge of the comb
plate e; at this point the fibres are drawn between the ginning cylinder
and the strip of raw hide f¹, which can be set so close as to impinge
on the surface of the ginning cylinder 6 without injury. The comb
plate e and guard f both prevent seeds being carried forward with the
fibre, and the oscillation of the second rack c³, combined with that of
the vibrating plate e, turn the seed over and over, allowing the ginning
cylinder to act upon every portion of the seeds, and thoroughly to strip
them of fibre. The teeth of the second rack will allow the seed when
cleaned to pass between them, and when the seeds fall over the plate e
into the trough f³ (in which a worm, not shewn in the Drawing,
revolves) they are carried to the mouth of the pipe f* and drop on to
the floor or into a suitable receptacle.
Figures 11 to 17 represent my improved modes of constructing
ginning and burring cylinders, applicable to cleaning cotton, wool, and
other fibres. In these views b is the body or shell of the cylinders,
which is composed of a hollow cast-iron tube. In making the cylinders
shown in Figures 11 to 14 inclusive, I cut a spiral groove on the surface
of the cylinder b, into which the toothed wire t, which is rolled with
a flange on its lower edge, see Figure 14, is pressed and fastened in
the lathe a copper or other soft metal wire u, cither round or square .in

page_text: section, is next rolled into the spaces between the rows of toothed wire t
with sufficient pressure to cause the soft metal wire to enter and fill up
the spaces between the teeth of the toothed wire, thus firmly securing
the wires.
In Figures 15, 16, and 17, I have shewn another mode of constructing
my improved toothed wire cylinders; in this case the shell is turned
smooth, and has no groove or thread cut in it. The toothed wire is
rolled of a slightly wedge form, and the copper or other soft metal
binding wire u is also shaped to fit the spaces between the toothed
wires t, as shewn best in Figure 17. To cover these cylinders the
toothed wire may be fastened to the cylinder at one end, and by the
motion of the lathe be wound the entire length of the cylinder and
again fastened, after which the soft or binding wire u may be wound
in between the toothed wire t, the pressing tool being held firmly against
it to bind the wires together, or both wires may be wound round the
cylinder at the same time. A nut and washer may be used at one
end of the cylinder to tighten up one of the heads against the wires t
and u, thus securing the whole together. By these means the teeth of
the wire t may be punched large enough for coarse fibres, and the depth
of the teeth can be varied to suit either coarse or fine fibres by varying
the size of the soft binding wire.
Another advantage of this improved combination of a soft binding
wire with toothed wire is, that as the toothed wire wears away thic
binding wire may be turned down.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention communicated to me
by the within Charles Grandison Sargent, and described several con-
venient modes of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that
I do not intend to limit myself to the details here given, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of the Invention; what
I claim is, ―
First. The blade or comb plate e and elastic guard roller c in com-
bination with the ginning cylinder 6, when, arranged and constructed
substantially as described and shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
Secondly. The raw hide or partially clastic working edge f¹ of the
stationary guard f in combination with a ginning or cleaning cylinder,
as described and shown in Figures 7 and 10.

page_text: Thirdly. The reciprocating comb plate e in combination with the
stationary guard f and ginning cylinder b, as shewn and described in
reference to Figures 1 and 6.
Fourthly. The combination of one or more oscillating racks with
a ginning cylinder, as shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 9.
And, lastly. The improved mode of constructing cylinders for ginning,
burring, and cleaning fibrous substances having a surface composed
of alternate rows of hard toothed wire and soft binding wire, the latter
lying above the bases of the teeth of the toothed wire, and pressed
between and against the sides of the same, for the purposes described
and shewn in Figures 11 to 17 inclusive.
In witness whereof, I, the said Colin Mather, have hereto set my
hand and scal, this Eighth day of December One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine.
COLIN MATHER. (L.S.)