IMPROVEMENTS IN FACILITATING THE REMOVAL OF THE BARK FROM OAK AND OTHER WOODS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FACILITATING THE REMOVAL OF THE
BARK FROM OAK AND OTHER WOODS."-A communication from abroad by
Le Vicomte Louis de Villermont, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium.
Sealed the 7th June 1867, and dated the 7th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th January 1867.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FACILITATING THE REMOVAL
OF THE BARK FROM OAX AND OTHER WOODS," to be as follows:-
According to the ordinary method of removing the bark from the cuttings
of trees (the oak, for instance, which is required for tanning purposes) this
operation can only be performed when the sap is in the tree, which presents
certain disadvantages and considerably enhances the price of bark, as in many

page_text: forests the cutting of trees is interdicted while the sap is in them, as it proves
injurious to them.
Now the object of this Invention is to facilitate the removal of the bark of
oak and other cuttings, of after the sap has fallen in the trees from which they
are taken, by affording to the wood cuttings an artificial sap by enclosing them
in close vessels in which they are submitted to the action of hot water, steam,
hot air, or gases either separately or in combination for the purpose of detach-
ing the bark from the wood; this may be effected by the employment of
metal cylinders into which the wood is introduced, and which cylinders are to
be supplied with the steam or heated fluid from a boiler and furnace. These
cylinders may be worked alternately, so that the charge of one or more may
be withdrawn whilst the others are being discharged or are in operation.
SPECIFICATION 'in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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 FACILITATING THE REMOVAL OF THE BARK FROM OAK AND
OTHER WOODS," being a communication to me from abroad by Le Vicomte
Louis de Villermont, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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

page_text: 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 William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
According to the ordinary method of removing the bark from the cuttings
of trees (the oak, for instance, which is required for tanning purposes) this
operation can only be performed when the sap is in the tree, which presents
certain disadvantages and considerably enhances the price of bark, as in many
forests the cutting of trees is interdicted while the sap is in them, as it
injurious to them.
proves
Now the object of this Invention is to facilitate the removal of the bark of
oak and other cuttings, after the sap has fallen in the trees from which they
are taken, by affording to the wood cuttings an artificial sap by enclosing them
in close vessels in which they are submitted to the action of hot water, steam,
hot air, or gases either separately or in combination for the purpose of
detaching the bark from the wood; this may be effected by the employment
of metal cylinders into which the wood is introduced, and which cylinders are
to be supplied with the steam or heated fluid from a boiler and furnace.
These cylinders may be worked alternately so that the charge of one or moro
may be withdrawn whilst the others are being discharged or are in operation.
The Figures of the accompanying Drawing represent an arrangement of
apparatus which will be found suitable for carrying this Invention into
effect.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a section taken in the
line A, B, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Similar letters
indicate like parts in all these Figures.
A is the boiler with its fire-place a (shewn in dotted lines) flue, or
chimney a', and ash-pit a"; B, B, are four cylinders, which may be more or
less in number as desired, and are intended to receive the wood to be barked,
and which allow of the apparatus being worked continuously by means of
pipes C having cocks D, which convey the steam as desired into any one or
more of the cylinders, whilst the wood (shewn at E) ready to be stripped of
its bark is discharged from any one or more of the others. Pipes c¹ (provided
with cocks) serve to put the cylinders into communication with each other in
order to allow of the steam passing from one to the other when any of them

page_text: require to be discharged. F, F, are supports upon which the cylinders are
mounted either side by side or over each other; any other kind of support
may be employed for this purpose. The cylinders when charged are closed
by means of doors fastened by screw clamps G, G.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I desire it to be understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the construction or arrangement of apparatus above shewn and
described, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature and
object of the Invention; but that which I claim, under the above in part
recited Letters Patent is, the employment of hot water, steam, hot air, and
gases, and of heat in combination or separately in apparatus suitably con-
structed and arranged for facilitating the removal of the bark from oak or
other trees or cuttings, as above shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)