IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wise, of Buckingham Street, Adelphi,
in the City of Westminster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS, "-A com-
munication from abroad by François Coquelaôre Joseph Staës, Jean
Baptiste Ravet, otherwise Ravet-Anceau, and Julien Bayart, all of
No. 79, Rue Imperiale, Lille, France.
Sealed the 20th December 1864, and dated the 13th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lloyd Wise
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th July 1864.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Buckingham Street, Adelphi, in the City of
Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the treating and transforming all
vegetable fibrous materials into fibre of a "cottony" character, so as to
render it capable of being worked up in ordinary cotton spinning machinery.
The flax, hemp, tow, or other fibrous material to be operated upon is first
washed, this operation being performed by the ordinary means, for example,
with soda and soap, thus separating the fibres and rendering them pliant
without lessening their strength. After being scoured and thoroughly dried
the fibrous material is passed through a "devil" for the purpose of separating
[Price 8d.1

page_text: the filaments. This is followed by a process constituting an essential feature
of the Invention, and which consists in passing the fibrous material through
or between a "drawing frame" or series of rollers, as hereafter described.
for giving it a silkiness and gloss, and regulating the lengths of the fibres, so
as to adapt them to the particular kind of spinning machinery to be employed.
Lastly, the fibrous material is submitted to the action of another "devil" or
combing process for the purpose of more completely separating the filaments
from each other, and assimilating it to ordinary cotton, and it is thus rendered
capable of being spun in ordinary cotton spinning machinery.
The improved drawing frame" employed consists of a series of rollers
constructed of leather, lead, or other suitable yielding material, arranged
in pairs, and mounted upon a cast-iron frame, motion being communicated to
them by means of a strap and pullies. The rollers are suitably weighted, and
being provided with toothed wheels communicate motion from one to another
successively throughout the entire series, the material to be treated being fed
through or between fluted rollers from an endless cloth or table upon which
it is disposed. The length of the fibres is varied as required by the adjust-
ment of the distance between the fluted rollers and the regulation of their
speed; such means of regulating at will the lengths of the fibres constituting
a leading feature of the Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Lloyd Wise in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LLOYD WISE, of Buckingham Street, Adelphi, in the City of Westminster,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letter's
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Lloyd Wise, Her special licence that I, the said
William Lloyd Wise, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Lloyd Wise, 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND IN MACHINERY FOR TREATING
FIBROUS MATERIALS," a communication to me from abroad by François
Coquelaêre, Joseph Staës, Jean Baptiste Ravet, otherwise Ravet-Anceau,
and Julien Bayart, all of No. 79, Rue Imperiale, Lille, France, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Lloyd Wise, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, 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 mouths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Lloyd Wise, 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:-
This Invention has for its object the treating and transforming all vegetable
fibrous materials into fibre of a cottony character, so as to render them
capable of being worked up in ordinary cotton spinning machinery.
The Bax, hemp, tow, or other fibrous material to be operated upon is first
washed, this operation being performed by the ordinary means, for example,
with soda and soap, thus separating the fibres and rendering them pliant
without lessening their strength. After being scoured and thoroughly dried
the fibrous material is passed through a "devil" for the purpose of separating
the filaments. This is followed by a process constituting an essential feature
of the Invention, and which consists in passing the fibrous material through
or between a "drawing frame" or series of rollers, as hereafter described,
for giving it a silkiness and gloss, and regulating the lengths of the fibres so
as to adapt them to the particular kind of spinning machinery to be employed.
Lastly, the fibrous material is submitted to the action of another "devil" or
combing process for the purpose of more completely separating the filaments
from each other and assimilating it to ordinary cotton, and it is thus rendered
capable of being spun in ordinary cotton spinning machinery.
The improved "drawing frame" employed consists of a series of rollers
constructed of leather, lead, or other suitable yielding material arranged in
pairs, and mounted upon a cast-iron frame, motion being communicated to
then by means of a strap and pullies. The rollers are suitably weighted, and
being provided with toothed wheels communicate motion from one to another
successively throughout the entire series; the material to be treated being fed

page_text: through or between fluted rollers from an endless cloth or table upon which it
is disposed. The length of the fibres is varied as required by the adjustment
of the distance between the fluted rollers and the regulation of their speed;
such means of regulating at will the lengths of the fibres constituting a
leading feature of the Invention.
It may be remarked that by the foregoing processes an excellent substitute
for cotton is produced from materials of trifling value, such as cotton waste
and the residue accruing from all known materials employed in spinning.
The improved "drawing frame" or pressing machine made use of in
carrying this Invention into effect will be more fully understood from the
following description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.
Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a plan thereof, and
Fig. 3 an end view of the same. Similar letters of reference refer to the
same parts in all the views.
a is a cast-iron frame, upon which are arranged in pairs a certain number
of rollers b made of leather, lead, or any other suitable yielding material.
The shaft or spindle C carries two pullies D), which receive motion from a
strap or belt which works the whole of the wheel gear e communicating
motion through the toothed wheels E, F, and d, to the first drawing roller b,
such motion being successively transmitted to the entire series of rollers
actuated by the pinions e. The counterweights fof the drawing rollers may
be as shewn or otherwise; spiral springs may be employed in their stead. The
supports g of the drawing rollers and intermediate gearing wheels are fixed
on the framing a in such manner as may be found most convenient for
adjusting the distance between the fluted rollers & for the purpose of regu-
lating at will the length of the material treated. This may be done in
various ways, one of the most simple being to secure the supports by means
of bolts and nuts in the framing. The material to be treated is conveyed to
the compressing rollers b by means of an endless cloth working upon
suitable rollers, which receive motion by means of the toothed wheels j.
By the foregoing description it will be understood that the action of the
drawing frame or pressing machine is as follows:-The fibrous material to be
treated is placed upon the endless cloth, by which it is fed to the fluted
rollers or cylinders b, which are adjusted according to the greater or less
length required to be given to the material under treatment. The means
described of regulating at will the length of the fibrous material in pre-
paration constitutes one of the leading features of the drawing frame em-
ployed, in addition to which it possesses the further advantages of occupying

page_text: little space and requiring small power to drive, as several may be worked
by one engine.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim, -
Firstly, the means and processes herein-before described of transforming
vegetable fibrous substances into material resembling cotton..
Secondly, the arrangement of "drawing frame" or pressing machine, as
herein-before described and represented in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lloyd Wise, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
CHAS. NEWBOLD DOLLERY,
Chandos Chambers,
Buckingham Street,
Adelphi, W.C.
W. LLOYD WISE. (L.S.)