Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 19th Apr., 1887.
I, SIMEON MONROE WALCHER of Louisburg, Miami, County and State of Kansas,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in washing-machines; and it consists in
the peculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth
hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a
washing-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2. is a transverse sectional view of
the same. Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the clear-water pan. Fig. 4 is a
top plan view of the cover for the dirt pan.
A represents a boiler, which is preferably rectangular in shape. This boiler is
provided at one end, near the bottom, with a discharge-cock, B. A rectangular
cover, C, fits over the boiler, and has on its upper side a reservoir, D, the bottom E
of which is inclined. A cock or plug, F, is located at the lower end of the reservoir
communicating with the boiler. In the bottom of the boiler is located a pan, G, the
bottom of which is inclined, as shown, the lower end of the inclined bottom com-
municating with the discharge-cock. The pan G is niether as long nor as wide
as the boiler, a space, g', being left between the upper end of the pan and the
adjacent end of the boiler, and a similar space, g³, being left between one side of the
pan and the boiler. From this side of the pan extends an inclined flange, g³, that
comes in contact with with the side of the boiler, as shown in Fig. 2, and in one side of
the pan, near the upper end thereof, are a series of openings, g, communicating with
the space g in the boiler, so as to permit access of water from the dirt-pan to the
boiler. H represents a cover, which consists of the bottom plate, h, provided at one
end with the vertical angle-plates, ', located on opposite corners of the bottom
plate. The corners of the bottom plate, in the angle-plates, are cut away so as to
leave openings ³ at the lower ends of the angle-plates, and one end of the bottom
Din 827

page_text: plate is upturned, as at ², to form an end wall for the bottom plate between the
angle-plates. Vertical diagonal wall connect the end walls, 2, with the outer
edges of the angle-plates, as shown.
I represents a clear-water pan having the curved bottom i, the sides i¹, and the
suspending-straps 1 and 3. The strap catches over one end of the boiler, and the 5
strap, which is longer than strap ♬ passes between the vertical angle-plates and
catches over the opposite end of the boiler, so as to suspend the clear-water pan therein
in an inclined position above the cover H.
K represents a revolving closed cylinder having journals k, that bear in openings
formed in an upper edge of the boiler. This cylinder has a hinged door, ¹, and is
provided with a series of V-shaped openings,, which are equidistant apart. The
inclined sides of these openings have conductors or discharges, that communicate
with the interior of the cylinder and lead to discharge openings ³, that are formed
in the sides of the cylinder, as shown. To one of the journals is attached_a
crank, The openings are covered by perforated bucked ', attached to the
inner side of the periphery of the cylinder. From the under side of the inclined
bottom E of the cover depend guiding-straps L, that are curved in the form of a
On the inner sides
quarter-circle, and extend to one of the end walls of the cover.
of the side and end walls of the cover, near the lower edges thereof, are located
inclined troughs or spouis L', with which the straps L communicate. The function
of the said straps and troughs is to conduct the water resulting from the condensation
of the steam to openings I, made in the troughs at the ends of the cover, to discharge
the same through said openings onto the suspending straps of the clear-water pan, and
thus conduct the condensed purified water directly to said pan.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
The
Water is poured into the boiler until it reaches the lower end of the clear-water
pan, and the boiler is placed on the stove or heater and the water is raised to the
boiling-point. The cylinder is about half-filled with clothes that have been thoroughly
soaped, and the cylinder is then rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in
Fig. 1. The reservoir D has been previously filled with cold water. The lower
portion of cylinder rotates in the clear-water pan, and the water enters said cylinder
and passes through the clothes, and the steam strikes upon the inclined bottom of
the reservoir, is condensed, and is conducted by the curved straps and the troughs or
spouts L back to the clear water pan. As the cylinder revolves, the water
that has been in contact with the soiled clothes is discharged through the
conductors and the openings over the lower end of the clear-water pan, and
downwardly through the openings of the cover H into the lower end of the
dirt-pan G. The dirt and sediment in the water settles in the pan G.
bottom-plate, h, of the cover, covers the dirt-pan, as shewn, and serves to
retain the dirt and sediment therein, and prevent it from becoming diffused
by the ebullition of the boiling water. The action of the heat under the inclined
bottom of the pan G causes a constant circulation of the water in the boiler. As
the soiled water is discharged from the cylinder, its place is supplied by water
from the clear water pan, and as the clear water pan derives its supply from the
condensed steam and purified water, the water in it is always pure, and consequently
the clothes in the cylinder are subjected to the action of a continual stream of clear
water and steam. When this process has been continued a sufficient time-say fifteen
minutes, the dirt and water in the pan G. are drawn off by the cock B. and a fresh
supply of water is slowly admitted to the clear-water pan, from the reservoir D, to be
passed through the clothes until rinsed sufficiently, after which they are removed from
the cylinder, and the process is then repeated on another supply of soiled clothes.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The cylinder K, having the openings, having the inclined sides, conductors k
arranged on the inclined sides of the openings, and communicating with the interior
of the cylinder, discharge-openings in the sides of the cylinder communicating with

page_text: the conductors 2, and perforated bottoms or covers for the openings *, substantially
as described.
2. The combination of the boiler, the clear water pan suspended or supported
therein, and the cylinder journalled in the boiler, the lower side of the cylinder entering
the clear-water pan, substantially as described.
3. The combination of the boiler, the rotating cylinder therein, the condenser, the
clear water-pan for receiving the waters of condensation and supplying the same to
the clothes-cylinder, whereby the latter will be supplied with a constant accession of
clear, pure water, substantially as described.
4. The combination of the boiler the rotating cylinder therein, the condenser, the
clear water pan for receiving the waters of condensation, and supplying the same to
the clothes-cylinder, and the pan to receive the impure water from the clothes cylinder,
substantially as described.
5. The combination of the boiler, the rotating cylinder therein, the dirt pan for
collecting the sediment, the condenser, the clear water pan for receiving the waters of
condensation and supplying the same to the clothes-cylinder, and the cover H, for
the dirt pan, to prevent diffusion of the sediment therein, substantially as described.
6. The combination of the boiler having the condensing chamber or resevior on its
top, the cylinder journalled in the boiler, the pan G. located in the bottom of the
boiler and having the inclined bottom, the cover H, located in the pan, and the clear-
water pan above the said cover, in which the lower side of the cylinder revolves,
substantially as described.
7. The combination of the boiler, the rotating cylinder, and the clear water pan for
supplying water to the cylinder, the latter having openings in its periphery to receive
the water from the pan and inclined discharge-conductors for conveying the impure
water in the cylinder through the sides of the same, over the sides of the clear water
pan as the cylinder rotates, to avoid polluting the water in the clear water pan,
substantially as described.