IM- PROVEMENTS IN WOVEN AND KNITTED FABRICS AND YARNS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough
Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN WOVEN AND KNITTED FABRICS AND YARNS."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Louis Robbins, of the City of New York,
and John Southmayd, of Elizabeth, in the State of New Jersey,
both in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bous-
field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th June 1870.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN WOVEN AND KNITTED FABRICS ANd Yarns,” to
be as follows:-
It has been discovered that the fibres of the plant variously termed
bamboo, reed, or cane when properly prepared, possess all the properties
requisite for being spun in combination with the fibres of wool, so as
to produce yarn suitable to be woven or knitted, so that the fabric,
whether woven or knitted, will have substantially the same qualities as

page_text: if spun and woven or knitted wholly of woollen fibres. The fibres
obtained from the said plant when properly prepared have the same
appearance, present the same soft and elastic feeling to the hand, and
will take colours in the process of dyeing and printing just as readily
and of the same shades as the fibres of wool.
The fibres of bamboo, reed, or cane can be prepared for admixture
with wool, and suitable for being spun into threads and woven into cloth
or knitted by the following process, viz. :-The knots of the plant are
cut off and the lengths between the knots or joints are boiled from seven
to nine hours in an aqueous solution of caustic alkali, termed caustic
soda, of a strength from six to ten degrees Beaumé. It is preferred to
boil under a pressure of from forty to one hundred pounds to the square
inch. The length of time of the boiling will depend upon the size of
the plant, as also the heat or pressure and the strength of the liquor:
The object of boiling in caustic alkali is to dissolve the proximates of
the plant, and hence the larger the bamboo the longer it will take to
effect the result, and as heat increases the dissolving action of the
alkaline solution, and the rapidity of its action is increased by increased
strength in working the process, the temperature and strength of the
solution and the time of boiling must to a certain extent be controlled
by the judgment of the operative, who can readily tell by inspection
when the proximates have been dissolved and removed from the fibres;
and as the plant is tapering from the butt to the tip it is found best in
practice after it has been cut into lengths to divide it into batches;
so that for each boiling the size of the pieces shall be nearly of the same
size, and although boiling under high pressure is preferred the required
result can be obtained by boiling in open vessels for a greater length
of time. After boiling the plant should be washed in hot water, and
then passed between rollers to press out the solution and dissolve the
proximates, and to disintegrate, so that the fibres may be more readily
separated, which latter is to be effected by subjecting it to the action of
a rotating picker, the teeth of which separate the fibres as gradually
presented and fed forward by suitable feed rollers in manner well
known to persons familiar with the construction and operation of
pickers.
After the fibres have been separated by the picker they are passed
through strong cards, the teeth of which operate as heckles do on the
fibres of hemp, and then passed through fine cards The fibres, after

page_text: having been treated as above stated are then to be mixed with woollen
fibres in the same manner as different qualities of woollen fibres are
mixed. The mixed fibres are then subjected to the operation of the
machine known as the "devil," and then to the successive operations of
carding, drawing, and spinning, to produce yarns suitable for weaving
and knitting. The fibres after being so prepared and combined with
wool will take and retain the colors in dyeing and printing as effectually
as if composed of wool alone, and in that respect as well as in the others
before stated, they are essentially like woollen fibres and distinctly
different from other vegetable fibres.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 6th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County
of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence
that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield,
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 WOVEN AND KNITTED FABRICS ANd Yarns,” a communication
to me from abroad by Louis Robbins, of the City of New York, and
John Southmayd, of Elizabeth, in the State of New Jersey, both in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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

page_text: 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 George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
It has been discovered that the fibres of the plant variously termed
bamboo, reed, or cane, when properly prepared possess all the properties
requisite for being spun in combination with the fibres of wool, so as to
produce yarn suitable to be woven or knitted so that the fabric whether
woven or knitted will have substantially the same qualities as if spun
and woven or knitted wholly of woollen fibres. The fibres obtained
from the said plant, when properly prepared have the same appearance,
present the same soft and elastic feeling to the hand, and will take colors
in the process of dyeing and printing just as readily and of the same
shades as the fibres of wool. The fibres of bamboo, reed, or cane can
be prepared for admixture with wool and suitable for being spun into
threads and woven into cloth or knitted by the following process,
videlicet: The knots of the plant are cut off and the lengths between
the knots or joints are boiled from seven to nine hours in an aqueous
solution of caustic alkali, termed caustic soda, of a strength from six to
ten degrees Beaumé. It is preferred to boil under a pressure from
forty to one hundred pounds to the square inch. The length of time of
the boiling will depend upon the size of the plant as also the heat or
pressure, and the strength of the liquor. The object of boiling in caustic
alkali is to dissolve the proximates of the plant, and hence the larger
the bamboo the longer it will take to effect the result, and as heat
increases the dissolving action of the alkaline solution, and the rapidity 3
of its action is increased by increased strength, in working the process,
the temperature and strength of the solution, and the time of boiling
must to a certain extent be controlled by the judgment of the operative,
who can readily tell by inspection when the proximates have been
dissolved and removed from the fibres. And as the plant is tapering
from the butt to the tip it is found best in practice after it has been cut
into lengths to divide it into batches so that for each boiling the size of
the pieces shall be nearly of the same size. And although boiling under

page_text: high pressure is preferred, the required result can be obtained by boiling in
open vessels for a greater length of time. After boiling the plant should
be washed in hot water and then passed between rollers to press out the
solution and dissolve the proximates, and to disintegrate, so that the
fibres may be more readily separated, which latter is to be effected by
subjecting it to the action of a rotating picker, the teeth of which
separate the fibres as gradually presented and fed forward by suitable
feed rollers in manner well known to persons familiar with the con-
struction and operation of pickers. After the fibres have been separated
by the picker they are passed through strong cards, the teeth of which
operate as heckles do on the fibres of hemp, and then passed through fine
cards. The fibres after having been treated as above stated are then to
be mixed with woolen fibres in the same manner as different qualities
of woollen fibres are mixed. The mixed fibres are then subjected to
the operation of the machine, known as the "devil," and then to the
successive operations of carding, drawing, and spinning to produce yarns
suitable for wearing and knitting. The fibres after being so prepared
and combined with wool will take and retain the colors in dyeing and
printing as effectually as if composed of wool alone, and in that respect
as well as in the others before stated they are essentially like woollen
fibres and distinctly different from other vegetable fibres.
Although a process has been herein described which has been found
suitable for the preparation of the bamboo, reed, or cane, and the com-
bining of the fibres, so prepared with wool suitable for the production of
woven and knitted fabrics it is not wished that the claim of Invention
should be limited to the said process as other processes may be devised
suitable for the purpose, but what is claimed as new and desired to be
secured by Letters Patent is, the new manufacture, whether woven or
knitted, of yarns spun from the combined fibres of bamboo, reed, or
cane, and wool as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of December, in
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)