A NEW OR IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS OR BALANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE LOSS OF WOOL IN WEIGHT BY THE PROCESS OF WASHING
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Jensen, of Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MODE OF
AND APPARATUS OR BALANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE LOSS OF WOOL IN
WEIGHT BY THE PROCESS OF WASHING."-A communication from abroad
by Friedrich Bockhacker, of Hückeswagen, in Rhenish Prussia.
1.
Sealed the 21st August 1875, and dated the 28th May 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Jensen, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th May 1875.
I, PETER JENSEN, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS OR BALANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE LOSS OF
WOOL IN WEIGHT BY THE PROCESS OF WASHING," (a communication to me
from abroad by Friedrich Bockhacker, of Hückeswagen, in Rhenish
Prussia,) to be as follows:-
The apparatus consists mainly in a deep vessel, which is filled with
water up to within a short distance of the brim, and in a deep float,
which in its upper part is formed with a basin for receiving the wool to

page_text: be judged as to its growth and quality. These things being ascertained,
the wool is pressed down into the float to the very bottom with equal
density, and so as to fill the float up to the brim. The filling must be
made by only adding small quantities of wool at the time, and not tó
leave any empty spaces between. The float being filled, a weight is
placed upon the wool, and the latter pressed down till the weight sinks
no more. The pressing hand being then withdrawn the weight springs
up as far as the natural elasticity of the wool impels it. The point up
to which the weight is thus lifted by the wool gives the exact cubic
contents of wool on a scale within the float. The weight is now taken
away, and it is to be ascertained how far the floak has sunk into the
outer vessel. This is to be seen by means of brass column scales outside
the latter. The column scales are divided in degrees marking half an
ounce of weight each. If the float has sunk 100 degrees, the weight of
the wool within is 100 half ounces.
In order to know how many per cent. the wool loses by washing a
quantity of wool properly washed and cleaned is placed into the float in
the manner described above, and the sinking of the float is ascertained.
The difference of sinking of both unclean and clean wool is the loss of
weight arising from the removal of grease, sand, earth, burs, grass, or
other foreign matter. The quantities of wool to be compared must of
course be of equal cubic contents.
In order to ascertain the different degrees of fineness wool of every
sort is pressed into the float and weighed. Equal cubic contents of
unequal fineness will give the degree of the latter by the per-centage of
weights.
By this apparatus the operator is enabled within a few minutes, and
with perfect exactness, to ascertain the loss of wool by washing, which
hitherto, chemical washing being in practice, required at least 6 hours,
not to speak of the time being taken up by the removal of burs, grass,
and other foreign matter.
This apparatus assists the wool merchant or manufacturer in a manner
never known before; he is enabled to buy wool exactly according to
its degree of fineness and profitableness. Hitherto only the eye and
touch were the helpmates of the buyer. This wool balance will as a
third agent be of most essential service.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Jensen in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
JENSEN, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Peter Jensen, Her special
licence, that I, the said Peter Jensen, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Jensen, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term thercin
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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED MODE
OF AND APPARATUS OR BALANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE LOSS OF WOOL IN WEIGHT
BY THE PROCESS OF WASHING," a communication to me from abroad by
Friedrich Bockhacker, of Hückeswagen, in Rhenish Prussia, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter Jensen, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Jensen, my 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 accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:
The apparatus consists mainly in a deep vessel A, which is filled with
water up to within a short distance of the brim, and in a deep float B,
which in its upper part is formed with a basin for receiving the wool to
.

page_text: L
be judged as to its growth and quality. These things being ascertained
the wool is pressed down into the float to the very bottom with equal
density, and so as to fill the float up to the brim. The filling must be
made by only adding small quantities of wool at a time, and not to leave
any empty spaces between. The float being filled, a weight is placed
upon the wool, and the latter pressed down till the weight sinks no more.
The pressing hand being then withdrawn the weight springs up as far
as the natural elasticity of the wool impels it. The point up to which
the weight is thus lifted by the wool gives the exact cubic contents of
wool on a scale within the float. The weight is now taken away, and it
is to be ascertained how far the float has sunk into the outer vessel.
This is to be seen by means of brass column scales outside the latter.
The column scales are divided in degrees marking half an ounce of
weight each. If the float has sunk 100 degrees the weight of the wool
within is 100 half ounces.
In order to know how many per cent. the wool loses by washing a
quantity of wool properly washed and cleaned is placed into the float in
the manner described above, and the sinking of the float is ascertained.
The difference of sinking of both unclean and clean wool is the loss of
weight arising from the removal of grease, sand, earth, burs, grass, or
other foreign matter. The quantities of wool to be compared must of
course be of equal cubic contents.
In order to ascertain the different degrees of fineness wool of every
sort is pressed into the float and weighed. Equal cubic contents of
unequal fineness will give the degree of the latter by the per-centage of
weights.
By this apparatus the operator is enabled within a few minutes, and
with perfect exactness, to ascertain the loss of wool by washing, which
hitherto, chemical washing being in practice, required at least 6 hours,
not to speak of the time being taken up by the removal of burs, grass, ;
and other foreign matter.
This apparatus assists the wool merchant or manufacturer in a manner
never known before; he is enabled to buy wool exactly according to its
degree of fineness and profitableness. Hitherto only the eye and touch
were the helpmates of the buyer. This wool balance will as a third a
agent be of most essential service.

page_text: And in order that this Invention may be more fully understood, I will
now proceed to describe the apparatus preferably used for the purposes
of this Invention, with reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
i
Figure 1 is an elevation; Figure 2, a partial section; Figure 3, a
complete vertical section; and Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are plan, sectional,
and detail views respectively of this apparatus, which consists, as shewn,
of an outer vessel A, which is partially filled with water or other fluid,
and within which is situate another inner vessel, the lower part of which
▸ constitutes a float B, while the upper part C is a receptacle to contain
the wool to be weighed and measured. The float B and receptacle C are
upborne by the water or other fluid, and are free to rise and fall in the
outer vessel A, an india-rubber or other packing e being provided at
the upper part of the vessel A to encircle the receptacle C, and prevent
5 the escape of the fluid in the outer vessel. A flanch D is fixed to the
upper part of the vessel or receptacle c, through which flanch D guide
rods E are or may be passed so as to steady the float B and vessel C as
they rise and fall, and the said guide rods E may be divided into degrees,
and employed as scales to ascertain the rise and fall of the float and
vessel; or a scale J may be provided for that purpose, and fixed
upon the side of the receptacle C, as shewn at Figure 2, 'in which
case the guide rods or scales E are dispensed with. The wool to
be weighed and measured is placed into and pressed down in the
receptacle C in small quantities at a time until the receptacle contains
a sufficient bulk. The weight F is then superposed, and the final'
pressure applied.
It will be observed from a reference to the Drawings that the
weight F is provided with a pointer H, and has a mirror x fixed upon its
inclined upper part (as shewn at Figures 3, 5, and 6, this mirror being
so arranged that the operator above can easily read off the indications
of the pointer H as it moves over the face of a scale I fixed to the
interior of the receptacle C, and which is shewn in section at Figure 3.
Now when the last instalment of wool has been added, the weight F
superposed, and the final pressure applied as aforesaid, the operator takes
note of the position of the pointer H upon the scale I.
The pressure
is then withdrawn, and the natural elasticity of the wool causes the
weight F to rise and the pointer H to move over the surface of the
scale I, which is so constructed that the number of degrees passed

page_text: through by the pointer H indicates the exact cubic contents of wool
contained in the receptacle C. To ascertain the weight of wool thus
measured the weight F is removed, and the depth to which the float and
receptacle have sunk is seen by comparing the position of the vessel or
receptacle C with relation to the scales J or E with a previous observa-
tion made while the receptacle C was empty.
The scales J and E may be constructed to give any required degree of
weight; for example, they may be divided into spaces indicating half an
ounce of weight each, and thus if the float B and receptacle C have
sunk, say, 100 spaces or degrees, the weight of the contained wool is 100
half ounces, or whatever other degree of weight a space on the scale may
represent. To provide for the ready removal of the wool thus weighed
and measured slings G, constructed in the manner shewn at Figure 4 of
the Drawings, may be employed, and placed in the receptacle C before it
is filled with wool, which is thus packed upon the bottom plate of the
slings, whose upper part may then be hooked or attached to a crane or
other hoisting mechanism by which the slings carrying the wool are
raised out of the receptacle c.
In order to know how many per cent. the wool loses by washing or
cleansing a quantity of wool properly washed and cleaned is placed into
the receptacle C in the manner hercin-before described. The differenco
of sinking between clean and unclean wool is the loss of weight arising
from the removal of grease, sand, carth, burs, grass, or other foreign
matter. The quantities of wool to be compared must of course be of
equal cubic contents.
In order to ascertain the different degrees of fineness wool of every
sort is pressed into the receptacle and weighed. Equal cubic contents.
of unequal fineness will give the degree of the latter by the per-centage
of weights.
By means of this apparatus the operator is enabled to ascertain the
loss of wool by cleansing with perfect exactness and in much less time
than was hitherto necessary, and it also assists the wool merchant or
manufacturer to buy wool according to its degree of fineness and
profitableness.
And having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this
Invention, I declare that I claim,―
Firstly. The mode or method of weighing and measuring wool, sub-

page_text: stantially as herein-before set forth, and as described with reference to
the Drawings.
Secondly. The outer vessel or cistern A in combination with the float
and receptacle B, C, and with scales J and E, or equivalent appliances,
as and for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly. The weight E in combination with the mirror x, pointer H,
and scale I, as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Jensen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.