AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING, DYEING, AND WASHING LINEN, COTTON, AND OTHER YARNS AND FABRICS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Carmichael, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Bleacher, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND
APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING, DYEING, AND WASHING LINEN, COTTON, AND
OTHER YARNS AND FABRICS."
Scaled the 1st July 1873, and dated the 7th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Carmichael at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th January 1873.
I, HENRY CARMICHAEL, of Leeds, in the County of York, Bleacher,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING, DYEING, AND WASHING LINEN, COTTON,
AND OTHER YARNS AND FABRICS," to be as follows :-
.
My said Invention relates to a process wherein the whole series of
operations required for bleaching or dyeing the yarn or fabric is effected
in two vessels, the results being increased strength of the yarn or fabric,
greater safety for the operatives, a great saving of time and of the liquids
used in the said process, a diminished loss of the weight of the yarns and

page_text: fabrics, the prevention of the breakage of the thread, and a reduction in
the cost of labour.
My improved apparatus for bleaching and dyeing yarns has a boiling
pan, two bleaching or dyeing vats or tanks, and four or any other
required number of cisterns for containing the various liquids to be
used in the said vats. The said boiling pan is preferably placed at one
end of the vats. The latter are arranged side by side lengthwise and
are on the same level. The four cisterns are placed between them at a
lower level. A pump connected with these cisterns is so arranged that
the contents of each of them may be raised into the bleaching or dyeing
vats, and the latter are provided with valves or cocks whereby the liquid
raised from either of the said cisterns may be allowed to return to it.
Pipes are also provided for conducting steam or water to the said vats.
Over these vats and extending laterally across them, I arrange a series
of rollers or cylinders of wood or other suitable material. The said
rollers carry worm wheels which are geared with worms on long shafts
extending from end to end of the vats. Each of the said shafts is geared
at one end to a driving shaft, and for the purpose of imparting a
reciprocating rotary motion to the said rollers I place on each of the
worm shafts two bevel wheels, one on each side of a bevel wheel on the
driving shaft. By means of clutches or other suitable contrivances each
of the said bevel wheels on the worm shaft is alternately caused to gear
with the wheel on the driving shaft, and thereby the required reciprocating
or to-and-fro motion of the rollers is obtained.
In practising my improved process of bleaching, the yarn is first
boiled in an alkaline solution in the boiling pan. The hanks of yarn
are then placed on the aforesaid rollers, and hang therefrom with their
lower ends in the vat. One of the cisterns contains chlorine or bleaching
liquor, this liquor is pumped up into the vats, and motion is given
to the said rollers which pass the yarn alternately forward and backward
through the liquor, at the same time exposing it freely to the air; then
the valves or cocks are opened and the liquor is returned to the cistern;
then clear water is admitted to the vats to wash them and discharged
into a sewer. The second cistern contains the acid or souring liquid,
which is pumped up into the vats after the washing water has been
discharged. The rollers are then again set in motion and the yarn
passed to and fro through this liquid, which is also returned to its
cistern by means of valves or cocks. After being again washed with

page_text: clear water the vats are filled with alkaline liquid from the third cistern.
This liquid is heated to the boiling point by the aforesaid steam pipes.
The rollers pass the yarn to and fro through this liquid, which is then
returned to its cistern by means of the valves or cocks. The vats being
then washed with clear water are again filled with the chlorine liquor
from the first cistern, whose diminished strength will be found very
suitable for this stage of the process; then this liquid being again
returned to its cistern the vats are refilled with the acid or souring liquid,
whose strength may be first restored while it is in its cistern by the
addition of a small quantity of acid.
If the yarn is now found to be of the proper colour it may be subjected
to the last part of the process, which is the soap bath, the soapy liquid
being pumped up from the fourth cistern. The yarn is passed to and
fro by the reciprocating motion of the aforesaid rollers through this
liquid, and the latter is returned to its cistern. The yarn is then taken
from the rollers and dried.
When the said apparatus is used for dyeing yarns, the aforesaid
cisterns are filled with the dyeing liquids, which are pumped up into the-
vats, and after the yarns have been passed through them they are
returned to the cisterns by means of the cocks or valves, as above
described.
The apparatus for bleaching, dyeing, or washing cloth or other fabrics
is substantially the same as that above described. The vats are
necessarily wider, and the rollers longer than those used for treating
the yarns. Moreover, I use an additional series of rollers at the bottom
of the vats, the cloth or fabric being passed over the upper rollers and
under the lower rollers. Drawing rollers arranged in pairs are placed
at suitable intervals above the said vat, and have a reciprocating rotary
motion imparted to them by suitable gearing from the driving shaft. At
cach end of the said vats I place a folding machine consisting of series
of shelves and pairs of rollers driven by an upright shaft, and also a
frame for plaiting the fabric.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Henry Carmichael in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CARMICHAEL, of Leeds, in the County of York, Bleacher, send greeting.
year
of
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of January, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Carmichael, Her special licence
that I, the said Henry Carmichael, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Carmichael, 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 "AN IMPROVED PROCESS
AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING, DYEING, AND WASHING LINEN, COTTON, AND OTHER
YARNS AND FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Henry Carmichael, 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 montlis next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Carmichael, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 forming a part of this Specification:-
My said Invention relates to a process wherein the whole series of
operations required for bleaching or dycing tho yarn or fabric is effected
in two vessels, the results being increased strength of the yarn, greater
safety for the operatives, a great saving of time and of the liquids used
in the said process, a diminished loss of the weight of the yarns and

page_text: fabrics, the prevention of the breakage of the thread, and a reduction in
the cost of labour.
The latter are
level as shown.
My improved apparatus for bleaching and dyeing yarns is preferably
constructed as shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying
Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the said apparatus; Figure 2
is a longitudinal section on the liuc x, x, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a
transverse section on the line y, y, Figure 1. Like letters indicate the same
parts parts in all of the Figures. The said apparatus has a boiling pan a,
two bleaching or dycing vats or tanks b, b', and four cisterns c, c¹, c², c³,
for containing the various liquids to be used in the said vats. I do not
limit myself to the use of four cisterns, but may provide the apparatus
with any convenient or desirable number of the same. The said boiling
pan a is preferably placed at one end of the vats b, b.
arranged side by sido lengthwise, and are on the same
The four cisterns c, c¹, c², c³, are placed between them at a lower level.
A pump d is connected by a pipe e with these cisterns, and the said pipo
is provided with valves or cocks c¹, so that the contents of cach of them
may be raised into the bleaching or dyeing vats b, b. The pipes e
which conduct the liquid from the pump to the said vats are provided
with stop valves c³, and by means of these valves the communication
between the pump and vats may be regulated as required, so that one
vat may be filled with the liquid from onc cistern, and the other vat
with the contents of another cistern. The vats b, ¹, are provided with
valves or cocks f, whereby the liquid raised from either of the said
cisterns may be allowed to return to it. Pipes are also provided for
conducting steam or water to the vats b, b'. Over these vats, and
extending laterally across them I arrange a series of rollers or cylinders g,
of wood or other suitable material. The said rollers carry worm wheels g¹,
which are geared with the worms ¹ on long shafts h, extending from
end to end of the vats b, b', and supported in brackets /* secured to the
sides of the said vats. Each of the shafts / is geared at one end to a
driving shaft i supported in brackets * fixed on the end of the vat,
and for the purpose of imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the
said rollers I place on cach of the worm shafts & two bevel wheels hª, h³,
one on cach side of a bevel wheel j on the driving shaft i. By means of
clutches and levers or other suitable contrivances cach of the bevel
wheels,, on the worm shaft is alternately caused to gear with the
wheelj on the driving shaft, and thereby the required reciprocating or
to-and-fro motion of the rollers g is obtained.

page_text: In practising my improved process of bleaching yarn, the yarn is first
boiled in an alkaline solution in the boiling pan a. The hanks of yarn
are then placed on the aforesaid rollers g, and hang therefrom with their
lower ends in the vats 6, 6¹. The cistern c contains chlorine or bleaching
liquor. This liquor is pumped up into the vats b, b', and motion is
given to the rollers g, which pass the yarn alternately forward and
backward through the liquor, at the same time exposing it freely to the
air; then the valves or cocks fare opened and the liquor is returned to
the cistern; clear water is then admitted to the vats b, b¹, to wash them,
the same after use being discharged into a sewer. The second cistern c¹
contains the acid or souring liquid, which is pumped up into the
vats b, b', after the washing water has been discharged. The rollers g
are then again set in motion and the yarn passed to and fro through this
liquid, which is also returned to its cistern c¹ by means of the valves or
cocks f. After being again washed with clean water the vats b, b¹, are
filled with alkaline liquid from the third cistern c³. This liquid is
heated to the boiling point by the aforesaid steam pipes, which are noț
shown in the Drawings. The rollers 9 pass the yarn to and fro through
this liquid which is then returned to its cistern by means of the valves
or cocks f. The vats b, b', being then washed with clear water are again
filled with the chlorine liquor from the first cistern c, whose diminished
strength will be found very suitable for this stage of the process; then
this liquid being again returned to its cistern c the vats 6, 61, are refilled
with the acid or souring liquid, whose strength may be first restored
while it is in its cistern by the addition of a small quantity of acid.
C
If the yarn is now found to be of the proper colour it may be subjected
to the last operation in my process, which is the soap bath, consisting
of soapy liquid pumped up from the fourth cistern c³. The yarn is
passed to and fro by the reciprocating motion of the aforesaid rollers g
through this soapy liquid, and the latter after this operation is finished
is returned to its cistern. The yarn is then taken from the rollers g and
dried.
When the said apparatus is used for dyeing yarns the aforesaid
cisterns are filled with the dyeing liquids instead of the aforesaid
bleaching liquids. These dyeing liquids are pumped up into the vats,
and the yarns are passed through them by the reciprocating rollers, and
tho liquids are returned to the cisterns by means of the cocks or valves,
as above described.

page_text: The apparatus for bleaching, dyeing, or washing cloth or other fabrics
is substantially the same as that above described. Figure 4 is a plan of
one side of this apparatus; Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the
same on the line z, z, Figure 4. Similar letters indicate the same parts
in both of these Figures. The vats are necessarily wider and the
rollers longer than those used for treating the yarns, as shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3. Moreover, I use an additional series of rollers / at
the bottom of the said vats, the cloth or fabric e being passed over the
upper rollers 9 and under the lower rollers k, as shown in Figure 5.
Drawing rollers m arranged in pairs are placed at suitable intervals above
the said vats, and have a reciprocating rotary motion imparted to them
for the purpose of passing the cloth to and fro in the liquid, as above
described. This reciprocating or to-and-fro motion may be produced by
the bevil wheels and clutches through the worm wheels, as above
described. In Figure 4, I have shown bevel wheels n, o, on the shaft i,
and drawing rollers m instead of the worms and worm wheels shown in
Figures 1 and 2, but either may be used, as found most convenient.
The intermediate rollers g, k, are not geared to the shaft i. At each end
of the said vats I place a plaiting or folding machine p, as shown. This
machine has shelves q and pairs of rollers driven by an upright shaft s
through bevel wheels s¹, s³, or other suitable gearing. The said apparatus
may have any number of rollers, shelves, and other parts to adapt it for
the treatment of any desired number of pieces of cloth at one time. As
shewn in the Drawing it is constructed for operating upon twelve picces
or thicknesses of the width of the vats. These twelve pieces of cloth
are placed one upon the other and passed all together through the top
pair of rollers 1. The two outside pieces of cloth are taken no lower
than the top shelf, whereon they are plaited or folded by a folder placed
on the said shelf. The remaining ten pieces of cloth are passed through
the second pair of rollers, and the two ouside pieces are folded by a
second folder on the second shelf, and so on, the last two pieces being
folded on the lower shelf. The said twelve pieces of cloth are passed
together from the upper pair of rollers r at both ends of the apparatus
to the first pair of drawing rollers m, and are separated as they pass
therefrom through the vat by the intermediate rollers g, k. They are
reunited at cach pair of drawing rollers, whereby they are moved to and
fro through the liquid, and are separated between these rollers as shewn,
for the purpose of exposing them more effectually to the action of the
said liquid.
.

page_text: When the said apparatus is used for washing cloth or fabrics, I provide
the vats with beaters operated by cams or other suitable mechanism to
act on the said cloth or fabric, and remove the dirt therefrom as it is
passed to and fro through the liquid.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,—
First. An apparatus for bleaching, dyeing, or washing linen, cotton,
and other yarns, constructed with a boiling pan, cisterns, and vats, so
arranged in combination together and so connected that the liquids used
may be conducted from one to the other and provided with apparatus
whereby the yarn or other material. is passed to and fro through the
liquid in the said vats, as herein set forth.
Second. The apparatus for bleaching, dyeing, or washing linen, cotton,
or other fabrics, constructed with the aforesaid boiling pan, cisterns, and
vats, and provided with apparatus for passing the cloth or fabric to
and fro through the liquid in the said vats, in combination with the
folding or plaiting machines at the ends of the said apparatus, as hercin
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Carmichael, have hereunto
Witness,
W. ROBT. LAKE.
HENRY CARMICHAEL. (L.S.)