CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING VARIOUS FIBROUS SUBSTANCES POR SPINNING, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, LEMUEL
WELLMAN WRIGHT, of Chalford, in the County of Gloucester, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of
January, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Lemuel Wellinan Wright, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others as
I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING VARIOUS
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES POR SPINNING, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Lemuel Wellman Wright, should cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the inanner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
My improvements in the preparation of flax, China grass, and other fibrous
substances of a like character intended for spinning into yarns, consist in a
particular mode or manner of separating the fibres more minutely, and with
less labor and expense than has been heretofore done. Heretofore such
materials have been prepared by scutching and hackling, by which considerable
waste takes place. Now my improvements consist of preparing such fibrous
substances by employing a steam-tight vessel, so arranged and constructed as
to enable the operator to work upon a quantity, and complete all the operations
without handling or moving the same from the vessel, and without deranging
the fibrous materials, so that they shall come out of the vessels straight and
free from matting. This is of great importance in operating upon fibrous
substances, when different solutions of alkali and water are to be used in
dissolving the gummy and vegetable coloring matter therefrom.
Drawing Figure 1 shews a side elevation in section of a steam-tight
vessel a, and its auxiliary vessel b, connected therewith by steam pipes and
cocks c, c.
d is an induction steam pipe and cock. e, an induction pipe and
cock for drawing in alkaline solutions and water into vessel b from a vessel
conveniently situated. f, a cock for blowing off the air from vessel b; the
cock is for the same purpose. is a pipe and cock for drawing off the
alkali and water from the vessel a, and also for blowing steam through the
fibrous materials for the purpose of drying, opening, and separating the fibres.
i is an induction steam pipe and cock for the purpose of causing the alkaline
solution and water to boil, and to flow up through the pipe j from the vessel b
into the vessel a, and fall on the top of the plate k, which is perforated with
holes for the purpose of distributing the alkaline solution or water, as the case
may be. is a perforated false bottom for packing the fibrous materials upon;
and to support it when under operation, m is a hollow cylinder attached to
the false bottom, within which is a rod used for the purpose of lifting the false

page_text: bottom and the charge, by means of a crane or other suitable means, from the
vessel when the operation is completed. The perforated circular plate / is
so made that it can be put on and taken off when lifting the charge of fibres
from the vessel a. The first operation, when commencing to act on a charge,
is to put the flax or China grass, or fibrous substance, into cold water, to
soak or steep for twenty-four hours. At the end of that time the water
is to be drawn off and fresh water filled in. The temperature is to be
raised to about ninety degrees of Fahrenheit for twenty-four hours longer,
when the water is to be drawn off, and the flax, China grass, or fibrous
substance will be ready for packing in the vessel a, as shewn at n, n, when
the cocks e and c are to be opened, and also f and g, so as to let the air
pass up while the solution is coming in, and cocks d and h are to be closed.
The alkaline solution is allowed to flow into vessel b, up to o, o, and the
same height in the vessel a, then open induction steam cock i, which will
cause the alkaline solution to boil and flow up through pipe into the
vessel a, and penetrate through the mass downwards and back into vessel 6,
so as to keep up a heat in the vessels a and b. The boiling operation is
to be kept up until the alkaline solution is spent and taken up by the fibrous
materials, when it is to be drawn off through the pipe and cock h, h. The
strength of the alkaline solution, when operating on flax, stands at about No. 6
hydrometer (made from soda ash). This solution is to be repeated, if
required, according to the quality of the flax. When China grass is under
operation I use crystal soda of less strength, and not soda ash, as in case
of flax. When the boiling with alkali is completed, the spent solution must
be drawn away from the charge of fibres through the pipe and cock h, h,
and in order to perform this operation cocks c, e, f, g, i, j, are to be turned off,
and cocks d and opened, and the steam allowed to pass through the mass
until the solution is drawn away from the charge of fibres through the
cock h. When this is done clean soft water is to be drawn into the vessel b
in the same manner and by the same means as the alkali solution has been
performed, and water repeated until all the alkali is removed from the
fibres. The next operation is to allow high steam to pass through the
batch until nearly dry. This operation is performed by closing all the cocks
except d and h, when the top of the vessel a must be removed for the purpose
of lifting out the charge of fibres, which will be nearly dry and separated, and
when completely dry will be in a condition to be made into slivers or rovings,
and spun. When China grass is under operation, I find it desirable to
use soap with crystal soda, so as to form a strong lather to operate on the
fibres; in other respects China grass is operated on the same as flax and other

page_text: fibrous substances of a like character. I prefer to finish the drying in the
open air on the grass, but do not confine myself thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-nine.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Lemuel Wellman Wright came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in formi
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand. eight hundred and forty-nine.