IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, CLEANSING, AND DRESSING SHEEP OR OTHER ANIMALS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Bassett, of Sydney, New South
Wales, but at present residing at 39, Albion Strect, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
Sealed the 14th May 1869, and dated the 18th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas:
Bassett at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his.
Petition, on the 18th November 1868.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS BASSETT, of Sydney, New South Wales, but at
present residing at 39, Albion Street, in the County of Middlesex, do-
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR WASHING, CLEANSING, AND DRESSING SHEEP OR OTHER ANIMALS,'
to be as follows:-
Much time and labour is expended when washing sheep and other
animals before shearing or otherwise, and when holding or manipulating
the animal during the operation as heretofore practised. A running
stream is preferred for the operation, but this condition cannot at all

page_text: times be commanded, and from this and other causes the operation is
frequently imperfectly performed; and my Invention has for its object
the arrangement of apparatus by means of which sheep or other animals
can be more quickly and effectually washed than hitherto with great
economy in time and labour.
The apparatus I employ in carrying out my Invention may be of
a stationary character, or it may be so constructed and arranged as
to be capable of being moved from place to place on land in trucks or
otherwise as required, or it may be mounted upon pontoons or other-
wise arranged so as to be capable of being floated from place to place
and worked either on land or water.
The animal to be washed according to my Invention is taken when
either on land or in water, and secured by preference when in the water
to travelling bearers and yokes, and carried through the apparatus; and
I prefer to secure the animal to such travelling yokes when laid upon
its back. Adjustable collars, clips, or other suitable contrivances are
provided attached to the travelling bearers, by means of which the neck
or other part of the animal is held in the desired position whilst being
carried through the apparatus; and I prefer to mount the travelling
bearers and yokes upon endless chains or ropes, though they may be
otherwise mounted and actuated according to my Invention, such
chains or ropes passing around chain or other wheels, to which move-
ment is imparted by means of suitable driving wheels or pullies so as
to cause the chains and bearers and yokes to travel and carry the animal
through the apparatus, the movement of the chains and bearers being
under the control of an attendant who either gives motion to such
travelling chains, or has the mechanism by which they are actuated under
entire command. After the animal has been secured as above described
it is carried by the travelling bearers and yokes to be washed by means
of powerful jets or streams of water so arranged as to act upon all or
nearly all the parts of its body; and I prefer so to arrange the
apparatus that such jets or streams of water will issue from one or
more annular or other suitably formed water chambers so arranged that
the chains and travelling bearers with the animal under operation will
pass through the central space and be surrounded by the annular or
other formed water chamber, from which a powerful annular or other
formed stream, or a series of jets will issue from suitably formed apertures
or orifices, and act upon all or nearly all the parts of the body of the

page_text: animal under operation, and I prefer to direct the jets or streams of
water towards the head of the animal so that they will penetrate to the
root of the woob or hair and effectually cleanse the fleecc,. though
according to my Invention the water may be otherwise directed upon
the animal.. Below the yokes or bearers I arrange travelling, belts,
rollers,. or surfaces to assist in supporting the animal while being carried
through the apparatus. Such travelling belts or surfaces being so guided
or arranged as to leave the body of the animal exposed to the full action
of the streams or jets of water, and any parts. of the apparatus with
which any part of the animal may be brought into contact are provided
with buffers or guides so as to. protect the animal from injury whilst
being carried through the apparatus. After the animal has been carried
through the apparatus the yoke or clip by which the animal has been
held is so arranged as to release the animal, when it falls into the water
surrounding the apparatus, and I provide an inclined chain, apron, or
other platform upon which the animal can find a footing to make its
way out of the water after the operation is completed.. The supply of
water or other liquid used in the apparatus is so arranged as to be
under the control of an attendant, and is supplied by means of pumps
or other suitable means; and I prefer that such water or liquid should
be at a sufficient pressure by forming a head of water or liquid or other-
wise; and I prefer to arrange the orifices through which the water or
other liquid issues upon the animal so that they may be enlarged or
contracted according to the circumstances of the case.
I
It will be readily understood that the apparatus above described may
be greatly varied, and may be employed according to my Invention for
applying dressing or other liquids to the skins or fleeces of animals for
the treatment of scab or other diseases.
0
filed by the said William Thomas Bassett in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS BASSETT, of Sydney, New South Wales, but at present residing
at 39, Albion Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS BASSETT, of Sydney, New South Wales, but at present residing
at 39, Albion Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting..

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Thomas Bassett, Her special licence that
I, the said William Thomas Bassett, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thomas Bassett, my execu-
tors, 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 "IMPROVED MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, CLEANSING, AND DRESSING SHEEP, OR OTHER
ANIMALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Thomas Bassett, 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 William Thomas Bassett, 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 :-
Much time and labour is expended when washing sheep and other
animals before shearing or otherwise, and when holding or manipulating
the animal during the operation as hitherto practised.
A running stream is preferred for the operation, but this condition
cannot at all times be commanded, and from this and other causes the
operation is frequently imperfectly performed, and my Invention has
for its object the arrangement of apparatus by means of which sheep
or other animals can be more quickly and effectually washed than
hitherto with great economy in time and labour.
The apparatus I employ in carrying out my Invention may be of a
stationary character, or it may be so constructed and arranged as to be
capable of being moved from place to place on land in trucks or
otherwise as required, or it may be mounted upon pontoons, or otherwise

page_text: arranged so as to be capable of being floated from place to place and
worked either on land or water.
The animal to be washed according to my Invention is taken when
either on land or in water and secured by preference when in the water
to travelling bearers and yokes and carried through the apparatus, and
I prefer to secure the animal to such travelling yokes when laid upon
its back. Adjustable collars, clips, or other suitable contrivances are
provided attached to the travelling bearers, by means of which the neck
or other part of the animal is held in the desired position whilst being
carried through the apparatus, and I prefer to mount the travelling
bearers and yokes upon endless chains or ropes, though they may be
otherwise mounted and actuated according to my Invention, such chains
or ropes passing around chain or other wheels, to which movement is
imparted by means of suitable driving wheels or pullies, so as to cause
the chains and bearers and yokes to travel and carry the animal through
the apparatus, the movement of the chains and bearers being under
the control of an attendant who either gives motion to such travelling
chains or has the mechanism by which they are actuated under entire
command.
According to my Invention the animal is carried by the travelling
bearers and yokes to be washed by means of powerful jets or streams
of water, so arranged as to act upon all or nearly all the parts of its
body, and I prefer so to arrange the apparatus that such jets or streams of
water will issue from one or more annular or other suitably formed water
chambers, so arranged that the chains and travelling bearers with the
animal under operation will pass through the central space and be
surrounded by the annular or other formed water chamber, from which
a powerful annular or other formed stream or a series of jets will issue
from suitably formed apertures or orifices, and act upon all or nearly
all parts of the body of the animal under operation, and I prefer to
direct the jets or streams of water towards the head of the animal, so
that they will penetrate to the root of the wool or hair and effectually
cleanse the fleece, though according to my Invention the water may be
otherwise directed upon the animal. Below the yokes or bearers,
according to my Invention, I arrange travelling belts, rollers, or surfaces
to assist in supporting the animal while being carried through the
apparatus, such travelling belts or surfaces being so guided or arranged
as to leave the body of the animal exposed to the full action of the

page_text: The Drawings show so much of a machine constructed according
my Invention as will enable me to explain one method which may be
employed in carrying my Invention into practice.
Figure 1 shows a side view partly in section; Figure 2 is a plan;
Figure 3 an end view; and Figures 4 and 5 are transverse sections of
the machine.
The
a, a, is a tank supported on the travelling wheels b, b.
tank a, a, is divided into four compartments by the partitions a¹, a³, a³,
each compartment being provided with a centrifugal pump c¹, c², c³, c',
mounted upon the axis c³, to which motion is communicated by means
of a driving belt upon the pulley c, and the movement of the apparatus
can be arrested at any time by moving the driving belt from the pulley c

page_text: to the pulley c*. Each of the centrifugal pumps c', c, c, c, communicate
respectively with each of the annular water chambers d', d², d³, d'.
Each of these water chambers is provided with an annular passage d³,
part of one of the annular water chambers being shown in section at
Figure 6, and in front view at Figure 7. Water is supplied to the
several compartments of the cistern a, and a supply of fresh water is
maintained by means of a pump actuated by the shaft or axis c³, or
otherwise, to that compartment which supplied the annular water
chamber d', the water so supplied flowing from compartment to com-
partment through apertures arranged at a suitable height in the
partitions a, a, a³, and when the centrifugal pumps c¹, c, c³, c, are
set in motion the water will be drawn by them from the compartments
with which they communicate and forced in powerful annular streams
through the annular orifices d³ in the water chambers d', d², d³, d*,
flowing back into the respective compartments from which it was drawn
or raised; e are endless belts passing around the rollers e¹ between
each of the water chambers d', d, d³, d', the rollers e¹ being caused to
revolve and thus cause the endless belts to travel at a suitable speed
for carrying the animal through the apparatus in the direction of the
arrow. The rollers e', e', are caused to revolve in the following manner :-
are worms upon the axis c, which give motion to the worm wheel e*
upon the axes e, e³, e, e', are pullies upon the axes e³, e³, which by
means of the endless chains e, e, passing around the pullies eo, eo, upon
the axes of the rollers e¹ give motion thereto.
At Figures 5, 8, and 9 of the Drawings the rollers e¹, e¹, and the end-
less belts e are shown arranged at an angle to one another and combined
with a grating f extending from one annular water chamber to the next;
these rollers c', as shown in Figures 5, 8, and 9 are actuated in the
following manner:-e is a pulley upon the axis c, which by means of
the endless chain or belt e passing around the pulley es gives motion to
the axis e; el are worms upon the axis e³, and the worms e¹ give motion to
the worm wheels e", upon the axes of the rollers e', the bevil wheels e, e13
communicating movement from one roller e¹ to the other roller e¹; g, I,
are endless chains passing around the chain wheels g', g²; the chains g
when travelling in one direction pass through the central spaces of the
annular water chambers d', d, d³, d', and the endless chains g are caused
to travel in the direction of the arrow at or about the same speed as the
endless belts e before described by the following means:- is a worm
on the axis which gives motion to the worm wheel g³, on the axis
"

page_text: g; g is a spur wheel on the axis g', the wheel g' takes into and drives
the spur wheel gº fixed on the axis h; g is a spur wheel fixed upon the
axis h, and the wheel g' takes into and drives the spur wheel g³ upon the
axis g of the chain wheels g¹, the chain wheels g by their revolution
giving motion to the chains 9; 9" are clips or yokes carried by the cross
pieces g of the chains g. The clips or yokes 910 are connected to the
cross bearers g by pin joints at 91, the arms of the yokes being formed
with slots g¹³; g¹ are sliding pieces capable of moving up and down in
the guide g¹ formed in the cross bearers g". The sliding picces g¹ aro
provided with a pin which passes through the slots g¹s in the yokes 91,
and as the sliding piece g¹ is moved in or out of the guide g¹ it acts by
the pin to open or close the two arms of the clip or yoke g¹. The sliding
pieces are caused to move within the guides g, so as to open and
close the arms of the yoke 91, as above described in the following
manner: The sliding pieces 9" are provided with trucks or rollers g¹, g¹º,
and g; g¹8 and 9" are stationary guiding surfaces upon which the
rollers 91, 91, and 9" travel in such manner that the surface g¹³
acts to open the arms of the yokes, whilst the surface g acts to
close them from time to time as they travel with the endless chains
9, 9. The sheep or other animal to be washed is taken from the
water tank and turned upon its back on to the ropes or other
flexible supports attached to the endless travelling feeding chains h².
The chains pass around the chain wheels h³ upon the axis h, and
the chain wheels * upon the axis h³, the axis h being caused to
revolve as previously described, so as to give motion to the endless
chains h². The neck of the animal is placed by the attendant between
the pins upon the cross bearers between the chains h, and the
back of the animal rests upon the cords or flexible bands h. By the
movement of the travelling chains the animal is carried into such a
position that the yokes 910 will close around the neck of the
animal, and by the further movement of the chains h and the
chains g the animal will be carried through the central orifice of
the annular water chamber d when the annular stream of water
will impinge upon all parts of the animal from the annular orifice
By the further movement of the endless chains g and the movement of
the endless belts e upon which the back of the animal rests, the animal
will be carried successively through the central spaces of the annular
water chambers d³, d³, and d', an annular stream of water being directed
upon all parts of the animal by cach of such annular water chambers.

page_text: By the further movement of the endless chains g and belts e the
animal will be carried out of the apparatus, the yokes g" releasing the
animal and allowing it to fall into the clean cold water tank j from
which the animal can walk by means of a suitable platform not shown
in the Drawing. I prefer by means of suitable steam pipes or other
means to warm the water in cither or all of the various compartments of
the tank a, and in the tank i. In the apparatus as arranged the water
issuing from the annular water chamber ds has been previously caused
to issue from the annular water chamber d', and that issuing from the
annular chamber d² has been previously caused to issue from the annular
water chamber d³ so that the water employed for washing the animal is
used repeatedly, the pure water being supplied to the annular water
chamber d and passing back from water chamber to water chamber into
thic compartment a³. The annual water chamber d' I prefer to supply from
the tank i by means of the pipe ¹ and "bonnet", the water issuing from
the chamber and that flowing through the partition a' passing out
through the pipe a into a suitable reservoir where the sediment is
allowed to precipitate, and from this reservoir I prefer to supply the
tank i so as to obtain a liquid highly charged with the animal and
suponaceous substances washed from the sheep, so that such substances
may be advantageously recovered from the liquid; a are gratings to
exclude extraneous matters from entering the pumps and water chambers
from the water compartments. The mechanism for imparting move.
ment to the apparatus for carrying the animal through the apparatus
may be so arranged as to be independent of the apparatus for raising
the water, and so arranged as to be entirely under the control of the
attendant; k, k, are longitudinal stationary wires or guides to maintain
the legs of the animal in a vertical position whilst travelling through
the apparatus.
,
Having now described the nature of my Invention and one manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim
to any of the parts separately except so far as they are applied to the
purposes herein set forth, nor do I claim the mechanism herein described
for giving motion to the moving parts of the apparatus which as well as
the details, construction, and arrangement of the machine may be greatly
varied without departing from the nature of my Invention. The water
in place of flowing from compartment to compartment of a cistern as
herein-before described may be supplied separately to each of the
annular rings, and the water may be supplied from a cistern or source

page_text: of supply above such annular water chambers by means of a valve or
other apparatus under the control of the attendant. The number of
annual water chambers employed and the form of the outlet passage or
passages from such water chambers may also be varied without departing
from my Invention. The travelling clips or yokes 9" may be dispensed
with and travelling or other guides, buffers, or gratings substituted
therefor, or the animal may be carried through the apparatus by means
of travelling network.
It will also be evident that the relative position of the parts of the
apparatus and its general form may be subject to great variation without
departing from my Invention according to the locality or circumstances
and whether the apparatus is to be portable or stationary.
It will also be evident that apparatus herein-before described or
similar thereto may be employed in accordance with my Invention for
forcing annual jets of air in place of water upon the skins or fleeces of
sheep or other animals to dry the wool or hair after the process of
washing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Bassett, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
WILLIAM T. BASSETT. (L.S.)
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.