IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SUGAR CANES AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Alfred Pontifex and John Barton, both
of Shoe Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SUGAR CANES AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 14th March 1871, and dated the 1st October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex
and John Barton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 1st October 1870.
We, EDMUND ALFRED PONTIFEX and JOHN BARTON, both of Shoe
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SUGAR CANES
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
cutting sugar canes and other substances.
It has been proposed to obtain sugar from the sugar cane by cutting
the cane into slices and then dissolving out the saccharine matter with
water, great difficulty has, however, been experienced in cutting the

page_text: cane.
We employ for this purpose a large circular knife mounted
horizontally, and caused to revolve at a high velocity. The canes are
fed up to this knife by a revolving hopper, consisting of a cylinder with
chambers formed in it around its periphery; these chambers are open at
the top for the canes to be introduced, and at the bottom there is a fixed
plate on which the canes rest. The knife is set at a distance above this
bottom plate equal to the thickness of the slices required, and in such a
position that as the chambers of the hopper travel round the lower ends
of the canes within them are brought against the edge of the knife, each
chamber in succession bringing up the canes which it contains. The
slices which are thus cut off escape through an opening in the bottom
plate, or beneath the inner sides of the chambers. The partitions
between the chambers are inclined, so that the canes may meet the
knife obliquely. In some cases we employ a rapidly revolving knife,
set by preference in a vertical plane. The canes are then fed forward
beneath this knife up to a stop, and the revolving knife has a recipro-
cating motion given to it, bringing it down on the cane to make the cut,
and rising to allow the cane to be fed forward. Dye woods may be cut
in a similar manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex and John Barton in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st March 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDMUND
ALFRED PONTIFEX and JOHN BARTON, both of Shoe Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex and John Barton, Her
special licence that we, the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex and John
Barton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex and John Barton, our 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

page_text: 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
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SUGAR CANES AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex and
John Barton, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex aud
John Barton, 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 thercof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
cutting sugar canes and other substances.
It has been proposed to obtain sugar from the sugar cane by cutting
the cane into slices, and then dissolving out the saccharine matter with
water. Great difficulty, however, has been experienced in cutting the
cane. We employ for this purpose a large circular knife mounted
horizontally, and caused to revolve at a high velocity. The canes are
fed up to this knife by a revolving hopper, consisting of a cylinder
with chambers formed in it around its periphery. These chambers are
open at the top for the canes to be introduced, and at the bottom there
is a fixed plate on which the canes rest. The knife is set at a distance
above this bottom plate equal to the thickness of the slices required, and
in such a position that as the chambers of the hopper travel round the
lower ends of the canes within them are brought against the edge of
the knife, each chamber in succession bringing up the canes which it
contains. The slices which are thus cut off escape through an opening
in the bottom plate, or beneath the inner sides of the chambers. The
partitions between the chambers are inclined so that the canes may
meet the knife obliquely. In place of causing the hoppers to be carried
round in a circular course, as above described, to cause the lower ends of
the canes projecting from them to be brought in succession against the
knife, the revolving knife (or it might in this case be knives) might

page_text: similarly be carried round in a circular course whilst the hopper or
hoppers remained stationary.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to
describe more fully the manner in which we prefer to carry the same
into effect.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a plan, and Figure 2
an elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus such as above described,
where the hoppers are carried round in a circular course.
A, A, are two sets of revolving hoppers, one on each side of the
circular revolving cutting knife B, which is driven by the pulley C 1
from the drum D; E, E, are the fixed plates which govern the thickness
of the slices to be cut, and which may have an adjustment for giving
varying thicknesses. Parts of these plates are cut away under the
knives, as shown by the dotted line F, F, to allow of the slices of cut
cane falling into the troughs G, G; H, H, are pinions engaging with 1
the rack teeth I, I, causing the hoppers to revolve; K, K, are fast
and loose pulleys mounted on the pinion spindles, by means of which
the hoppers can alternately be either stopped or slackened sufficiently
to admit of their being fed.
Figure 3 shews a plan, and Figure 4 a sectional elevation of a similar
apparatus where the hopper is fixed, and the circular revolving cutting
knife (or knives) is carried round in a circular course.
In these Figures A is the fixed hopper; B, B, are circular cutting
knives mounted on spindles C, C, which carry pinions D, D. These
pinions engage with a fixed circular rack E; the bearings of the spindles C
are carried by a frame G, which is mounted on the main spindle F; H is
the distance plate for regulating the thickness of the slices into which
the material is to be cut; I is a trough for receiving the cut material;
K, K, are sweeps for emptying the trough; L is a sweep for clearing
distance plate, and throwing the material into the trough; M is the
framework of the apparatus, and N is the main driving pulley keyed on
to the main spindle F. When a rotary motion is given to the main
spindle F the knives B, B, are carried round in a circular course, whilst
at the same time each knife is caused to revolve rapidly on its own
spindle, and as the cutting edge of each knife is brought into contact
with the material projecting from the bottom of the hopper it cuts off a
slice therefrom, and subsequently the slice so cut away is swept into the
trough I by means of the sweep L, which comes round after the knife.

page_text: After the slice has been thus removed the material in the hopper
descends until it again rests on the distance plate H, and as the other
knife comes round the same operation is repeated.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which we prefer to carry the same into effect, we would have it
understood that what we claim is,-
1. The combination of apparatus, substantially as herein described, for
cutting sugar cane and other substances into slices or lengths, whereby
the sugar cane or other substance to be cut is brought up to and against
the edge of a circular revolving knife, either by the hopper containing
the material, or the knife being carried round in a circular course.
2. The combination of apparatus, substantially as herein described and
shewn at Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings annexed.
3. The combination of apparatus, substantially as herein described and
shewn at Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edmund Alfred Pontifex and John
Barton, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first
day of March, in the year our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-one.
EDMUND A. PONTIFEX. (L.S.)
JOHN BARTON.
(L.S.)