IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR CANE MILLS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR CANE MILLS."-A communication from
abroad by George La Fayette Squier and Henry Clay Squier,
both of Buffalo, County of Eric, and State of New York, United
States of America.
Sealed the 22nd August 1871, and dated the 4th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 4th April 1871.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR CANE MILLS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to several improvements in the construction
and arrangement of mills for crushing or grinding sugar cane, and has
for its objects to overcome all the practical objections that are raised
against the ordinary horizontal as well as vertical mills.
A

page_text: The most distinctive feature of improvement whether in vertical or
horizontal mills consists in making the rollers self-adjusting by means
of rubber springs. This feature is in different modes applied to the
several kinds or styles of mills but remains the same throughout in
principle.
Another important feature is the use in vertical mills of horizontal
self-adjustable rollers. Although vertical mills have been in use
heretofore, they were never provided with self-adjustable rollers and
are therefore unfit for use on different kinds of cane, or after slight
wear.
The Invention also consists in providing the vertical as well as
horizontal mills with wrought-iron strap bolts to which the rubber
springs are applied. The strain and pressure is thus thrown chiefly
upon wrought iron and taken from the less reliable cast-iron frame-
work, thereby in a large measure doing away with the liability of
breakage.
Another distinctive feature of improvement in vertical mills is the
peculiar shape and arrangement of the scraper or turn plate. The same
is so made that it is easily removed and replaced without requiring tho
mill to be taken apart, which is necessary in old mills whenever they
become clogged. The scraper has a handle which projects outwards
between the minor rollers and is provided with a set screw, whereby it
can be nicely adjusted against the feed roller with any desired pressure.
Horizontal mills are provided with the same improvements abovo
referred to for the vertical mills, that is to say, they have the wrought-
iron strap bolts, the rubber springs for adjusting the rollers, also a
peculiar and adjustable scraper or turn plate.
In horizontal mills the Invention consists also in the arrangement
of a solid iron bed plate cast in one piece to furnish bearings for tho
lower rollers, and also for the counter or driving shaft, which thus can
never get out of line. The driving shaft in one kind of horizontal mills
extends horizontally under the rollers and gears at one side of tho mill
with one of the lower rollers and at the other side with the other
dividing roller, thereby driving and equalizing the strain between the
two pinions and enabling the lower rollers to be located close together,
thus lessening the triangular space between the three rollers, and in
small mills doing away with the necessity of using a scraper or turn
plate. The boxes of the top roller in such mills fit loosely in their

page_text: scats, so that the roller can have sufficient play to adjust itself to the
lower rollers according to the pressure of either and equalize their
action. The rubber springs aid in giving the boxes this self-adjustability
while the wrought-iron strap bolts hold the boxes from getting too far
out of place.
The Invention also consists in the application to the mills of a bagasse
carrier which consists of an endless apron. The same is driven by a
simple arrangement of gearing which gives it an even and absolute
motion and is not liable to become deranged. The upper end of the
carrier has a sliding shoe which retains the upper roller and serves to
hold the apron always tight.
The Invention consists furthermore in the arrangement of another
kind of horizontal mills which I term "horizontal sweep mills." In
this kind the motion is transmitted to the horizontal upper roller by
a crown wheel mounted upon a vertical shaft. This crown wheel is
located under and between the housings of the mill and provided with
a heavy hub containing a series of adjustable bushings. The upper end
of the crown wheel shaft is provided with the sweep cap to receive the
operating sweep or lever. The bevel pinion in the upper roller gearing
into the crown wheel is placed outside of the housing or framework, so
that there is no possibility of the cane entering between the gear wheels.
The sweep mill is provided with wrought-iron stay bolts which connect
the upper bridge tree with the frame and take the upward strain of
the main roller with its bevel pinion against the crown wheel. The
top roller in a sweep mill not being vertically adjustable it becomes
necessary to make the lower rollers adjustable which is done by placing
rubber springs under each of their boxes or bearings.
In order to make these improvements more fully understood I will
describe the same in such proper succession as is best adapted to make
clear the several kinds of machines that embody the same.
In a press composed of three horizontal rollers, all hung in a strong
frame, the two lower rollers are hung side by side a short distance from
cach other while the top roller is hung centrally over the two so as to
be in contact or nearly so with both. It has at one end a cog wheel
which gears into cog wheels on the lower rollers, into which wheels
meshes a cog wheel on a shaft which connects with the driving power.
This shaft has a single bearing in the bottom of the frame allowing it
A 2

page_text: to have some angular adjustment. This gearing of the driving whicel
into the wheels of the two lower rollers and of both the latter into the
wheel of the single top roller divides the strain upon the gears and
equalizes the action of the rollers. The journals of the two lower rollers
turn in bearings which rest immediately upon the frame of the machine
in the ordinary manner. But the journals of the top roller rest in
movable bearings which slide vertically in standards of the frame, the
sides of the bearings being grooved to be guided on the standards.
Over the bearings are laid strap bolts which fit into grooves in their
sides and then extend down through the frame timbers, being fastened
by nuts below said timbers. The strap bolts are made of wrought iron
and give strength to the bearings and resist all upward strain or
pressure against the top roller, while the standards being only guides
for the bearings may be of cast iron and less strong. This method of
mounting allows the bearings to be adjusted up and down as desired.
It also affords an excellent means of giving clasticity to the bearings
which is required in order to let the top roller yield to the various sizes
or quantities of cane passing through the mill and always press upon
the bottom rollers with requisite power. For this purpose india-rubber
washers or equivalent springs are placed between the nuts before
mentioned and the timbers of the frame. By turning the nuts any
desired degree of pressure may be imparted to the springs. It is
desirable and even necessary that the upper roller should have some
lateral play in order to adjust itself to the bottom rollers, sometimes
being closer to one and at times to the other according as the thickness
of material may vary between the two sets of pressing surfaces and
thereby equalize the pressure of the rollers along their cutire lengths.
This lateral play is obtained by making the journal apertures of the
movable bearings of the top roller in form of horizontal slots, permitting
thereby the horizontal adjustment of the upper roller. The turn plato
or scraper situated between the lower rollers and under the top roller
to prevent the canc from passing down between the bottom rollers is
attached to a rod, the ends of which extend through apertures in the
standards large enough to allow all necessary play or adjustment of
the rod. Nuts are applied to the ends of this rod and serve to secure
the same and the scraper in any desired position. By loosening the
nuts the turn plate may be adjusted itself and is then again locked
by tightening the nuts. The gear wheels are protected and covered by
a suitable cap.

page_text: In an upright machine composed also of three rollers, namely, tho
main roller, the feed, and the delivery roller, they are all put up vertically
between two plates, which together with the side housings or upright
posts constitute the frame of the machine. The ends of the axle of the
main roller are set in boxes, which are longitudinally adjustable in
grooves or cavities of the top and bottom plates. Around these boxes
are laid wrought-iron strap bolts. The ends of these bolts pass through
the fixed bearings of the minor rollers and receive there the nuts and
rubber washers, substantially in the same manner as described for the
horizontal mill. By these nuts and elastic washers, or their equivalents,
the main roller can be adjusted in the desired manner.
The strap
bolts take and sustain all the strain from between the rollers or pro-
duced by a lateral wrenching or twisting of the driving lever or sweep.
The scraper of the upright mill is made of peculiar shape, its edgo
being concave to fit the feed roller in order to direct the cane through
the space between the main and delivery rollers. It is held in place
by and turns or is adjusted on an iron rod, which is inserted through
the top plate of the frame, and simply fits in a semicircular groove in
the back of the scraper, thence extending down into or through the
bottom plate. With this arrangement by simply withdrawing and
replacing the rod the scraper can be removed and reinserted almost
in an instant without disturbing any other parts of the machine, and
without requiring a wrench or tool of any kind to effect the removal
and insertion. The scraper turns freely around this rod as far as
required, so that its edge may be properly adjusted to the periphery of
the feed roller by setting its handle in the required position. The
handle of the scraper projects outward between the minor rollers and
the side housings, and is provided with a set screw near its outer end,
which bears against one of the housings. Thus the handle serves both
the purpose of a handle to move the scraper by and as a means of
adjustment, by which any desired pressure can be brought to bear on
the feed roller.
The making upright mills self-adjustable by means of springs being
entirely new I do not confine myself to any particular kind or style of
spring for that purpose.
In another arrangement of horizontal mill I cast the bed on which
the working parts are supported in one piece, of such a shape as to
furnish fixed oblique bearings for the two lower pressure rollers and a

page_text: receptacle for the piece expressed by the rollers. The driving shaft of
the mill extends through or under the bed, so that it may gear at one
side of the mill with one, and at the other side of the mill with the
other pressure roller. Thus at one side a pinion on the driving shaft
gears into a cog wheel on the one lower or delivery roller, while at the
other side a pinion on the driving shaft gears into a cog wheel on the
other lower or feeding roller. By thus driving the two pressure rollers,
cach by a separate pinion on the driving shaft, the strain is divided
between the two pinions, and they therefore do not wear out so fast
and are less liable to break. This same arrangement enables me also
to locate the two lower rollers close together, as close as possible without
their coming in contact with each other, whereby the liability of the
cane passing down between these rollers instead of taking its proper
course between the lower pressure rollers and the upper roller is
avoided. When a single pinion is employed to drive both the lower
rollers there is necessarily a considerable space between these rollers,
so that their cog wheels shall not come in contact with cach other,
and thus there is a great liability of the cane going down between these
rollers. By the above arrangement this difficulty is entirely obviated.
The upper roller is driven by the cog wheel of the delivery roller, which
gears into the pinion on the upper roller, if desired there may be a
similar pinion on the other end of the upper roller to gear into the
cog wheel of the feeding roller. Strap bolts provided with rubber
washers and nuts, as in the mills before described, are also applied to
the upper roller of this mill. An endless belt carrier is provided for
conveying the pressed cane away from the mill. This belt is supported
by shafts which hang in a frame that is by the lower shaft hinged in
the main frame of the mill. A pinion on the lower shaft is by inter-
mediate gearing connected by the cog wheel of the delivery roller,
and serves thereby to receive motion from the mill and transmit it to
the carrier. This positive gearing from the mill as applied to the
carrier to the same shaft which forms its pivot is an arrangement at
once simple, strong, and reliable. The lower end of the belt is thereby
also brought so close to the delivery roller, and in such relative position
thereto as properly and without fail to receive the bagasse that comes
from the rollers. I also employ an improved means for tightening
the belt and proportioning the tension to the weight of stalks conveyed
on it. This is done by a shoc, in which the upper roller of the belt is
hung and which has a sliding movement in slots.of the frame carrying

page_text: carrier pressing on the legs slides the shoc upwards till the belt is
tightened. This arrangement is entirely self-acting and absolutely
effective.
In a horizontal sweep mill constructed according to this Invention
the rollers are also situated horizontally, but the main driving wheel is
placed directly over them to be driven by a sweep or sweeps that are
operated by muscular or other power. The driving wheel is hung or
supported under a bridge tree which is secured to the housings of the
mill outside of and immediately over the wheel, the said bridge tree
having cast or bolted upon it an upright bearing of suitable length for
receiving the driving shaft, which in this case is vertical and extends
up through the bearing and has the driving wheel secured to its lower
end below the bearing and the sweep or sweeps above the bearing. The
sweep socket rests and rides upon the bearings of the bridge tree.
This arrangement of the driving wheel below the bridge tree and
between the framework or housings of the mill obviates many difficulties
which are encountered when the wheel is placed above the framework
and produces a more compact and durable mill. The bevel pinion on
the upper roller into which the driving wheel gears and which transmits
the power to the said upper roller is arranged outside of the housings
of the mill so that it is separate from the rollers and does not interfere
with or entangle the canc. For thus arranging the said bevel pinion
outside of the frame I extend arms outward and upward from each
or at least one housing or side frame beyond the planes of the said
housing, sufficiently to allow the periphery of the driving wheel to
project between such arms over the housing far enough to gear into
the said pinion outside of said housing. Then upon these projecting
armis of the housings the arms or flanches of the bridge tree are bolted
or otherwise firmly secured so that the arms hold the bridge tree.
The arms may be cast on or bolted to the housings or they can be
made to project from the flanches of the bridge tree or be formed partly
on the latter and in part on the housings. Long stay bolts one for each
arm of the housings are applied to the mill, not only to connect the
flanges of the bridge tree to the arms of the housing but also to secure
the whole iron structure of the mill to its wooden foundation. These
stay bolts extend up through the timbers of the foundation and thence

page_text: up through the arms and flanges where they are secured by nuts.
These stay bolts being made of wrought iron make the mill very strong
and permit the framework to be made lighter than could otherwise be
considered safe. In addition to these stay bolts others placed around
or through the boxes of the upper roller extending thence down through
the side housings to the wooden frame may be used to take the strain
upon thic upper roller so that very little if any comes upon the housings.
The bearing or hub of the bridge tree is lined on the inner side with
light movable bushings which can be adjusted against the main shaft
by set screws, four of these bushings are applied in the upper and four
in the lower part of the hub. These bushings are made of cast iron
lined with Babbett or other soft metal and are easily and cheaply
renewed. By the set screws the crown wheel can be adjusted perfectly
and the wear of the bushing on the shaft compensated. Rubber springs
are arranged beneath the bearing boxes which support the lower rollers.
I find that the force of these springs is best applied by arranging them
and the said bearing boxes in curved slots or ways in the housings, the
curves having a common centre under the middle of the housings
and the direction in which the bearings first or ordinarily yield being
nearly in lines from the centre of the upper roller through the centres.
of the lower rollers respectively. While the pressure is thus in the
proper direction the springs and bearing boxes can be adjusted by means
of wedges driven under saddle pieces which hold the springs. These
saddle pieces move in the aforesaid curved slots in directions more
nearly vertical than the bearing boxes themselves. The rubber springs
are also somewhat wedge shaped or thicker at the outer than at the
inner ends so that their upper and lower surfaces point to the common
centre of the curved ways. The bearing boxes are inserted into their
places from the inside of the housings and have lips on their inner
edges to prevent their working outward from place. The lower rollers a
abutting against the bearing boxes prevent their working inward out
of place. They thus require no previous fitting after being cast and
yet move freely in place. By the improved arrangement of the bearings
and springs both of the under rollers are separately adjustable and
each end of each roller is adjustable and yields independent of the a
other. The turn plate of the last described mill is suspended by a rod
which extends through the housings and fits a groove in the side of
the scraper, so that when either end of the lower roller with which the
plate is in contact is depressed the plate will have enough play on said

page_text: rod to follow the roller and adhere to it throughout its length. In
order to keep the turn plate in the proper position with this free
movement there should be projecting wings or guides at the ends of
the plate touching the roller only at the extremities but not in the
middle part.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special licence
that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SUGAR CANE MILLS," a communication to me from abroad by George
La Fayette Squier and Henry Clay Squier, both of Buffalo, County of
Eric, and State of New York, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
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 Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the four Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thercon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to several improvements in the construction
and arrangement of mills for crushing or grinding sugar cane, and has
for its objects to overcome all the practical objections that are raised
against the ordinary horizontal as well as vertical mills.
The most distinctive feature of improvement whether in vertical
or horizontal mills consists in making the rollers self adjusting by means 1
of rubber springs. This feature is in different modes applied to the
several kinds or styles of mills, but remains the same throughout in
principle.
Another important feature is the use in vertical mills of horizontally
self-adjustable rollers. Although vertical mills have been in usc 1
heretofore, they were never provided with self-adjustable rollers, and
are therefore unfit for use on different kinds of canc, or after slight
wear.
The Invention also consists in providing the vertical as well as
horizontal mills with wrought-iron strap bolts, to which the rubber :
springs are applied. The strain and pressure is thus thrown chiefly
upon wrought iron, and taken from the less reliable cast-iron framework,
thereby in a large measure doing away with the liability of breakage.
Another distinctive feature of improvement in vertical mills is the
peculiar shape and arrangement of the scraper or turn plate. The same
is so made that it is easily removed and replaced without requiring the
mill to be taken apart, which is necessary in old mills whenever they
become clogged. The scraper has a handle which projects outward
between the minor rollers, and is provided with a set screw, whereby
it can be nicely adjusted against the feed roller with any desired a
pressure.
Horizontal mills are provided with the same improvements above
referred to for the vertical mills, that is to say, they have the wrought-
iron strap bolts, the rubber springs for adjusting the rollers, also a
peculiar and adjustable scraper or turn plate.
In horizontal mills the Invention consists also in the arrangement of
a solid iron bed plate cast in one piece to furnish bearings for the lower

page_text: rollers, and also for the counter or driving shaft, which thus can never
get out of line. The driving shaft in one kind of horizontal mills
extends horizontally under the rollers, and gears at one side of the mill
with one of the lower rollers, and at the other side with the other
dividing roller, thereby driving and equalizing the strain between the
two pinions, and enabling the lower rollers to be located close together,
thus lessening the triangular space between the three rollers, and in
small mills doing away with the necessity of using a scraper or turn
plate. The boxes of the top roller in such mills fit loosely in their seats
so that the roller can have sufficient play to adjust itself to the lower
rollers according to the pressure of either, and equalize their action.
The rubber springs aid in giving the boxes this self-adjustability while
the wrought-iron strap bolts hold the boxes from getting too far out
of place.
The Invention also consists in the application to the mills of a bagasse
carrier, which consists of an endless apron. The same is driven by a
simple arrangement of gearing which gives it an even and absolute
motion, and is not liable to become deranged. The upper end of the
carrier has a sliding shoe which retains the upper roller and serves to
hold the apron always tight.
The Invention consists furthermore in the arrangement of another
kind of horizontal mills, which I term "horizontal sweep mills." In
this kind the motion is transmitted to the horizontal upper roller by a
crown wheel mounted upon a vertical shaft. This crown wheel is
located under and between the housings of the mill, and provided with
a heavy hub containing a series of adjustable bushings. The upper end
of the crown wheel shaft is provided with the sweep cap to receive the
operating sweep or lever. The bevel pinion in the upper roller gearing
into the crown wheel is placed outside of the housing or framework, so
that there is no possibility of the cane entering between the gear wheels.
The sweep mill is provided with wrought-iron stay bolts which connect
the upper bridge tree with the frame, and take the upward strain of the
main roller with its bevel pinion against the crown wheel. The top
roller in a sweep mill not being vertically adjustable it becomes
necessary to make the lower rollers adjustable, which is done by placing
rubber springs under each of their boxes or bearings.
In order to make the improvements more fully understood I will
describe the same in reference to the accompanying Drawings in such

page_text: proper succession as is best adapted to make clear the several kinds of
machines that embody the same.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an improved horizontal mill,
showing the adjustable roller and the wrought-iron strap bolts; Figure 2
is a longitudinal vertical section of the same taken on the line x, x,
Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the vertical machine; Figure 4
is a plan or top view of the same; Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the
same on the line y, y, Figure 3. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts.
Figures 1 and 2 show a press composed of three horizontal rollers A, B,
and C, all hung in a strong frame D. The two lower rollers B and C
are hung side by side a short distance from each other, while the top
roller is lung centrally over the two, so as to be in contact or nearly so
with both. It has at one end a cog wheel a which gears into cog
wheels on the lower rollers. Into wheels 6 meshes a cog wheel c on a
shaft E which connects with the driving power. The shaft E has a
single bearing in the bottom of the frame D, allowing it to have some
angular adjustment. This gearing of the driving wheel into the wheels
of the two lower rollers, and of both the latter into the wheel of the
single top roller, divides the strain upon the gears and equalizes the
action of the rollers. The journals d, d, of the two lower rollers B, C,
turn in bearings which rest immediately upon the frame of the machine
in the ordinary manner. But the journal c of the top roller A rest in
movable bearings f₁f, which slide vertically in standards g of the frame,
the sides of the bearings being grooved to be guided on the standards, as
indicated in Figure 1. Over the bearings are laid strap bolts F, F,
which fit into grooves in their sides, and then extend down through the
frame timbers, being fastened by nuts h below said timbers. The strap
bolts are made of wrought iron, and give strength to the bearings and
resist all upward strain or pressure against the top roller A, while the
standards being only guides for the bearings may be of cast iron, and
less strong. This method of mounting allows the bearings to be adjusted
up and down as desired. It also affords an excellent means of giving
elasticity to the bearings which is required in order to let the top
roller A yield to the various sizes or quantities of cane passing through
the mill, and always press upon the bottom rollers with requisite power.
For this purpose india-rubber washers i, i, or equivalent springs are
placed between the nuts and the timbers of the frame, as shown. By
g
I

page_text: turning the nuts any desired degree of pressure may be imparted to the
springs. It is desirable and even necessary that the upper roller should
have some lateral play in order to adjust itself to the bottom rollers,
sometimes being closer to one and at times to the other, according as the
thickness of material may vary between the two sets of pressing surfaces
and thereby equalize the pressure of the rollers along their entire
lengths. This lateral play is obtained by making the journal apertures
of the bearings fin form of horizontal slots, as shown in Figure 1,
permitting thereby the horizontal adjustment of the upper roller. The
turn plate or scraper G situated between the rollers B, C, and under the
top roller A to prevent the cane from passing down between the bottom
rollers is attached to a rod j, the ends of which extend through apertures
in the standards g large enough to allow all necessary play or adjustment
of the rod. Nuts k, k, are applied to the ends of the rod j, and serve to
secure the same and the scraper in any desired position. By loosening
the nuts the turn plate may be adjusted itself, and is then again
locked by tightening the nuts. The gear wheels are protected and
covered by a suitable cap l.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 show the upright machine composed also of three
rollers A, B, and C, of which A is the main roller, B the feed, and C the
delivery roller. They are all put up vertically between two plates H
and I, which together with the side housings or upright posts J, con-
stitute the frame of the machine. The ends of the axle of the main
roller are set in boxes m, m, which are longitudinally adjustable in
grooves or cavities of the top and bottom plates. Around these boxes
are laid the V-shaped wrought-iron strap bolts F, F. The ends of theso
bolts pass through the fixed bearings of the minor rollers B, C, and
receive there the nuts and rubber washers i, substantially in the same
manner as described for the horizontal mill. By these nuts and clastic
washers or their equivalents the main roller can be adjusted in tho
desired manner. The strap bolts take and sustain all the strain from
between the rollers, or produced by a lateral wrenching or twisting of
the driving lever or sweep. The scraper G of the upright mill is made
of peculiar shape, its edge being concave to fit the feed roller in order
to direct the the cane through the space between the main and delivery
rollers. It is held in place by and turns or is adjusted on an iron rod j,
which is inserted through the top plate of the frame, and simply fits in
a semicircular groove in the back of the scraper, thence extending down

page_text: into or through the bottom plate. With this arrangement by simply
withdrawing and replacing the rod j the scraper can be removed and
reinserted almost in an instant without disturbing any other parts of
the machine, and without requiring a wrench or tool of any kind to
effect the removal and insertion. The scraper turns freely around this
rod as far as required, so that its edge may be properly adjusted to the
periphery of the feed roller by setting its handle in the required position.
The handle n of the scraper projects outward between the minor rollers
and the side housings, and is provided with a set screw o near its outer
end, which bears against one of the housings, substantially as repre-
scuted. Thus the handle serves both the purpose of a handle to move
the scraper by and as a means of adjustment, by which any desired
pressure can be brought to bear on the feed roller.
The making upright mills self-adjustable by means of springs being
entirely new I do not confine myself to any particular kind or style of
spring for that purpose.
Figure 6 of the Drawing represents a plan or top view of another form
of horizontal mill; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the same; Figure S is
a side view of the cast-iron bed of the machine; Figure 9 is a top view
of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
In this machine I cast the bed L on which the working parts are
supported in one piece, of such a shape as to furnish fixed oblique
bearings p, p, for the two lower pressure rollers, and a receptacle q for
the juice expressed by the rollers. The driving shaft E of the mill
extends through or under the bed, so that it may gear at one side of
the mill with one, and at the other side of the mill with the other
pressure roller. Thus at one side a pinion on the driving shaft gears
into a cog wheels on the lower roller B, while at the other side a
pinion on the driving shaft E gears into a cog wheel u on the roller C.
By thus driving the two pressure rollers cach by a separate pinion on
the driving shaft the strain is divided between the two pinions, and they
therefore do not wear out so fast, and are less liable to break. This
same arrangement enables also to locate the two lower rollers close
together as close as possible without their coming in contact with each
other, whereby the liability of the cane passing down between these
rollers, instead of taking its proper course between the lower pressuro
rollers and the upper roller A is avoided. When a single pinion is
employed to drive both the lower rollers there is necessarily a con-

page_text: siderable space between these rollers, so that their cog wheels shall not
come in contact with each other, and thus there is a great liability of
the cane going down between these rollers. By the above arrangement
the above difficulty is entirely obviated. The upper roller A is driven
by the cog wheel 8 of the roller B, which gears into the pinion a on A.
If desired there may be a similar pinion on the other end of the roller A
to gear into the cog wheel u of the roller C. Strap bolts F, F, provided
with rubber washer i and nuts h, as in the mills before described, are
also applied to the upper roller A of this mill. M is the endless belt
carrier for conveying the pressed cane away from the mill. This belt
is supported by shafts w and 2, which hang in a frame N, that is, by
the lower shaft wo hinged in the main frame of the mill. A pinion a³
on the shaft w is by intermediate gearing connected with the cog
wheel 8,
and serves thereby to receive motion from the mill and transmit
it to the carrier. This positive gearing from the mill, as applied to the
carrier to the same shaft which forms its pivot, is an arrangement at
once simple, strong, and reliable. The lower end of the belt is thereby
also brought so close to the roller B, and in such relative position
thereto, as properly and without fail to receive the bagasse that comes
from the rollers. I also employ an improved means for tightening the
belt M, and proportioning the tension to the weight of stalks conveyed
on it. This is done by a shoc 6, in which the upper roller Z of the
belt is hung, and which has a sliding movement in slots of the frame N.
The rear supporting legs of the frame N are pivoted to this shoe b³,
and when the carrier is supported thereby, as in Figure 7, the weight
of the carrier passing on the legs slides the shoe upward till the belt
is tightened. This arrangement is entirely self-acting and absolutely
effective.
The horizontal sweep mill is illustrated in Figures 10 to 16, in which
Figure 10 represents a plan or top view of the mill; Figure 11 is an end
clevation thereof; Figure 12 is a vertical transverse section of the same
taken on the plane of the line d³, &, Figure 10; Figure 13 is a side
elevation of the same; Figure 14 is a detail transverse section of a lower
bearing, the plane of section being indicated by the line e², e, Figure 11.
Figure 15 is a side view of the scraper or turn plate; Figure 16 is a
detail longitudinal section of a lower pressure roller, the plane of section
being indicated by the line ƒ ƒ, Figure 11. Similar letters of

page_text: are also situated horizontally, but the main driving wheel is placed
directly over them to be driven by a sweep or sweeps that are operated
by muscular or other power. The driving wheel O is hung or supported
under a bridge tree P which is secured to the housings J of the
mill outside of and immediately over the wheel, the said bridge tree
having cast or bolted upon it an upright bearing g of suitable length
for receiving the driving shaft E, which in this case is vertical and
extends up through the bearing, and has the driving wheel O secured
to its lower end below the bearing and the sweep or sweeps above
the bearing. The sweep socket ³ rests and rides upon the bearings g
of the bridge tree. This arrangement of the driving wheel below
the bridge tree and between the framework or housings of the mill
obviates many difficulties which are encountered when the wheel
is placed above the framework, and produces a more compact and
durable mill. The bevel pinion on the upper roller A, into which the
driving wheel O gears, and which transmits the power to the said upper
roller A is arranged outside of the housings, so that it is separate from
the rollers and does not interfere with or entangle the cane. For
thus arranging the wheel outside of the frame I extend arms ƒª‚ƒ³,
outward or outward and upward from each or at least one housing or
side frame J beyond the planes of the said housing sufficiently to allow
the periphery of the driving wheel O to project between the arms
over the housing far enough to gear into the pinion outside of said
housing. Then upon the projecting arms of said housings the arms
or flanches of the bridge tree P are bolted or otherwise firmly
secured, so that the arms hold the bridge tree. The arms ♬ may be
cast on or bolted to the housings, or they can be made to project
from the flanches of the bridge tree, or be formed partly on the
latter and in part on the housings. Long stay bolts R, R, one for
each arm of the housings, are applied to the mill, not only to connect
the flanches of the bridge tree to the arms of the housing but also to
secure the whole iron structure of the mill to its wooden foundation.
As represented these stay bolts extend up through the timbers of the
foundation S, and thence up through the arms and flanches A, where
they are secured by nuts ². Theso stay bolts being made of wrought
iron make the mill very strong, and permit the framework to be made
lighter than could otherwise be considered safe. In addition to these
stay bolts others placed around or through the boxes of the upper
roller, extending thence down through the side housings to the wooden

page_text: frame may be used to take the strain upon the upper roller, so that very
little, if any, comes upon the housings. The bearing or hub g² of the
bridge tree is lined on the inner side with eight movable bushings m³, m²,
shown in Figure 12, which can be adjusted against the shaft E by set
screws . Four of these bushings are applied in the upper and four in
the lower part of the hub. These bushings are made of cast iron lined
with Babbett or other soft metal, and are easily and cheaply renewed.
By the set screws n² the crown wheel can be adjusted perfectly, and the
wear of the bushing on the shaft compensated. Rubber springs o², o²,
are arranged beneath the bearing boxes p², p³, which support the lower
rollers B and C. I find that the force of these springs is best applied
by arranging them and the bearings p, p, which support the lower
rollers B and C. I find that the force of these springs is best applied
by arranging them and the bearings p² in curved slots or warps in the
housings, the curves having a common centre under the middle of the
housings, substantially as represented, and the direction in which the
bearings first or ordinarily yield being nearly in lines from the centre of
the upper roller A through the centres of the lower rollers B, C,
respectively. While the pressure is thus in the proper direction the
springs and bearing boxes can be adjusted by means of wedges driven
under saddle picces 82 which hold the springs, as clearly shown in
Figure 14. These saddle picces move in the aforesaid curved slots in
directions more nearly vertical than the bearing boxes themselves. The
rubber springs are also somewhat wedge shaped or thicker at the outer
than at the inner ends, so that their upper and lower surfaces point to
the common centre of the curved ways. The bearing boxes p² are
inserted into their places from the inside of the housings, and have lips
on their inner edges to prevent their working outward from place. The
rollers B, C, abutting against the bearing boxes prevent their working
inward out of place; they thus require no previous fitting after being
cast, and yet move freely in place. By the improved arrangement of
the bearings and springs both of tho under rollers are separately
adjustable, and each end of each roller is adjustable, and yields inde-
pendent of the other.
The turn plate G of the last-described mill is shown in Figure 15; it
is suspended by a rod f, which extends through the housings and fits a
groove in the side of the scraper, as in Figure 12, so that when either
end of the roller B with which the plate is in contact is depressed the
plate will have enough play on said rod to follow the roller and adhere
12

page_text: to it throughout its length. In order to keep the turn plate in the
proper position with this free movement there should be projecting
wings or guides at the ends of the plate touching the roller only at the
extremities, but not in the middle part.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, —
1st. A cane mill provided with horizontal or vertical rollers, of which
one or more are adjustable at right angles to their axis by means of
rubber springs, as set forth.
2ndly. Vertical cane mills provided with one or more horizontally
self-adjusting pressure rollers, as and for the purpose specified.
3rdly. The wrought-iron strap bolts F applied to vertical or horizontal
cane mills, as and for the purpose set forth.
4thly. The combination of the cast metal or wooden frames of cane 1
mills with wrought-iron connections or stays for taking the strain, as
specified.
5thly. The scraper G of the vertical mill, made concave where it is
nearest the feed roller, and combined with the rod j, substantially as
herein shown and described.
6thly. The screw o applied to the handlen of the scraper for adjusting
the same against the feed roller, substantially as herein shown and
described.
7thly. The rubber springs i combined with the nuts and strap
bolts of upright or horizontal cane mills, substantially as herein 2
shown and described.
Sthly. The scraper G of a horizontal cane mill provided with the
rod and nuts to be adjustable, substantially as herein shown and
described.
9thly. The solid cast bed plate L of the horizontal mill arranged to a
constitute bearings for the several rollers and the driving shaft, and
form a receptacle for the juice, as set forth.
10thly. The driving shaft of the horizontal mill provided with the
pinions and to gear into the lower pressure rollers at opposite sides
of the mill respectively, as set forth.
3

page_text: 11thly. The bagasse carrier M applied to the mill in form of an
endless belt and geared into one of the pressure rollers, substantially as
and for the purpose herein shown and described.
12thly. The adjustable shoe 62 bearing against the upper shaft Z and
carrying the pendent legs of for stretching the belt M, substantially as
herein shown and described.
13thly. The horizontal wheel O placed beneath the bridge tree P,
substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
14thly. The pinion on the upper roller A arranged on the outside
of the housings while the driving wheel O is below the bridge tree,
substantially as herein shown and described.
15thly. The bearing tube g² provided with the bushings m³ which
are adjustable by set screws n², substantially as herein shown and
described.
16thly. The stay straps R, R, applied to a horizontal sweep mill,
substantially as herein shown and described.
17thly. The springs o² placed beneath the bearings p² of the lower
pressure rollers B, C, substantially as herein shown and described.
18thly. The keys and saddle pieces 82, combined with the springs o
and bearings ², substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
onc.
10
5
Witness,
JAS. O. DEWEY,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)