IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING THE FIBRES OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Whitfield Billings, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
METHOD OF PREPARING THE FIBRES OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER VEGETABLE
MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 23rd February 1864, and dated the 14th September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Whitfield Billings
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1863.
I, GEORGE WHITFIELD BILLINGS, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING THE FIBRES OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER
VEGETABLE MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a continuous process for separating the fibres of
vegetable substances from the glutinous, woody, and other substances that
grow with such fibre. This process commences with the vegetable material
in its natural state, and terminates with the delivery of the fibre in a dry state,
clean and free from all foreign substances, and ready for manufacturing,
purposes, such as carding and spinning.
This Invention relates, firstly, to a mode of retting or fernienting by which
the harder portions of the vegetable materials, such as the upper ends of the
flax and hemp, are exposed to a greater retting or fermenting action, while

page_text: the softer portions, such as the stalks of hemp and flax near the roots, are
exposed to a less retting or fermenting action, whereby the fibre is not injured
in the one case by too great retting nor portions left imperfectly prepared.
This is accomplished by placing the vegetable materials, such as hemp and
flax, in a vertical position with the harder ends downwards, and immersing
these ends in water of about 85° to 90° Fahrenheit, and when the fermentation
has commenced in these harder portions immersing the materials still more,
and so regulating the time that the various parts are immersed and exposed
to a retting or fermenting action, that all parts will be uniformly fermented
at the end of the operation.
I then, secondly, dry the vegetable fibre in situations exposed to light or
wind, or both, by placing the same in small open bundles or layers in an
upright position around hoops or slats sustained by inclined posts, so that the
bundles form thin layers in a circular or pyramidal form, with a circulation of air
inside of them, and I hold the layers of vegetable material around this dryer
by means of a loose hoop or by movable slats taking the outside of such layers.
From this, which may be called an outdoors drying apparatus, I take said
vegetable material to the third part of my process, which consists in subjecting
the same while in a perforated box or chest to the action of hot air, which is
caused to travel through said vegetable material in the direction of the length
of the stalks of hemp, flax, or other material, so as to thoroughly dry the
same, and make the woody portions sufficiently brittle to be easily broken up
and separated from such fibre.
The fourth part of my process consists in breaking and separating the woody
portions from the fibrous portions of the vegetable material. This I accomplish
by passing the vegetable material lengthwise between pairs of rollers, some of
which are ribbed longitudinally, and others are plain, so that these rollers
partially crack the woody portions crosswise as well as compressing them
lengthwise, and from these rollers the material under treatment passes between
slats, contiguous to which are beaters or swinglers vibrating up against the
sides of the fibre to shake, knock out, and partially scrape off the woody
portions, and according to the character of, the material under treatment so
I employ two or more sets of these slats with their corresponding beaters or
swinglers to act successively on the fibre, and I provide pairs of rollers
alternating between these swinglers, so as to hold the vegetable fibre, and
cause it to progress through the machine while being acted upon, and also to
compress any woody portions, and cause them to separate more easily from the
fibre, and these pairs of rollers should be kept together by springs, so as to
yield to inequalities in the mass of fibre.

page_text: From this swingling operation the vegetable fibre is taken to the fifth
portion of my process, which consists in polishing the fibre and removing any
small particles of woody material that may be entangled in the fibre by means
of a revolving cylinder or prism with beaters or rubbers projecting from the
edge, and against which the fibre is held in one hand while opened by the
other, and presented over a rest to such revolving cylinder, and then the hank
of fibre is turned end for end, and the other portion similarly polished.
The fibres are still held together to a certain extent by siliceous and
gummy matter, and are not casily separated so as to reduce the fibre to
its ultimate fineness, and this cannot be done by the mechanical means
as heretofore employed, for they produce tow, and do not effect a separa-
tion of the fine fibres; I therefore submit the same to my sixth operation.
The fibre while in hanks or in any other form convenient for handling is
to be introduced into a vat similar to that described for the first retting
operation, except that a perforated bottom may be introduced upon which
to place the fibre and leave a space beneath for any dirt or sediment; and
in this vat I subject the fibre to a retting or fermenting operation in water
of about 85° to 90° Fahrenheit a sufficient length of time to loosen the gummy
and siliceous matters between the fibres and allow the same to be washed out,
so that the fibres may be separated.
When this operation is completed I take the banks of fibre and submit
them to the seventh operation. For this purpose I pack them in a crate
or perforated receptacle of any convenient size or shape, and I introduce
the same when filled into a vessel of corresponding size and shape provided
with a cap or lid, by which it can be tightly closed after the introduction
of such fibre, and around this vessel is a jacket forming a steam heating
space, and to this steam is supplied by a suitable pipe and cock, either
under the necessary heat and pressure or superheated by being passed.
through a coil of pipe in a furnace. The vegetable fibre, as contained in
said inner vessel, is subjected to steaming and washing operations, by means
of pipes introduced at opposite sides or ends of said vessel. For this purpose
I first admit steam to expel all air, and heat the mass of fibre, and I then
introduce hot water to wash out the foreign substances that remain with the
fibre; and I prefer that the pipes admitting steam or hot water be connected
and provided with cocks, so that I can direct the steam or the current of hot
water into the vessel from one side or end, and then from the other side or end,
by which alternations the washing and cleansing of the fibre will be more,
uniform. This washing and cleansing operation may be continued to any
extent that may be necessary, according to the character of the fibre, and if

page_text: required alkali or soap may be introduced in the water to more effectually
remove any siliceous or foreign substances.. After this washing and cleansing
operation is perfected, I dry the fibre by a jet of steam passing through the
same to expel the water, and then allow said steam and moisture to pass away
and be driven off by the heat in the surrounding steam jacket, or a blast of
air, either hot or cold, directed through the fibre may be employed to complete
the drying operation.
The fibre prepared in this manner will be adapted to some kinds of manu-
facturing purposes, but to more completely separate the fibres from each
other, and reduce them to their ultimate fineness, I submit them to the eighth
and last operation, which consists in passing the fibre in thin layers between
pairs of rollers heavily weighted or pressed together, and said pairs of rollers
be plain or alternately fluted, and any desired number of pairs of rollers
may be employed, or the material passed through several times until the fibre
is in a condition to separate easily to its ultimate fineness in the act of being
carded or otherwise worked up by any of the known methods of manufacture.
may
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said George Whitfield Billings in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th March 1864.
TO ALL TO, WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE.
WHITFIELD BILLINGS, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Whitfield Billings, Her special license that I, the
said George Whitfield Billings, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said George Whitfield Billings, 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 ex-
pressed, 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 METHOD OF PREPARING THE
FIBRES OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATERIALS FOR MANUFACTURING
PURPOSES,' upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George

page_text: Whitfield Billings, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 George Whitfield Billings, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to a continuous process for separating the fibres
of vegetable substances from the glutinous, woody, and other substances
that grow with such fibre. This process commences with the vegetable
material in its natural state and terminates with the delivery of the fibre in a
dry state, clean and free from all foreign substances, and ready for manu-
facturing purposes, such as carding, spinning, &c.
This Invention relates, firstly, to a mode of retting or fermenting by which
the harder portions of the vegetable materials, such as the upper ends of flax
and hemp, are exposed to a greater retting or fermenting action, while the
softer portions, such as the stalks of hemp and flax near the roots, are exposed
to a less retting or fermenting action, whereby the fibre is not injured in the
one case by too great retting, nor portions left imperfectly prepared. This is
accomplished by placing the vegetable materials, such as hemp, flax, &c., in a
vertical but inverted position with the upper or harder ends downwards, and
immersing these ends in water of about 85° to 90° Fahrenheit, and when the
fermentation has cominenced in the harder portions, immersing the materials
still more, and so regulating the time that the various parts are immersed and
exposed to a retting or fermenting action, that all parts will be uniformly
fermented at the end of the operation.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 as a vertical.cross section of a vat adapted to this
retting or fermenting operation. This vat a may be of any desired size, and
the vegetable material, such as flax and hemp, with the roots or butt ends
upwards, is to be packed into the same with a movable latticework or frame
over the upper ends to keep the material down; water is then introduced to a
depth sufficient to cover the vegetable material about one-third of the way
up, as indicated by the line b, and after the retting has proceeded sufficiently,
as aforesaid, more water is introduced to about the line c, and afterwards the
remaining portions of the vegetable material are covered with water. By
immersing the flax, hemp, or other substances in this manner by sections-for

page_text: the required length of time the retting will be uniform throughout. The
water in the vat may he kept at about 85° to 90° Fahrenheit by means of
steam pipes or other source of artificial heat if required; and in cases where a
vat is not employed the vegetable material may be placed in open crates or
frames and immersed gradually or by successive stages or sections into a stream
or pond of water, the upper ends being downwards, in order that the retting
or fermentation may be uniform, and these crates with the vegetable material
in a vertical position may be forced down into the water by levers or other
means. Any suitable device, such as a car running on a track, may be em-
ployed for conveying the flax, hemp, or other material, into the retting trough,
from which the same is taken and packed into place in an inverted position as
aforesaid. When the retting is completed the vegetable material is removed
from the vat, crate, or frame.
I then, secondly, dry the vegetable fibre in situations exposed to light or
wind or both, by placing the same in small open bundles or layers in au
upright position around hoops or slats sustained by inclined posts, so that the
bundles form thin layers in a circular or pyramidic form with a circulation of
air inside of them, and I hold the layers of vegetable material around this
drier by means of a loose hoop or by movable slats taking against the outside
of such layers.
In the Drawing Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of my drying frames, in
which d, d, d, are posts held together by the hoops e, e, and the lower ends of
the posts are to be forced into the earth a short distance to steady the frame;
fis the movable boop to be dropped over the thin layer of wet fibre that
is placed around the hoops e, e, to confine that fibre to the frame while
drying.
Fig. 3 is a section of a pyramidic frame in which the vegetable stalks,
straw, &c., may be stood on ledges 9, 9, leaning against the slats; h and i are
hanging slats that are turned down outside the material to retain the same
while drying. The vegetable material; when sufficiently dry, is to be bound
in bundles..
From this, which may be called an out-door dryer, I take said vegetable
material to the third part of my process, which consists in subjecting the same,
while in a perforated box or chest, to the action of hot air, which is caused to
travel through said vegetable material in the direction of the length of the
stalks of hemp, flax, or other substances, so as to thoroughly dry the same
and make the woody portions sufficiently brittle to be easily broken up and
separated from the fibrous portions.
Fig. 4 is a plan of this drier as open; Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the

page_text: same; and Fig. 6 is an outside end view. k is a chamber to which hot air is
supplied from any suitable source; k¹ is a platform above this chamber and
below the drying box or chamber l. This platform is formed of two thick.
nesses, either of wood or metal, and both thicknesses are perforated with
corresponding holes, the lower portion can be moved in slides so as to close
the perforations if needed. The chamber has two lids and ², the lid
being perforated, while the one is not perforated, and at the end of the
chamber is a door through which the hemp or flax, straw, or stalks, or other
vegetable material is introduced in a vertical position, and when both lids
& are closed the contents of the chamber will be heated up, and then;
by raising the lid , the vapors are allowed to pass off with the hot air that
rises between the vegetable material; this thoroughly dries the mass, rendering
the woody portion very brittle, and at the same time the heat draws any
vegetable oil from such woody portion into the surrounding fibre, rendering
such fibre more tenacious and leaving the woody parts more brittle than they.
would be if the oily matter remained in them. This apparatus enables me to
use hot air under more or less pressure and regulate the action of the hot air
and the escape of vapors according to the condition of the material under
treatment.
The fourth part of my process consists in breaking and separating the
woody portions from the fibrous portions of the vegetable material; this I
accomplish by passing the vegetable material lengthwise through between
pairs of rollers, some of which are ribbed or fluted longitudinally, and others
are plain, so that these rollers partially crack the woody portions crosswise as
well as compressing them lengthwise, and from these rollers the material under
treatment passes through between slats, contiguous to which are beaters or
swinglers vibrating up against the sides of the fibre to shake, knock out, and
partially scrape off the woody portions, and according to the character of the
material under treatment so I employ two or more sets of these slats with.
their corresponding beaters or swinglers to act successively on the fibre, and I
provide pairs of rollers alternating between these swinglers, so as to hold the
vegetable fibre, and cause it to progress through the machine while being
acted upon, and also to compress any woody portions, and cause them to
separate more easily from the fibre; and these pairs of rollers should be kept
together by springs, so as to yield to inequalities in the mass of fibre.
Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of my breaking apparatus, and
Fig. 8' is an end view of the same. The vegetable fibre is laid on the endless
belt m that is driven by competent power, and feeds said material into the first.
pair of rollers that compress and crack the woody portions lengthwise; then

page_text: the grooved rollers n³, n³, act upon such woody portions to crack them cross-
wise, and loosen them from the fibrous part, and the smooth rollers n³ act to
further compress and break the woody portion lengthwise. These rollers are
all driven by gearing or other suitable means, and may be more or less in
number according to the character of fibre under operation. From the last
pair of rollers the fibre passes between cross slats o, o¹, and o², 0%, which form
a two-way throat or cross mortice, the fibre passing in one of the mortices
while a swingler and bar play at nearly right angles to the same in the other
mortice. The swingler p and bar p¹ are parallel to the slats o, and attached
to a gate p that is fitted to slide on guides p³, and moved up and down by
pitmans q driven by cranks on a cross shaft g'. The swingler or swingling
knife p presses the material down between the slats o² & o³, knocking out the
loose woody portion from the fibre, and on the rise of said swingler the bar p¹
lifts the material up from between o² & o³, so that the fibre may be drawn
along by and between the pair of compressing rollers r, that also tend to loosen
the woody portions. These. swingler bars, slats, and pairs of rollers may be
multiplied to any desired extent. I have represented four in the Drawing,
and some of the pairs of rollers may be fluted. The swinglers p should be
placed alternately above and below the fibre, as indicated by the lettering, to
act on opposite sides thereof to drive the fibre between 03 and 0³, while
the bars p simply relieve the fibre from that position. It will be seen that
the slats and rollers may be placed successively lower in the direction of the
motion of the fibre, the object being to ensure its progression through the
machine by the action of the rollers r without becoming obstructed between
the slats. The detached Fig. 18 illustrates a modification that may be made
in my swingling machine, in which the slats o¹ and o² are employed, the
material passing between them from the rollers r, and the swinglers p, p', act.
alternately on opposite sides of the fibre as actuated by the separate cranks
and shafts q¹; these swinglers receiving a compound elliptical motion causes
them to act as scrapers on opposite sides of the fibre. The shafts q¹ may be
geared together, as shown at 93. The rollers employed may be made hollow,
as represented, and heated by steam or hot air, so as to cause the evaporation
of any dampness remaining in the material, and to cause the woody portions
to separate more easily from the fibre. After the bank of fibre has passed
through the breaking operation it may be shaken by hand to separate any
loose pieces of the woody material previous to a second breaking operation, or
previous to the polishing operation hereafter named, or said shaking operation.
may be performed by a vibrating gripper similar to that shown in Fig, 14, in.
which, a', represent a pair of jaws pressed together by a spring, into which

page_text: the bank of fibre is to be placed, and this gripper is at the end of a lever y
vibrated by a revolving cam z, so as to shake the bank of fibre for any
desired length of time to cause the loose woody portions to fall away.
From this swingling operation the vegetable fibre is taken to the fifth
portion of my process, which consists in polishing the fibre, and removing any
small particles of woody material that may be entangled in the fibre by means
of a revolving cylinder or prism with beaters or rubbers projecting from the
edge, and against which the fibre is held in one hand while opened by the
other, and presented over a rest to such revolving cylinder, and then the hank
of fibre is turned end for end, and the other portion similarly polished.
Fig. 9 is a side view of my polisher, Fig. 10 is a front view of the same,
and Fig. 11 is a plan of the rest. s is the revolving cylinder or prism on the
shaft s, driven by competent power; s² is a case over the cylinder; t; t, are
the polishers or combers to act against the hank of fibre as held over the
rest t¹. This rest t¹ is on the standards t², and is formed with rounded ends
to allow of easily entering and withdrawing the fibre. This machine in itself
forms no part of my Invention, but is introduced to illustrate a necessary
feature in my process, for by this machine the fibre is brought into a condition
for final separating, cleaning, washing, and drying.
The fibres are still held together to a certain extent by silicious and gummy.
matter, and are not easily separated, so as to reduce the fibre to its ultimate
fineness, and. this cannot be done by the mechanical means as heretofore
employed, for they produce tow, and do not effect a separation of the fine
fibres. I therefore submit the same to my sixth operation. The fibre while
in hanks, or in any other form convenient for handling, is to be introduced.
into a vat similar to that described for the first retting operation, except that
a perforated bottom may be introduced upon which to place the fibre, and
leave a space beneath for any dirt or sediment, and in this vat I subject the
fibre to a retting or fermenting operation in water of about 85° to 90 Fahr*.
a sufficient length of time to loosen the gummy and silicious matters between.
the fibres, and allow the same to be washed out, so that the fibres may be
separated. The fermenting operation-employed at this stage of the process on
the fibre itself is effectual in softening and rendering solvent such foreign
substances as cause the fibres to adhere to each other.
When this operation is completed I take the banks of fibre and submit
them to the seventh operation. For this purpose I pack them in a crate
or perforated receptacle of any convenient size or shape, and I introduce
the same. when filled into a vessel of corresponding size and shape provided

page_text: with a cap or lid, by which it can be tightly closed after the introduction
of such fibre, and around this vessel is a jacket forming a steam heating
space, and to this steam is supplied by a suitable pipe and cock, either
under the necessary heat and pressure, or superheated by being passed
through a coil of pipe in a furnace. The vegetable fibre as contained in
said inner vessel is subjected to steaming and washing operations by means
of pipes introduced at opposite sides or ends of said vessel. For this
purpose. I first admit steam to expel all air and heat the mass of fibre,
and I then introduce hot water to wash out the foreign substances that
remain with the fibre, and I prefer that the pipes admitting steam or hot
water be connected and provided with cocks, so that I can direct the steam
or the current of hot water into the vessel from one side or end, and then
from the other side or end, by which alternations the washing and cleansing
of the fibre will be more uniform. This washing and cleansing operation may.
be continued to any extent that may be necessary according to the character.
of the fibre, and if required alkali or soap may be introduced in the water to
more effectually remove any silicious or foreign substances. After this
washing and cleansing operation is perfected, I dry the fibre by any suitable
means, for which purpose a blast of air, either hot or cold, may be directed
through the fibre to complete the drying operation..
Fig. 12 shows a section of my washing cylinder or vessel. In this is the
inner vessel, with movable ends or heads u¹; v, v¹, are pipes entering this
vessel near the ends, to pass steam or hot water in or out through said vessel,
and the fibre introduced therein as aforesaid; and w is the steam jacket
supplied by the pipe w¹ for the purposes set forth.
The fibre prepared in this manner will be adapted to some kinds of manu-
facturing purposes, but to more completely separate the fibres from each other,
and reduce them to their ultimate fineness, I submit them to the eighth and
last operation, which consists in passing the fibre in thin layers through
between pairs of rollers heavily weighted or pressed together, and said pairs
of rollers may be plain or alternately fluted, and any desired number of pairs
of rollers may be employed, or the material passed through several times until
the fibre is in a condition to separate easily to its ultimate fineness in the act
of being carded or otherwise worked up by any of the known modes of
manufacture.
.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First, retting or fermenting vegetable materials by successive stages or
sections, so as to expose the harder vortions to a greater action than the softer

page_text: portions, in order that the retting or fermenting may be equally effective
throughout the materials in preparing the fibre for separation, substantially
as specified.
Second, I claim drying the vegetable material after retting or fermentation
in thin layers in an upright or nearly upright position while confined by slats
or hoops, substantially as specified.
Third, I claim drying vegetable materials after retting or fermentation by
means of a current of hot air while such vegetable materials are in a box
or other receptacle, in which said hot air is directed upon such vegetable
material, substantially as specified, so as to render the woody portions of such
vegetable material brittle and more easily separated from the fibrous portions,
as specified.
Fourth, I claim breaking and separating the woody from the fibrous
portions of vegetable substances by the joint action of smooth and fluted
rollers and vibrating swinglers, operating substantially as specified.
Fifth, I claim subjecting vegetable fibres to a fermenting operation after
the same have been separated from the woody portions, for the purposes
specified.
Sixth, I claim washing vegetable fibre while in a closed vessel by steam
and hot water, and then drying the same, substantially as specified.
Seventh, I claim subjecting vegetable fibre to the action of pressure by
rollers, either corrugated or plain, or both, after the same has been freed from
gummy and other foreign matter, and previous to the carding or picking
operations employed in manufacturing such fibre, for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Whitfield Billings, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEO. W. BILLINGS. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
THO. GEO. HAROLD,
119 & 121, Nassau St., N. Y.
CHA. H. SMITH,
119 & 121, Nassau St., N. Y.