IMPROVE- MENTS IN DYEING WOOL, HAIR, COTTON, FLAX, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS; ALSO YARNS AND TEXTILE FABRICS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS; ALSO IN DYEING AND TANNING OTHER SUBSTANCES AND MATERIALS. ALSO IN WASHING WOOL, AND IN DISCHARGING THE GUM FROM SILK
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James Warburton, of
Manningham, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DYEING WOOL, HAIR, COTTON, FLAX, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS; ALSO
YARNS AND TEXTILE FABRICS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS; ALSO IN DYEING
AND TANNING OTHER SUBSTANCES AND MATERIALS. ALSO IN WASHING WOOL,
AND IN DISCHARGING THE GUM FROM SILK."
aled the 11th February 1859, and dated the 14th August 1858
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister
and James Warburton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on,the 14th August 1858.
We, SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER and JAMES WARBURTON, of Manningham,
in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DYING WOOL, HAIR, COTTON, FLAX, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS:
ALSO YARNS AND TEXTILE FABRICS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS; ALSO IN DYING
AND TANNING OTHER SUBSTANCES AND MATERIALS; ALSO IN WASHING WOOL, AND
IN DISCHARGING THE GUM FROM SILK," to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist in dying in vacuum. The material to be
operated upon is placed in an air-tight vessel, through a door or other suitable
opening, which is then closed, and the air exhausted; the coloring matter is
then admitted. If it be necessary to immerse the goods several times in the.
same or different coloring liquor, a fresh vacuum is made, and the coloring
[Buzzasz]

page_text: matter admitted as often as required.
When necessary, we admit steam to
maintain a proper temperature, and to fix the colors; or the pan or other
vessel may be heated by fire; also in some cases we use a force pump to force
in the dying liquor. The force pump may be used without the vacuum, so
as to dye under pressure; but we prefer first making a vacuum, and then
forcing in the liquid. The same process will answer equally well for tanning;
the air being exhausted, the tanning liquid is forced into the vessel and with-
drawn, and a fresh vacuum made as often as required. When washing wool,
and discharging. the gum from silk, we adopt a similar plan; the soap and
water or other scouring. material is forced.in.and.withdrawn, as above described.
Motion may be given to the vessel when necessary.
.
SPECIFICATION
in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James Warburton in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 14th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, SAMUEL
CUNLIFFE LISTER and JAMES WARBURTON, of Manningham, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James Warburton, Her special licence,
that we, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James. Warburton, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Samuel
Cunliffe Lister and James Warburton, 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 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 DYING WOOL, HAIR, COTTON, FLAX, AND SIMILAR
MATERIALS ALSO YARNS AND TEXTILE FABRICS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS;
ALSO IN DYING AND TANNING OTHER SUBSTANCES AND MATERIALS; ALSO IN WASHING
WOOL, AND IN DISCHARGING THE GUM FROM SILK," upon the condition (amongst
others, that we, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James Warburton, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their
hands and seals, or under the land and seal of one of us or them, should

page_text: 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 Samuel Cunliffe Lister, on behalf of
myself and the said James Warburton, 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:-
Our improvements consists in dying in vacuum. The material to be operated
upon is placed in an air-tight vessel, through a door or other suitable opening,
which is then closed, and the air exhausted; the coloring matter is then
admitted. If it be necessary to immerse the goods several times in the same
or different coloring liquor, a fresh vacuum is made, and the coloring matter
admitted as often as required. When necessary, we admit steam to maintain
a proper temperature, and to fix the colors, or the pan or other vessel may be
heated by fire; also in some cases we use a force pump to force in the dying
liquor. The force pump may be used without the vacuum, so as to dye under
pressure; but we prefer first making a vacuum, and then forcing in the
liquid. The same process will answer equally well for tanning. The air being
exhausted, the tanning liquid is forced into the vessel and withdrawn, and a
When washing wool, and dis-
fresh vacuum made as often as required.
charging the gum from silk, we adopt a similar plan; the soap and water or
other scouring material is forced in and withdrawn, as above described.
Motion may be given to the vessel when necessary.
Having now stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into operation.
In carrying out that part of our Invention which relates to dying any unmanu-
factured or manufactured substance capable of saturation, we employ a vessel,
the form of which is, by preference, circular, (but it may be of other forms.)
constructed of a strength proportioned to the pressure which it will have to
sustain, and this vessel, and all the pipes, pumps, tanks, and apparatus con-
nected with it, which come in contact with the liquors or solutions employed,
must be constructed of or lined with wood or some metal or enamel which
will resist the corrosive action of the mordants or dyes employed in the
process.
The vessel is supplied with a copper pipe, coiled or otherwise arranged.
within the vessel through which steam or a heated liquid can be made to
circulate, so as, if necessary, to heat the mordanting or dying liquor intro-

page_text: duced, the temperature being ascertained by a thermometer inserted into the
vessel. Near the top or in the cover of the vessel is an opening through
which the material to be operated upon is introduced into the vessel, this
opening being closed by an air-tight cover before the process commences;
and in some instances the introduction and arrangement of the substances to
be operated upon is facilitated by the whole cover of the vessel being so con-
structed as to be capable of being easily removed.and replaced, so as to form
an air-tight joint; and this is readily accomplished by means of a piston fitted
with hydraulic packing, the top of the vessel being turned inside, so that when
the piston is lowered by suitable mechanism into the top of the vessel it forms
an air-tight joint.
The vessel is connected by means of a pipe through its bottom to a tank
above the level of which the vessel stands, and this pipe is closed by means of
a cock or valve previous to the exhaustion of the air from the vessel, which is
now supposed to be filled with substances to be operated upon, and her-
metically sealed. This exhaustion we prefer to accomplish by means of an air-
pump, connected by a pipe to a branch near the top of the vessel; or it may
be accomplished by the injection of steam and its subsequent condensation in
a separate chamber, in the same manner as a condensing engine. When the
exhaustion is complete, which is ascertained by a barometer attached to the
exhausting apparatus, the connection between the exhausting apparatus and
the vessel is closed by means of a cock or valve. The pipe passing from the
bottom of the vessel to the tank containing the mordant or dying liquor is
now opened, and the pressure of the atmosphere immediately forces the liquor
into the vessel. If greater pressure is now required, as soon as the vessel is
filled, the connection between the tank and the vessel is again closed, and a
force pump connected with the vessel by a pipe and branch near its top, and
having its suction pipe immersed into the liquor tank, is put in motion, so as
to force in a greater amount of liquor; and if, when this has produced its
utmost effect, a still greater pressure is required, a pump of very small
diameter, such as is used for hydraulic rams, is brought into operation, the
pressure being ascertained and regulated by an indicator and safety valve in
the cover of the vessel; and we would here remark, that though we prefer
the above-described method of producing pressure, we are well aware that
pressure may be produced by other means, and that a hydrostatic column of
the liquor in the vessel, or the insertion of a plunger or pision into the dying
vessel would produce the desired result. While the substances are being
submitted to the action of the mordant or dying liquor it is in some cases
desirable to cause a circulation and agitation of the liquor in the vessel, and

page_text: this is best accomplished by arranging within the vessel a skeleton cage, in
which the substances to be operated upon are placed, and to which rotatory or
other motion is communicated by means of a rod passing through a stuffing.
box in the cover of the vessel, and connected with suitable mechanical con-
trivances. When the liquor has remained in the vessel a sufficient length of
time, which will depend upon the material and the nature of the operation,
the pipe connecting the tank and the bottom of the vessel and an air-cock or
valve in the cover are opened, when the liquor will fall into the tank, and
the operation above described may be repeated as frequently as the nature
of the substance or the process may require. Steam, water, or a current of
atmospheric air, or other gas, vapour, or liquid, may be passed through or
forced into the vessel by suitable apparatus similar to the above described,
or which an intelligent engineer would readily apply. And it will be readily
understood, that by a suitable multiplication of pipes and tanks various liquors
could be successively introduced, and the operation of dying completed, without
removing the substances operated upon from the vessel, though we prefer to
conduct the various stages of the process in separate apparatus if more than
one liquor is required to complete the process and to remove the substance
under operation from one vessel to another. As there are some dye liquors,
such as indigo, which it is not desirable violently to disturb or expose to the
action of the atmosphere, in such cases we construct a cylindrical chamber
over the dye vat, and the substances to be operated upon are introduced
through an opening, and arranged in a cage attached to the piston fitted
accurately to the cylindrical chamber- or upper part of the dye vat, which is
bored to receive it; and when the chamber has been closed, and the air
exhausted, the piston which has up to this time been suspended by mecha-
nical means is allowed to be forced gently down by the pressure of the external
atmosphere to the surface of the liquor, and the substances attached to it
consequently immersed, when pressure can be applied either by the means
before described, or by causing a further descent of the piston; and while the
substances under operation are immersed motion may be communicated to the
cage or apparatus containing the articles under operation, as before described.
In both the previously described apparatus the air contained in the
mordanting or dying vessel may be forced out by the introduction of the
liquid, and when the vessel is full, the air-cock closed and further pressure
applied, or previously to the application of pressure, and after the liquor has
been forced into the vessel, the air may be extracted from the liquor and sub-
stances under operation, but we prefer to exhaust the vessel previous to the
introduction of the liquor.

page_text: Having now described part of our Invention, and the best means we are
acquainted with for carrying the same into operation, so that an intellegent
dyer would be enabled to construct and work an apparatus by means of which
the process of dying would be conducted in a. vessel from which the air had
been extracted, and under pressure as described, we would have it understood
that we do not claim as part of our Invention the particular arrangements
above described, as these may be greatly varied without departing from the
nature of this part of our Invention, and we are aware that apparatus similar
to that described above has been used for the purpose of washing, scouring,
and bleaching textile fabrics; but our Invention consists in conducting the
process by which substances are caused to assume the various prismatic colours
or to become black, in a vessel so arranged that pressure, as described, can be
applied to the mordanting or dying liquor, the atmospheric air having (if
desired) been exhausted previous to or after the introduction of the liquor.
The process of dying above described, producing a more rapid and complete
saturation than has been hitherto attained, and is particularly adapted to
dying yarn in the bobbin, or otherwise, for weaving.
We will now proceed to describe that part of our Invention which relates to
tanning. We employ a vessel which we prefer to be of a rectangular form,
(but it may be of other forms,) constructed of a strength proportioned to the
pressure which it will have to sustain, and this vessel and all the pipes, pumps,
tanks, and apparatus connected with it, which come in contact with the various
preparing or tanning liquors employed, must be constructed of or lined with.
wood or some metal or enamel which will resist the corrosive action of those
liquors.
The vessel is supplied with a copper pipe coiled or otherwise arranged
within the vessel through which steam or a heated liquid can be made to
circulate, so as if necessary to heat the preparing or tanning liquor employed,
the temperature, being ascertained by a thermometer inserted into the vessel.
Near the top or in the cover of the vessel is an opening through which the
hides to be operated upon are introduced into the vessel, this opening being
closed by an. air-tight cover before the process commences, and we prefer
stretching or fastening the hides on light wood frames previous to their intro-
duction into the vessel, these frames with the hides attached being suspended
from the cover of the vessel by hooks or hinges, and the whole series of frames
are connected together by a rod which passes through a stuffing box in the
end of the vessel, so that when by suitable mechanism a reciprocating motion
is given to the rod, the whole of the frames and hides will be put into vibratory
motion (but this arrangement may be greatly varied).

page_text: The vessel in which the hides are placed is connected by means of a pipe-
through its bottom to a tank, above the level of which the vessel stands, and
this pipe is closed by means of a cock or valve previous to the exhaustion of
the air from the vessel, which is now supposed to be filled with the hides to be
operated upon, and the opening by which they have been introduced humitically.
sealed. This exhaustion we prefer to accomplish by means of an air-pump
connected. by a pipe passing through the cover of the vessel, or it may be
accomplished by the injection of steam and: its subsequent condensation in a.
separate chamber, in the same manner as a condensing engine. When the
exhaustion is complete, which is ascertained by a barometer attached to the
exhausting apparatus, the connection between the exhausting apparatus and
the vessel is closed by means of a cock or valve. The pipe passing from the
bottom of the vessel to. the tank containing the preparing or tanning. liquor is
now opened, and the pressure of the atmosphere immediately forces the liquor
into the vessel and amongst the hides. As soon as the vessel is filled, the
connection between the tank and the vessel is again closed, and a force pump
connected. with. the vessel by a pipe, having its suction pipe immersed in the
liquor tank, is put in motion so as to force a greater amount of liquor into the
vessel, and if, when this has produced its utmost effect, a still greater pressure.is
required, a pump of very small diameter, such as is used for hydraulic rams, is
brought into operation, the pressure being ascertained and regulated. by an indi-
cator and safety valve in the cover of the vessel; and. we would, here remark. that,.
though we prefer the above-mentioned method of producing pressure; we-are
well aware that pressure may be produced by other means, and that a hydrostatic.
column of the liquor in the vessel, or the intrusion of a plunger or piston into.
the vessel,. would produced the desired result.
While the hides are being subjected, to the action of the preparing or tanning.
liquor, the rod previously mentioned, attached. to frames and hides, can be put
in motion, so as to cause a circulation and agitation of the liquor in the vessel.,
When the liquor has remained in the vessel a sufficient length of time, which
will depend upon the thickness and quality of the hides, and the nature of the
preparing or tanning operation, the pipe connecting the tank and the bottom
of the vessel, and an air-cock or valve in the cover are opened, when the liquor
will fall into the tank, and the operation above described may be repeated as
frequently as is desired. Steam, water, or a current of atmospheric air or
other gas, vapour, or liquid, may be passed through or forced into the vessel by
suitable apparatus similar to that above described, or which an intelligent
engineer would readily apply.
Having thus. described the nature of this part of our Invention, and the

page_text: best means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into operation, so
that a competent person practically acquainted with the various processes con-
nected with tanning will be enabled to construct and manipulate an apparatus
by which this part of our Invention can be carried into operation, we would
have it understood that we make no claim for the particular arrangement of
the apparatus described, as this and the mode of its operation may be greatly
varied without departing from the nature of this part of our Invention, and the
apparatus might be so arranged that the liquor would remain stationary in a
vat, and the hides attached to an air-tight piston fitting accurately within the
upper part of the vat. and which, after the exhaustion of the air could be
allowed to descend and immerse the hides in the liquor, when pressure
could be applied, and we are aware that apparatus similar to that described
above has been used for the purpose of washing, scouring, and bleaching
textile fabrics and we are also aware that various processes have before been
specified, by which a rapid saturation of hides under the process of tanning has
been effected both by means of a vacuum and pressure, but this part of our In-
vention consists in conducting the processes where hides in process of tanning
are subjected to saturation in a closed-vessel, from which the air has been with-
drawn. in combination with the application of atmosphere or any suitable
pressure to facilitate a more rapid and complete saturation of the hides under
operation than has hitherto been attained; sometimes we use pressure only
without vacuum in closed vessels, such as described.
We will now proceed to describe the best means with which we are
acquainted for carrying into operation that part of our Invention which
relates to the washing of wool and the discharging of gum from silk in the
fibrous state. We employ a vessel, the form of which is by preference
circular (but it may be of other forms) constructed of a strength proportioned
to the pressure which it will have to sustain. This vessel is supplied with a
pipe coiled or otherwise arranged within the vessel, through which steam or
a heated liquid can be made to circulate, so as to heat the soap and water or
other scouring liquid, the temperature being ascertained by a thermometer
inserted into the vessel. Near the top, or in the cover of the vessel, is an
opening, through which the fibrous wool or silk to be operated upon is to be
introduced, this opening being closed by an air-tight cover before the process
'commences; and where desired, the introduced of the substances to be
operated upon is facilitated by the whole cover of the vessel being so con-,
structed as to be capable of being easily removed and replaced, so as to form
an air-tight joint, and this is readily accomplished by means of a piston fitted
with hydraulic packing, the top of the vessel being bored, so that when the

page_text: piston is lowered by suitable mechanism into the top of the vessel, it forms an
air-tight cover. The yessel is connected by means of a pipe through its
bottom to a tank, above the level of which the vessel stands, and this pipe is
closed by means of a cock or valve previous to the exhaustion of the air from
the vessel, which is now supposed to be filled with the fibrous wool or silk to
be operated upon and hirmetically sealed. This exhaustion we prefer to
accomplish by mean of an air-pump, connected by a pipe to a branch near the
top of the vessel, or it may be accomplished by the injection of steam and
its subsequent condensation in a separate chamber, in the same manner as a
condensing engine. When the exhaustion is complete, which is ascertained
by a barometer attached to the exhausting apparatus, the connection between
the exhausting apparatus and the vessel is closed by means of a cock or valve.
The pipe passing from the bottom of the vessel to the tank containing the
water, soap and water, or scouring liquor is now opened, and the pressure
forces the liquid into the
of the surrounding atmosphere immediately
vessel; if greater pressure is now required, as soon as the vessel is filled,
the connection between the tank and the vessel is again closed, and a force
pump connected with the vessel by a pipe and branch near its top, and having
its suction pipe immersed in the liquid in the tank, is put in motion so as to
force in a greater amount of liquid, and if, when this has produced its utmost
effect, a still greater pressure is required, a pump of very small diameter, such
as is used for hydraulic rams, is brought into operation, the pressure being
ascertained and regulated by an indicator and safety valve in the cover of the
vessel. And we would here remark that though we prefer the above-described
method of producing pressure, we are well aware that pressure may be pro-
duced by other means, and that a hydrostatic column of the liquor in the
vessel or the intrusion of a plunger or piston into the vessel would produce
the desired result.
While the fibrous wool or silk is being submitted to the action of the water
or scouring liquid, it is desirable to cause a circulation and agitation of the
liquid in the vessel, and this is best accomplished by arranging within the
vessel a skeleton cage, in which the fibrous wool or silk to be operated upon
is placed, and to which rotatory or other motion is communicated by means
of a rod passing through a stuffing box in the cover of the vessel and con-
nected with suitable mechanical contrivances, or the liquor in the vessel may
be agitated by beaters connected with mechanism by rods passing through
stuffing boxes; and we find it desirable, more especially in discharging the gum
from silk, to cause a disc, piston, or plunger to descend within the vessel or
cage upon the fibrous wool or silk, and thus compress it, so as to cause the

page_text: impurities to exude and' be dissolved or suspended in the water or scouring
liquor contained in the vessel, a rod or rods passing through stuffing boxes in
the cover of the vessel enabling the disc, piston, or plunger to be moved up'
and down by suitable mechanical contrivances. When the liquor has 'remained
in the vessel a sufficient length of time, which will vary according to the
description of fibrous wool or silk under operation, the pipe connecting the
tank with the bottom of the vessel and an air-cock or valve in the cover are
opened, when the liquor will fall into the tank, and the liquor remaining
in the fibrous wool or silk can be squeezed out by the disc, piston, or plunger
before mentioned, and the operation above described repeated as often as the
nature of the fibre may requirė. Steam, water, or a current of atmospheric
air or other gas, vapour, or liquid may be passed through or forced into the
vessel by suitable apparatus, similar to that above described or which an
intelligent engineer would readily apply, and it will be readily understood by
a suitable multiplication of pipes and tanks various liquors of different
strengths can be successively introduced, and the operation of washing wool
or discharging the gum from silk in a fibrous state completed without
removing the substance operated upon from the vessel.
In the previously described apparatus the air contained in the washing or
discharging vessel may be forced out by the introduction of the liquid, and
when the vessel is full, the air-cock closed, and further pressure applied, or
previously to the application of pressure, and after the liquor has been forced
into the vessel, the air may be extracted from the liquor and the fibrous wool
or silk under operation, but we prefer to exhaust the vessel previous to the
introduction of the liquor.
Having now described this part of our Invention, and the best means we
are acquainted with for carrying the same into operation, so that an intelligent
person acquainted with the process of washing wool and discharging the gum
from silk in a fibrous state would be enabled to construct and work an
apparatus, by means of which the aforesaid process could be conducted in a
vessel from which the air has been abstracted, and, under any pressure which
he might find beneficial, we would have it understood that we do not claim as
part of our Invention the particular arrangement of apparatus above described,
as. this may be greatly varied witliout departing from the nature of this part
of our Invention, and we are aware that apparatus similar to that above
described has been used for the purpose of washing, scouring, and bleaching
textile fabrics; but our Invention consists in conducting the process of
washing wool and discharging the gum from silk in a fibrous state in a vessel
so arranged that pressure can be applied to the water or scouring, and

page_text: discharging liquid employed, the atmospheric air, having if desired, been
exhausted previous to or after the introduction of the liquor, or so that the
air, having been withdrawn from the vessel and substances within it, the
liquor may be forced in and the washing or discharging completed by with-
drawing the scouring liquor as often as required. The process of washing
wool or discharging the gum from silk in a fibrous state being conducted by
the above described method in a more rapid and complete manner than those
hitherto in operation.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
JAMES HAMILTON,
Manningham Hall,
Bradford,
Yorkshire.
SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER. (L.S.)
!