CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SCOURING FINISHING, AND STRETCHING WOOLLEN, COTTON, AND OTHER WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES.
MATHER, the younger, of Crow Oaks, Pilkington, in the County of Lancaster,
Bleacher, and THOMAS EDMESTON, of the same Place, Calenderman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Mather, the younger, and Thomas Edmeston,
Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said
James Mather, the younger, and Thomas Edmeston, our exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as we, the said James Mather, the younger, and
Thomas Edmeston, our exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and "lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SCOURING
FINISHING, AND STRETCHING WOOLLEN, COTTON, AND OTHER WOVEN FABRICS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said James
Mather, the younger, and Thomas Edmeston, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
perforined, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months and immediately after the date of the said in part recited

page_text: Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said]
James Mather, the younger, and Thomas Edmeston, do hereby declare that
the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be.
performed, is particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings
hereto annexed, and the following explanation thereof (that is to say) :-
Our improvements consist in a novel mode of operating upon fabrics,
whereby we are enabled to gain, in a more efficient manner, that appearance
which is commonly known as the "beetle," a linen finish, the fabric at the same
time having a stretching effect imparted to it; the same principle of operation
being also applicable to the "falling" or scouring and finishing of woollen cloths,
the peculiar character of such operation consisting in the use of a roller, which
is caused to move to and fro upon the fabric under operation in the direction
of the width thereof. And in order that our said Invention may be clearly
understood, we have appended to this our Specification certain Drawings,
shewing how the same may be practically applied, which Drawings we will
now proceed to describe. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine complete;
Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; and Figs. 3 and 4, detatched views of those parts
which immediately effect the operation upon the material. The framework
is shewn at a, a, a, and the main driving shaft at b, upon which there is
mounted a spur wheel c, taking into another affixed to a transverse shaft.
Upon this shaft there is a disc e, e, having a slot formed therein, which
receives a pin f, coupled to a connecting rod g, the other end of which
This framework is
is jointed to one arm of a vibrating framework h.
mounted upon a shaft i at its lower end, and is connected at the upper part
to rods j, j, coupled together by a bar k. Upon the inward ends of the rods
j, j, is mounted the axle of a roller 1; as the shaft d therefore revolves, the
crank pin f will be carried round, and through the intervention of the rod g,
cause the framework h to vibrate upon its centre, and thus impart a backward
and forward motion to the roller 1, the extent of which motion may be
At each end. of the
regulated by the situation of the pin f with its slot.
framework there is a standard m, within which are placed brasses capable of
sliding up and down therein, and which carry the axle of a longitudinal roller
n, n; the brasses are supported by screws o, which work in nuts affixed to the
framework, so that by turning the said screws, the roller n, n, may be raised
or lowered and adjusted in a horizontal direction. Upon a cross shaft p, p, there
is affixed a worm q, taking into the teeth of a worm wheel v, which is mounted]
upon one. end of the axle of the roller n. The shaft p.carries a ratchet r,

page_text: within the teeth of which is a click projecting from a lever s, which lever is
mounted so as to turn loosely upon the shaft p. To one of the rods j is
attached a projecting piece t, which being thus carried forward simultaneously
with the roller 7, arrives in contact with the lever s, and by turning it upon its.
centre, causes the click to turn the ratchet wheel r partially round, which
movement operating through the worm q, and wheel v, effects a slight
revolution of the roller n. Upon the return motion of the roller 1, the piece t
will allow the levers to be brought back to its former position by the
weight. The operation of this machine is as follows:-The fabric to be
finished is wound upon the roller n, n, as shewn by the red color, for which
purpose the roller is to be kept up, and the handles of the screws o turned
so as to bring the roller n, n, downwards, which is afterwards to be again
raised and the transverse roller l allowed to press by its weight upon the coil
of cloth. The main shaft being then put in motion, the crank pin ƒ will cause
the roller to travel to and fro upon the surface of the material wound upon
the rollern, at each forward motion causing the piece t, by its arrival in
contact with the lever s, to move the ratchet wheel r, and consequently impart
a slight rotatory motion to the roller n, n, so as to bring a fresh portion of the
surface of the cloth under the rolling operation, and so on until a sufficient
pressing has taken place to effect the required beetle" or "linen" finish; at
the same time, by means of the roller travelling in the direction of the
width of the fabric, it will become stretched. The cloth to be thus treated
may be placed upon the roller n, in a moist or dry state, as desired, and
previously calendered or submitted to our improved process only. It may be
subjected also to the action of heat, by causing steam to enter the interior of
the roller or by other suitable means; woollen cloths may be thus treated in
order to gain the effect of ordinary hot-pressing. When our improved
machine is used for scouring or fulling woollen or other cloths, we cause the
roller n to be placed in a trough and partly immersed in soap and water or
other such fluid, which fluid may be kept at the proper temperature by the
application of steam or by other methods commonly in use for such pur-
poses. By thus scouring the woollen or other goods, they will by the same
operation be kept stretched in the direction of their width, so as to prevent
entirely or in a great measure its being a subsequent operation.
We have thus far described the form of machine which we prefer for carry-
ing out our Invention; if desired, however, a flat surface may be substituted
for the roller n, the fabric bring caused to travel thereon so as to present fresh
points for pressure; and we would also observe, that many modifications of
machinery may be employed for embodying the spirit of our Invention; that

page_text: which we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters
Patent being the application of a roller pressing upon the material and travelling
in the direction of the width thereof, for the purpose of scouring, finishing,
and stretching woollen, cotton, and other woven fabrics.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Mather and Thomas Edmeston, 5
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.