Im-- PROVEMENTS IN TREATING SKINS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Steart, of .5, St. James' Road, Blue Anchor.
Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "Im--
PROVEMENTS IN TREATING SKINS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER."
Sealed the 28th November 1861, and dated the 10th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Steart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th June 1861.
I, JAMES STEART, of 5, St. James' Road, Blue Anchor Road, Bermondsey..
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SKINS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER," to be
as follows:-
19 This Invention has for its object improvements in treating skins for the
manufacture of leather. For these purposes in place of subjecting skins after
they have been unhaired to the action of a bath prepared from pigeons' and
dogs' dung, as has heretofore been practised, a preparation or product obtained
from fish by heat is employed, in which the unhaired skins are soaked for a
suitable length of time. The preparation or product of fish is best obtained
by digesting fish with water in a closed vessel, until the fish is reduced for the
most part into a fluid state, and this product is then used as above explained,
after which the skins are tanned or treated in like manner to that in which.
they have been treated or tanned after the use of the bath prepared from.
pigeons' and dogs' dung.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Steart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STEART, of 5, St. James' Road, Blue Anchor Road, Bermondsey, in the County
of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Steart, Her special licence that I, the said James Steart,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Steart, iny 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
TREATING SKING FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER," upon the condition.
(amongst others) that I, the said James Steart, my executors or adminis
trators, 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 James Steart, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating skins for the
manufacture of leather. For these purposes, in place of subjecting skins
after they have been unhaired to the action of a bath prepared from pigeons'
and dogs' dung, as has heretofore been practised, a preparation or product
obtained from fish by heat is employed, in which the unhaired skins are soaked
for a suitable length of time. The preparation or product of fish is best
obtained by digesting fish with water in a closed vessel until the fish is
reduced for the most part into a fluid state, and this product is then used as
above explained, after which the skins are tanned or treated in like manner to

page_text: that in which they have been treated or tanned after the use of the bath
prepared from pigeons' and dogs' dung.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describo the manner of performing the same.
The reduction of fish by heat may be performed in various ways, and
separately such reduction is not claimed by me. The manner in which I
prefer to treat fish, is to digest it in a suitable closed vessel. Into this vessel
I place the fish, and by means of a coiled perforated pipe at the bottom I
freely admit steam of very low pressure, in order to prevent the fish in the
vessel being raised to a greater temperature than about 212° Fahrenheit, and
in this manner I digest the fish three or four hours. The fish is then taken
out of the digesting vessel, together with the water resulting from the steam,
and also any fluid which may come from fish, and I place the whole in another
vessel, and allow the same to stand for many days (generally from 14 to 28
days) till the larger proportion has become fluid; this fluid is separated from
the other parts by a sieve, and the fluid thus or otherwise obtained is that
which is to be used according to my Invention, in place of pigeons' or dogs'
dung, and such fluid product of fish is to be used with water in like manner
to that in which pigeons' and dogs' dung have heretofore been used. In thus
using the product of fish, the workman will judge of the progress of the process
on hides and skins (which have been previously unhaired) as he has heretofore
judged when using baths of water combined with pigeon's or dog's dung. The
proportions of the products of fish used with water in preparing a bath, will
vary according to the nature and condition of the hides and skins; but so far
as my experience goes, I believe it will generally be found that about the
same proportions of the product of fish are required in each case as when using
pigeons or dogs' dung.
In witness whereof, I; the said James Steart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.