IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON TIES USED FOR BANDING OR BALING COTTON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON TIES USED FOR BANDING OR BALING COTTON AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad by John T. Butler,
of Natchez, in the State of Mississippi, one of the United States of
America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Walker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration, on
the 23rd December 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALKER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting. Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting."
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON
TIES USED FOR BANDING OR BALING COTTON AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that the Invention has been communicated to me from abroad by
John T. Butler, of Natchez, in the State of Mississippi, one of the United
States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Walker, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand, fully describes

page_text: and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
:—
Before proceeding to describe the Invention it is proper to premise that
great difficulty has been experienced (since the substitution of hoop iron in
lieu of ropes for banding purposes has been found to be desirable) in conse-
quence of the impossibility by means of any instrumentality or mechanical
appliance yet discovered of so securing or attaching the ends of the iron hoops
together that a severance or unlocking thereof will not be liable to occur,
whenever the bale that is banded with such hoops is subject to sudden or
severe concussion from carelessness in handling it, or any other cause.
Further difficulties have also been experienced in finding a good and faultless
mode of fastening the bands by any mechanical appliance, simple in its
character, easy of application, and cheap in construction. To these difficulties
probably more than to all other causes combined is to be ascribed the fact
that rope is still used to a considerable extent in banding bales of cotton and
other substances. Unceasing efforts have been made to overcome these
difficulties, and an almost infinite variety of appliances in the shape of buckles,
locks, and other like appliances, some of them of more or less simplicity of
design, construction, and operation, and others of exceeding complexity and
expensiveness have been patented and tried without accomplishing the desired
end. The reason of the failure is easily perceived and explained. In order
that the device used for fastening the ends of the hoops may be even
approximately effective or perfect four distinct conditions or requirements
must be fulfilled by it, three of which conditions are intrinsic or inherent in
the device itself, whilst the fourth relates exclusively to the extrinsic question
of economy of production or fabrication. In other words no device will serve
the purpose unless in the first place it is strong enough to resist the greatest
possible degree of tension or strain that can be sustained by the hoop, and in
the second place provides a secure fastening of the ends of the hoops under
any and all circumstances; the third requirement is that the device must be
simple in character and of easy application to use; and the fourth, that it
must be of such a nature that it can be produced or manufactured easily,
rapidly, and cheaply.
This Invention provides a strong, simple, and cheap fastening easily applied
which cannot under any circumstances, nor by the roughest usage with respect
to the bale, with which it is connected be unlocked, or caused to yield at the
point of its connection with the hoops, and hence it fully meets all the con-
ditions herein-before stated. This has been demonstrated by repeated
experiments, and also that the hoop will break at any point along its entire

page_text: leng th before the integrity of the tie or fastening will be in the slightest
degree affected either by the slipping of the hoops, or the breaking of the
buckle.
The device is simple, cheap, and cannot unlock except by breaking the
hoop or band itself. The only expense attending the device used herein is in
cutting out of the rectangular buckle frame from a piece of iron hoop a little
broader than that used for the band that is to encircle the bale. Into this
frame each end of the band, bent into a hook, is passed from the outside so
that the lap of the hook in each case shall be folded back between the band
and the bale of cotton, or the covering thereof.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 represents a bale of cotton covered
and mounted with the iron bands and buckles, and hooks referred to;
Figure 2 represents an edge view of the buckle and hooks and part of band;
Figure 3 represents a separate view of the buckle frame; Figure 4 is an
isometrical projection; Figure 5 represents a bale supposed to be of blankets
or any other goods banded with iron hoops, and this improved buckle, pre-
cisely as in the case of the cotton bale, and it will be perceived with precisely
the same effect.
A represents the buckle frame, which is square or rectangular piece of
thick hoop iron, and a rectangular slot (a) cut in its middle, the longest way
of the slot being in the direction crossing the band. B represents the band,
and C, C', the hooks, one of which hooks C being bent, after being received
through the slot from the outside, so as to fold upon itself of a sufficient
length between the band and the covering of the bale, so as to be firmly
attached to the buckle frame while the hook C¹ is opened a little wider at
its extremity to enable it to slip into the slot with greater ease. When the
hook C is received into the slot the bale is still under pressure in the cotton
press, and it is comparatively easy to bend the fold of the hook after it is
received between the bale and the band, so that it may be brought into
contact with the latter. Each of the bands is fastened in substantially the
same way and while the bale is under the pressure of the cotton press. The
ends or folds of the bands received through the buckle frame and folded upon
themselves within are retained in their position as soon as the bale is released
from the cotton press by the outward pressure of the bale against the hooks.
It is this outward pressure of the bale, when released from the cotton press,
against the face of the hooks and buckle A, on which the point of the
Invention rests.
Therefore, what I claim as this Invention is, the combination of the buckle
frame A when made substantially as described and represented with the hooks

page_text: C, C, when the latter are received through the former, and held in place by
the pressure of the bale against them, substantially as described and
represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. H. REDMOND,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
WILLIAM (L.S.) WALKER.