IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harold Potter, of the City of Manchester, Com--
mission Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 16th December 1864, and dated the 22nd September 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harold Potter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd.
September 1864.
I, HAROLD POTTER, of the City of Manchester, Commission Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACH-
ING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention is applicable to bleaching the waste of flax commonly called
"shove."
The fibrous substance to be bleached is first bowked in the ordinary manner,
it is then washed with water, and then subjected to the action of a solution of
sulphuric or other suitable acid, it is then again washed and afterwards
treated with an alkali.
The fibrous substance with the alkali is then submitted to the action of
chlorine gas, after which it is again bowked and washed, it is then placed in
a pan, in which a vacuum is formed, and a solution of chlorine liquor is
admitted and passed through the fibrous substance; the operations of forming
a vacuum and passing the solution of chlorine liquor are repeated as often as
may be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Harold Potter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HAROLD
POTTER, of the City of Manchester, Commission Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Harold Potter, Her special license that: I, the said Harold Potter,
my executors, administrators, and.. assigns, or, such others. as I, the. said
Harold Potter, 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 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
BLEACHING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Harold Potter, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,, should .par-
ticularly 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..
T
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Harold Potter, 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
My Invention is applicable in bleaching the outer bark or waste of flax.
commonly called "shove" or "shew," and it consists in certain improvements
upon the Invention for. which Letters Patent were granted to me on the.
Twenty-fifth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four,
Number 2097, and on the Thirteenth day of September 1864, Number
2230.
The fibrous substance to be bleached is first bowked or boiled. in an alkaline

page_text: solution in the manner well known to bleachers, it is then washed with water,
and then subjected to the action of a sulphuric or other suitable acid, of the
strength of about one or two degrees of Twaddle's hydrometer, it is then again
washed with water to remove the acid, and afterwards it is steeped in an
alkaline solution of the strength of about one or two degrees of Twaddle's
hydrometer, in which it remains for about one hour.
The fibrous substance with the alkali is then hung on the rails placed
horizontally in a closed chamber and submitted for about ten or twelve hours
to the action of chlorine gas, which may be generated by pouring sulphuric
acid on a mixture of manganese and common salt placed in a leaden still, and
heated by a steam casing, or the chlorine gas may be produced in any other
convenient manner.
After the fibrous substance has been removed from the closed chamber it
is again bowked or boiled in an alkaline solution and then washed; the fibrous
substance is then placed in a covered pan, in which a partial vacuum is formed
to prepare the fibrous substance for being impregnated with a solution of
chlorine liquor of about five degrees of Twaddle's hydrometer, which is admitted
into the covered pan and passed through the fibrous substance; the opera-
tions of forming a partial vacuum and admitting a solution of chlorine liquor
are repeated as often as may be found requisite to remove the impurities from
and to bleach the fibrous substance.
The various processes above described are similar to those mentioned and
referred to in the Specification of the Patent granted to me on the Thirteenth
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, Number 2230.
The fibrous substance is then bowked a third time, and again submitted to
the action of chlorine liquor as above described. The chlorine liquor may
then be washed out to complete the operation.
I wish to observe that the strengths of the solutions named and the time
required for the various processes may be considerably varied according to the
nature or quality of the fibrous substances to be bleached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harold Potter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-five.
HAROLD POTTER. (L.S.)