AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING LETTERS FOR DRYING FECULA
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge,
& Son, 4, Wellington Street South, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING
LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge,
& Son, 4, Wellington Street South, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING
FECULA. A communication from abroad by Michel Antoine François
Thibaud de Ménonville, of Rambervilliers, Vosges, in the Empire of
France, Potter.
Sealed the 24th August 1860, and dated the 6th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th March 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge & Son, 4,
Wellington Street South, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR DRYING FECULA," communicated to me from abroad by Michel
Antoine François Thibaud de Ménonville of Rambervilliers, Vosges, in the
Empire of France, Potter, to be as follows:-
The proposed dying apparatus is placed in a closed chamber of about four-
teen yards long, by a width and height of about three and a quarter yards; its
framing is composed of an assemblage of long and cross bars carrying the
supports, between which the mechanism for drying will be placed. One of
its extremities serves for the entrance of the undried fecula, and the other for

page_text: its exit after the dessication which is effected in cloths by a heater, and a
ventilator, and destined to drive back to the other extremity (where are formed
the chimnies) all the humid vapours inimical to its thorough dessication.
The desired motion is to be given to the dryer by pullies at different stages,
and may be continuous or intermittent at will. In case of frost or want of
water a single workman may set it in motion by a couple of conical (cog)
wheels of equal diameter, and the time required for the passage and dessicating
of the material is from its entrance to its exit about two hours. Five cloths
are distined to receive the fecula, the upper one placed without the dryer
receives the fecula from the hands of the workman and communicates it to the
second, this to the third, and so on successively as these cloths run over in-
versely by means of toothed wheels at the extremity of the dryer. A hopper
placed at the bottom of the last cloth sends the fecula into the place where it
is intended to keep it when dry. The heater is to be of cast iron, and will rest
on a bearth of hollow bricks, the fire being made outside the dryer. The vent-
ilator before mentioned is to be placed above the apparatus. Motion will be
communicated to the machine by a vertical shaft (motived by hand, water, or
other power) acting upon an endless screw, which by means of cogs sets in
motion the rollers, which give impulsion to the cloths, and to rollers at the
other extremity of the dryer, (a screw regulates the position of the cloths by
approaching or separating the bearings) and small rollers support the cloths,
and a partition wall is erected at the side of the stove, which is furnished
with pipes, and has a platform above it serving as a depôt for the undried
fecula.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, 4, Wellington Street
South, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Gedge, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such

page_text: others as I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING FECULA," a communica-
tion to me from abroad by Michel Antoine François Thibaud de Ménonville,
of Rambervilliers, Vosges, in the Empire of France, Potter, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my
executors or administrators, 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 William Edward Gedge, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, to denote parts and
similar parts where they appear on the Diagram.
The apparatus when made of the size indicated by the measurement of the
various parts herein given is placed in a closed chamber of about fourteen
yards in length, the width and height of such chamber being from three and a
quarter to three and a half yards. Its framing is composed of an assemblage
of long and cross bars carrying the supports, between which the mechanism
for drying the fecula is placed. One of its extremities (the left as looking at
the Drawing, serves for the entrance of the undried fecula, and the other for
its exit after dessication is effected, which takes place on cloths heated from a
heater, and a ventilator, which drives back to the (right) extremity where the
chimney, (not shewn) or chimnies, is or are placed; the humid vapours
arising during and inimical to the thorough dessication of the fecula. The
desired motion is imparted to the drier by means of pullies at different stages,
and is continuous or intermittent at will. In case of frost or want of water a
single workman may set it in motion by means of a couple of conical (cog)
wheels of equal diameter. The time required for the passage and dessication
of the fecula through and by my apparatus is from its entrance to its exit
about two hours. The fecula is received (in the apparatus shewn in the
Drawing) on five cloths, the upper one being placed without the drier receives

page_text: the fecula from the hands of the operator, communicates it to the second, this
to the third, and so on successively, as these cloths all run inversely by means
of toothed wheels at the extremity of the drier. A hopper placed at the end
or bottom of the last cloth conducts the fecula to a receiver or depôt, or to the
place where it is intended to be stored when dry. The heater (N in the
Drawing) is made of cast iron and rests on a hearth of hollow bricks, the fire
being, made outside the dryer. The ventilator before mentioned is placed
above the apparatus.. Motion is imparted to the apparatus by means of a
vertical shaft, the power being hand, water, steam, or other.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which shews at one view the entire apparatus.
A represents a vertical shaft, which being acted upon by the motor imparts
motion to the entire machine, the height or length of which is (in proportion
with the other parts of the apparatus as shewn,) about three yards; its' diameter
being about two inches. B denotes endless screws acted upon by the vertical
shaft, and putting in motion the wheels C. These.endless screws are of about
four inches diameter; C denotes toothed wheels (of thirty-one teeth each)
receiving movement from the screws B and communicating it to the rollers
E. D are the bearings of the vertical shaft; E rollers set in motion by the
wheels c and giving impulsion to all the cloths L; these rollers are about two
yards in length by seven or eight inches in diameter; F are rollers at the
other (left) end of the dryer receiving impulse of rotation from the rollers E and
cloths L; these rollers' are about two yards long by three and a half to four
inches in diameter; G are moveable bearings of the rollers. E; H are screws
serving to regulate the cloths, either by retiring or advancing the bearings G
with elongating screws of about twelve inches in length; 'I are thin rollers
supporting the cloths and turning on themselves; they are about two yards long
and of about four inches in diameter; J,.wooden uprights serving to support
all the cushions or bearings of all the rollers about six feet high by four inches
in thickness, those at the ends being twice the thickness' (say eight inches) of
the rest; K framing of about thirteen yards long, forming as it were the.
casing of the apparatus; L are the cloths (endless) turning on tho rollers, one
of which is about twenty-six yards long by two yards wide and four of which:
are twenty-four yards long by two yards wide or thereabout; M, wooden
hopper for receiving and passing on the dried fecula, being two yards wide
at the upper orifice next the apparatus and diminishing as may be found
desirable towards its lower orifice; N, heater made of cast iron two yards by
fifteen inches; O conducting pipe from furnace to heater, about thirteen yards

page_text: long and eight inches in diameter; P is a party wall to shut in the heater; Q
denotes stairs or steps placed outside the drying compartment, (near which is
erected the platform to receive the raw or green fecula which is to be dried in
the drying compartment.) With this apparatus and the employment of one
workman twelve hundredweight of fecula is thoroughly dried in six hours,
while by the process or processes hitherto in use, four workmen were required to
produce the same result in the same space of time. The fecula dried by this
apparatus has the best possible appearance on leaving the hopper.
Having now described the nature of the Invention communicated to me by
my correspondent, and the means by which the same is carried into effect, I
would observe that I do not confine myself to the precise arrangements herein
described and shewn in the Drawing, nor to the relative proportions of parts to
each other, but I claim the exclusive use of the combination of various
mechanical parts forming when combined or put together as herein-before
described and shewn in and by the annexed Drawing, (which forms
part of this my Specification "An Improved Machine for Drying Fecula."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of September in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
JOHN GEDGE,
11, Wellington Street, Strand,
London.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.B.)