IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE WASHING AND CLEANSING OF WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jolin Clough, of the Manchester Road, Bradford,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE WASHING AND CLEANSING OF WOOL AND OTHER
FIBRES."
Scaled the 21st May 1875, and dated the 30th November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clough at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th November.1874.
I, JOHN CLOUGH, of the Manchester Road, Bradford, in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE WASHING AND CLEANSING OF WOOL AND
OTHER FIBRES," to be as follows:-
:―
In conveying wool or other fibrous material (after being washed) from
the washing bowl or trough to the squeezing rollers I employ a carrying
fork operated by crank motion with balance wheel on the end of the
shaft, and worked in a curved plate, the curve of which is suited to the
movement the fork is desired to describe. This curve may be flatter or

page_text: quicker according to the distance the squeezing rollers may be from that
part of the bowl or trough where the wool is lifted by the last washing
fork and placed upon the curved plate. The curve of this plate begins
at the point where the wool is, leaving the sud or wash liquor, and con-
tinues upwards as far as is necessary to give the wool sufficient fall
down an incline leading to the nip of the rollers, and so to pass it
through the rollers. This curved plate has two sides or guards to
prevent the wool from falling off it when being taken forward by the
carrying fork to the rollers. I place stationary holders at the foot and
on the top of the curved plate to retain the wool when lifted from the
bowl or trough, and placed upon it until the carrying fork working in
the curve comes and takes such wool forward to the top of the inclined
plane, and from whence it slides down to the nip of the rollers.
Holders which I call ratch tooth holders (by the teeth taking the form
of ratch teeth) are attached to the plate by screws, or they may be cast
on the plate, or otherwise, as may be judged best.
The head of the carrying fork which works in the curve is fixed upon
a square part of the lower end of the "stalk," and is moveable up and
down it; an adjustable steel spring being placed on the stalk above the
head of the fork gives way by compression according to the thickness
of the body of wool which it may for the time be carrying, and by
which it readily suits either a larger or a smaller amount of material
under operation. The prongs of this fork are formed slightly rounded
at the front part, running out conically to the back part, by which shape
I get a stronger prong with less metal in it and one much less liable for
the wool to coil round than the old round prong; it consequently does
its work more freely and efficiently. These prongs are applicable either
to carrying forks working in curves or to washing forks working in
bowls or troughs. Thus I obtain the curved plate, the stationary ratch
tooth holders, the inclined plane from the top of the curve to the nip of
the rollers, the carrying fork working in the curve, and these completoly
conveying the wool to the rollers without any revolving machinery
excepting the crank and shaft of the carrying fork.
The stationary ratch tooth holders and the inclined plane going to the
nip of the squeezing rollers are applicable to other classes of washing

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Clough in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLOUGH, of the Manchester Road, Bradford, in the County of York,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Clough, Her special
license that I, the said John Clough, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Clough, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE WASHING AND CLEANSING OF WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES,” upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Clough, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and scals, 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 John Clough, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
In conveying wool or other fibrous material (after being washed) from
the washing bowl or trough to the squeezing rollers I employ a carrying
fork operated by crank motion, with balance wheel on the end of the
shaft, and worked in a curved plate, the curve of which is suited to the
movement the fork is desired to describe. This curve may be flatter or
quicker according to the distance the squeezing rollers may be from that

page_text: part of the bowl or trough where the wool is lifted by the last washing
fork and placed upon the curved plate. The curve of this plate begins
at the point where the wool is leaving the sud or wash liquor, and con-
tinues upwards as far as is necessary to give the wool sufficient fall
down an incline leading to the nip of the rollers, and so to pass it
through the rollers. This curved plate has two sides or guards to prevent
the wool from falling off it when being taken forward by the carrying
fork to the rollers. I place stationary holders at the foot and on the top
of the curved plate to retain the wool when lifted from the bowl or
trough and placed upon it until the carrying fork working in the curvo 1
comes and takes such wool forward to the top of the inclined plane, and
from whence it slides down to the nip of the rollers.
Holders which I call ratch tooth or crab claw holders (by the teeth
taking the form of ratch teeth or crab claws) are attached to the plate
by screws, or they may be cast on the plate, or otherwise, as may be 1
judged best.
:
The head of the carrying fork which works in the curve is fixed upon
a square part of the lower end of the "stalk,” and is moveable
up and
down it; an adjustable steel spring being placed on the stalk above the
head of the fork gives way by compression according to the thickness of a
the body of wool which it may for the time be carrying, and by which it
readily suits either a larger or a smaller amount of material under
operation. The prongs of this fork are formed slightly rounded at the
front part, running out conically to the back part, by which shapo I get
a stronger prong with less metal in it, and one much less liable for the i
wool to coil round than the old round prong; it consequently does its
work more freely and efficiently. These prongs are applicable cither to
carrying forks working in curves or to washing forks working in bowls
or troughs. Thus I obtain the curved plate, the stationary ratch or
crab claw tooth holders, the inclined plane from the top of the curve to
the nip of the rollers, the carrying fork working in the curve, and these
completely conveying the wool to the rollers without any revolving
machinery excepting the crank and-shaft of the carrying fork.
But that the Invention may be better understood I will by the aid of
the accompanying Drawing proceed to describe means pursued by me in a
carrying the same into effect.

page_text: other fibres, with parts thereof arranged according to my Invention.
Figures 2, 3, and 4 represent details separately.
In each of the Figures the same letters indicate corresponding parts
where they occur.
à represents a portion of the wash bowl or trough through which the
fibre under operation is conducted in the process of washing and
cleansing it; b shows one of a' series of forks by which such fibre is
kept in agitation and carried forward in the trough a, as is well under-
stood, such fork b being carried by an arm 1 operated by the crank
pin 6 from the crank arm 6³ and by a link in the usual way; care
arms affixed to and revolving with the shaft or axis c¹ in the direction
indicated by the arrows, and carrying at each of its ends the lifter
forks c; these lifter prongs or forks are cach affixed to an axis c³, and
cach of these axes is free to turn in the ends of the arms c except that
at the time the prongs or forks are lifting the fibre up the end a' of the
trough or bowl a they are held to act rigidly on the fibre by an arm c*
coming against a suitable stop or guide; the action of these prongs or
forks is to lift the fibre from the trough or bowl a on to the curved
plate & in its passage to the squeezing rollers e, e; the surface of this
plate d is provided with numerous projecting teeth d¹, the points of
which incline forward somewhat like ratchet teeth or crab claws, and the
object of them is to assist in holding the fibre under operation and
prevent its return in its passage from the trough a to the squeezing
rollers e, e; d, d², seen by dotted lines in Figure.1 and at Figure 3, are
the side plates or guards to the plate d; the plate d is affixed to a
shaft d, the ends of which are supported to rock in stationary bearings a³,
one on cach side of the apparatus, by which facility is afforded for a
slight oscillatory or rocking motion to the plate d to enable it readily to
adapt itself to pressure exerted thereon by the carrying fork ƒ in the
traverse of that fork when carrying fibre up to the squeezing rollers e,
and by which ease in action is obtained and less power is required to
actuate the fork. The end of the plate d nearest the trough a is heavier
than that nearest the squeezing rollers, so that when the carrying fork

page_text: is conveying a heavy load of fibre up the curved plate the spring f³ acts
up to the line of the axis d³, and then when the fork has passed that
axis d³ the curve plate gives way or oscillates.
When the carrying fork has delivered its quantity of fibre at the top
of the incline leading to the rollers e, e, the end of the curved plate
nearest the trough being the heavier that end falls back in time to
receive the next quantity of fibre from the forks c³.
The fibre lifted onto the plate d is carried forward thereon by the
double set of carrying forks f, f, which are formed with a socket f¹ to
slide to some extent on the corresponding end or "stalk" of the lever
arm f³, and which socket is borne upon by a spring f³, by which whilst
the points of the forks f may be kept bearing into and through the fibre
they may yet be capable of yielding in case of need. The extent of
motion and the correct relation of the parts is controlled by adjustable
| lock or guide screws.
The prongs, f, may be formed to be separately applied, as indicated
by an enlarged view of one of them, Figure 4, and they are formed
· rounded at their front edge and inclined to a cone in section towards
their back edge, as stated. The lever arm f' is formed with an adjustable
socket by which it is supported on the pin f' of the crank from the
shaft f, which is caused to revolve in the direction of the arrow, and
has applied to it the wheel f" with counterbalance ✓ to act as a counter-
balance to the weight of the lever arm fs and parts carried thereby. The
motion to the forks ƒ, f, obtained by the rotation of the crank is con-
trolled by the connecting rod g, one end of which is by pin joint g'
connected to the stationary bracket a², whilst the other end is by pin
joint g* connected to the upper end of the lever arm ƒ³.
It will be seen that the upper or outer end of the plate & inclines
downwards to the nip of the squeezing rollers e, e.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in
.carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise arrangements of parts as shown, as the
same may be varied without departing from the peculiar character of
the Invention; but what I claim is,―
First. The application of a curved plate or surface with teeth don
which wool and other fibre in the process of washing and cleansing is

page_text: •
conducted in its passage from the wash trough to the squeezing rollers,
substantially as described.
Secondly. I claim the arranging and combining parts for operating
the carrying fork or prongs f, f, in manner substantially as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said John Clough, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.