IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING THE SEEDS OF FLAX AND HEMP, AND ALSO IN THE TREATMENT AND PREPARATION OF FLAX AND HEMP FOR DRESSING
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SARAH
LESTER, of Saint Peters Square, Hammersmith, in the County of Middlesex,
sole Executrix of the late Michael Joseph John Doulan, of Rugeley, Stafford-
shire, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of Sep-
tember, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Sarah Lester, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Sarah Lester, my exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Sarah Lester, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING THE SEEDS
OF FLAX AND HEMP, AND ALSO IN THE TREATMENT AND PREPARATION OF FLAX AND
HEMP FOR DRESSING," (communicated to me by the Inventor, the said Michael
Joseph John Doulan;) in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
that I, the said Sarah Lester, should cause a particular description of the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Sarah Lester, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, are fully described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The Invention consists, first,. of improvements. in treating, the seeds of flax
and hemp; and, secondly, the Invention consists of improvements in the
treatment and preparation of flax and hemp for dressing.
And in order that the same may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the manner in which the said Inventor,
Michael Joseph John Doulan, performed the several improvements.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE SEEDS OF FLAX
AND HEMP.
In order to improve the growth of flax and hemp, and thereby the future
manufactures made therefrom, I cause the seeds to be steeped in and coated
with the following preparation:--I take-
1 gallon of sperm oil.
1 gallon of Gallipoli oil.
1 gallon of Greenland whale oil.
1 lb. of common salt.
1 lb. of powdered alum.
lb. of saltpetre.
lb. Roman alum.
The ingredients I place in a copper boiler, and apply heat thereto for about
six hours, stirring from time to time, and I retain the heat at about 250° of
Fahrenheit during such time, by which these materials will become combined. 3
I strain off the liquid portion through a linen sieve, after which, and when
the liquid is cold, it will be in a condition for use for the well coating
of the seeds of flax and hemp before planting the same. This preparation of
materials is applied to the seed in the following manner:-A copper, iron, or
other tray plate, heated to about 90° of Fahrenheit by steam, is employed.
On this tray or plate the composition above described is placed by means of a.
brush. I then run on a quantity of seed, taking care that it is of the best
quality, and I move the seed to and fro in the composition till it is well coated

page_text: therewith, when it will be in a state for sowing. The boilers or coppers used
for the preparation of the above composition, and also for the composition
hereafter described for saturating the flax of commerce, I construct and set
as follows:
The boilers should be of copper, and made with treble bottoms, with a brass
tap fixed within three inches of the bottom of each. These coppers should
be set in fire bricks against a side wall. Under each copper and next to the
fire should be placed a sheet of iron, one inch thick, over which should be
placed a bed of finely pulverized sand, upon which to rest the bottom of the
copper. The fire-places should be constructed outside the wall, and have an
iron door of twelve inches square, with a ring in the middle of such door, and
the ash hole should be eighteen inches deep. I recommend that a main water
pipe (two inches in diameter) should extend from the tank over the coppers,
and that water pipes of 14 inch diameter and six feet in length should extend
from the main pipe over each copper, and also that at the end of each of these
water pipes a perforated rose shall be fixed, with a valve at the top of each
rose, and that an iron chain shall be attached to each valve and hanging close
to the outside of the third copper. I also recommend that these chains shall
be of different lengths and designate the copper to which they belong, so that
in case of the compound taking fire the chains of the copper so affected may
be pulled so as to raise the valve and inundate it with water from the tank.
The coppers should be placed about two feet apart. The second copper should
be placed twelve inches above the first, and the third copper should be placed
about twelve inches above the second. The flues of the chimney should pass
through the wall in which the coppers are set, leaving a distance of two inches
of brick between the coppers and the flues, and the chimney should be raised
ten or twelve feet above the roof of the building.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of the Invention, which
consists of certain mechanical processes, and also of saturating the flax and
hemp of commerce with a preparation of materials, hereafter explained.
The mechanical process has reference to treating the straw of flax and
hemp in the dry state as it comes from the field, and are such that the process
of steeping or "ratting" is rendered unnecessary.
The straw of flax or hemp in a dry state is first to be subjected to a crushing
machine of the following construction:-
I construct a wheel in the following manner about four feet six inches
in diameter, and of cast iron, in the centre of which is an axle box or nave, in
which is fixed a square shaft of wrought iron; this shaft is about twenty
inches in length and three inches in diameter, the ends of which are rounded

page_text: so as to revolve in brass bearings. The periphery of this wheel is about
eighteen inches long and six inches deep. The surface is cast with grooves
about eight in number to every twelve inches of the periphery. This wheel
is placed in a wrought-iron frame, five feet in length and twenty inches in
breadth, in the middle of which frame on each side are applied brass bearings,
in which the shaft of the wheel revolves. To the front end of this wrought-
iron frame is fastened a wrought-iron toothed rack, twelve feet in length and
two inches in width.
The bed upon which this wheel is to work is constructed as follows:-It is
twelve feet in length, eight inches deep, and twenty-one inches in breadth; the
frame is made of wood, and stands upon six legs, that is, two at each end and
two at the middle of the frame. This wooden frame is divided equally into
two parts, by metallic blades rounded at their top surfaces; these blades are
at a distance apart, so that there is alternately a space and blade, and these
blades and spaces correspond with the grooves and teeth of the wheel, so that
the wheel and bed act as a large crimping machine. The toothed rack affixed
to the roller frame rests on a guide roller, and the rack and consequently the
roller is put in motion by a toothed wheel by means of an axis with a fly
wheel and crank handle when driven by hand.
To the under side of the wrought-iron frame in which the wheel is placed
are applied six small metallic rollers, three on each side, upon which the
frame travels; on the surface of the frame of the bed a power is to be
employed from a drum (instead of the crank handle) with a band, will work
this machine. The flax or hemp straw is then placed at full length, and
turned from time to time on the bed of this machine, which, by the roller
being caused to roll to and fro, has the effect of softening and disengaging
portions of the ligneous or woody particles from the fibres without cracking,
tearing, or any diminution of the strength of such fibres.
I would remark, that although I have been particular in describing the
exact construction of and dimensions of the machine I prefer, I do not confine
myself thereto, as the same may be varied.
The second implement machine to which the straw is subjected is con-
structed in the following manner:-
An upright frame, made of cast iron, seven feet in length, four inches in
diameter, and six feet space between the two uprights. In this frame are
three cast-iron pounders, each three inches in diameter, worked by three
tappets on the same axis or otherwise. These pounders are guided in their
movement up and down within the frame. At the lower ends of these
pounders are fixed pieces of cast iron, twelve inches in length, four in breadth

page_text: and two and a half inches in depth, with four grooves cut on the under
surface in each of these pieces of iron; immediately under these grooved
pieces of iron are placed three blocks of wood, one under each pounder, upon
which are fixed projecting ribs of metal, to correspond with and to enter into
the grooves of the pounders, and the pounders are made to work perpen-
dicularly. Each workman holds a quantity of flax or hemp in his hand, and
when the pounder is away from the block he introduces the flax on to the
wood block, and as the pounder moves up and down he turns and moves the
flax or hemp till all parts have been well acted on.
The third implement or pounding machine is constructed exactly similar to
the above, but with less force of action, which is effected by reducing the
weight of the pounder to two and a half inches in diameter, and with three
grooves (of less width) at the ends of each pounder.
The fourth implement or pounding machine is similar to the above, but
with still less power of action, which is effected by the pounder being reduced
to two inches in diameter, and confined to two grooves (of less width) at the
end of each pounder.
The flax or hemp having in succession been subjected to the action of the
above-mentioned machines, it is next to be subjected to the action of another.
The fifth implement, or softening machine. The dimensions of this machine
are in exact uniformity with the first or crushing machine, but materially
differing in effect upon the flax and hemp straw, by reason of the wheels
or rollers working thereon being different. Four rollers, each six inches in
diameter, eighteen inches in length, having fitted into them metallic projecting
blades, a quarter of an inch between each blade; these four rollers are placed
two inches distance from cach other, and put into a wrought-iron fraine,
such as before described in respect to the roller frame of the first machine,
and travelling upon the top of the wooden frame, and the blades and spaces
of the bed of this machine correspond with the blades on the four rollers; and
in addition to the four rollers with blades, the frame or metal roller or rollers
with plain surfaces to roll over the flax or hemp placed on the bed of the
machine. By this machine the process of preparation will be still further
advanced by the rolling to and fro of the rollers in the frame. Should the
flax or hemp straw prove very intractable, two grooved rollers may be placed
one over the other, the spindles working upon brass bearings, and the rollers
regulated by levers and weights, and caused to work to. and fro to the extent
of about half a revolution.
The sixth implement, or cleaning machine. I take two separate pieces of
wood, each four feet in length, twelve inches in breadth, and two inches in

page_text: removed, and the liquid returned to the boiler or copper, and the following
ingredients are added:-
Quarter of a pound of Roman alum.
Quarter of a pound of dried hemlock, pulverized.
Half a pound of laurel leaves or ivy leaves may be substituted.
Heat is again applied to the extent of 250° of Fahrenheit for about six
hours. I strain the liquid through a linen seive, and the same when reduced
in temperature is fit for use, as herein described.
I would remark that the above mechanical and chemical processes are
also applicable to that description of flax called phormium tenax, or New
Zealand flax.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein described, and I make no claim to the
construction and mode of setting the coppers or boilers; but what I claim is,-
First, the preparing the seed of flax and hemp in the manner herein
described.
And, secondly, I claim the operating on flax and hemp in the dry state by
the combination of mechanical processes and machinery herein described, and
also the preparation or saturation of the fibres with the composition or com-
bination of materials herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sarah Lester, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.