Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ROBERT GORDON, of Heaton Norris, in the County of Lancaster, Mill-
wright and Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of April, in the seventh year of
Her reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and forty-four,. 'did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Robert Gordon, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert Gordon,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I; the said Robert
Gordon, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and, no others, from time to time and at all times during the said term
of years therein expressed,, should and lawfully might make, .u
exercise,. and vend, within England and Wales, and the Town of Ber-

page_text: '
wick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT
AND OTHER GRAIN, AND IN DRESSING FLOUR OR MEAL, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
IN GRINDING ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO GRINDING CEMENTS AND OTHER SUB-
STANCES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said Robert Gordon, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be enrolled in Her 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 Robert Gordon, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion of improvements in grinding wheat and other grain, and in
dressing flour or meal, which improvements in grinding are also
applicable to grinding cements and other substances, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be as follows, that is to say:-
The Invention relates to the application of a current of atmospheric
air for the purpose of cooling or reducing the temperature of the grain,
flour, or meal, or other substances submitted to the operation of
grinding or dressing; and the manner in which the same is to be
performed and carried into effect will be seen by reference to the
annexed Drawings and the following description thereof. The scale to
which the annexed Drawings are made is marked thereon, and the
same letter of reference indicates the same part in the various views
and sections represented.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1, represents a sectional elevation of the gearing and arrange-
ment of four pair of mill stones for grinding wheat or other grain,
together with the machinery for dressing the flour or meal, to which my
improvements are applied; and Fig. 2, is a plan of the four mill stones,
without the dressing apparatus. The remaining Figures are detached
parts of the same apparatus, which will be hereafter referred to for the
purpose of making the description of my improvements. better under-
stood. In Fios 1 and 2. A represents the main unright shaft of the

page_text: mill, to which rotation is imparted by any adequate power. From the
shaft A, motion is conveyed through the spur wheel B to the pinions B³
on the spindles C, each of which carry orie of the runners or upper mill-
stones D, supported in the usual manner above the bed stones E. In a
horizontal position and immediately below the stones E, is placed the air
chest F, which is supplied with air by a rotary fan G; driven from any
convenient movement of the mill gearing. From the air chest F, the
pipes f, proceed through the eye of each of the bed stones E, into a
casting e, which surrounds the spindle C. These castings e, constitute
the bush in which the spindles revolve, and are constructed in two sepa-
rate forms, the one as represented on an enlarged scale in section and
elevation at Fig 3 and 5, and in plan and sections at Fig 9 and 11,
and the other as represented in section and elevation at Fig 4 and 6,
and in plan and section at Figs 10 and 12. In the former of these
arrangements the pipe f passes direct to the space between the two
mill stones D and E; in the latter the pipe f passes into a circular
chamber 'g, and from which the air is allowed to escape to the space
between the stones by a series of openings, as seen. in the plan, Fig. 10.
Attached to the spindles C, and above the casting, is placed the circular
flange or distributor H, provided with fans or arms, the forms of which
is seen at i, in plan at Fig. 7, 8, 15, and 16. Supposing, therefore,
the mill to be in operation, a constant supply of atmospheric air will
be forced by the fan G, into the air chest F, and thence conducted by
the pipes to the space between the parts e, and. the revolving flange
or distributor H, which spreads or distributes the air between the stones:
D'and E, and among the grain or other substances submitted to the
operation of grinding, the amount of air being regulated and governed
by the respective stop cocks h on the pipes f.
In the first arrangement of this part of my improvements, or that
in which air is admitted direct between the parts e and H, such parts
are shewn in section and separate at Fig 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15,
and in the second arrangement, or that in which the air is first ad-
mitted into the circular chamber g, as already described; such parts
are shewn in section and separate at Fig 4, 6, 8, 10, 12; 14, and 16,

page_text: and in both arrangements I have found the grinding operation im-
proved by varying the work on the face of the grinding stone from
that represented at Fig. 17 (which is the ordinary form of the work),.
to that represented at Fig. 18, which I find to answer better when air
is forced during the grinding process; but I do not claim any exclusive-
right in respect of such variation in the work or face of the grinding
stone, except in connection with the current of air herein referred to.
In applying my improvements to the grinding of cement and other
substances, it may be found convenient to adopt slight variations in
the arrangement above described, which I have given as the best ar-
rangement with which I am acquainted for attaining the object of my
Invention, and which I believe will be sufficient to enable any com-
petent person acquainted with grinding machinery to apply this part-
of my improvements to the grinding of any substance which *it.may
be desirable to subject to a current of air...
The remainder of my improvements,' or' such part as relates to
the dressing of flour or. meal,. I shall now proceed to describe.
Referring to Fig: 1-K-represents the ordinary dressing-machine-
driven by bevil. gearing. The cylinder .K, is supported in the usual
manner, and the hollow ferforated shaft L, revolves in pedestals
or supports, as seen in the Drawing. The lower extremity of the
shaft L is provided with a stuffing box M, through which one
end of the pipe N is. introduced, the other end, being connected
with the air chest F, from which a constant flow of air is forced
into the dressing machine, the amount being regulated as in the
former instance by a stop cock n, and thus the flour or meal is
cooled during the dressing process. The advantages .derived from
the application of my Invention are, first the cooling. and keeping
down the temperature of the grain or other substance. submitted
to the grinding operation; and, second, the more completely cooling
of the flour or meal during the dressing process.. In grinding wheat,
paticularly, I consider the advantages of the greatest importance, as
I have found the power required for driving the. stones is much
decreased, and the produce of the flour and meal or other substance
"

page_text: greatly increased, while the colour of the flour or meal is improved
by the low temperature at which the grinding proceeds. It is well
known to millers and persons experienced in grinding that the mill
stones often get so hot as to clam up. from the glutinous nature of.
the flour or meal, which not only spoils the flour or meal, but compels.
the miller to diminish the feed, while the power required is greatly..
increased, but these difficulties are entirely obviated by the application.
of my improvements.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed and carried into effect, as applied
to one arrangement of grinding and dressing machinery, I hereby declare
that I do not claim as of my Invention, or the exclusive use of the
separate parts; of such machinery, or the arrangements of such parts,
except when such parts and arrangements are employed for the purpose
of and in connection with the introduction of a current of air to reduce
the temperature of the substance which is undergoing the operation of
grinding or dressing; but what I do claim as my Invention is the forcing
and distributing of atmospheric air from the eye or centre of mill stones
for the purpose of cooling or keeping down the temperature of the
grain and other substances during the process of grinding; and I also
claim the forcing and distributing of atmospheric air into and through
machinery for dressing flour as herein described;, and which said Inven-
tion being to the best of my knowledge new, and never before publicly
used in that part of Her Majesty's dominions called England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I deliver this as my true and
faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Gordon, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of October, in the
set my
ROBERT (L.S.) GORDON.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Robert Gordon (having been first
duly stained) in the urosence of

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of
October, in the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Robert Gordon
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for
that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.