AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WITHERS, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturing Manager,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Sixteenth day of November, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Withers, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said John Withers, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Withers, 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, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF GLASS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said John Withers, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 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.
John Withers, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to annealing or cooling glass, and is principally appli-
cable to sheets, plates, or panes of glass. It is well known that in cooling
and annealing such glass when spread or opened in a flattening kiln, as
heretofore most generally practised, the annealing kiln is in connection with
the flattening kiln, and when cooling or annealing the glass in the annealing
kiln it has been necessary to cool down the flattening kiln, thus suspending
the use of the flattening kilns during the intervals required for annealing.
But this objectionable process has been dispensed with by an Invention, for
which Letters Patent were granted to James Timmins Chance, of Birming-
ham, Glass Manufacturer, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of
July, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two, by the use of which Inven-
tion sheets of glass as flattened are piled on carriages, and are progressively
moved through a long arch or chamber, by which the glass is gradually
cooled; and I mention this circumstance for the purpose of stating that it
was in working according to such Letters Patent, in the glass manufactory
of Messieurs Chance & Company, that I made the improvements herein
contained, and which have for their principal object to improve the process
described in the Specification of the said James Timmins Chance's said
Patent; and by my improvements the sheets of glass as they are flattened
are piled into a moveable chamber suitably formed for excluding for the most
part any inlet of air, when such moveable chambers have been charged with
glass and closed, and moved from the position which they occupy while they
are receiving their loads of glass for the purpose of allowing them to cool
down, without interfering with the continual working of the kiln for flattening.
In carrying out my Invention the piling arch of the flattening furnace has an
opening into an arch or chamber, such as was described in the said Specifica-
tion of the Patent of the said James Timmins Chance, and should be provided
with a railway and apparatus, such as therein described, in order to facilitate
the movement of the annealing or cooling chambers to and from their aforesaid
position where the piling or loading is performed by these arrangements.
When a moveable or cooling chamber has been charged with sheets of glass
it is moved into the arch or chamber connected with the flattening kiln,
wherein the moveable chamber and its contents of glass become cooled down
so as to allow of the glass being removed and packed away more quickly and
with greater certainty of result than can be obtained by any other process now
in use. The moveable cooling chambers used are of a size depending on the
dimensions of the glass, and may be varied. The chambers are placed on

page_text: carriages with wheels formed similarly to those described in the Specification
of the said James Timmins Chance's Patent, there being within those cham-
bers the same or similar suitable means as therein specified and claimed
for keeping the sheets, plates, or panes of glass separated. But in place of
the carriages so employed (for moving the plates or sheets of glass from the
point where they are piled into the position where they are to be annealed or
cooled) being open, as was described in the said Specification, the space
within which the glass is piled is to be enclosed on all sides and at the bottom
and top; and this I do with sheet iron or other suitable material, making one
side capable of opening on hinges or other convenient means, so that when
an annealing or cooling chamber is brought empty opposite the opening into
the piling arch as above described, this side or door can be opened so as to
allow the sheets of glass as they are flattened to be piled into such chamber;
and when the chamber is charged the door may be closed and retained shut
by a latch or other suitable means, and in this state removed from the piling
place to allow of another empty annealing or cooling chamber being brought
into position to be charged. By these means it will be seen that the glass,
having been piled for annealing in a moveable inclosed chamber in which it is
to be annealed, is moved from the place where the piling has been performed,
and the annealing is accomplished at a distance from the piling arch where
the piling for annealing took place. I have found that in practice it is
better to make the annealing or cooling chamber of metal, this substance
radiating the heat freely, and thus allowing the contents to be quickly cooled
so as to admit of the glass being drawn for the market within a very short
time of its being flattened, and without the necessity of introducing any atmo-
spheric air into the chambers beyond what may pass in by any bad fitting of
the door or sides of the chamber. The arch into which the moving, anneal-
ing, or cooling chamber is moved, is kept warm by its connection with the
piling place, and the temperature of this arch may be regulated by raising or
lowering the damper which divides it from the piling place. It should be
remarked, that although I prefer using iron for enclosing the space within
which the glass is piled, I do not confine myself thereto, as other suitable
materials may be used. And I would state that I do not confine myself to
the particular arrangements herein described. And I wish it to be understood
that I do not claim the moving of glass after it has been piled for annealing,
unless it be contained in a chamber suitably enclosed for retarding the going
off of the heat of the glass too rapidly; and although I have only mentioned
the cooling or annealing of sheets, plates, or panes of glass in such chambers,

page_text: it will be evident that other glass may be deposited in such chambers, and be
cooled or annealed therein.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
what I claim, is,
First, the mode of annealing or cooling glass by employing moveable cham-
bers, by which the glass when piled or deposited therein for cooling or annealing
can be moved with the chamber from the place where such piling or depositing
takes place.
And secondly, I claim the mode of annealing or cooling glass by employing
metallic chambers in such manner that the heat of the charge of glass may
be conducted off and radiated directly by the metal to the surrounding
atmosphere.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Withers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four