AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISINFECTING OR KILLING THE POISON APPERTAINING TO VAN MOHAIR OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carter Ramsden, of Bilton Garth, Hampsthwaite,
near Ripley, in the County of York, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISINFECTING OR KILLING
THE POISON APPERTAINING TO VAN MOHAIR OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carter Ramsden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st May 1880.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bilton Garth, Hampsthwaite, near Ripley, in the
County of York. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR
DISINFECTING OR KILLING THE POISON APPERTAINING TO VAN MOHAIR OR OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
This Invention is for the purpose of killing the poison appertaining to wool or
hair or any other fibrous substance, including filth and poisonous fermentation,
without opening the bale.
The manner by which I propose to accomplish this object is somewhat as
follows:-
I provide an air tight vessel of sufficient capacity, into which I place a number
of bales of the wool or hair necessary to disinfect; I then seal up the entrance
thereof and proceed to create a vacuum therein, after which I open a tap or valve
in connexion with the vessel and admit a disinfectant gas or liquid or superheated
or other steam, which will, by reason of the vacuum, penetrate to the very centre
of any or every bale of wool placed therein, and by this means kill all previous
emanations appertaining thereto.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Carter Ramsden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th November 1880.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN, of Bilton Garth, Hampsthwaite, near Ripley, in the
County of York. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS
FOR DISINFECTING OR KILLING THE POISON APPERTAINING TO VAN MOHAIR OR
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
'
This Invention is for the purpose of killing the poison appertaining to wool or
hair or any other fibrous substance, including filth and poisonous fermentation,
without opening the bales.
The manner by which I purpose to accomplish this object is somewhat.as
follows:
I provide an air tight vessel of sufficient capacity, into which I place a number
of bales of the wool or hair necessary to disinfect; I then seal up the entrance
thereof and proceed to create a vacuum therein, after which I open a tap or valve
in connection with the vessel and admit a disinfectant gas or liquid or superheated
or other steam, which will, by reason of the vacuum, penetrate to the very centre
of any or every bale of wool placed therein, and by this menus kill all previous
emanations appertaining thereto.
Such being the nature of the said Invention, the following is a full and complete
description thereof:-
It has long been known in the trade that the handling of van mohair, or wool
or hair from certain countries, possessed an element of danger (in the shape of
blood poisoning) to the workpeople who handled it; hence it became the custom to
open the bales, take out the fleeces or fibrous material previously packed therein,
and subject them to a steeping process for a certain length of time (more or less),
and then take the fleeces out of the liquor, press out the moisture, and then perhaps
wash or steep again in another liquor, and so on, then dry them, or partially so,
by means of hot air or otherwise. Various processes are in operation, all having
the same object in view, but all working upon the assumption that the wool and
hair must be taken out of the bale before it can be operated upon.
Now notwithstanding all the precautions just described the death rate amongst
the work people who handled this fibre increased to such an alarining extent that
the government authorities were requested to send down scientific experts to
examine into the cause thereof.
I will now proceed to describe the manner by which I purpose to operate upon
the wool or hair packed in the bale, before such bale is opened, and kill, or
disinfect, or make harmless the poison before contained therein.
I provide one or more vessels of sufficient capacity, into which I place a bale or
a number of bales of the wool or hair to be disinfected;
I then seal or fasten up
the entrance thereof, and proceed to create a vacuum therein (more or less) by
exhausting the atmospheric or gaseous contents therefrom, after which I open a
tap or taps, valve or valves, in connection with the said vessel or vessels, and admit
through such tap either a disinfecting gas, liquid, or steam, or a combination
thereof, which will, by reason of the vacuum produced in the vessels or chambers,
penetrate to the centre of any or every bale of wool or hair placed therein, and so
kill or disinfect or make harmless all poisonous emanations appertaining thereto or
arising therefrom, and I will here observe that such poisonous emanations which
are exhausted out of the chambers should not be passed away into the atmosphere,
but should for safety be conveyed into a flue or combustion chamber and there
destroyed. If the wool or hair undergoing this process should be of a very
poisonous nature (and this class of fibre varies very much in that respect) it may

page_text: be found advisable in order to facilitate the process to have a series of pipes
connected to the chambers, and thus be enabled to inject one or more of the liquids
or gases at the same time and alternately. In this case I connect to one or more
of the series of pipes certain tubes, which are made to taper to a point and project
upwards inside the chambers. These taper tubes must be perforated with small
orifices all round their circumference, and when the bales are placed in the
chambers the taper tubes can be caused to penetrate more or less into them. I
then, after creating the vacuum by exhaust, open for a time one set of taps or
valves, and so let in the required liquid, gas, or vapour, then by opening another
series of taps or valves, to which the perforated taper tubes are connected, inject
to the centre of the bale or bales other liquids, gases, or vapours possessing
properties of a different nature. After the bales have been a sufficient length of
time under operation the liquid or gas can be let out by opening taps provided for
that purpose, and the bales may then be taken out and opened and the contents
thereof used in the usual manner, or another process can be brought into operation
(and this will settle a vexed question amongst the workpeople themselves, i.c.,
amongst those who suffer most from the handling of this poisonous fibre there are
some who object to sort it until it has been dried, and others prefer to sort it in a
wet state). By the proper use of the modus-operandi ingredients and appliances
herein described the poisonous fibre can be disinfected and served out either wet,
damp, or dry. If, instead of taking the bales out of the chamber after the liquid
has been allowed to run out, the outlet tap is closed, and the pump set to work to
create another vacuum, and then admit or inject into the chamber drying gases or
hot air, the moisture contained in the fibre will be gradually absorbed, and the
process can be facilitated by forcing either with pump or blower hot air or gases
up the perforated tubes which project into the bales of wool. By these means the
moisture lodging in the centre of the bales will be driven to the outside thereof
and gradually absorbed, and the charged air or gases can be passed away and fresh
dry air or gases can be forced in until the fibre under operation is in the state of
dryness and purity required. I would here observe that this Invention does not
consist in the use of any particular disinfectant or patent soap, hence I have not
recommended one more than another. The difficulty to be overcome is not in the
disinfecting or the killing the poison, but it is in conveying to the centre of a dense
bale of wool or hair any one or more of the disinfectants well known to the public,
and largely used in the different hospitals and by sanitary officials and others, such
as Condy's fluid, Sanitas' carbolic acid, solution of chloride of lime; and the only
further observation necessary is that whatever disinfectant may be employed care
must be taken that the strength is such as not to injure the fibre under operation,
for example, a solution of chloride of lime suitable would consist of about one part
of lime to twelve of water, carbolic acid one part to thirty of water, or thereabouts,
whatever the deodorant requiring dilution the degree will vary with various fibres
or qualities thereof. I will now proceed to illustrate by Drawings suitable
apparatus for purpose aforesaid. I have not thought it necessary or desirable to
cumber the Sheets with the illustrations of those parts which are well known and
in common use, and which form no part of my Invention, though they are or may
be used in conjunction therewith, such as air pumps, force pumps, exhausters, fans,
rotatory or other blowers, steam boiler, combustion chamber, hot air apparatus or
cisterns for containing the disinfectants; and the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
is put in simply to convey to the practical mind a construction of chambers into
which the bales are placed in conjunction with the different pipes and taps or
valves herein before referred to for accomplishing the method or process herein
before described. A, A, are two bales of wool or hair placed in their separate
chambers B, B1, and I would here remark these chambers must be of sufficient
capacity to allow the bales to swell in accordance with the nature of the vacuum
created, the better the vacuum and the more porous become the bales, and the
more speedily the disinfectant will penetrate to the centre thereof and accomplish
its work. C is the exhausting pipe, to the upper end of which an air pump (not

page_text: This
shown) can be attached for the purpose of creating the necessary vacuum.
pipe C is attached to the chambers B, B¹, and provided with the necessary taps or
valves. D is a pipe, attached at its upper end to a cistern or other vessel (not
shown) containing the disinfectant to be employed. This pipe D can have attached
to it by suitable joints other pipes (not shown), into and through which steam, hot
air, or gases can be allowed to pass, and so enter into the chambers B and B¹ after
or whilst a vacuum is being created therein. Of course it will be understood that
all these pipes must be provided with suitable taps or valves, so that any one can
be cut off or turned on at pleasure. In the vessel B₁ I have shown a bale placed
therein and penetrated with the taper tube E. This tube passes through the
bottom of the vessel in which it is contained, and is connected to the pipe E¹. At
the top end of this pipe I place a joint, from which the pipe E2 projects upwards,
and can be connected to any disinfecting liquid or gaseous matter at right angles
therewith. The pipe E³ passes to a force pump or rotary blower (as shown at E¹).
These pipes are all provided with proper taps or valves, hence it will be obvious
that by this arrangement disinfectants of any description or hot air or gases can
be caused to penetrate into the centre of a dense bale of wool or hair and so kill or
disinfect or make harmless all poisonous emanations contained therein, and thus
make fibre safe to be handled by the workpeople when the bale is opened.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is or may be put into practice, I
hereby declare that I lay no claim separately to the use of any disinfectant, nor to
air pump, air vessel, nor to any special arrangement of the pipes connected therewith,
what I do claim is,-
The use of the apparatus substantially as described and illustrated, together with
the ingredients and means described for operating upon and disinfecting van
mohair and other infected fibres whilst in the bale.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carter Ramsden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
EMILY RAMSDEN,
Gristhorpe Hall,
near
Filey.
JOHN CARTER RAMSDEN. (L.S.)