IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Garth Marshall, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Flax Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PREPARING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Garth Marshall at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1857.
I, JAMES GARTH MARSHALL, of Leeds, in the County of York, Flax Spinner,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the combination in the action of the rollers of
rolling machines of a reciprocating rotary motion, working alternately back-
wards and forwards, with the ordinary progressive rotary motion, in passing
the flax, hemp, China grass, or other fibrous substance through the machine."
But I do not claim to apply this Invention, so far as it is applicable to
machines for rolling such fibrous materials as require retting or steeping and
scutching, until after such last-mentioned materials shall have been retted'
or steeped and scutched.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Garth Marshall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
GARTH MARSHALL, of Leeds, in the County of York, Flax. Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Garth Marshall, Her special license that I, the said James
Garth Marshall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Garth Marshall, my executors, administrators, 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA
GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Garth Marshall, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the samo 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 James Garth Marshall, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement, reference being. had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "improvements in machinery for preparing flax, hemp,
China grass, and other fibrous substances," consists in the use or application
of a combination of rollers, which are made to act in a peculiar manner,
consisting of a reciprocating rotary motion working alternately backwards
and forwards in opposite directions. This reciprocating rotary motion is so
arranged as to produce on the whole a progressive motion, whereby the flax,
hemp, China grass, or other fibrous substance will be passed. through the
machine. I do not propose to apply this Invention to machines for rolling
such fibrous materials as require retting or steeping and scutching until after
such materials shall have been retted or steeped and scutched.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn the arrangement of parts
whereby I propose to effect the object of my Invention.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a ground plan of
the machine. Similar letters refer to similar parts in both cases.
A, A, is the framing for supporting. the rollers B, B. In Figure 2, C is
the main driving shaft, on which are placed the three pullies D, E, E'. The
pulley D is keyed fast on to the main driving shaft C, and the pulleys E and
E' run loosely upon it, and will therefore turn round without giving motion
to the shaft. Motion is given to one of the loose pullies by an open belt,
and to the other by a cross belt, consequently these two pullies are caused
to rotate in opposite directions, and by means of the belt guide S, S, the open
and cross belts may be alternately pushed on to the fast driving pulley D,
which by actuating the shaft C gives motion through the wheelwork F, G, H, I,
to the rollers B, B. It will be seen that this rotary motion of the rollers
B, B, will be alternately in a backward and forward direction, according to
which of the belts is employed in driving the pulley D and shaft C. And
these belts are moved on and off the fast pulley D by the belt guides S, S,
which are moved backward and forward by means of the circular tappets
or cams T, T, on the shaft U. The tappets or cams T can be so adjusted
on the shaft U as to make one of the belts dwell or remain a longer time
on the pulley D than the other belt does, and by that means make the rollers
run further round in one (the advancing) direction than the other (the back-.
ward direction). By this means the rollers will impart to the flax or other
fibres a progressive as well as a reciprocating movement. Figure 3 represents
a cross section of the cam shaft U, with a front view of one of the tappets
T, and also shews the manner in which the tappets T are adjusted, so as
to make one belt dwell longer on the fast pulley than the other. Two discs
2,2, are keyed fast to the shaft U, and the tappets T, T, are fixed against
the face of these discs by means of nuts and bolts, which pass through the
circular slot holes 8, and by which means the tappets can be easily moved
round the shaft and their position varied in respect to each other, so that
either of them can be made to act through a larger or smaller portion of the
revolution of the shaft U, and thus the amount or duration of the retrogade
or backward motion may be rendered greater or less in proportion to the
advancing motion, as may be required.
The action of the machine is as follows:-Having given motion to the
machine by pushing the belt on to the pulley D, and having given motion
to the tappets by means of a belt on the pulley V, the flax or other fibrous
material is then spread evenly upon the leather sheet a, which has a similar

page_text: reciprocating and progressive movement to the rollers. From the feeding
sheet the flax or other fibrous material passes between the top and bottomr
rollers, where it is rolled backwards and forwards; but by the peculiar
arrangement of the motions it will be gradually passed through the machine
and delivered on to a leather sheet a', similar to the one at the feeding end
of the machine.
From the foregoing it will be understood that the strick of flax will be
caused to move forward between the rollers, then to return backward, then
forward again, and then backward. again, and so on, but in such a manner
that at every alternation of movement the forward motion shall be rather
greater than the backward, so that the strick of flax shall upon the whole
advance gradually, in the same manner as the advancing tide on the sea
shore, and at length be delivered on to a receiving sheet; as shown in the
Drawing.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention. secured to me by Letters Patent, as
aforesaid,
>>
The application to the aforesaid purposes of a reciprocating rotary motion,
so arranged as to produce on the whole a progressive motion.
And also the mechanical arrangements herein shewn and described, or any
mere modification thereof, for preparing flax, hemp, China grass, and other
fibrous substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Garth Marshall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Signed and sealed by the said James Garth
Marshall, in the presence of
J. G. MARSHALL. (L.S.)
W. C. SPRING RICE, of Lincoln's Inn,
Barrister at Law.