IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING, WASHING, CLEANSING, AND PREPARING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Fleming, junior, of Newland's Fields, in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleacher, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING, WASHING, CLEANSING, AND PREPARING
TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS."
Sealed the 25th November 1856, and dated the 2nd July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Fleming at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd July 1856.
I, JAMES FLEMING, junior, of Newland's Fields, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of the said 'Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING, WASHING, CLEANSING, AND PREPARING
TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS," to be as follows, that is to say: -
This Invention relates to improvements upon certain of the details of the
apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent already granted to
me, and bearing date on or about the Twentieth day of December One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, which improvements may also be advan-
tageously used independently of the particular arrangements described in the
Specification of the said Letters Patent, and alone or in combination with

page_text: various arrangements of apparatus. Whereas over the open-mouthed vomiting
boilers, described in the said Specification, winches or reels are used for the
purpose of conducting or winding the goods under treatment to and from the
said boilers, and whereas such winches or reels are also used in connection with
boilers, steeping vessels, or other apparatus in various arrangements of apparatus
for bleaching, washing, cleansing, and preparing textile fabrics and materials.
Now it is by this present Invention proposed to convert these winches or
reels into drums, either cylindrical or polygonal in form, and to cause steam,
hot air, water, or liquids of various kinds, such as are used in various bleaching
processes, to be distributed or applied to the goods passing round such drums
or cased winches, by introducing such steam or other fluid into the interior of
the drum or cased winch, either through the spindle or shaft thereof, made
tubular for the purpose, and communicating with a steam or other supply pipe
or pipes by a stuffing-box joint, or in any other convenient manner, such
steam or other fluid escaping from the drum or cased winch through perfora-
tions in the casing or periphery thereof, and thus coming in contact with the
goods passing round the winch. By using cased winches, constructed accord-
ing to this Invention, in the various bleaching or cleansing processes for which
it is suitable, such processes may be considerably accelerated, whilst increased
efficiency and uniformity of action is thereby obtained; the steam or other
fluid supplied to the goods by means of the winches being distributed to all
portions thereof in a regular and continuous manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Fleming in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FLEMING, junior, of Newland's Fields, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Bleacher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Fleming, junior, Her special license that I, the said James Fleming,
junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Fleming, junior, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should

page_text: 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 Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BLEACHING, WASHING, CLEANSING, AND PREPARING TEXTILE FABRICS AND
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Fleming, junior, 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 same 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 Fleming, junior, 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 the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
- My said Invention relates to improvements upon certain of the details of the
apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent already granted to me,
the said James Fleming, junior, and bearing date on or about the Twentieth
day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, which improve-
ments may also be advantageously used independently of the particular
arrangements described in the Specification of the said Letters Patent, and
alone or in combination with various arrangements of apparatus. Whereas
over the open-mouthed vomiting boilers, described in the said Specification,
winches or reels are used for the purpose of conducting or winding the goods
under treatment to and from the said boilers, and whereas such winches or
reels are also used in connection with boilers, steeping vessels, or other
apparatus in various arrangements of apparatus for bleaching, washing,
cleansing, and preparing textile fabrics and materials.
Now according to this present Invention it is proposed to convert these
winches or reels into drums, either cylindrical or polygonal in form, and to
cause steam, hot air, water, or liquids of various kinds, such as are used in
various bleaching processes, to be distributed or applied to the goods passing
round such drums or cased winches, by introducing such steam or other fluid
or liquids into the interior of the drum or cased winch, either through the
spindle or shaft thereof, made tubular for the purpose, and communicating
with a steam or other supply pipe or pipes by a stuffing-box joint, or in any.
other convenient manner, such steam or other fluid. being allowed to escape

page_text: from the drum or cased winch through perforations in the casing or periphery
thereof, and being thus brought into contact with the goods passing round the
winch. By using cased winches constructed according to this Invention in the
varicus bleaching or cleansing processes for which it is suitable, such processes
may be considerably accelerated, whilst increased efficiency and uniformity of
action are thereby obtained, the steam or other fluid supplied to the goods by
means of the winches being distributed to all portions thereof in a regular and
continuous manner.
... And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I have
hereunto appended, and shall now proceed to describe, two Sheets of explana-
tory Drawings, showing a mode of practically working out the same.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, is a side elevation, partly in section,
of portions of bleaching or cleansing apparatus as fitted with my cased winches.
Figure 2, on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, is a transverse vertical section through
one of the winches, and through the chamber or vessel in which it is placed;
and Figure 3, also on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, is an end elevation of one of
the chambers or vessels, showing the gearing for driving the winches and por-
tions of the supply pipes.
In the arrangement of apparatus described in my earlier Specification,
herein-before referred to, a number of dash wheels and boilers are disposed
along one side of an oblong rectangular building; but in the arrangement
now about to be described, the building is more nearly square in form, the
dash wheels being disposed along one side of the square, and working in
the channel A, shown in transverse vertical section in Figure 1, being driven
by the horizontal shaft B, whilst one of the adjacent sides of the square is
eccupied by a series of boiling, bleaching, or cleansing vessels C, which
take the place of the vomiting boilers, represented and described in my
former Specification, the rub-boards being in this instance dispensed with, and
of which one entire vessel and a portion of another are shown in Figure 1.
The lower portion of each vessel C is in this instance built of timber, and in
form resembles an ordinary washing mill; this is surmounted by a casing D,
fitted with a sliding door E in front. This door is suspended by cords passing
over pulleys to counterweights, so that it can be easily adjusted either to en-
tirely shut up or enclose the space over the vessel C, or to leave it more or
less open, as may be found most desirable in practice. A cased winch F is
disposed longitudinally upon a horizontal shaft G within the upper part of the
easing. Dover the vessel C. In the present instance this winch is square in
transverse section, being formed of four perforated boards attached to solid

page_text: cast-iron end frames H, fixed on the shaft G, and being supported between the
ends by intermediate open frames I, also carried upon the shaft G....The shaft
G is passed through the vertical ends of the casing D, and is supported in
bearings in brackets J, bolted to the wall K of the building. The shaft G is
tubular, and communicates by a stuffing box joint L with the branch M of a
steam pipe N, by which steam is brought from some suitable boiler or generator.
The branch M is fitted with a stop valve to regulate the admission of the steam
into the shaft G, whence it finds its way through perforations into the interior
of the winch F, and thence through perforations in the sides of the winch out
amongst the goods O, passing round the winch. Steam is also admitted into
the lower part of the vessel C, to maintain in a heated-state the liquids therein
contained when the apparatus is in operation. This steam is obtained from
the pipe N by a branch pipe P, fitted with a stop valve, and communicating
with a horizontal pipe Q passing longitudinally through the vessel C, and
being formed with a line of perforations for the issue of the steam. The entire
range of vessels C are in communication by pipes R, passing from one to the
other, and any of the liquids used in bleaching or cleansing being introduced
into one of the vessels finds its way into them all. The liquids are by pre-
ference first introduced into the end vessel C of the series, and passing through
them all, are conveyed, after being used, by a pipe, indicated by dotted lines
at S in Figure 1, to a pump T, by which they are pumped-up into a duct or
rhone U, to be conveyed back to their receivers or mixing vessels, or, if desired,
a constant current may be kept up through the vessels by the pump, the
liquids being passed through them over and over again. Water is supplied to
the vessels when required by a pipe V, which runs along the entire range, and
which is fitted with branches W, having stop-cocks X for supplying each
vessel. Each vessel is also fitted with a discharge valve Y, communicating
with a discharge pipe Z, by which the used liquids are conveyed away, the
valves Y being opened or closed by means of hand levers a above, to which
they are linked. The fabrics or materials to be operated upon are formed into
long chains, one O of which is placed in each vessel, being passed over the
winch F a considerable number of times, the lower portion of each convolution
or turn of the chain dipping down into the liquid in the vessel C. A grating
b is fixed in the vessel C, and the chain O is made to pass between its vertical
bars, whereby each convolution is kept separate from its neighbour. The
several winches are driven by means of a horizontal shaft c; running along
above the entire range of vessels C, and driven itself by means of a short ver-
tical shaft geared to it by bevil wheels e. The lower end of the shaft d carries

page_text: a bevil wheel f, in gear with a bevil wheel fast on the shaft B, the bevil wheel
f being loose on the shaft d, but driving it by means of a clutch g, which can
be set into or out of gear at pleasure by the lever h. The driving gear for the
winches is placed in the alternate spaces between the vessels C, each set of
driving details acting upon the winches on each side of it. At each of these
alternate spaces the shaft c has keyed upon it a spur wheel i, in gear with a
spur wheel on an intermediate shaft j. This shaft carries two spur wheels k,
which can be put into driving gear by means of separate clutches 1, com-
manded by the lever handles m. Each spur wheel k is in gear with a spur
wheel n, fast on the shaft G of one of the winches F, and in this manner the
several winches are driven, the attendants being able to put any single winch
into or out of gear at pleasure by means of the corresponding clutch lever m,
or to put the entire series into or out of gear at once by means of the clutch
lever h. The several driving details between the vessels C are carried on two
brackets J, bolted to the wall K, and a third bracket o, also bolted to the wall
K, serves to give support to the steam pipe N, and to carry centre studs for
the clutch levers m.
In the arrangement of apparatus represented on the two Sheets of Drawings
herein-before described provision is made for the introduction of steam only
into the winches F; but if found desirable in practice, hot or cold air, hot
or cold water, or chemical liquids may also be introduced therein by means
of the tubular shafts.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating, from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the application and use in bleaching, washing, cleansing, and pre-
paring apparatus of cased revolving winches or reels supplied internally with
steam or other fluid, such as air, water, or chemical liquid, which steam or
other fluid is caused to issue through perforations in the sides of the winches
or reels, and acts upon the goods or materials passed round them, as herein-
before described.
Second, the system or mode of bleaching, washing, cleansing, and preparing
textile fabrics or materials wherein the goods are passed round winches or

page_text: reels over and through water or chemical liquids, or from one portion of the
apparatus to another, such winches or reels being cased and supplied internally
with steam or other fluid, such as air, water, or chemical liquid, which issues
through perforations in the sides of the winches or reels, and acts upon the
goods or materials passed round them, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Fleming, junior, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES FLEMING, JUN³. (L.S.)