A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISM OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOLLEN OR OTHER CLOTHS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Bruce Dimock and Julius Halsey Baker, of
Warehouse Point, in the County of Hartford, and State of Connecticut.
United States of America, for the Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL
IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISM OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOLLEN OR
OTHER CLOTHS." A communication from Charles F. Bennett, residing at
Warehouse Point, in the County of Hartford, and State of Connecticut..
Sealed the 9th March 1860, and dated the 21st September 1859.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edwin Bruce Dimock and
Julius Halsey Baker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents with
their Petition and Declaration, on the 21st September 1859, pursuant to
the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN, that we, EDWIN BRUCE DIMOCK and JULIUS HALSEY BAKER, of
Warehouse Point, in the County of Hartford, and State of Connecticut,
United States of America, are in possession of an Invention of "A NEW AND
USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISM OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOLEN OR
OTHER CLOTHS," and we do hereby declare the same to be fully described and
ascertained in and by the following Specification, and the accompanying
Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine used in
carrying out the Invention; Figure 2 a top view thereof, and Figure 3 a front
end elevation.

page_text: The nature of the Invention consists in the peculiar construction and
arrangement of a machine for drying cloth, the same having two adjustable
and revolving reels, transverse rollers, suction fan blowers, and pipes to drive
or force dry hot air through the cloth while encasing and revolving on the
reels.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the Invention, we will
proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation. We construct an
iron frame A of a sufficient capacity to contain or support the series of devices
or operative mechanism. The two main reels B, B, we make from 6 to
10 feet in diameter, more or less, according to the quantity of cloth to be
dried. The said reels B, B, are attached to the main shaft C by means of a
right and left hand screw cut on the solid shaft, so that by turning or revolving
the reels (the shaft being held stationary) the said reels may be made to
approach one another, or to move further apart, as circumstances may require,
to correspond with the width of the cloth to be dried. The reels are of a light
construction, but have broad hubs extending inwardly, light braces y being
attached to their inner edges, and extending to the rims of the reels in order to
steady them in consequence of their being light and large in diameter. The
rims of the reels we make of wood, so that pins, wire, card, or proper devices
may be disposed on or near their peripheries in order to support the cloth
when extended upon them, and to carry it around with the revolving reels.
The whole surfaces of the inside of the reels are covered with sheet iron to
form when the cloth is on a close drum. A metal plate 1 is attached to the
frame A, and placed close to the periphery of the reels B, so close as to admit
the same to revolve freely. This plate 1 is so formed as to receive the hot
air pipes K, K, through the openings K', K', in order to convey the blast
of air into the interior of the drum from the fan blowers L, L. These
blowers L, L, are placed near to the frame A, and the pipes O, O, are attached
to the outer side of the blowers, extend from and branch off in any suitable direc-
tion or distance to receive the generated hot air from whatever source it may
be the most convenient.
Our method of generating the hot air is to enclose a quantity of steam pipe in
a box or chamber, taking the steam from the boiler of the engine, the current
passing through the pipes heating the air around them, and we then conduct
the same by the suction of the blower fans through the blowers into the drum
to be forced or driven through the cloth as it slowly moves over the reels.
There are several devices that may be adapted for this purpose.
The cloth in the process of drying is represented in Figure 1, by the red line
passing over and under and around the rollers C, C, D, thence passing off from

page_text: the under side of the roller D to the periphery of the reels B, B, the cross
rods I (which pass loosely through the rims of the reels to allow them to be
adjusted) supporting the middle part of the cloth while passing over the reels.
The cloth passes over and encircles the whole periphery of the reels (making
a complete hollow drum for the time being) thence passes around the roller E
to the under side of the roller F, and thence upward and around the three
rollers G, H, G, encircling them, as shown in Figure 1, then falling down
upon a table or floor in folds properly dried and smoothly finished. The larger
roller H is the draft roller, on the end of which we affix a toothed gear
wheel M, which is actuated by a pinion N; this roller H and attachments
with the cloth encircling the same, form the main movement forward of the
reels and rollers. The notched rollers R, R, are to extend the cloth to its
extreme or desirable width; as it passes over the rollers preparatory to passing
on the reels they vibrate laterally as they revolve by the action of the rod V
and the grooved cam S. The shape of these notches on the said rollers is
such that when they are caused to move outward they stretch and extend the
cloth as circumstances may require. The operating or motive power is taken
from the engine drum or pulley by the belt passing over the fast and loose
pulleys P, P, from which belts run to the required parts to give motion to the
rollers, reels, &c.
The utility of this method and process of drying cloth is in the economy,
expedition, and superior manner of finishing. The cloth is evenly and
smoothly arranged by the operation of the rollers and placed upon the drying
reels, passing slowly over the same and falls in folds at the finished end, as
seen in Figure 1. The hot air being driven through the cloth, as it pro-
gressively revolves in the manner before stated, causes the light fibre or nap of
the same to stand erect and loose, whereby the shearing and finishing operation
is more easily and perfectly performed; and another advantage is, that the
cloth by this operation becomes softer, and the light and delicate colors are
improved in brightness and blending.
The old method of drying by tenter hooks and frames in the open air and
other methods are expensive, difficult, uncertain, harsh colors get bleached,
and the cloth is often injured.
Having described the Invention, what we claim and desire to secure by
Letters Patent is,―
1st, the adjustable reels B, B, as herein described, the same operating in
manner and for the purpose set forth.
2nd, the application of hot air to dry cloth by the process of forcing the
same through the cloth in the manner substantially as herein described.

page_text: 3rd, the stretching rollers R, R, the same being constructed and made to
operate substantially in manner and for the purpose set forth.
In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our signatures and seals,
this 17th day of August 1859.