CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING PAPER STOCK
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 16, Castle
Street, Holborn (City,) London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING PAPER STOCK."-A
communication.
Sealed the 6th March 1855, and dated the 20th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Lora-
doux Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th September 1854.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 16, Castle Street, Holborn
(City), London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING PAPER
Srock" to be as follows; & consists in the employment for washing rags &
other paper stock of a reticulated cylinder, open at both ends, & placed in a
horizontal position or thereabouts in a trough, in which it is partly submerged
in water, & receives a rotary motion, while jets or streams of water are thrown
into it at one end or side, or through both end & side. The stock is fed into
one end, & as it is carried up & dropped by the revolution of the cylinder is
gradually carried through the cylinder by means provided, & by this motion &
the action of the jets of water is cleansed. Attached to the inner periphery
of-the aforesaid cylinder is a series of hooks or teeth, to act as elevators to

page_text: carry the stock to the top of the cylinder as it revolves. The discharge end
of the cylinder is furnished with a number of oblique curb pieces, so arranged
as to check the too free escape of water through the end of the cylinder, but
to facilitate the discharge of the washed stock therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 16, Castle Street, Holborn (City), London,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Augusto Edouard Loradoux Bellford, Her special licence, that I, the
said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
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 Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
WASHING PAPER STOCK," a communication, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, 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 Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in the employment for washing rags and
other paper stock of a reticulated cylinder, which is open at both ends, and is

page_text: placed in a horizontal position or thereabouts in a trough, in which it is partly
submerged in water, and receives a rotary motion, while jets or streams of
water are thrown into it either at one end, or through one side, or through both
the end and side. The stock is fed into one end, and, as it is carried up and
dropped by the revolution of the cylinder, is gradually carried through the
cylinder by proper means provided for that purpose, and by the motion of the
cylinder and the action of the jets of water is cleansed.
It consists, secondly, in the employment, attached to the inner periphery of
the aforesaid cylinder, of a series of hooks, teeth, or other analogous devices,
to serve the purpose of elevators to carry up the stock to the top of the
cylinder as it revolves, and then drop it into the bottom or lower part, thereby
exposing the stock to the action of the water, which is thrown in jets or
streams into the cylinder, draining the water from it, and then dropping
it to the bottom or lower part of the cylinder, to have the same operation
repeated.
It consists, thirdly, in arranging the hooks, teeth, or their equivalents, con-
stituting the elevators, spirally within or around the cylinder, for the purpose
of carrying the stock gradually from the end of the cylinder where it enters,
towards the end where it is discharged.
It consists, fourthly, in furnishing the discharge end of the cylinder with a
number of oblique curb pieces, so arranged, as herein-after described, as to
check the too free escape of water through the end of the cylinder, but to
facilitate the discharge of the washed stock therefrom.
The accompanying Drawing represents a machine constructed according to
the Invention.
Fig. 1 is a view of that end of the machine where the discharge of the
washed stock takes place; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the
centre; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, looking towards the entrance to
the cylinder; Fig. 4 is a transverse section, looking towards the discharge end
of the cylinder. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the
several Figs.
A, A, is the framing of the machine, conisisting of two strong standards and
longitudinal stretchers. This framing carries the trough T, in which rotates
the washing cylinder B, a small portion of the lower part only of which is
intended to be immersed in water. The cylinder is made of woven wire-work
attached to two strong metal rings C, C, one at each end, which are furnished
outside with ways a, a, which fit to grooves in rollers D, D, which are secured
to shafts E, E, whose journals fit to bearings b, b, on the standards A, A. The
rollers D, D, form bearings, in which the cylinder is capable of rotating. A

page_text: portion of each ring C passes through a circular opening in one of the
standards A, A, in which it fits very loosely, so as not to produce friction; the
object of these portions of the ring being to bring the open ends of the cylinder
flush with or beyond the outer faces of the standards, and to keep the ends of
the trough, which consist of parts of the standards, almost tightly closed, so
that very little, if any, water escapes outside or around the cylinder ends. Each
ring C is furnished with spur teeth all round to gear with one of two spur
wheels W on the driving shaft G, which works in bearings on the standards
above the cylinder, and receives rotary motion from any suitable motive agent
for the purpose of giving revolution to the cylinder. The cylinder is strengthened
by longitudinal wooden strips c, c, which are close to the inner surface of the
wire-work, and serve to hold the looks or bent teeth d, d, which are made of
steel with sharp points, and are of such bent form that they will catch and carry
up the rags or other stock as they rise with the revolution of the cylinder, and
will drop it as they severally rise to their highest positions, as shown at d¹, d',
in Figs. 3 and 4. These hooks are arranged in a spiral line, winding several
times round the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2; the direction of the spiral being
such as will cause the stock to be carried from the end L of the cylinder, where
it is fed in to the other end M, where it is discharged. At the end L of the
cylinder, where the stock is to be fed in, there is a shute H secured to the
standard A, and extending a short distance into the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2.
At the opposite end of the interior of the cylinder are the oblique curb pieces
K, K, of which there may be any desired number, arranged at equal distances
apart, and firmly bolted to the cylinder, extending from the inner edge of the
part c' of the ring C a short distance into the cylinder, and being of such
depth as to form a barrier to prevent the two free escape of water through the
end of the cylinder. The spaces between the curb pieces form channels, and
the direction of the obliquity of the pieces is such, that the washed stock which
has arrived at that end of the cylinder rolls down the channels on the ascending
side of the cylinders, and is thus discharged.
The cylinder is kept constantly supplied with water, which is thrown on the
stock, both as it enters the shute H, and also while it is being carried along
the cylinder, from a pipe O, which is furnished with a nozzle N, which is so
directed as to throw a stream directly on the stock as it is entering the cylinder,
and which extends all along the ascending side of the cylinder, and is furnished
with perforations to throw a number of smaller streams through the whole
length of the wire-work of the cylinder, to meet the stock as it is being carried
up by the revolution of the cylinder. The pipe O should be so supplied as to
throw the water upon the stock with great force, to wash out the dirt.

page_text: While the machine is in operation, the supply of water is so controlled by
cocks in the nozzle N and perforated jet pipe O, and the escape from the
trough so controlled by a sliding gate P at the bottom, that the cylinder is
kept flooded only to about the level of the top edge of the lowest curb piece K.
The stock is fed in continuously by hand down the shute H, in such quantities
as to keep the cylinder about one-third full, or in greater or less quantities, as
may be found desirable; and as soon as it enters is caught by the hook, and
carried up to meet the jets, which enter the ascending side of the cylinder from
the pipe O, after which by its continued ascent it is drained until it reaches the
top of the cylinder, and drops again into the water at the bottom, to be again
caught up and submitted again to similar operations; which continue to be
repeated until it is carried by reason of the spiral arrangement of the hooks to
the end M of the cylinder, and in the end is discharged therefrom by being
carried up among the oblique curb pieces to such a position that it will slide or
roll down upon and between them. The washing operation may be repeated
as often as necessary, either in the same machine or different machines of the
same construction.
The flooding of the cylinder may be further regulated by a slide at the lower
part of the end M, by raising or lowering which the level of the water may be
varied, and always kept above the level which would be allowed.
The cylinder may revolve at the rate of about 15 or twenty revolutions
per minute, but this may be varied as may be found desirable.
Instead of arranging the hooks spirally around the cylinder, they may be
arranged in rings, but in that case the cylinder will require to be placed at a
slight inclination, in order that the stock may be carried through by gravitation.
The principal object of the spiral arrangement of the hooks is to avoid placing
the cylinder in an inclined position, as when thus placed the water cannot be at
the same level throughout, but must be deepest at the discharge end, where the
curbs would require to be so high, to prevent the escape of water, that proper
facility for the discharge of stock would not be had.
I claim, Irst, the employment for washing rags or other paper stock of &
reticulated cylinder with open ends, rotating in a trough of water, in which
it is partly submerged, and receiving jets or streams of water. either through
one side or at one or both ends, or both at the side and end or ends, sub-
stantially as described; the said cylinder being supplied with stock, and the
stock being operated upon substantially as herein set forth.
2nd, I claim furnishing the interior of the cylinder with any suitable number
of hooks or bent teeth d, d, or other analogous devices, serving as elevators,
for the purpose of repeatedly carrying up the stock from the bottom or lower

page_text: part of the cylinder, to expose it to the action of the jets or streams of water
forced thereinto, and afterwards dropping it to the lower part, to be again
carried up by the same means, substantially as herein set forth.
3d, I claim arranging the bent teeth or hooks d, d, or other elevators, in
one or more spiral lines, for the purpose of causing the revolution of the
cylinder to conduct the stock from the entering to the discharging end of
the cylinder.
4th, I claim the oblique curb pieces, arranged substantially as described, at
the discharging end of the cylinder, and serving to retain a certain quantity of
water within the cylinder, but facilitating the escape of the washed stock, as
herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 19th day of March, in the
year of our Lord 1855.
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD. (L.S.)
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD. (L.S.)