IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND DRYING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS OR MATERIALS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hesford, of the Cunliffe Street Works, Bolton,
in the County of Lancaster, Millwright and Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND
DRYING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS OR MATERIALS."
Sealed the 10th November 1863, and dated the 25th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James lesford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
May 1863.
I, JAMES HESFORD, of the Cunliffe Street Works, Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, Millwright and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING
AND DRYING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS OR MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention is applicable, first, to damping machines used by bleachers
and others, and it consists in applying a pair of drawing rollers between the
ordinary crimping or stretching roller and the roller on which the fabric is
wound, by this means the additional width given to the fabric by the crimping
or stretching roller is retained, whereas in ordinary damping machines the
width of the fabric is contracted by the uneven drag of the batch roller.
Secondly, my Invention is applicable to the ordinary drying machine with
tin cylinders, heated by steam, and it consists in conveying the fabric

page_text: between a pair of drawing rollers after it has passed around one or more
of the drying cylinders; the surfaces of the drawing rollers must revolve rather
faster than the surfaces of the heated cylinders, by this means the additional
width imparted to the fabric by the crimping or stretching roller is retained
after it has passed between the drawing rollers.
Thirdly, my Invention is applicable to the drying machines with heated tin
cylinders, and it consists in dispensing with the usual detached bearings with
stuffing boxes for supporting the ends of the cylinders, and in supporting them
in stuffing boxes fitting in the body of the side frames, thereby economising
labor.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the heating cylinders with
an interior lining, and in applying the steam between the exterior and interior
lining, thus bringing the heat to the surface, where it is required, and reducing
the quantity of steam employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hesford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HESFORD, of the Cunliffe Street Works, Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Millwright and Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Hesford, Her special license, that I, the said James Hesford,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Hesford, 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 for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
AND APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING AND DRYING COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS OR
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Hesford, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was

page_text: 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 Hesford, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
The first part of my Invention is applicable to damping machines used by
bleachers and others, and it consists in applying a pair of drawing rollers
between the ordinary crimping or stretching roller and the roller on which
the fabric is wound.
Secondly, my Invention is applicable to the ordinary drying machine with
cylinders heated by steam, and it consists in conveying the fabric between a
pair of drawing rollers after it has passed around one or more of the drying
cylinders.
Thirdly, my Invention is applicable to the drying machines with heated tin
cylinders, and it consists in dispensing with the usual detached bearings with
'stuffing boxes for supporting the ends of the cylinders, and in supporting them
in stuffing boxes fitting in the body of the side frames, thereby economising
labor.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the heating cylinders with
an interior lining, also in applying lags or ribs of wood to the tin cylinders,
and in certain apparatus for opening the air and steam valves.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan, of a damping machine to
which my improvenients are applied. In these views a represents the batch
or roller of damp fabric to be operated upon. The roller a is supported in a
friction clip b, which is lined with wood or other suitable material that..does
not require to be lubricated; the two halves of the friction clip are tightened
up or slackened by the screw c, which has a right and left handed thread cut
upon it; by turning this screw partly round, the drag on the fabric can be
regulated with facility. After the fabric has left the roller a, it is taken over
and under the stretching bars d, d, under the guide roller d', and then over
the crimping or stretching roller c, which may be of the ordinary construction;
or of the improved construction described in the Specification of former Letters
Patent granted to me on the Twentieth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight, Number 1122. The fabric is then taken between the

page_text: drawing rollers f and g, and it is afterwards wound on the batch roller h, which
is supported by the inclined brackets i, bolted or cast to the standards of the
machine; the batch roller may be turned round by the friction of the roller f
or a strap and pulley may be employed as usual. The drawing rollers are
pressed together simultaneously by the screws j, bevel wheels and pinions k,
shaft l, and hand wheel m, and by acting on this hand wheel and on the
screw c, the tension on the fabric can be regulated to any extent. As the
damp fabric passes over the crimping or stretching roller e, it is widened out,
and the additional width thus given is retained by passing immediately between
the rollers f and g, whereas in ordinary damping machines the width of the
fabric is contracted by the uneven drag of the batch roller. Figure 3
represents a modification of this part of my Invention; the only difference
between this machine and the one shewn in Figures 1 and 2 is that in the
present instance the rollers ƒ and g are pressed together by the weighted
levers n. Figure 4 represents an elevation of an ordinary drying machine
with tin cylinders to which my improvements are applied. Figure 5 is a plan,
and Figure 6 an end view of the same; Figures 7, 8, and 9 are detached
views of part of the same. The fabric as it is brought from the squeezers or
other preparatory machine is taken between the rollers o and P, which are
weighted by levers or otherwise; then it passes under the crimping or
stretching roller e, and then over the first of the heated tin cylinders g, and
under the first of the cylinders r, from which it passes between the drawing
rollers and g, which are weighted by levers or otherwise; the fabric then
passes over and under all the cylinders 9 and r, the number of which depends
upon the heat employed and the fabric under operation. The surfaces of the
stretcher e and that of the heated tin cylinders q and r are moved at the
same velocity, but the surfaces of the drawing rollers ƒ and g move at a rather
greater velocity than that of the tin cylinders, in order to give the requisite
drag to the fabric; by this means the additional width imparted to the fabric
by the crimping or stretching roller is retained after it has passed between the
drawing rollers, and the weft threads are kept at right angles to the warp
threads, which is of the greatest importance in preparing the fabric for the
printing machines and for drying the fabric after it has been printed. The
drawing rollers above described are also applicable to other drying machines
for the purpose of retaining the fabric to its full width after it is partially
dried. In the drying machines of the ordinary construction the bearings with
stuffing boxes for supporting the ends of the heated tin cylinders are made
separate and bolted to the frame sides. Now a part of my present Invention
consists in dispensing with the separate bearings, and attaching the stuffing

page_text: boxes s to the frames, as shewn in Figures 8 and 9, thus economising labor in
the construction of the machine.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the tin cylinders with
an interior lining, as shewn in Figures 4 and 8. The steam enters through
the stuffing box s into the hollow axle of the cylinder, and then passes into the
space between the inner lining and outer casing through one or more hollow
spokes; by this means the steam is brought near to the circumference of
the cylinder, where it is required, and the quantity of steam employed is
reduced. In drying some descriptions of fabric it is very desirable to prevent
them coming in contact with the surface of the drying cylinders; for this
purpose I attach small lags of wood to the cylinders, by this means the
fabric is dried by radiation and not by contact. In Figure 4 only part of the
cylinders are shewn with the inner lining and with the lags, but they may all
be provided with them.
The last part of my Invention consists in the arrangement of apparatus for
opening all the air valves simultaneously, and it consists in applying the air
valves to the centre of each drying cylinder; each air valve is acted upon by
a stud t, see Figures 8 and 9, fitting on the levers t'; all the levers t¹ are
mounted on the horizontal shafts u, u, supported by brackets fixed to the
frame side, and connected together so as to act in unison by the upright
shaft u', shewn in Figures 4, 7, and 8.. To the lower shaft u is fixed a hand
wheel v, and a pinion v¹ gearing into a rack w, one end of which is jointed to
the lever w¹, which is connected to the steam supply valve x by the link w
and lever a. By this arrangement, when the hand wheel is turned partly
round to open the steam valve a, the levers t¹ press the studs t against, and
open all the air valves, thus allowing the air to escape from the cylinders as
soon as steam is let in. When it is requisite to act on the steam valve without
influencing the air valves, the hand wheel ² is drawn out of gear, with the
clutch box fixed to the pinion v¹ by the lever v³, as shewn in Figure 8.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the application of a pair of drawing rollers to machines for damping
and drying fabrics or other materials, in the manner and for the purposes
described.
Secondly, dispensing with the separate bearings for the tin drying cylinders,
and fitting the stuffing boxes to the body of the side frames, as described.
Thirdly, making the drying cylinders with an internal casing to increase the
heat on the circumference and to economize the steam employed for heating,
as described.

page_text: Fourthly, the application of lags of wood to the circumference of drying
cylinders, as described.
And, lastly, the apparatus described, or any equivalent arrangement of parts,
for opening simultaneously all the air valves of drying cylinders and for
admitting the steam.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hesford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JAMES HESFORD. (L.S.)