IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Burnett Houghton, of 6, Clarendon
Terrace, Kensington; in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention. of
Dan "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Burnett
Houghton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd March 1862.
I, FREDERICK BURNETT HOUGHTON, of 6, Clarendon Terrace,. Kensington,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows:-
In the conversion of straw and other similar vegetable fibres. into paper
great difficulty has been experienced in separating the weeds, knots, and
ears from the fibre. Endeavours have been made to cut out the knots and
to winnow them and the weeds from the other parts of the chaff, the weeds
having been previously picked out by hand, but such means are expensive and
imperfect, and when such treatment has not been resorted to the whole has
been reduced by boiling in an alkaline solution so as to reduce the knots, ears,
and weeds, by which the fibrous parts most easily disintegrated have been
injured by the excess of treatment necessary to reduce the knots, ears, and
weeds, to a pulp.
Now my Invention consists in boiling the chaff (which I prefer to be cut

page_text: longer than heretofore, say from an inch to an inch and a half) to an extent
sufficient to reduce the more fibrous parts to a pulp, leaving the knots and
weeds as little disintegrated as may be, and then having washed out the alkali
a coarse knotter is employed which will allow the disintegrated vegetable
matter to pass whilst the extraneous matter will be arrested. The pulp so
obtained will retain its fullest strength and weight, and require the minimum
of bleaching material to act upon it.
The knotter I prefer consists of a plate with square or oblong holes
sufficiently smell to impede the massage of the knots and woods
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Burnett Houghton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
BURNETT HOUGHTON, of 6, Clarendon Terrace, Kensington, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting."
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Frederick Burnett Houghton, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick
Burnett Houghton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or onc
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Frederick Burnett Houghton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the conversion of straw and other similar vegetable fibres into paper,
great difficulty has been experienced in separating the weeds, knots, and ears
from the fibre. Endeavours have been made to cut out the knots, and to
winnow them and the weeds from the other parts of the chaff, the weeds
having been previously picked out by hand, but such means are expensive and
imperfect. And when such treatment has not been resorted to the whole has
been reduced by boiling in an alkaline solution so as to reduce the knots, ears,
and weeds by which the fibrous parts most easily disintegrated have been
injured by the excess of treatment necessary to reduce the knots, ears, and
weeds to a pulp.
Now my Invention consists in boiling the chaff (which I prefer to be cut
longer than heretofore, say from an inch to an inch and a half,) to an extent
sufficient to reduce the more fibrous parts to a pulp, leaving the knots and
weeds as little disintegrated as may be, and then having washed out the alkali,
a coarse "knotter" is employed which will allow the disintegrated vegetablo
matter to pass whilst the extraneous matters will be arrested. The pulp so
obtained will retain its fullest strongth and weight, and require the minimum
of bleaching material to act upon it.
The knotter I prefer consists of a plate with squaro or oblong holes
sufficiently small to impede the passage of the knots and weeds.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this First day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
FREDERICK BURNETT HOUGHTON. (L.S.)
ARTHUR GRANVILLE, C. E.,
Whitebrook, Mon.,
1st Sept 1862.