AN IMPROVED PLAN FOR PACKING YARN AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smethurst, of the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster. Packer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED PLAN FOR PACKING YARN AND OTHER MATERIALS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the. said John Smethurst
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th April 1853..
I; JOHN SMETHURST, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for AN IMPROVED PLAN FOR PACKING YARN AND OTHER MATERIALS"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the use and application of a box, con-
structed in wood or other suitable materials, and formed in one or
more pieces, the ends of said box being regulated, held, and drawn
together by screw bolts or other mechanical means; said bolts serving
as sides for box. The top and bottom of said box are called stillages,
and consist of one piece of wood or other suitable material of the
required size of the bale; said pieces are grooved out or crossed on

page_text: one or both sides, with blocks of wood or other suitable material, at
certain distances asunder, and secured by bolts or otherwise. And the
use of such said grooves is to enable the bale to be hooped or bound
with rope or other material, without removing it from the press for that
purpose, as hitherto practised; and this may be effected-by placing the
hooping or other material employed within said grooves. The top of
the box is attached to the top of an hydraulic press, and the bottom
thereof to the moveable table of the press; the ends of the box
are then attached to the 'bottom, 'the materials placed thereon, and the
table raised until the top and bottom are sufficiently near to each
other; the ends and sides of the box are then removed, and the bale
bound round and secured, as before stated; and in this manner and by
these means the operation of packing goods in bales is effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Smethurst, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 20th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN SMETHURST, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Packer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Smethurst, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Smethurst,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "AN, IMPROVED PLAN FOR PACKING YARN AND OTHER MA-
TERIALS," upon the condition, amongst others, that. I, the said John'
Smethurst, by an instruments in writing under my hand and seal,

page_text: should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 John Smethurst, 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 drawings hereto annexed, and the following explanation
thereof (that is to say):
My Invention consists in an improved method of packing yarn and
other materials, which I accomplish by constructing a box of wood or
other suitable material, and made in one or more parts, the sides of
the said box being regulated, held, and drawn together by means of
screw bolts or other similar contrivances, the said bolts serving as ends
for the box. The top and bottom of the said box are called stilliages,
and consist of a piece of wood or other suitable material of the required
size of the bale to be packed, and are grooved out or crossed on one or
both sides with blocks of wood or other material, at certain distances
apart; and the use of these said grooves or cross pieces is to enable
the bale to be bound with the hoop, iron, rope, or whatever may be
thought proper, without removing it from the press. This is done by
placing the hoop, iron, or whatever binding material is used, through
these said grooves. The top stilliage is secured to the top part of the
press, and the bottom thereof to the moveable table of the press. This
my improved method of packing is applicable to all kinds of goods,
whether it be yarn, calico, woollen cloth, or any kind of material
whatsoever that is packed, whether by hydraulic or other power or
labour.
These my improvements will be clearly understood by reference to
the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which the same letters of
reference represent similar parts, where different views or diagrams
are shewn; and, in order more clearly to shew what is new, I have
tinted that portion of the drawings, and which I also claim as my said
improvements the rest is old.

page_text: Fig. 1, is a side elevation of à press, with my improvements
attached. Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the same. In Fig: 1; and
2, d, represents the press; b, a portion of an hydraulic ram, with
the table attached; c, the sides of the box, which are made of
wood or other suitable material-in-one or more parts (as stated
before); d, strengthening beanis, of the same or other kind of material;
being secured to the sides c, and open at the ends to admit of
bolts being slided in; e, strong iron bolts running from one side of
the box to the other, for the purpose of holding together and regulating
the sides c, which is accomplished by means of nuts or other similar
contrivances at one or both ends of the said bolts e. These bolts,-
when in their places, form the side of the box. a stilliage, which
forms the bottom of the box, and which is made of a strong piece of
wood or other material of the size of the bales required, and are grooved
out or crossed on one or both sides with beams of wood or other material
at respective distances. This said stilliage is secured to the moveable
table of the press by bolts or other similar contrivances. , the top
stilliage, which it secured to the top part of the press, and may be made
in the same manner as the stilliage f; but in this case is shewn as only
being crossed on one side with beams of timber, while the bottom
stilliage f, is crossed on both sides. The object of these stilliages will
be seen hereafter. When the yarn or other material is required to be
packed, it is placed on the bottom stilliage f; the sides a, are then put
in their places, as shewn. The bolts e, are slipped into the openings of
the beams d; and, by means of the screw at the ends, the sides c, are
drawn as near together as required. The press is then worked: bring.
the top and bottom sufficiently near to press the goods; the sides c,
are then removed, and the bale bound and secured without being taken
from the press; the hoop, iron, or whatever is used for binding, being
passed through the grooves in the stillinges; hence, the utility of these
said stilliages. The bale is then removed from the press complete.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said
Invention, I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine
myself to the exact details thereof, as such may be varied or modified
without departing from the principle of my said Invention; but I claim

page_text: as new, and (which to the best of my knowledge has not hitherto been
used within this realm,-firstly, the method of packing yarn or other
materials in a kind of box, the sides being capable of being drawn
together by means of bolts or other similar contrivances, this being for
the purpose of keeping the material compact, and in a right position
during the operation of pressing; and, secondly, the method of binding
the bale previous to removing it from the press by the use of the
stilliages, as all of such improvements are herein described and illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings.
In witness thereof, I, the said John Smethurst, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness to the signature,
A. McEwEx, Engineer.
JOHN SMETHURST. (L.S.)