AN IMPROVED RACKING APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Baker Scott Webb at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd October 1874.
I, CHARLES BAKER SCOTT WEBB, of Stratford, in the County of Essex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
RACKING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
Hitherto in racking off ale, beer, or other such liquors from vats, &c,
into casks or barrels the process has been unable to be completed at one
operation in consequence of the frothing or "fobbing" of the liquid,
whereby much time has been lost and labour incurred in waiting until
the froth disappeared.
Now the object of my Invention is to completely fill any number of
casks or barrels quite full at one single operation in such a manner as
not to cause any waste or froth to arise. To effect this I proceed as
follows: I first procure a metal cylinder about 15 inches long and 1
in diameter. On the top of this cylinder I fix a cap having 2 orifices
formed therein, one of sufficient size to admit of the passage of the
liquid into the cylinder or "filler," and the other to admit of the passage

page_text: of a rod or wire connected to the float, as hereafter described. In the
first of these orifices I insert a metal tube of about 7 inches long bent
to a suitable angle, and having a screw thread at its further end for the
purpose of attaching a flexible tube of any convenient length thereto.
On the side or about the centre of such tube I insert a stop cock, and
instead of the usual handle I fix thereto a horizontal bar about 6 inchies
long, such bar being formed with a convenient catch or fastener at one
end; this fastener I place in a perpendicular position over the smaller
orifice in the cap of the cylinder. At the other end of the bar I affix a
counterbalance weight, and into the before-mentioned cylinder or filler 1
I insert a float or plunger made of hollow metal of about 1 foot long
and 1 inch in diameter. To the top of this float or plunger I attach a
metal wire or rod, which projects through the smaller orifice in the cap
of the cylinder A; a small eye is formed at one end of the wire to hook
on to the catch or fastener attached to the end of the before-mentioned 1
horizontal bar.
On the outside of the before-mentioned cylinder or filler I fix a flange
about 4 inches from the top to form a rest or support for such cylinder
or filler when inserted into the bung hole of a cask. The bottom of the
cylinder or filler must reach close to the bottom of the cask or vessel 2
desired to be filled in order to conduct the liquid to the bottom of such
cask or vessel. I thus prevent the "fobbing" or frothing of the liquid,
as hitherto has been the case, and so am enabled to complete the filling
at one operation.
In order to prevent the beer or other liquid when being racked off a
from the vat into the cask gushing too freely through the bottom of the
metal cylinder or filler, and thereby incurring the risk of its fobbing or
frothing, I place a perforated metal disc on the bottom or end thereof
which comes in contact with the bottom of the cask. Or I form the
bottom of such metal cylinder or filler into two or more points thus M,
and thus intercept the force of the rush of the beer or other liquid,
and cause it to more gradually fill the cask or vessel than it otherwise
would do.
In order to adapt my Invention to the various depths of casks or other
vessels I lengthen the cylinder or filler when necessary by screwing an 3
extra length of piping thereto, so as to make the length of the cylinder
or filler from the flange to the bottom to correspond with the depth of
the cask or vessel.

page_text: The mode of operation is as follows:-The empty barrels or casks
being placed in a row on a stillion or other suitable contrivance, with
their bung holes turned upwards, I introduce into the bung hole of each
cask one of the metal cylinders or fillers before described. At a con-
venient distance above the casks I fix a large hose furnished with a
main cock or tap communicating with the pipe from the vat or other
source of supply, and along this hose I form a suitable number of union
joints, to cach of which I connect one end of a flexible tube, the other
end thereof being attached to the metal cylinder or filler, as before
mentioned. The main cock on the hose communicating with the vat
is then turned on, and as the casks fill the float or plunger rises, and
thus releases itself from the catch or fastener formed at the end of the
horizontal bar, as before mentioned. It thus causes the counterbalance
weight to fall, which by so doing turns off the tap and completely shuts
off the supply from the vat as each cask or vessel fills, thus preventing
all waste, while another great advantage is that it greatly expedites the
process of filling the casks, the attendant merely having to insert the
bungs and remove the stillion with the full casks thereon and replace
them by empty ones, and again repeat the operation.