IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN VEGETABLE MATTERS TO USEFUL PURPOSES, AND IN THE MACHINERY NECESSARY FOR CARRYING THE SAME INTO EFFECT
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Downing, of 8, Quality Court, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT OF VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN
VEGETABLE MATTERS TO USEFUL PURPOSES, AND IN THE MACHINERY NECESSARY
FOR CARRYING THE SAME INTO EFFECT." A communication from abroad by
Edward Henry Cradock Monckton, of Alger, in the Republic of France.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Downing at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th June 1876.
GEORGE DOWNING, of 8, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF VEGETABLE FIBRES, AND IN
THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN VEGETABLE MATTERS TO USEFUL PURPOSES, AND IN
THE MACHINERY NECESSARY FOR CARRYING THE SAME INTO EFFECT." A communi-
cation from abroad by Edward Henry Cradock Monckton, of Alger, in the Republic
of France.
My improvements consist,―
Firstly. In the treatment in various ways of a plant called in Arabic, daum; in
French, palmier nain; and in botany, chamaross humilis lenne. The leaves of
this plant have long been used to make an imitation of hair under the name of
"crin vegetale," employed chiefly for stuffing mattrasses and making coarse cordage.
The fibres derived from these leaves I further improve by making them fine, so as
to be capable of being spun and wove, which has hitherto not been accomplished.
This I effect by subjecting the coarse fibres produced in the usual way to a process
of maceration in water, friction, trituration, beating with mallets on stone and
wooden blocks, flat, grooved, or hollowed out, steaming, boiling, washing, drying,
and carding. In some instances I cause the stones to revolve as in a mill, but
separately, or I cause the stones to run round a circle, and thus triturate the
fibres.
Secondly. In the treatment of the stem and root of the above plant. This con-
sists in separating the fibrous parts either by hand or by machinery; by hand the
process is as follows:-A man takes the root previously cleansed from dirt in his
left hand, and with a sharp heavy knife or chopper and wooden block cuts a little
off its lower end all round, which enables him or an assistant to separate the folds

page_text: of fibre at the outside, he then chops off slantingly in the same way other pieces
all round, which enables him to remove the next folds, and so on till he approaches
the stalk; as he proceeds, the fibres becomes finer and all consequently, either
throws the different qualities into different reciptants, or he hands over the root
thus part
rtly decorticised toanother person who does the same, and who hands it
over in turn to a third, and he to a fourth operator, till the inner core is reached;
this last is an excellent article which I employ as food for man and animals; it is
white, and much resembles almonds and the substance known as cocoa-nut cabbage.
As the operator proceeds he arrives at fibres covered with a fleshy or pulpy matter,
the juice of which from having an unpleasant taste soon begins to taste sweet and
contains a quantity of sugar in its composition.
Thirdly. The fibrous matter outside prior to arriving at the fleshy substance is
triturated, gently hammered, washed, and carded, so as to separate a species of dark
brown or hard matter and to arrange the fibres longitudinally, and is then sub-
jected to trituration and maceration in water, and is again hammered by mallets on
stone or wooden blocks till reduced to fine fibre, and is again corded, triturated,
washed, re-hammered, subjected to friction, and carded again and again with finer
carding apparatus till reduced by each successive operation to the degree of fineness
desired for spinning into coarse or fine thread.
Fourthly. The first pulpy material that contains an acid and unpleasant tasting
matter is treated separately by hammering and washing, as above, till the fibres
are obtained, which are then carded and hammered till reduced to the degree
of. fineness required for spinning, while the extract is reserved for separate
treatment.
Fifthly. A courser fibre of the thickness of hog's bristles, which is separated
nearer the centre of the root, is subjected to a frictional process with gentler
manipulation in order to separate the pulpy matter, but not so as to crush the fibre,
the result is a round strong fibre, which is subjected to a bath of alum water, by
preference; it is then washed and dried and is subjected to an oil bath; any oil will
do; or to a grease bath, or to a bath composed of oil and wax, which by gentle
heat renders it in time semi-transparent and causes it to resemble hog's bristles,
for which it is a perfect substitute for brush making and for all other articles
such as employed by shoemakers for their needles made from the animal bristle.
Sixthly. The cleansed fibres whether derived from the leaf or root are subjected
to pulping so as to form paper.
'
.
Seventhly. The washed and cleansed fibres and pulp prepared for paper are
bleached in the usual ways.
Eighthly. From the fibre so prepared I make thread, cloth, string, rope, sacks,
carpets, and other useful articles, and from the pulp paper of all sorts, articles in
papier maché, and all articles now made from pulp, as well as planks, knees, and
bends for ships by uniting for this purpose the pulp with marine glue, and
subjecting it to pressure in moulds to shape it and to remove the superfluos
glue.
Ninthly. I wash the hammered fleshy fibres successively in the same water till I
obtain a concentrated saccharine or other liquor, from which first I either obtain
sugar by the usual processes, or alchohol by fermentation and distillation, and from
the other any substances it may contain.
Tenthly. I separate the unpleasant tasting matter from the fleshy matter
similarly, and from it obtain any tannin and other matters contained in it by the
usual processes.
Eleventhly. I further employ machinery, such as is already employed by flax
and hemp producers, for treating the fibrous matter, which being well known it is
unnecessary to describe; and I further make use of mechanical beaters and grooved
rollers and rollers of unequal diameter, through which I pass the fibre both side-
ways and longitudinally so as to triturate, open it out, and disintegrate it.
Twelfthly. I subject the fibrous matter to heat in boilers under pressure in water
acidulated by preference with muriatic acid, and I also subject the fibre to pressure

page_text: in water having caustic alkalis in solution, and then subject them as above to acid
baths under pressure with the view of further disintegrating and purifying the fibre
as is already done in heating fibrous matter derived from other plants.
Thirteenthly. I subject the fibre of the bark of the mauve plant, the African
nettle, and the wild mint, called in Arabic, fleo; and in French, la mentho
poivree.
Fourteenthly. I produce fibre and paper in the usual way from the stalks of the
rye and the roots of the trefoils and clovers of various descriptions.
Fifteenthly. Where I do not wish to preserve the saccharine or other matter,
preferring to act on a large scale irrespective of quality of fibre, I cut open the root
longitudinally and separate the core, fit for food, and subject the whole mass to
disintegration by passing it through longitudinally grooved rollers and between
double circular, flat, or coned revolving stones, and by hammering, washing, and
carding, all of which operations are by preference performed by machinery.
Sixteenthly. I find that by maceration with oil and pure water, or alum water,
the fibres become more pliable, the oil being subsequently washed out.
Seventeenthly. I produce by these processes imitation crin or hair of a finer and
better quality than is now produced, and color it black or any other color, the color
being applied prior to using oil. The hair is subjected to the usual twisting process
now applied to the manufacture of the crin végétalé.
Eighteenthly. I apply the processes of hand or machine triturating, applying
friction, heating in boilers, oiling, hammering, and carding, and washing to all
coarse fibres, such as the refuse of flax or hemp, so as to further disintegrate the
fibres and render them of finer and softer quality.
Nineteenthly. I produce fibres from the mauve, the African nettle, the menthe
poivree sauvage, the roots of clovers and rye, and combine with those of the
palmier nain above mentioned, whether for making thread, cord, or paper, or other
articles.
I further employ parallel grooved rollers made, to run backwards and forwards
as a garden roller, on a grooved surface, flat or curved, and conical grooved rollers
attached to an arm made to run round a grooved surface.
I also use parallel and conical ungrooved rollers, such as are used for mortar and
other mills. These may be moved by hand, horse, and steam, water, or other
power. Where near the sea I use sea water for washing where there is a difficulty
in obtaining other water.
I make my rollers and mills of any suitable material, as wood, iron, or stone,
according to the nature of the work required. These rollers I make small or
large, according to the quantity of the material to be operated on, and I do the
same as regards the size of the grooves.
I further use the wild peppermint to make a decoction to be drank as a substi-
tute for tea, especially where there is pain in the stomach, and I use the essential
oil of this mint with a similar intent on sugar.
While on the one hand I disclaim to use knowingly the Invention or discoveries
of others, I claim my improvements, as above described, for the treatment of
vegetablo fibres, and in the application of vegetable matter to useful purposes, and
in the machinery necessary for carrying the same into effect.
I do not confine myself to any particular form of construction of machinery so
long as the principles for treating and disintigrating the fibrous materials, as above
described, are carried out.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Downing, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
and wanter air