IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING AND PREPARING RAGS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING
AND PREPARING RAGS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER."-Partly a
communication from abroad by James Turner, Robert Turner,
Archibald Turner, Malcolm Clark Turner, Thomas Clark Turner,
and George Moscript Turner, all of the City and State of New
York. United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his.
Petition, on the 16th June 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING
AND PREPARING BAGS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to cleanse rags from the dirt and
impurities which naturally adhere to them before being operated upon.
and prepared for conversion into pulp for the manufacture of paper.

page_text: The process I propose to employ in order to effect the objects of
the present Invention is a combined washing or cleansing and boiling
process, and this combined process is effected in an apparatus which
will admit of the operations being carried on with great facility and
with much greater speed than the operation for washing rags as hereto-
fore conducted. The rags generally have adhering to them a good
deal of dirt which can be easily removed, and this I do by washing them
in the apparatus in plain hot water before I submit them to any chemical
solutions. A very large proportion of the dirt and impurities may thus
be removed in a very short time, and these particles being heavy will
sink down into the lower part of the apparatus, and may be drawn off
in the form of mud.
The apparatus consists of a cylindrical framework or cage covered
externally with perforated metal or wire gauze and provided internally
with any convenient number of vertical ribs, which project radially
from the circumference towards the centre. This. perforated. metal
cage is mounted vertically on a centre pin so that it may be rotated
thereon by means of any suitable gearing. Inside this cage is mounted
a frame carrying a series of beaters or stirrers, which are carried round
by the gearing in the opposite direction to that, of the cage. These
two parts are placed in a circular or other conveniently shaped wooden
vessel, and an annular space is left round the outside of the perforated
cage, and in this annular space is arranged a coil of steam pipe,
whereby the water is heated and kept in a constant state of ebullition.
Or if preferred the water may be heated by jets of steam, which
may be injected from nozzles or may be supplied to the central shaft
which may be made hollow for the purpose. At the bottom of the
external wooden vessel is made a space to receive the mud and sediment
from the dirty rags, and this is covered over with a perforated false
bottom. In the side of the wooden vessel, and also at two or three
places in the side of the perforated cage, are made doors or openings
through which, convenient access can be obtained to the interior of the
apparatus. for the purpose of conveniently removing. the rags, when
cleaned....The door in. the, side of the outer vessel must of course be
made water-tight so as to prevent leakage.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The rags are charged
into the perforated cage through the top, which if desired may be
enclosed; water is then admitted; and if cold' may be heated-by, the

page_text: steam pipe or jets of steam; the cage and beaters may then be
rotated in opposite directions, and by knocking the rags about in the
water will quickly detach therefrom the greater part of the dirt, which
will pass through the perforated sides of the cage into the annular
space beyond,. and will gradually subside in the outside water, and
descend into the mud space below, from whence it may be drawn off
from time to time; a solution of soda or other equivalent chemical
substance may then be run into the apparatus, and the whole of the
liquid may be boiled by means of the steam for any desired time or
until the rags are quite clean, they may then be bleached and after-
wards reduced to pulp, and be converted into paper in the ordinary
manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said "William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING AND PREPARING RAGS FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," being partly a communication to me from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly

page_text: describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
This Invention has for its object to cleanse rags from the dirt and
impurities which naturally adhere to them before being operated upon
and prepared for conversion into pulp for the manufacture of paper.
The process I propose to employ in order to effect the objects of the
present Invention is a combined washing or cleansing and boiling
process, and this combined process is effected in an apparatus which
will admit of the operations being carried on with great facility and
with much greater speed than the operation for washing rags as hereto-
fore conducted. The rags generally have adhering to them a good deal
of dirt which can be easily removed, and this I do by washing them in
plain hot water in the apparatus shewn in the accompanying Drawings
and hereafter described, before I submit them to the action of any
chemical solutions for the purpose of more thoroughly cleansing and
bleaching them. A very large proportion of the dirt and impurities
may thus be removed in a very short time, and these particles being
heavy will sink down into the lower part of the apparatus, and may be
drawn off in the form of mud without wasting the chemical solutions
used in the subsequent processes.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a sectional plan view, and Fig. 2 a vertical section
of one form of apparatus, which consists of a cylindrical framework or
cage a, a, covered externally with perforated metal or wire gauze and
provided internally with any convenient number of vertical ribs at,
which project radially from the circumference towards the centre.
This perforated metal cage is mounted vertically on a centre pin or
spindle 6 so that it may be rotated thereon by means of the large bevil
wheel d, which gears into and drives a bevil toothed circular rack a
on the upper end of the cage a. Inside this cage a is mounted a frame
c, which is fixed on the vertical spindle b, and consists of a series of

page_text: beaters or stirrers c', o', c', of peculiar shape, which are carried round in
the opposite direction to that of the cage by a bevil pinion e, which
gears into and drives a similar wheel c³ on the upper end of the spindle b.
It will be seen that these beaters c³, c', extend from the upper part
of the spindle b down to the bottom of the cage a, a, or nearly so, and
that they are much wider at bottom than at the top. The effect of this
peculiar shape will be that a greater amount of motion will be given
to the lower part of the water than to the upper portion, so that when
the beaters are rotated a kind of whirlpool action of the water will
take place and a vertical or tumbling circulation of the water and rags
will be produced, and the dirt and impurities will be removed from the
rags with greater facility than heretofore, and being deposited in the
form of mud at the bottom of the vessel, as before mentioned, may be
drawn off before the chemical solutions are added for the subsequent
processes. The working or moving parts are placed in a circular or
other conveniently shaped wooden vessel f, f, f, lined with zinc, copper,
or other metal, and an annular space is left round the outside of the
perforated cage a, and in this annular space is arranged a coil of steam
pipe g, g, whereby the water is heated and kept in a constant state of
ebullition, or if preferred the water may be heated by jets of steam
which may be injected from nozzles or may be supplied to the central
shaft b, which may be made hollow for the purpose. At the bottom of
the external wooden vessel is made a space h to receive the mud and
sediment from the dirty rags, and this is covered over with a false
bottom A', which may be perforated or not as may be preferred. In the
side of the wooden vessel, and also at two or three places in the side
of the perforated cage, are made doors or openings i, , through which
convenient access can be obtained to the interior of the apparatus for
the purpose of conveniently removing the rags when cleansed. The
door in the side of the outer vessel must of course be made water-
tight so as to prevent leakage.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The rags are charged
into the perforated cage through the top, which if desired may be
enclosed or covered in, as shewn at j,j; water is then admitted, and if
5 cold it may be heated by the steam pipe g, or by injecting steam into
the water; the cage a and beaters c¹ may then be rotated in opposite
directions, and by knocking the rags about in the water will quickly
detach therefrom the greater part of the dirt, which will pass through
the perforated sides of the cage into the annular space beyond, and will

page_text: gradually subside in the outside water and descend into the mud space h
below, from whence it may be drawn off from time to time through
the pipe k. A solution of soda or other equivalent chemical substance
may then be run into the apparatus, and the whole of the liquid may be
boiled by means of the steam for any desired time, or until the rags are
quite clean; they may then be bleached and afterwards reduced to pulp,
and be converted into paper in the ordinary manner.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view, and Fig. 4 a vertical section of another
apparatus which is a modification of the one just described, and as it is
somewhat simpler in construction may perhaps be preferred for some
purposes. The principal difference is that the cage a does not rotate,
and that the toothed gearing to drive the central shaft b and the
beaters c, c', is placed below. I have not shewn the steam pipes
for heating the water, and it will be found that by causing steam to
bubble up in the water from nozzles in the manner already explained
the water will be sufficiently heated, and the steam pipes g may therefore
be dispensed with, so that either the cage a may be increased in capacity
or the external vesself may be reduced in diameter. I would also
remark that the lower end of the central spindle 6 is made square so as
to fit in a socket in the vertical axle 6*, on which is keyed the bevil
wheel c², which is driven by a similar wheel e on the driving shaft 2,
which carries the fast and loose pulleys m, m. It will be seen that as
the cage a and the parts contained therein are connected with the
central shaft b all these parts may be lifted out of the outer vessel for
the convenience of emptying the rags out of the cage. Other parts of
the apparatus which correspond to analogous parts in the other Figures
are marked with similar letters of reference, and therefore need not be
further described in detail.
Having now described the improvements which have been com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondents as aforesaid, together
with the improvements made by myself, and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, constructing machines or
apparatus for washing rags in the manner herein set forth, whereby the
rags and water are kept in continuous circulation, and the loose dirt is
removed therefrom and carried into a mud space below.
I claim particularly constructing the rotating beaters as herein shewn
and described for the purpose of imparting to the rags a tumbling

page_text: motion or vertical circulation or motion, as herein set forth, in contra-
distinction to a simple horizontal circulation as heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.