Improvements in Apparatus for Washing or Bleaching.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing or Bleaching.
I, MARY LYDIA WHITE MARTINOT of 447, West 21st Street, in the City, County,
and State of New York, United States of America, Lady, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to an improvement in wash boilers or bleachers and has for
its object to provide a device adapted to be placed over a fire or upon a stove and so
constructed that the articles to be washed may be sorted and classified, and each lot
separately boiled or steamed and rinsed in one general receptacle. A further object
of the invention is to provide a convenient means for removing the clothes when
washed and for a constant circulation of water through them in the process of
washing.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specifi-
cation, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the boiler, on line 1-1 figure 3, the buckets
being shewn in side elevation.
Figure 2 is a section, on line 2-2 figure 3, with the buckets removed.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the body of the boiler with the buckets in position and
the cover of the boiler removed.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section, on line 4-4 figure 1 ; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the buckets detached, a portion of the
bucket being broken away to disclose the bottom thereof.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
views.
The body of the device consists of a metal vessel 10 of any approved shape, pre-
ferably rectangular, and provided at its bottom with a faucet 11 and conveniently
located handles 11°. The vessel is further provided at its top with a cap or cover 12
which cover is usually made to lift from the vessel. Upon the inner face of the vessel,
near its upper edge, horizontal flanges 13 are formed and the cover is preferably made
with an inner and outer flange 15 between which flanges the top edge of the vessel
projects when the cover is in position thereon. The vessel is divided into a series of
compartments A by transverse and longitudinal, preferably vertically-corrugated or
fluted, partitions 16, the said partitions being attached in any suitable or approved
manner to the inner faces of the vessel and to each other. These partitions may be
constructed as a fixture or may be made readily detachable from the vessels. A
corrugated metal lining 16", similar to the partitions 16 is almost invariably carried
entirely around the sides and ends of the vessel, as best shewn in figure 4. The upper
edges of the corrugated linings 16ª are located below the flanges 13 which latter serve
to direct the water into the compartments A and the length of the linings and
partitions is such that they terminate between the centre and the bottom of the
vessel forming thereby a lower unobstructed water chamber B. Within each com-
partment A a horizontal, preferably spider-like, false bottom 17 is secure and each
compartment is adapted to contain a bucket 18 which almost fills the compartment
and each bucket is provided with a perforated or reticulated bottom 19 and preferably
a bail 20 whereby the bucket may be conveniently placed within the vessel or removed
therefrom for the purpose, for instance, of wringing the clothes.
I desire it to be understood, as heretofore stated, that the form of the device may
be varied or that any desired number of compartments may be employed, and further
that the shape of the buckets depends usually upon the contour of the compartments
into which they are to be placed.
In the operation of washing, the chamber B is nearly filled with water and the
CD

page_text: As
clothes are sorted in such manner that linen wearing apparel only is placed in one
bucket, flannel. in another, and table linen in a third, etc. When the buckets have
been provided with their contents they are placed one in each compartment A.
soon as the water in the chamber B boils, it is forced by the steam pressure upward
between the partitions, the linings, and the buckets, and flows into said buckets
whereupon in finding its way through the clothes, the dirt loosened by the action of
the steam entering the perforated bottoms of the buckets is carried into the water
chamber B thus rinsing the clothes. This operation is repeated constantly while the
water is at the boiling point and the clothes are effectually and expeditiously cleaned.
The clothes are not, as will be observed, actually boiled but the dirt is softened by
the action of the rising steam and is removed from the surface of the clothes by the
boiling water flowing through the buckets downward into its chamber. The corru-
gated linings and partitions materially assist the water in rising upward to flow over
into the buckets, as a series of gutters are thereby formed therein and the water is
directed at the sides into the buckets by reason of the horizontal body flanges 13.
After the clothes have been subjected to this process of cleaning, they may be
readily removed from the body of the receptacle or vessel and carried in separate ots
to separate vessels for purposes of rinsing. As the clothes are divided into lots, 0
cleaner clothes such as table linen etc., may be first removed from the vessel and
rinsed, thus obviating the necessity of drawing the linen out of the vessel when
massed therein, by means of a clothes-stick or similar device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inver
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is ;
1. In a wash boiler or similar device, the combination, with a vessel divided into a
series of compartments the walls of which compartments are corrugated, of receptacles
cach containing a perforated bottom and fitted to the said compartments, substantially
as shewn and described.
2. In a wash boiler or similar device, the combinat on, with a vessel divided into a
series of compartments the walls of which compartments are corrugated, and hori
zontal apertured false bottoms located in said compartments, of receptacles each
containing a perforated bottom and fitted to the said compartments, being adapted
to rest upon the apertured false bottoms therein, substantially as shewn and
described.
3. In a wash boiler or similar device, the combination, with a vessel divided into a
series of compartments the walls of which are corrugated, a water chamber at the
bottom beneath the said compartments and spider like false bottonis horizontally
supported in the compartments, of interior flanges projecting over the outer side walls
of the compartments and receptacles provided with a reticulated bottom fitted to the
compartments and adapted to rest upon the spider-like bottoms therein, substantially
as shewn and described.
4. In a wash boiler or similar device, the combination, with a vessel divided into a
series of compartments the walls of which compartments are corrugated and provided
below the said compartments with a water chamber having a faucetted outlet, spider-
like false bottoms horizontally located in said compartments between their centres and
lower end and a horizontal flange attached to the upper inner portion of the vessel
and extending over the outer walls of the compartments, of a detachable lid fitted to
the vessel above the upper flanges and bucket-like receptacles provided with a
reticulated or perforated bottom and an attached bail, the said receptacles being
removably fitted in the said compartments and adapted to rest upon the spider-like
false bottoms thereof, as and for the purpose specified.
M. L. W. MARTINOT.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.