IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND PROCESSES FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tongue, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
AND PROCESSES FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 24th March 1863, and dated the 17th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tongue at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on, the
17th December 1862.
J, WILLIAM TONGUE, of Bradford, in the County of York, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
AND PROCESSES FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in a particular method of working
machinery for preparing fibrous materials, similar to that described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to Henry Rawson, dated the 27th day of
January 1859, No. 249, and also in a particular method of working
machinery for preparing fibrous materials, similar to that described in a
Patent granted to me, dated the 5th day of March 1862, No. 596. In this
machinery a working comb is caused to rise and fall, and also to have a
to-and-fro motion.
Now my improvement consists in causing the working comb to have..
motion only in one direction, and to give the requisite motion in the other
direction to the feed apparatus, that is to say, if the up-and-down movement
is imparted to the feed apparatus, the to-and-fro movement-will be imparted

page_text: to the working comb; and if the to-and-fro movement is imparted to the feed
apparatus, the up-and-down movement is imparted to the working comb.
The second part of my Invention relates to "preparing" machinery in
which rollers or other feeding instruments present fibrous material to the
action of sheets of pins, screw gills, or other pointed surfaces continually
moving in one. direction, and consists in giving a reciprocating movement
either to the feed apparatus or to the travelling toothed surface. This
reciprocating movement causes the feed apparatus and the travelling toothed
surface to continually approach and recede from each other, but for a distance
shorter than the length of the fibrous material under operation, so that
different parts of the material are constantly presented to the action of the
pointed surface, where it rises into the fibrous material. The fibrous material
may, if desired, be protruded and withdrawn by a backward and forward
movement of the feed rollers or other feed apparatus, the forward movement
of the rollers or other feed apparatus being greater than the backward move-
ment, so as to continually deliver the fibre into the machine.
The third part of my Invention consists in an improved method of feeding
"stricks" of fibrous material into machinery for preparing fibrous materials
such as is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to Henry Rawson,
before referred to; also in an improved method of feeding "stricks" of fibrous
material to machinery such as is described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me, before referred to; also in an improved method of feeding
"stricks" of fibrous material to machinery such as is described in the first
and second parts of this Specification. When feeding vegetable fibrous
materials in the form of "stricks" to machinery such as above indicated, I
cause the feeding rollers or other feeding instruments to feed the "strick" of
fibrous material into the machine until it is operated upon more or less by.
the working comb, and then I cause the feeding rollers or other feeding
instruments to reverse their motion, so as to withdraw the "strick" of fibrous
material from the action of the working comb, and deliver it out from between
the rollers or other feeding instruments so that it may be reversed, and the
unworked end presented to the feeding rollers or other feeding instruments, to
be taken by them and conducted forward to the action of the working comb,
and the feed rollers or other feeding instruments may then be caused to
continue this movement until the "strick" of fibrous material is entirely
delivered to the feeding comb, and by such comb delivered to the drawing or
delivery rollers. After the "strick" of fibrous material has been reversed and
the unworked end presented to the feed rollers or other feeding instruments,
a more rapid movement may be imparted to them to cause them to present

page_text: the fibrous material to the working comb without, loss of time; and as soon as
they have delivered a sufficient length of the "strick" of fibrous material for
the working comb to commence its operation, the more rapid movement of
the rollers or other feeding instruments is caused to cease, and the proper
amount of movement to feed the fibrous material is imparted to the rollers or
other feeding instruments. In place of conducting the fibrous material into
the machine above mentioned by rollers or other feeding instruments working
as above described, the "strick" of fibrous material may be fastened in a
holder, and such holder be caused to gradually present the "strick" to the
action of the working comb; and after one end of the "strick" has been
operated upon the holder and fibrous material may be withdrawn, and the
part of the "strick" of fibrous material which has been worked may be placed
within the holder, and the unworked end of the "strick," formerly within the
holder, may be presented to the action of the working comb.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to preparing machinery in which
rollers or pointed surfaces moving in straight or curved lines present fibrous
material to the action of sheets of pins, screw gills, or other pointed surfaces
continually moving in one direction, and consists in so working the rollers or
pointed, surfaces which present the fibrous material when working "stricks" of
fibrous material that such "stricks" may be worked, then withdrawn and
reversed, and the unworked end of the fibrous material presented to the action
of the pointed surfaces, as described in the third part of my Invention.
The fifth part of my Invention relates to treating the "rhea fibre." on
"China grass" (Bohemeria nivea) after it has passed through a boiling or
steeping process to deprive it of its mucilaginous matter, and consists in pre-
senting it to pointed preparing surfaces such as are described in the fourth
part of my Invention, by means of the travelling holder described in tlie third
part of my Invention, the end being reversed as therein described. When
preparing "stricks" of fibrous material it is desirable to separate the fine
fibres situated at the point, top, or "branch" end of the "strick" from the
coarser fibres in the body or centre of the "strick," and again to separate
the fibres in the centre of the "strick" from the still coarser fibres situated
at the bottom or "root" end of the "strick," and to accomplish this at the
present time it is usual to cut or break the "strick" of fibres into three
lengths. Now I prefer to accomplish this by taking the "strick" of fibrous
material after one end of such strick has been worked, as described in the
third, fourth, and fifth parts of my Invention, and presenting the unworked
end of the "strick" of fibrous material to the action of the working comb in
another machine, when a certain portion of such "strick" has been operated

page_text: upon by the working comb. The "strick "may, if desired, be withdrawn,
and the "strick" (the fibres at each end of which have been worked and
removed in two separate machines) fed into a third machine, thus assorting
the "branch" end, the "root" end, and the middle of the "stricks" into
three separate machines.
And the sixth part of my Invention consists in so onerating unon "stricks"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TONGUE, of Bradford, in the County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Tongue, Her special licence, that I, the said William
Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Tongue, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND PROCESSES FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Tongue, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Tongue, 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 fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:-
The first part of my Invention consists in a particular method of working
machinery for preparing fibrous materials similar to that described in the

page_text: Specification of a Patent granted to Henry Rawson, dated the 27th day of
January 1859, No. 249, and also in a particular method of working machinery
for preparing fibrous materials similar to that described in a Patent granted
to me, dated the 5th day of March 1862, No. 596. In this machinery a
working comb is caused to rise and fall, and also to have a to-and-fro motion.
Now my improvement consists in causing the working comb to have motion
only in one direction, and to give the requisite motion in the other direction
to the feed apparatus, that is to say, if the up-and-down movement is imparted
to the feed apparatus, the to-and-fro movement will be imparted to the working
comb, and if the to-and-fro movement is imparted to the feed apparatus, the
up-and-down movement is imparted to the working comb.
.
This part of my Invention will be readily understood by a competent work-
man acquainted with this class of machinery, and having a knowledge of the
Inventions shewn and described in the Specifications of the Patents before
referred to, wherein it will be seen that the working comb has not only a
to-and-fro movement imparted thereto in order when it moves forward to
operate upon the fibrous material, but it has also a rising and falling move-
ment imparted thereto in order to insert the teeth of the comb into the fibrous
material, and withdraw them therefrom from time to time as required. Now
I have found that by dividing these movements between the feeding apparatus
(whatever the character of that apparatus may be) and the working comb, as
above described, the arrangement and working of the parts will be greatly
simplified. And I would here remark that I have not thought it necessary to
show the mode of arranging machinery for this purpose, as a competent
mechanic will readily arrange machinery so as to actuate the parts in accord-
ance with this part of my improvements in machinery for preparing fibrous
materials.
The second part of my Invention relates to "preparing "machinery in which
rollers or other feeding instruments present fibrous material to the action of
sheets of pins, screw gills, or other pointed surfaces continually moving or
travelling through the fibrous material in one direction; and my improvements
in this class of machinery consist in giving a reciprocating to-and-fro move-
ment either to the feed apparatus or to the travelling toothed surface. This
reciprocating movement causes the feed apparatus and the travelling toothed
surface to continually approach and recede from each other, but for a distance
shorter than the length of the fibrous material under operation to avoid its
separation, so that different parts of the fibrous material thus fed forward are
constantly presented (by being partially withdrawn) to the action of the pointed
surface where it rises into the fibrous material. The fibrous material may,

page_text: if desired, be protruded and withdrawn by a backward and forward movement
of the feed rollers or other feed apparatus, the forward movement of the rollers
or other feed apparatus being greater than the backward or reverse movement,
so as to continually deliver the fibre into the machine.
In describing this part of my Invention I have not thought it necessary to
enter into a description of the mode of imparting a reciprocating to-and-fro
movement to the feed apparatus, or to the travelling toothed surface, nor is it
necessary to describe the mode of actuating the feed rollers or other feed
apparatus to impart a reversing action thereto, as a competent workman will
readily arrange machinery so as to give the requisite movements to those
parts for the purpose of actuating the same in accordance with this part of my
improvements. The effect of working preparing machinery, as above described,
is to cause the travelling pointed surface to have a greater splitting or sepa-
rating action upon the fibrous materials as they are being fed forward into
machinery of this character.
"1
The third part of my Invention consists in an improved method of feeding
" stricks of fibrous material into machinery for preparing fibrous materials
such as is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to Henry Rawson,
before referred to; also in an improved method of feeding "stricks" of fibrous
material to machinery such as is described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me, before referred to.
Also in an improved method of feeding "stricks" of fibrous material to
machinery such as is described in the first and second parts of this Specifica-
tion. When feeding vegetable fibrous materials in the form of "stricks" to
machinery such as above indicated, I cause the feeding rollers or other feeding
instruments to feed the "strick" of fibrous material into the machine until it
is operated upon more or less by the working comb, and then I cause the
feeding rollers or other feeding instruments to reverse their motion so as to
withdraw the "strick" of fibrous material from the action of the working comb,
and deliver it out from between the rollers or other feeding instruments so
that it may be reversed, and the unworked end presented to the feeding
rollers or other feeding instruments, to be taken by them and conducted
forward to the action of the working comb, and the feed rollers or other feeding
instruments may then be caused to continue this movement until the "strick"
of fibrous material is entirely delivered to the feeding comb, and by such comb
delivered to the drawing or delivery rollers. After the "strick" of fibrous
material has been reversed, and the unworked end presented to the feed
rollers or other feeding instruments, a more rapid movement may be imparted
to them to cause them to present the fibrous material to the working comb

page_text: without loss of time; and as soon as they have delivered a sufficient length of
the "strick" of fibrous material for the working comb to commence its
operation, the more rapid movement of the rollers or other feeding instruments
is caused to cease, and the proper amount of movement to feed forward the
fibrous material is imparted to the feed rollers or other feeding instruments.
In order to describe more fully the improvements before referred to under
the third part of my Invention, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
In order to descATOO
the third part of my Invention, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section; Figures 2, 3, and 4 are tranverse
sections; and Figures 5 and 6 show side elevations of a machine for preparing
fibrous materials, having feed apparatus applied thereto, arranged to work
according to this part of my Invention. The operating parts are constructed
and arranged to work in accordance with the improvements for preparing
fibrous materials, for which a Patent was granted to me, dated March 5th,
1862, No. 596; and as the nature and action of the operating parts of this
machinery (although shewn to be actuated by different mechanical means to the
means employed for this purpose in the Drawings above referred to) was fully
described in the Specification of the Patent before referred to, it will not be
necessary for me to enter into a further description thereof here, except so far
as is necessary to describe them in connection with the improved feed appa-
ratus for feeding forward "stricks" of fibrous material into the machine, then
withdrawing, reversing, and re-introducing the same into the machine accord-
ing to this part of my Invention. I would here remark that the following
description of my improved feed apparatus for feeding "stricks" of fibrous
material into machinery arranged to work according to the improvements
described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me before referred
to; will enable a competent workman to readily apply my present improve-
ments in feed apparatus to the machinery described in the Specification
of Henry Rawson, before referred to, or to the machinery described under
the first and second parts of my present improvements in machinery for pre-
paring fibrous materials so as to feed forward "stricks" of fibrous material
into machinery such as is therein described, and withdraw and reverse the same
according to this part of my Invention.
a, is the driving shaft to which motion is communicated by means of the
driving pulley a¹. Motion is transmitted by the pulley a³ on the shaft a
to the pulley 6 and pinion 6, and by the toothed wheels 63, 63, and 6 to
the drawing roller c.
The drawing roller c gives motion by means of the

page_text: bevil wheels c¹, c³, to the shaft d, which communicates its motion by
means of the bevil wheels d¹, d, to the shaft e, which by means of
the wheels e¹, es, es, e, gives motion to the feed rollers f. The motion of
the feeding and drawing rollers f, f, and c is intermittent when the machine
is in operation, the pulley 6 only transmitting its movement to the pinion b',
when the clutch box 65, on the pulley 6 is thrown into gear with the clutch
box 6 on the pinion 6, by means of the cam 6' acting on the lever 68 attached
to the rod 6º passing through the fixed stud 610, on which the pulley b and
pinion 6 revolve. The rod 6º in moving carries with it the pulley b, so as
to bring the clutch boxes 65 and 66 into gear. After the fibres has been fed
a suitable distance into the machine the movement of the machine is arrested
by throwing the driving strap from the fast pulley a¹ to the loose pulley a²,
and the feed rollers are caused to reverse their movement so as to withdraw
the fibre from the machine into such a position that it may be turned end for
end, and then re-introduced into the machine. This is accomplished in the
following manner a³ is a socket upon which are the bevil wheels a* and a³,
and the socket a³ is caused to revolve together with the loose pulley a³, by
means of a feather, which allows of the socket a³ being moved by means of
a lever not shewn in the Drawing, so as to bring the bevil wheel a*, or the
bevil wheel a in gear with the bevil wheel as on the axis g; g' is a bevil
wheel taking into bevil wheel d on the axis d. The axis revolves
within the wheel g¹, and the clutch box g' is attached to the wheel gl. The
axis d revolves within the wheel d', and within the clutch box d³ attached to
it; d is a clutch box revolving with the shaft d, but capable of sliding thereon
by means of a feather; and g³ is a clutch box revolving with the shaft g, but
also capable of sliding thereon by means of a feather, and when the wheel
a³ is moved into gear with the wheel as, on the axis g, the bell crank lever h
may be raised so as to throw the clutch boxes g2 and 9³ into gear, and at the
same time disconnect the clutch boxes d³ and d', when the feed rollers f will
be caused to move so as to withdraw the fibre under operation from the
working comb, and after the fibre has been turned end for end, the fibre may
be reintroduced into the machine, as above described, by moving the socket a³,
so as to bring the wheel a into gear with the wheel a', when the rollers f
will be caused to revolve in such a direction as to re-introduce the fibre into the
machine.
I would here remark that the method of effecting the above-described series
of operations may be greatly varied, as well as the form of feeding instrument
(which may be formed of toothed surfaces,) without departing from the nature of
this part of my Invention. In place of conducting the fibrous material into the

page_text: machine above mentioned by rollers, or other feeding instruments working as
above described, the "strick" of fibrous material may be fastened in a holder,
and such holder be caused to gradually present the "strick" to the
action of the working comb; and after one end of the "strick" has been
operated upon, the holder and fibrous material may be withdrawn, and the
part of the "strick" of fibrous material which has been worked may be
placed within the holder, and the unworked end of the "strick"formerly
within the holder may be presented to the action of the working comb.
I would remark, in reference to this part of my improvements, that I make
no claim to the form of holder before referred to, nor to the mechanical means
which may be employed for actuating the same, 'neither do I claim the use of
holders of this description for the purpose of presenting to and withdrawing
"stricks" of fibrous materials from preparing machinery, in which the fibrous
materials are subjected to the action of sheets of pins, screw gills, or other pointed
surfaces continually moving in one direction, as described in the Specification of
a Patent granted to James Ronald, dated June the 26th, 1855, No. 1457, this
part of my improvements having for its object the adaptation of hooks or holders
such or similar to the holders therein described to the several arrangements of
machinery for preparing fibrous materials described, and referred to under
this part of my Invention; wherein 'a working 'comb is arranged to move to
and fro so as to enter into and 'be withdrawn from the fibrous materials
under operation; or a to-and-fro movement is imparted to the feed apparatus
or pointed preparing surface as described in the second part of my Invention.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to preparing 'machinery, in which
either-rollers or pointed-surfaces 'moving in straight or curved lines present
fibrous material to cthe action of sheets of pins, screw gills, or other pointed
surfaces continually moving in one direction, and consists in so working the
rollers or the pointed surfaces, which present the fibrous material when
working "stricks" of fibrous material, that such "stricks" may be worked,
then withdrawn, and reversed, and the unworked end of the fibrous material
presented to the action of the pointed surfaces (continually moving in one
direction), as described in the third part of my Invention..
This part of my Invention will be more readily understood by stating that
the manner of carrying it into practice consists in applying feed apparatus,
acting in a similar manner to that shewn and fully described under the third
part of my Invention, to screw gill preparing machinery, card sheets or
other pointed surfaces moving continuously in straight lines in one direction,
or to revolving drums with pointed surfaces, also revolving continuously in
one direction.

page_text: "
The fifth part of my Invention relates to treating the "rhea fibre
"China grass," (Boehmeria nivea) after it has passed through a boiling or
steeping process to deprive it of its mucilaginous matter, and consists in
presenting it to pointed preparing surfaces such as are described in the
fourth part of my Invention, by means of the travelling holder described
in the third part of my Invention, the end being reversed as therein described.
When preparing "stricks" of fibrous material it is desirable to separate the
fine fibres situated at the point, top, or "branch" end of the "strick" from the
coarser fibres in the body or centre of the "strick," and again to separate the
fibres in the centre of the "strick," from the still coarser fibres situated at
the bottom or "root" end of the "strick" and to accomplish this at the
present time it is usual to cut or break the "strick" of unprepared fibres
into three lengths, now I prefer to accomplish this by taking the "strick"
of fibrous material after one end of such "strick" has been worked as
described in the third, fourth, and fifth parts of my Invention, and presenting
the unworked end of the strick of fibrous material to the action of the
working comb in another machine; when a certain portion of such "strick"
has been operated upon by the working comb the "strick" may, if desired, be
withdrawn, and the "strick" (the fibres at each end of which have been
worked, and removed in two separate machines) fed into a third machine,
thus assorting the "branch" end, the "root" end, and the middle of the
"stricks" into three separate machines.
And the sixth part of my Invention consists in so operating upon "stricks"
of vegetable fibrous materials as to separate and assort the fibres thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tongue, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
WILLIAM TONGUE. (L.S.)
of 34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane. W.C.