IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTure of Sugar
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lauchlan Mac Kirdy, of the Glebe Sugar House,
Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Sugar Refiner, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTure of Sugar."
Sealed the 28th January 1859, and dated the 2nd December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lauchlan Mac Kirdy at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd December 1858.
I, LAUCHLAN MAC KIRDY; of the Glebe Sugar House, Greenock, in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, Sugar Refiner, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
SUGAR," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention has for object the saving of time and labour in certain
processes appertaining to the manufacture of sugar. And whereas it has
heretofore been customary when filling the moulds for the purpose of forming
loaves and of draining the sugar to convey the liquid sugar from the "heaters"
to the moulds arranged in a more or less distant part of the premises by means
of intermediate vessels, which are carried to and fro between the heaters and
the moulds; now, according to this present Invention, frames are provided to
receive the moulds, and these frames are either themselves mounted upon
wheels, or have wheeled carriages provided to receive them, so that the moulds.
can, with great facility, be brought to the heaters to be filled, and when filled
be moved to any convenient distance where the drainage is to take place.

page_text: To further facilitate the filling of the moulds, arrangements may be made to
place the mould frames or carriages at a level under or near the heaters
sufficiently low to admit of the liquid sugar being directly run into the moulds
by taps or spouts, and the discharge of each heater may be effected through
two or more branch pipes or spouts arranged to fill two or more moulds at
once. Thus, if there are four moulds in each row in a frame, the heater may
be provided with four discharge branches, so that all the moulds of each row
may be filled simultaneously. The mould frames are provided with pointed
studs upon which the apex apertures of the moulds are entered, and which studs
thus serve to close the said apertures, whilst the sugar remains liquid. When
the time arrives for draining the sugar, each mould is lifted off its stud, and its
apex is inserted in an aperture provided for the purpose, and the liquid drains
off into a pan adjusted into the bottom of the frame or carriage, and which can
be removed thence when filled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lauchlan Mac Kirdy in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LAUCHLAN
MAC KIRDY, of the Glebe Sugar House, Greenock, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Sugar Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Lauchlan Mac Kirdy, Her special licence that I, the said Lauchlan
Mac Kirdy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Lauchlan Mac Kirdy, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Lauchlan Mac Kirdy, 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

page_text: 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 Lauchlan Mac Kirdy, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention has for object the saving of time and labour in certain
processes appertaining to the manufacture of sugar, together with other
advantages. And whereas it has heretofore been customary in such manu-
facture when filling the moulds for the purpose of forming loaves and of
draining the sugar to convey the liquid sugar from the heaters to the moulds
arranged in a more or less distant part of the premises by means of intermediate
vessels, which are carried to and fro between the heaters and the moulds; now,
according to this present Invention, frames are provided to receive the moulds,
and these frames are either themselves mounted upon wheels or have wheeled
carriages provided to receive them, so so that the moulds can with great facility
be brought to the heaters to be filled, and when filled be moved to any con-
venient situation where the drainage is to take place. To further facilitate
the filling of the moulds, arrangements may be made to place the mould frames
or carriages at a level under or near the heaters, sufficiently low to admit of
the liquid sugar being directly run into the moulds by taps or spouts, and the
discharge of each heater may be effected through two or more branch pipes or
spouts arranged to fill two or more moulds at once. Thus, if there are two
moulds in each row in a frame, the heater may be provided with two discharge
branches so that both moulds of each row may be filled simultaneously. The
mould frames are provided with pointed studs or spikes upon which the apex
apertures of the moulds are entered, and which studs thus serve to close the
said apertures whilst the sugar remains liquid. In some cases the moulds may
be modified to receive two or more pointed studs at the apex of each to facilitate
the drainage. When the time arrives for draining the sugar, each mould is
lifted off its stud or studs, and its apex is inserted in an aperture or socket
provided for the purpose, and the liquid drains off' into a pan adjusted or fitted
into the bottom of the frame or carriage, and which may be arranged to be
removed therefrom when filled, or which may be emptied by means of a dis-
charge outlet. Or the moulds may be originally placed in sockets in the frame
or carriage, the pointed studs being carried by an adjustable frame, by means
of which they are lifted into the moulds and lowered thence, when the drainage
is. to commence.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I have
delineated on a Sheet of explanatory Drawings hereunto appended, and shall
now proceed to describe, a modification of apparatus to be used in carrying out
my improved system, premising that the same reference letters mark the same
or like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a carriage for containing the moulds as
placed in position for receiving the liquid sugar from the heater marked A.
Figure 2 is a plan of the carriage with the moulds in it; and Figures 3, 4,
and 5 represent details which will be herein-after more particularly referred to.
The carriage consists of a lower frame B, of angle iron, connected by iron
straps C to an upper lighter frame D, of bar iron, the last being shaped so as
to support at their upper parts six moulds E. Some of the straps C connect-
ing the frames B, D, are formed with eyes at their upper ends to receive
the hooks of lifting gear when the carriages have to be elevated or lowered
from one floor to another of the building. The lower ends of the moulds E
are received in sockets formed in wooden beams F, fixed across the lower
frame B of the carriage. The carriage is mounted on three wheels, one G;
mounted on a swivelling bracket II, adjusted in the frame B, and a pair I,
mounted on an axle J fixed across the frame B. In Figure 1 the carriage
with (in this example) six moulds, is shewn as placed to receive the liquid
sugar from the heater A. The discharge outlet of the heater is formed with
(in this example) two mouths or spouts K, as best seen in the detail side
elevation Figure 3, and two moulds are filled at once. The six moulds in the
frame are arranged in twos; in Figure 1 the first two are supposed to be
already filled, and the carriage shifted for filling the second or middle two.
The pointed studs or spikes L, for closing the apices of the moulds E, and for
forming draining holes in the sugar are fixed on a frame M, which is suspended
by two rods N. The upper ends of these rods N are screwed and tapped into
the elongated bosses of a couple of bevel wheels O, mounted in bearings in the
upper frame D, and gearing with bevil wheels on a horizontal spindle P. This
spindle P is carried in bearings on the frame D, and is squared at one end to
receive a handle, as indicated by dotted lines. By turning this handle, the
frame M is raised or lowered as required, and the spikes L introduced into or
withdrawn from the moulds E. I prefer in most cases to form more than one
drainage hole in the sugar, and for this purpose the mould is formed with a
truncated apex, as shewn in vertical section in Figure 4, of which Figure 5 is
the corresponding plan. In this example the truncated apex is formed with
three holes, and three spikes L. are provided upon the frame M, to correspond.
The drainage takes place from the surfaces of the conical indentations formed

page_text: in the sugar by the spikes, and it is rendered more free and rapid by the
formation of two or more such indentations. A pan R is suspended from the
lower frame B to receive the liquid which drains from the moulds, and this
pan is itself emptied by an outlet at S.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that I
do not restrict myself to the precise details herein-before described or delineated,
and that I do not claim to have invented every separate detail herein-before
described and delineated; but what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the filling of sugar moulds direct from the heaters, such moulds being
arranged in sets in frames or carriages for conveyance to and from the heaters.
Second, the adapting to sugar heaters of outlets formed with two or more
mouths or spouts, so as to fill two or more moulds simultaneously.
Third, the fixing of the spikes or studs for closing the mould apices on fixed
or adjustable frames.
Fourth, the providing such mould with two or more apex apertures and
corresponding spikes or studs.
And, fifth, the doing away with the old system of drainage by pots, the
sugar being drained off into the pan R, as above described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lauchlan Mac Kirdy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
LAUCHLAN MAC KIRDY. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said Lauchlan
Mac Kirdy, in the presence of
G. B. WINSTANLEY,
Clerk to Messrs.. Davies & Hunt,
Patent Agents,
1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn.