IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF BROOM FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER PULP
Year: 1863

page_text: Engineer and atent Agent, do mereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF BROOM FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
PULP," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of broom for the
production of pulp for paper and pasteboard. For this purpose I make
trenches in the ground of greater length than breadth, the depth of which
varies from 15 inches to 4 feet; the plants are then placed in layers in the
trenches, and slightly damped with water and trodden in by the operator so as
to obtain as intimate contact as possible, and when the trenches are filled on a
level with the surface of the ground, I cover the plants with from 8 to 16 inches
of the ground previously thrown out. Fermentation then commences, which

page_text: is assisted by slightly watering the plants daily, but in in sufficient quantity to
cool the layers. The time necessary for the operation varies according to the
from
maturity of the plant or the season or climate; however, on an average,
a weak to a fortnight is sufficient. If the ground is of such a nature as to
retain the water and prevent its filtering through the plants, I line the bottom a
of the trench with stones, pebbles, or pieces of wood, so as to afford an exit
for the superabundant water. I may also, instead of operating direct on the
ground, line the sides of the trenches in the same manner as a tan pit, and this
arrangement I use when the ground tends to retain the water, which causes
the plants to rot instead of permitting them to ferment only, which is the object
desired. I may also operate in wood cases or barrels sunk in the ground at
one end, in order to cover the plants with a sufficient thickness of earth to
retain the heat of the fermentation. It may also be useful to add between
each layer, according to the nature of the ground and the state of the plant, a
little quicklime which assists the retting, and aids as well by the heat pro-
duced on being slaked, as by its caustic and alkaline qualities in uniting with
the oils and resins which it saponifies.
18
The Invention thus consists simply in the application of the process employed
by gardeners in the construction of hot-beds to retting broom. When the
retting is considered sufficient the plants are removed from the trench and then
washed in plenty of water and allowed to dry, after which they are beaten either
by hand with a stick or flail, or by mechanical means. This being completed
the materials are ready to be stripped either by hand or by ordinary mechanical
means, in order to separate the fibre from the ligneous part, these two matters
being treated separately. The fibre may now be bleached, as also the ligneous
part, or the latter may be previously crushed by means of stampers, wheels, or
other mechanical means, suitable for crushing but not breaking the fibre. In
order to bleach these two products I employ solutions of chloride of potash or
soda, after which they are well washed, when they will be ready for the paper-
making machine. The Invention may be summed up as follows:-
1st. The application of the principle of garden hot-beds to the retting of
broom, with or without the addition of quick lime. 2ndly. The separation of
the fibre from the ligneous part. 3rdly. The crushing of said ligneous part by
means of stampers or other mechanical equivalent without breaking the
fibre. 4thly. The method of bleaching by the application of solutions of
chloride of potash and soda to the fibre and ligneous part of the matters
under treatment.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
5 CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Clark, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT OF BROOM FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER PULP," a communication to me
from abroad by Louis Alexandre Joseph Deplanque, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin,
Paris, Merchant, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Clark, 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 Clark, 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 (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of broom for the
production of pulp for the manufacture of paper and pasteboard.
For this purpose I make trenches in the ground, of greater length than
breadth, the depth of which varies from fifteen inches to four feet, the plants
are then placed in layers in these trenches and slightly damped with water and
trodden by the operator so as to obtain as intimate contact as possible, and when
the trenches are filled on a level with the surface of the ground, I cover the
plants with from 8 to 16 inches of the ground previously thrown out.
Fer-

page_text: mentation then commences, which is assisted by slightly watering the plants
daily, but in sufficient quantity to cool the layers. The time necessary for
the operation varies according to the maturity of the plant or the season and
climate; however, on an average, from a week to a fortnight is sufficient.
If the ground is of such a nature as to retain the water and prevent its 5
filtering through the plants, I line the bottom of the trench with stones, pebbles,
or pieces of wood so as to afford an exit for the superabundant water. I
I may
also, instead of operating direct on the ground, line the sides of the trenches
in the same manner as a tan pit, and this arrangement I use when the ground
tends to retain the water, which causes the plants to rot instead of permitting
them to ferment only, which is the object desired. I may also operate in wood
cases or barrels sunk in the ground at one end, in order to cover the plants with
a sufficient thickness of earth to retain the heat of the fermentation.
It may
also be useful to add between each layer, according to the nature of the ground,
and the state of the plant, a little quicklime, which assists the retting and acts,
as well by the heat produced on being slaked as by its caustic and alkaline
qualities, in uniting with the oils and resins which it saponifies.
The Invention thus consists simply in the application of the process employed
by gardeners in the construction of hot-beds to retting broom. When the
retting is considered sufficient the plants are removed from the trench and
then washed in plenty of water and allowed to dry, after which they are beaten
either by hand with a stick or flail or by mechanical means. This being com-
plete the materials are ready to be stripped either by hand or by ordinary
mechanical means, in order to separate the fibre from the ligneous part, these
two matters being treated separately. The fibre may now be bleached as also
the ligneous part, or the latter may be previously crushed by means of stampers,
wheels, or other mechanical means, suitable for crushing but not breaking the
fibre. In order to bleach these two products I employ solutions of chlorides
of potash or soda, after which they are well washed when they will be ready for
the paper-making machine.
the
Having described the nature of this Invention and the manner of performing
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,--
First, the application of the principle of garden hot-beds to the retting of
broom with or without the addition of quicklime.
Secondly, I claim the method of separating the fibre from the ligneous part
of broom.
Thirdly, I claim the crushing of said ligneous part by means of stampers or
other mechanical equivalent without breaking the fibre.

page_text: Fourthly, I claim the method of bleaching by the application of solutions of
chlorides of potash and soda to the fibre and ligneous part of the matters under
treatment.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)