IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AGITATING THE LIQUID IN LIMING VATS
Year: 1884

page_text: I ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and Wm Clark of
53 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent,
Agents do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR AGITATING THE LIQUID IN LIMING VATS," a communication to me
from abroad by Joseph Benson, McEnally of Clearfield in the County of Clearfield
and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for
agitating the liquid in liming vats whereby fresh lime can be mixed with the said
liquid without requiring the skins to be removed and the skins can be limed much
more rapidly than in the ordinary vat and can remain in one and the same vat
until they are perfectly limed.
The skins to be limed are hung on a rack in the vat of the usual construction.
A. parallel series of pipes perforated along each side are laid across the bottom of
the vat and are connected at one end with a series of boxes or compartments placed
along one side of the vat and at the other with a transverse pipe along the opposite
side of the vat and provided at the ends with valve boxes which contain valves
secured to rods extending to the top of the vat.
A pipe connected with an air pump or other air compressor is connected with a
junction box from which a separate pipe provided with a cock extends to each box
or compartment.
If the lime solution or liquid in the vat becomes too weak fresh lime is added
and the, liquid is agitated by admitting compressed air through the boxes or
compartments into the perforated pipes which compressed air escapes at the
perforations in the sides of the pipes and rises in and bubbles up through the
liquid which is thereby agitated sufficiently to dissolve the freshly added lime. If
lime etc. passes through the perforations into the pipes the valves, are opened so
that the air can rush through the pipes and out at the ends of the transverse pipes
thereby blowing all lime and other sediment that has collected in the pipes out
of the same.
1 The liquid in the vat can thus be strengthened at any time without requiring
the skins to be removed from the vat and the skins can remain in the vat until
they are limed completely.

page_text: .
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I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR AGITATING THE LIQUID IN LIMING VATS," (a communication to me
from abroad by Joseph Benson McEnally, of Clearfield, in the County of Clearfield
and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,) and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
The object of this Invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for
agitating the liquid in liming vats, whereby fresh lime can be mixed with the said
liquid without requiring the skins to be removed and the skins can be limed much
more rapidly than in the ordinary vat and can remain in one and the same vat
until they are perfectly limed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a cross sectional elevation of a liming vat provided with the
improved apparatus on the line xx figure 3.
Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation on the same line looking in the opposite
direction.
Figure 3. is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same on the line y y
figures 1 and 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the same on line ¹¹ figure 1.
Figure 5 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional plan view on the line z z
figure 2.
The skins to be limed are hung on a rack A in a tan vat B of the usual
construction.
On the bottom of the vat, a series of boxes or compartments C which may be
square, circular or oblong in cross section are placed along one of the sides and the
said boxes are connected by pipes D with a pipe E parallel with the boxes C and
at right angles to the pipes D, which pipe E is arranged along the side of the vat,
opposite the one along which the boxes C are arranged. The pipes D are provided
in each side with a row of perforations, the perforations all being about at the same
level. At the ends of the pipe E, valve boxes F are arranged which contain
valves G, secured to rods H, extending to the top of the vat and suitably guided
and held on the sides of the vat.
A pipe J connected with an air pump or other air compressor is connected with
a junction box K from which a separate pipe L extends to each box or com-
partment C. Each pipe L is provided with a cock M. If the lime solution or
liquid in the vat becomes too weak, fresh lime is added and the liquid is agitated
by admitting compressed air from pipes L into the pipes D, which compressed air
passes through the perforations in the sides of the pipes D and rises in and bubbles
up through the liquid, which air agitates the liquid sufficiently to dissolve the
freshly added lime. If lime etc passes through the perforations into the pipes D,
the valves G are opened so that the air can rush through the pipe E, and out
through the ends of the same, thereby blowing all lime and other sediment that
has collected in the pipes out of the same. Ordinarily the ends of the pipe E are
closed by the valves G.

page_text: The liquid in the vat can thus be strengthened at any time without requiring
the skins to be removed from the vat and the skins can remain in the vat until
they are limed completely.
If the skins are changed from one vat to another which is necessary if they are
limed in the vats of the usual construction it takes ninety six (96) hours to lime
the skins whereas in a vat provided with this improved apparatus, they can be
limed in from thirty to forty eight (30 to 48) hours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a vat, of boxes or compartments on the bottom of the
saine, perforated tubes projecting from the compartments and pipes for conducting
compressed air into the compartments, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The combination with a vat of perforated pipes on the bottom of the same,
which pipes connect compartments or boxes and a transverse pipe which is
provided at the ends with valves, substantially as herein shown and described.
3. The combination with a vat, of the boxes C, the perforated pipes D, the
pipe E, and the pipes L, for conducting air into the boxes, substantially as herein
shown and described.
4. The combination with a vat, of the boxes C, the perforated pipes D, the
pipe E, the valve casings F in the ends of the same, the valves G, in the casings F,
the rods H, and the pipes L, for conducting air into the boxes C, substantially as
herein shown and described.
5. The combination with a vat, of the pipes L, the box K, the pipe J, the
cocks M, the boxes C, the perforated pipes D and the pipe E, substantially as
herein shown and described.