CERTAIN MACHINES WITH IMPROVEMENTS UPON MACHINES FOR THE PURPOSE OF BLEACHING, WASHING, AND CLEANSING LINEN AND EVERY OTHER ARTICLE THAT CAN BE DONE BY HAND, AND WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO DIVERS OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1807

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SHOTWELL, of the City of New York, in America, now residing in the City of
London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
in and by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-first
day of April, in the forty-seventh year of His reign, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, did give and grant unto me, the said William Shotwell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole
priviledge and authority, that I, the said William Shotwell, my executors,
admors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my
and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said
William Shotwell, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within that part of His said Majesty's United
Kingdom called England. His Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN MACHINES WITH IMPROVEMENTS UPON
MACHINES FOR THE PURPOSE OF BLEACHING, WASHING, AND CLEANSING LINEN AND
EVERY OTHER ARTICLE THAT CAN BE DONE BY HAND, AND WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO
DIVERS OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso obliging me, the said William Shotwell, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain tho
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date of
the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereto
had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Shotwell, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by the Plan
or Drawing in the margin hereof, and as follows, that is to say:-
I construct a wooden box of such dimensions as I may deem proper for the
purpose desired, but generally I prefer to make it oblong, of about three feet
and an half in length, fourteen inches wide, and about fourteen inches deep,
taking care to put the same together so as to render it water-tight, but
making a small hole through the bottom near to one end to draw off the
water when done with, which hole is at other times stopped up by a bung or
other contrivance. To this box I affix legs or feet so as to raise it about
three feet from the ground, and I cover it over with boards laid crosswise,
about four and an half inches at each end, and which I make to project
outwards to any extent, and also over each side, so as to form a table; the
remaining open space I cover over with two flaps, excepting a space of about
nine eighths of an inch; one of these flaps I hang with hinges to the outward
or back side so as to form a door to lift up, and the other is simply laid in
grooves and fastened down by wooden bolts or otherwise.
Into the open
space between the boards I introduce a compresser or washing implement
generally of the shape exhibited in the Drawings in the margin hereof, Fig. 1
or 2, though any other sort may be used if thought proper, and to the
top of this compresser or washing instrument I attach a lever in the manner
shewn at B in the Drawing Fig. 3 and 4, though it is evident that any other
mode of propelling the compresser or washing implement may be employed,
or the lever may be attached in any other way if more convenient. Instead
of having the compresser or washing implement on the above plan, the box
may be entirely covered over with boards, flaps, or doors, as before mentioned,
and pieces of wood may be nailed or otherwise fastened to the inside so as to
form ridges or cleets about one and an half inch from the top on which the
compresser or washing implement may be suspended and made to slide; the
whole of the upper part of the compresser or washing implement will, in this
case, be needless, and the lower part, which will be in the box, is to be affixed
to a lengthened piece of wood, see Fig. 8, which is to be brought through a
hole made in the end of the machine opposite to that at which the letter B is
fixed. This lengthened piece of wood is connected with the lever in the manner

page_text: shewn by the dotted lines C, D, in the Drawing of Fig. 8, or in any other
way most convenient. The foul linen to be washed by this machine is
evidently to be placed on each side of the compresser or washing implement,
which is to be propelled backwards and forwards either by a lever, as before
described, or by any other mechanical contrivance that may be preferred.
If it be convenient to admit steam into the machine, the water therein will
be kept to a proper heat, and the cloaths will be whiter or better bleached
than in the usual way of washing without the application of steam. The
steam may be introduced into the washing machine by means of a pipe
communicating therewith and the boiler or copper, or in any other convenient
mode, and in some cases instead of using a copper or boiler I heat the water
or generate steam by causing an iron or other proper pipe communicating
with the cistern or reservoir of cold water to pass through a fire placed
between such cistern or reservoir and the washing machine, which I believe
to be a new method of procuring steam. In case the steam should be
generated more abundantly than can be readily condensed by the water in the
washing machine, a hole should be contrived in the top of the washing
machine to admit its escape. If required this washing machine may, with
a trifling alteration, be made to act as a churn; in such case 1 take away
the lower part of the compresser or washing implement, and substitute a
suitable sash, which is all the variation required.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1, 2, 3, AND 4.
Fig. 1 exhibits a side view of the compresser or washing implement ;
Fig. 2 exhibits a front view of the same or that part which faces the end of
the machine; Fig. 3 is a side view of the machine complete. A, the oblong
box with small inclinations at each end, as shewn at the dotted lines a, a,
which cause the linen to turn more about than they otherwise would every
time the compresser or washing implement approaches them; B, one way of
connecting the lever to the compresser or washing implement, and the dotted
lines C, D, exhibit another mode; E shews a mortice to support a tenant
board on which the lever B works, which is more clearly shewn by Fig. 4,
which is an end view of the washing machine. I construct another sort of
machine in the following manner, viz' :-Instead of making, as before
described, an oblong box, I form a barrel or box which I place horizontally
on axes at each end, which I prefer to make to turn in friction boxes
constructed in a new and advantageous way, as will be herein-after 'described,
and which I propose as an improvement on Betham's washing machine, and
every other washing machine where axles are used; and the same is turned

page_text: round by a crank at either axle, as may be judged proper, or by any other
way; and I place the said barrel or box on a proper and convenient framing,
as may be seen by Figure 5 and 6 in the Drawing in the margin hereof, to
which I generally attach a box or other convenient substitute immediately
under the washing barrel or box A to receive the dirty water or suds from
the barrel or box, in which there is a hole B to admit its escape into the
box D, in which there is also a hole to draw off the same when done with.
In the aforesaid barrel or box I also make another hole C sufficiently large to
put in and take out the cloaths or other articles to be cleansed or washed,
which I stop up with a cork or metallic or other bung, and which I usually
secure by a bar, one end of which I put under a square staple, and the other
end keep pressed down by pushing it under a half staple, tho' the hole may
be stopped up and secured by any other mode equally convenient. On the
inside of this barrel or box I affix one or more ribs, as in the common
horizontal barrel churn, only where they have holes I avoid them, excepting
one that it may be proper to have next the bung B. I take care also to
round off all sharp corners that might injure the cloaths, and that the ribs
and every part of the inside of the barrel be made perfectly smooth and free
from splinters. Instead of ribs, as above described, the effect derived from
them might be obtained by attaching smooth wooden pins or pegs to the
interior of the barrel. When steam is to be employed in this machine, as in
the one before described, the same must be introduced through one of the
nxes, which must be perforated for that purpose, and the other axle should
also be perforated to permit the escape of any superabundance. If required
this revolving machine may be applied to condense steam for various useful
purposes; it should then be constructed either entirely plain on the inside,
or so as that when it has a little water in it and is turned round on its axis it
produces something like a shower. In such cases the barrel may be made
either of wood or any metallic substance which I prefer for the above purpose.
The machine is, of course, to be placed in cold water, so that as great a
portion of the exterior surface of the barrel or box as may be judged proper
shall continually revolve in cold water, or any other means may be adopted at
pleasure to produce this effect.
My new and improved method of applying friction rollers varies from the
usual mode, inasmuch as that instead of fixing them to turn on individual
axes, I place them loosely within a brass or other case or cylinder, and permit
them merely to revolve round the axle, and I secure them from getting out of
their proper place by having a small groove or grooves, say of about one
eighth of an inch wide and deep, cut round the circumference of each roller,

page_text: into which a projection or tongue, cast or made in the interior surface of the
outer case or cylinder for that purpose, is inserted, which nearly fills up the
groove or grooves in the rollers, and thereby prevents the rollers from moving
to either side; or I accomplish the same end by making or casting the outer
case or cylinder with a rim on each side or end, projecting a small matter
towards the centre, which rims are to be made with holes as near the outer
cylinder as possible to admit wet to escape. When I apply them to purposes
where it would be proper to preserve oil or grease among the rollers, the rims
attached to the cylinder should be made with a turning inwards of about one
eighth of an inch, so as to form a groove, and the rims should, of course, in
such case have no holes. The rollers must also be made smaller at both ends,
so that they may traverse freely under this groove or turning in, and it will be
necessary to have a space through one of the grooves sufficiently large for the
ends of the rollers to pass through into the cylinder, which space should be
closed up after all the rollers have been put in, though it may be left open.
I purpose to apply these friction boxes to various other purposes, such as mill
machinery and sheaves for ships' blocks, and, indeed, in all cases where the
diminution of friction be desirable. I propose affixing the friction boxes in
the washing machine, or in any other apparatus or machinery in which they
may be employed, in a manner which will save much time and labour usually
bestowed in fixing them in the. way now commonly practised, and which I
believe to be a new Invention, though having practised it in America under the
sanction of a Patent I obtained in that country, I am not certain that it may
not have been made known in England previous to the date of this Patent, and
therefore I do not claim it absolutely as a part of my present Patent. I cast
or make the outer surface of the cylinder with small prominencies or other
irregularities so as to make it rough, and I make the interior of the place
wherein the box is to be inserted also rough or irregular by cross carfs or
other convenient means, and fill up the space between the two rough surfaces
by pouring in fused metal, which, when cold, will be sufficiently hard to
answer the purpose intended, but yet not so brittle as to be liable to crack
when in use. The solder or mixture I generally use consists of about 25lbs.
of pewter and about one pound of regulus of antimony. The above mode
may be employed for the affixing of every sort of bush or box.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Shotwell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seven.
WILLIAM SHOTWELL. (L.S.)

page_text: ⚫ AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of May, in the
forty-seventh year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the
said William Shotwell came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery,
and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the forty-fourth
rear of His said Maiesty's reign.
Inrolled the Twenty-first day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
seven.