CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE MILL OR MACHINE FOR GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER ARTICLES COMMONLY KNOWN BY THE NAME OF THE FRENCH MILITARY MILL
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
DEVEREUX, of Cheapside, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom, bearing
date at Westminster, the Eighth day of January, 1824, in the fourth year of
His reign, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Devereux, my exors,
adiñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said Francis Devereux, my exors, adfiors, and assigns,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE MILL
OR MACHINE FOR GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER ARTICLES COMMONLY KNOWN BY THE
NAME OF THE FRENCH MILITARY MILL;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso that if I, the said Francis Devereux, shall not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent, that the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever hereby granted shall utterly cease, determine, and become
void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large anneer

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Francis Devereux, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is a front view of a mill having the front of the case removed so as
to give a more distinct view of the parts within. Fig. 2 is a view of the
upper side, having the hopper and lid or cover of the mill removed. Fig. 3 is
a vertical section through the middle of the mill. The rest of the Figures are
a detail of its various parts, and will be hereafter described. The same letters
refer to the same parts in each Figure. The mill is fixed in a cast-iron box
or case A, A, which consists of three pieces. The bottom, two ends, and back
are formed in one piece, the front B is another, which is fixed to the ends by the
thumb screws C, C. The lid or cover D is the third part, which shuts over the
sides and ends of the box; at each corner of the bottom of the box A, A, is a
projection E with a hole in it, by which the box may be fixed to a frame, or
any other thing of a convenient height. Figs. 4 and 5 are back and front views
of the grinding plate F, which is fixed to the back part of the box A, A. by
the screws G, G, which pass through holes in the back of the box, and screw
into the holes a, a, in the projecting pieces H, H, on the back of the grinding
plate F; on the back and uper edge of the plate F is a recess or cavity I, the
edges of which project level with the pieces H, H, and when screwed to the
box A, A, is ready to receive the hopper J; the lower part of the hopper passes
through a hole in the lid D, and is fixed in the upper part of the cavity I;
the bottom part of the cavity I finishes with a hole K in the front or grinding
side of the plate F, by which means a communication is made for the grain
between the hopper J and the two grinding plates F and L. The articles
when ground are thrown from the plates into the lower hopper T, and fall
thro' a hole in the bottom of the iron case. The faces of the grinding plates
are made a little concave towards the centre, so that the grain may just enter
between them (as shewn in the section Fig. 3). Both grinding plates are
channeled or scored on their surface, as represented in Figs. 5 and 6; one side of
the channels are nearly perpendicular to the surface of the plates, the other in
a sloping direction, and the outer ends of the channels are only about the 50th
part of an inch deep, while those towards the centre are about three times that
depth; the running grinding plate L is fixed on the axle M by means of the
screw nut N and the stud b. Fig. 7 is a view of the axle M, and Figs. 8 and 9
are side and edge views of the nut N; one end of the axle is passed through
and turns in a collar or hole c in the centre of the plate F, the other end of

page_text: the axle passes through a hole and is supported in the frame or bracket O.
The bracket O is fixed to the sides of the grinding plate F by four screws d,d,d,d,
which pass through holes 9, 9, 9, 9, (in the ends e, e of the bracket O), and
screw into the holes f,f,ff, in the ends of the grinding plate F, and by which
means the hole h in the middle of the bracket is kept concentric with the hole c
in the centre of the fixed grinding plate F; consequently the faces of the grinding
plates will be kept parallel to each other. In the middle of the bracket O is
fixed a bush or collar i (through which the axle passes) by means of a screw
nut and steady pin w; the screwed end of the collar i projects through the nut j
towards the grinding plates, and on which is screwed a regulator P. Figs. 16, 17,
and 18 are views of the regulator, and in Fig. 3 it is shewn in section. In
the end k is an internal screw which screws on the collar i, and may be retained
in any situation by the click or paul 7 which acts in the teeth or notches m (on
the end of the regulator) and prevents it from being turned round in either
direction by the motion of the axle; in the other end of the regulator P is a
recess n, in which is fixed a steel collar o. Figs. 14 and 15 are edge and sidė
views of the collar o, and which is prevented from turning round in 'the
recess by the pin p, which passes through the notch in the side of the
collar o, and into the regulator P. Q is another collar which is fixed to the
regulator P with the two screws 7, 9, which pass through the armies 7, 7", of the
regulator, and screw into the holes s, s, in the collar Q, and kept at a proper dis-
tance from each other by the screwed nuts t, t, which also prevents the screw
from unscrewing itself (by the action of the mill); the four arms r, 1, and u, u, of
the regulator also answer for turning round for adjustment. The space between
the regulator P and the collar Q is equal to the thickness of the steel collar R.
Fig. 10 and 11 are edge and side views of the collar R, and also shewn in
section Fig. 3. The collar Q is first placed upon the axle M at v, then the
collar R is put on and screwed against the shoulder at v, and is prevented from
unscrewing by a pin x passing through the collar and axle. The collar Q
must be at liberty to turn freely on the axle. The regular P must then be
put on the axle with the steel collar o, towards that of R; the regulator P
must also be screwed to the collar Q with the screws 9, 9, and secured by the
screwed nuts t,t; when the two steel collars are just touching each other, the
axle M will then be at liberty to turn freely within the regulator. The collar
or bushi (being previously fixed by the screwed nut j in the bracket O),
must then be slid on the axle, and the regulator P screwed on the collar i.
The other end of the axle must then be put through the hole c in the
middle of the grinding plate F, and the bracket O firmly screwed thereto by
four screws d, d, d, d. The regulator P must then be turned backward or

page_text: forward to set the plates properly for grinding; then the click must be placed
in one of the notches m, which will prevent the regulator from turning in
either direction. A winch S may then be placed on one or both ends of the
axle M, and the mill will be ready for work.
Although I have given above a full description of all the parts of the mill so
that my improvements may be the better understood, yet I do not claim it
wholly, but only the invention of the regulator and the method of regulating
the distance between the grinding plates F and L, as well as the manner of
constructing and fixing the grinding plate F.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Devereux, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, One thousand eight hundred