" MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING BOILING AND RINSING CLOTHES AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS BRADFORD of the Crescent Iron Works Salford in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE
"
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING BOILING AND RINSING CLOTHES AND OTHER
FABRICS to be as follows:-
"
The improved apparatus is constructed in the following manner.
First a
stationary vessel composed of wood, iron, copper or other suitable material,
consisting of two or three compartments or divisions, say for example three
compartments.
The central compartment is intended to contain the linen or other fabric to be
operated upon, and is made of any required size according to the work to be
performed. The two-side compartiments are made of the same height, and of the
same depth from back to front but not more than about one third or one fourth of
the width of the central compartment.
I propose to place a false bottom in the central compartment leaving a space of
about one inch to one inch and a half, so that water when put into the central
compartment passes under the false bottom and rises to the same level in each of
the outer compartments.
At each end of this stationary vessel I secure a suitable upright or pedestal for
the purpose of supporting a cranked shaft or a straight shaft having one or more
excentrics fixed thereon, and also a suitable handle or fly wheel for working the
same by hand, or fast and loose pulleys for working by steam or other power.
This shaft is for the following purpose. In each of the two side or narrow
compartments (which are intended to contain water or washing lye only) I propose
to fix a novel arrangement of valves (hereinafter described) which I propose to
move up and down by the cranks or excentrics above referred to whereby a volume
of water or lye is lifted up in each of the side compartments and poured over the
two divisions onto the linen or other fabric in the central compartment which
volumes converging with each other in their fall exercise a powerful cleansing effect
both during the process of boiling and also during the process of rinsing with cold,
hot, or tepid water.

page_text: It will be understood that I propose that the agitation of boiling (whether
produced by the application of fire or by the introduction of. steam) shall, when
desirable be simultaneous with the raising up and falling over of the water from
the side compartments into the central one, or as the case may be in practise from
one compartment into another.
The valves which I propose to employ for lifting the water or lye as above
mentioned consist of (by preference) three pieces of suitable timber or metal equal
in size to the area of the side compartments the centre piece being fixed to a rod
worked by one of the cranks or excentrics and the side pieces hinged thereto like
the leaves or wings of a table, but with an upward lift instead of a downward
fall, so that when actuated by the excentric or crank and connecting rod it can be
forced downwards into the water with great ease in consequence of the outside
leaves or wings flying upward and thereby offering little resistance, but when the
same is lifted upwards the two leaves or wings spread out and filling the entire
area lift the whole volume of water to the height required. In applying this
water lifting arrangement in connection with a rinsing and wringing apparatus
I propose to work the valves as follows. I fix a suitable roller wringing machine
immediately over the water lifting division, and on the end of the bottom roller
shaft I fix a disc having a crank pin or stud to which the connecting rod which
works the valves is attached, and I thus dispense with the use of a special shaft
with cranks or excentrics for this purpose.

page_text: I THOMAS BRADFORD of The Crescent Iron Works Salford in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING BOILING AND RINSING CLOTHES AND OTHER
FABRICS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention is designed principally to be applied to washing boiling and rinsing
machines to be worked by steam or other motive power but it is also applicable to
machines to be actuated by hand.
The nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
will be readily understood on reference to the two sheets of drawings hereto annexed
and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. on sheet 1 of the drawings is a vertical section through the machine taken
in a direction parallel to the main shaft and Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at right
angles thereto.
The improved apparatus is constructed in the following manner. First, a
stationary vessel a, a composed of wood, iron, copper, or other suitable material,
consisting of two or three compartments or divisions say for example three
compartments b, b, c, c and d, d as shown on the drawing.
The central compartment c, c is intended to contain the linen or other fabric to
be operated upon, and is made of any required size, according to the work to be
performed and in some cases I enclose the articles in a removable open vessel or
cage so that they can be lowered into or lifted out of the compartment bodily for
draining or other purposes when required.
The two side compartments b, b and d, d are made of the same height, and of
the same depth from back to front but not more than about one third or one fourth
of the width of the central compartment c, C. I propose to place a perforated (or
otherwise) open false bottom e, e in the central compartment c, c leaving a space of
about one inch to two inches and a half beneath the same so that water when put
into the central compartment passes under the false bottom e, e and rises to the
same level in each of the outer compartments b, b and d, d.
At each end of this stationary vessel a, a I secure a suitable upright or
pedestal ff for the purpose of supporting a cranked shaft or a straight shaft g, g
having two excentrics h, h fixed thereon, and also a suitable handle and fly wheel
if the same is to be worked by hand, or fast and loose pulleys i, i for working by
steam or other power.
This shaft 9, 9 is for the following purpose. In each of the two side or narrow
compartments b, b and d, d (which are intended to contain water or washing lye
only) I propose to fix a novel arrangement of valves (hereinafter described) which
I propose to move up and down by the cranks or by the excentrics h, h above
referred to whereby a volume of water or lye is lifted in each of the side compart-
ments b, b and d, d and poured over the two divisions onto the linen or other
fabric in the central compartment c, c either simultaneously or alternately which
volumes converging with each other in their fall will exercise a powerful cleansing
effect both during the process of boiling and also during the process of rinsing
with cold, hot or tepid water.
It will be understood that I propose that the agitation of boiling (whether
produced by the application of fire or by the introduction of steam) shall, when
desirable be simultaneous with the rising up and falling over of the water from the

page_text: side compartments b, b and d, d into the central one c, c or as the case may be in
practise from one compartment into another when only two compartments are
used.
The valves which I propose to employ for lifting the water or lye as above
mentioned may be made of an open frame k and two hinged flaps and m as
shown at Figs 1 and 2 or they may consist of three pieces of suitable timber or
metal ¹, 1, m¹ equal in size to the area of the side compartments the centre piece ¹
being fixed to a rod n, n worked by one of the cranks or excentrics h, h and the
side pieces ¹, m¹ hinged thereto like the leaves or wings of a table but with an
upward lift instead of a downward fall so that when actuated by the excentrich, h
(or crank) and connecting rod n, n it can be forced downwards into the water with
great ease in consequence of the outside leaves or wings, m flying upward and
thereby offering little resistance, but when the same is lifted upwards the two
leaves or wings lc, m or k', 'm' spread out or fall down and filling the entire area as
shown in the drawing lift the whole volume of water to the height required. The
valve may be entirely detached from the vessel as shown at Figs 1. and 2 sheet 1,
or it may be hinged at one end thereto as shown at x, x Fig 3 sheet 2 on the
drawings.
In applying this water lifting arrangement in connection with a rinsing and
wringing apparatus I propose to work the valves as follows. I fix a suitable roller
wringing machine immediately over the water lifting division as shown at Fig. 3
sheet 2 of the drawings and on the end of the bottom roller shaft o, o I fix a disc p, p
having a crank pin or stud q to which the connecting rod n, n which works the
valves is attached and I thus dispense with the use of a special shaft with cranks
or excentrics for this purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
A stationary washing boiling or rinsing vessel with two or more compartments
one (or more) of which is (or are) fitted with valves for circulating the water, and
worked by cranks or excentrics, the whole being constructed and operated
substantially as and for the purposes hercinbefore set forth and described and
illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Doted this 20th day of January 1885