CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING, CLEANSING, SCOURING, AND BLEACHING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES GENERALLY, ALSO IN DYEING, COMBING, CARDING, SPINNING, FELTING, MILLING, OR OTHERWISE TREATING OR PREPARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES GENERALLY
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SENIOR, of Bradford, in the County of York, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George
Senior, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said George Senior, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Senior, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend; within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING,
CLEANSING, SCOURING, AND BLEACHING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES GENERALLY, ALSO IN DYEING, COMBING, CARDING, SPINNING, FELTING,
MILLING, OR OTHERWISE TREATING OR PREPARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES GENERALLY;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said George
Senior; 'shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same-is-to-be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and to cause the same to be inrolled in -Her said
Majesty's High Court Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
George Senior, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof; that is to say :-
My Invention consists of certain new or improved solutions or baths to be
used in place of the solutions or baths commonly used for washing, cleansing,
scouring, and bleaching wool. In washing, cleansing, scouring, and bleaching
wool according to my Invention, I first steep the said wool in a bath of the
following composition, namely, from one to two pounds of carbonate of
soda, two or three quarts of rice water (the preparation of which said rice
water is herein-after particularly explained), and eighteen gallons of water,
heated to a temperature of from sixty degrees to seventy degrees of Fahren-
heit's thermometer. The wool is immersed in this bath until it is sufficiently
acted upon; the time during which the wool is allowed to remain in the bath
varies from five to ten minutes, more or less, according to the state of the said
wool. The quantity of materials herein-before directed to be mixed together
to form a bath are sufficient for operating upon twenty-four pounds of wool.
The quantity of carbonate of soda and rice water vary, according to the state
of the wool; if the said wool be very stained, greasy, and dirty, the larger
quantity of carbonate of soda and rice water, that is to say, two pounds of the
former and three quarts of the latter, are to be used to the bath for twenty-
four pounds of wool; and if the said wool be not much stained, greased, or
dirty, the less quantities of carbonate of soda and rice water, that is to say,
one pound of the former and two quarts of the latter, are to be used to the bath
for twenty-four pounds of wool. Intermediate proportions of the materials
may also be employed, at the judgment of the workman. When the wool is
taken from this bath it is dried, by being passed between rollers, as in the
ordinary method of washing wool; it is next steeped in a bath of the following
composition, namely, two quarts of rice water and one pound of carbonate of
soda to sixteen gallons of water, heated to a temperature of about sixty degrees
of Fahrenheit's thermometer; this bath is sufficient for twenty-four pounds
of wool. The wool is allowed to remain in this bath for a period of from ten
minutes to a quarter of an hour, or until it appears to be sufficiently washed
or cleansed. After the wool is taken from the bath last described, it is dried
by being passed between rollers, as commonly practised in the ordinary method
of washing wool. When the wool to be washed and cleansed is of that kind
known as "greased wool," I submit it to the action of the following bath
before subjecting it to the treatment herein-before described, namely, one
pound of slaked quick lime and eighteen gallons of water, heated to a tem-

page_text: perature of sixty degrees or seventy degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer.
The wool is steeped in this bath for a period of about ten minutes, and after
removal, is dried by pressure between rollers in the usual manner. The
washing and cleansing of the said "greased wool" is afterwards completed by
passing it through the two baths herein-before first described. The rice water
directed to be used in the composition of the two baths herein-before first
described is made as follows, namely, five pounds of yellow East India rice
ground to a fine powder, and one pound of carbonate of soda, are boiled for
about an hour, with sixteen gallons of water. The liquor is strained by being
passed through a sieve, and should be used within three or four days after
it is prepared, or before fermentation takes place in it.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise manner of carrying my Invention into effect, herein-
before described, as the proportions of the several ingredients used may be
varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim,—
Firstly, the use of rice water in the washing, cleansing, scouring, and
bleaching of wool.
Secondly, the use of lime in the washing, cleansing, scouring, and bleaching
of wool, whether the said rice water and lime be used in the manner herein-
before described or in any other manner.
In witness whereof, I the said George Senior, have hereunto set my hand'
and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand.
eight hundred and forty-seven.

page_text: In the Matter of a Patent granted to George Senior, of Bradford, in
the County of York, Gentleman, for his Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING, CLEANSING, SCOURING, AND BLEACHING
SILK, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES GENERALLY, ALSO
IN DYEING, COMBING, CARDING, SPINNING, FELTING, MILLING, OR
OTHERWISE TREATING OR PREPARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES GENERALLY,"
bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
DISCLAIMER proposed to be entered with the Clerk of the Patents of 1
England, pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years of the
reign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth, intituled "An Act
to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for Invention."
I, the said George Senior, do declare, that since I obtained the said Letters
Patent, I have discovered that the Invention which was intended to have been 1
described under that part of the title which is contained in the following words,
"silk, cotton, and other fibrous substances generally, also in dyeing, combing,
carding, spinning, felting, milling, or otherwise treating or preparing fibrous
substances generally," is not of such practical utility as would make it
desirable to retain it in the said Patent; for which reason I am desirous to 2
and do hereby disclaim all that part of the title which is contained in the
following words, "silk, cotton, and other fibrous substances generally, also
in dyeing, combing, carding, spinning, felting, milling, or otherwise treating
or preparing fibrous substances generally."
In witness whereof, I, the said George Senior, have hereunto set my 2
hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
This is to certify, that George Senior, of Bradford, in the County of York, 30
Gentleman, has applied to me for leave to enter with you the above-written
Disclaimer of a portion of the title of a certain Invention for which Letters
Patent were duly granted to him under the Great Seal, date the Third day
of September 1846; and having considered of the said application, and no
This is to certify, that George Senior, of Bradford, in the County of York, 30
Gentleman, has applied to me for leave to enter with you the above-written
Disclaimer of a portion of the title of a certain Invention for which Letters
Patent were duly granted to him under the Great Seal, date the Third day
of September 1846; and having considered of the said application, and no

page_text: objection having been to the same, I have accordingly granted leave to the
said George Senior to file his said Disclaimer, pursuant to the Statute passed
in the 5th & 6th years of the reign of His said late Majesty King William
the 4th, entitled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for
Inventions."
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of March, in the year
of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid George Senior came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Second day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven