IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR TREATING THE FIBRES OF FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES, PREPARATORY TO SPINNING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julius Augustus Roth, of the City of Phila-
delphia, State of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,
Chemist, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND
MACHINERY FOR TREATING THE FIBRES OF FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS,
AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES, PREPARATORY TO SPINNING."-
Partly a communication.
-
Sealed the 5th August 1853, and dated the 26th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julius Augustus
Roth at the Office of the Commissioners of "Patents, with his
Petition, on the 26th May 1853.
I, JULIUS AUGUSTUS ROTH, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MACHINERY POR
TREATING THE FIBRES OF FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS
SUBSTANCES, PREPARATORY TO SPINNING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of and mechanical arrangement for
treating the fibres of flax, hemp, &c., before they are spun.
In applying the Invention to the treatment of flax it is preferred to

page_text: operate upon the flax either in the state in which it generally comes
to the manufacturer to be spun, or in the condition of unretted fibre,
from which the woody parts have been mechanically removed; but, if
thought desirable, it may be operated upon before the boon or woody
part is removed.
The mechanical part of the Invention relates to the use, first, of a
series of combs, and of a frame to which the combs are attached, for
the purpose of supporting the flax, and enabling the manufacturer
properly to expose the flax in a fibrous or unspun state to the chemical
action of certain solutions.
Second, of a vat furnished with a series of pairs of advancing and
receding squeezing rollers, arranged and adapted to the frame just
mentioned, so that the flax may be exposed to a vibratory motion in
the vat; and as it is withdrawn may, by coming under the bite of the
rollers, be deprived of the greater portion of the solution absorbed
by it, and the gummy matter dissolved therefrom.
Third, of a revolving frame, to which the filled combs are to be
attached, in order to be rotated in a heated apartment, and thus to be
rapidly and effectually dried.
The Invention also embraces the art or process of vibrating or
agitating continually the flax while it is suspended in the various
chemical solutions into which it is immersed, for by continually
agitating or moving the flax through the chemical solutions the action
of the solution on the flax is greatly expedited.
In preparing and bleaching flax, whether retted or unretted, it is
preferred to use seven vats, such vats being fitted with frames carrying
squeezing rollers, as above indicated. One of these vats contains an
alkaline solution, which is kept boiling by the admission of steam at
the bottom of the vat; the second vat contains clean water, kept clean
by constant circulation; the third vat contains dilute sulphuric acid;
the fourth vat contains chloride of lime in solution; the fifth vat
contains dilute sulphuric acid; the sixth vat contains a solution of
sulphite of soda, or other suitable substance, for dissolving out the
chlorine from the fibres; the seventh vat contains a solution of oil
soap in water.

page_text: After the fibre has been removed from the last vat the combs con-
taining the fibres are secured to a circular frame, which is placed in a
heated apartment, and is supported upon a vertical axle, and connected
with a belt, so as to be kept constantly revolving. This frame is
intended to operate merely by facilitating the evaporating process,
and thus to be used in connection with the moveable combs for the
purpose of thoroughly drying the flax. The mode of treating hemp
and other analogous fibres will be very similar to the process described
with relation to flax fibres.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Julius Augustus Roth in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 26th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JULIUS AUGUSTUS ROTH, of the City of Philadelphia, State of Penn-
sylvania, in the United States of America, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Julius Augustus Roth, Her
special license that 1, the said Julius Augustus Roth, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Julius Au-
gustus Roth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR TREATING
THE FIBRES OF FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUB-
STANCES, PREPARATORY TO SPINNING," being partly a communication from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Julius
Augustus Roth, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,

page_text: should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Julius Augustus Roth, do liereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
In the manufacture of flax it has been heretofore customary to
bleach the yarn in the woven or manufactured state by boiling the
fabric in alkaline solutions, and afterwards exposing it for considerable
periods to the action of the atmosphere while extended on the grass.
For the carrying out of this process, which has been hitherto deemed
essential in bleaching linen goods, numerous boilings and washings
are required, as well as the use of a large area of meadow land on
which to spread the fabric. Now the chief object of the present
Invention is to expedite and effect an economy in the operation of
bleaching, and to this end I employ a novel mode of treatment for the
flax before it is spun, whereby the flax may be prepared and bleached
while in a state of fibre. In applying the improved apparatus and
process which constitute the subject of the present Invention I operate
úpon the flax either in the state in which it generally comes to the
inanufacturer to be spun, or in the condition of unretted fibre, from
which the woody parts have been mechanically removed.
The improved apparatus which I employ is shewn in several views
in the accompanying Drawings, and consists, first, of a series of combs,
and of a frame to which the combs are attached, for the purpose of
supporting the flax in a loose or open state, whereby the manufacturer
is enabled properly to expose the flax to the chemical action of certain
solutions.
Secondly, of a series of vats furnished severally with a set of move-
able squeezing rollers, in which vats the frame just mentioned, when
charged with flax, is in succession suspended, for the purpose of satu-

page_text: rating the flax. The use of the squeezing rollers is to deprive the
flax, when withdrawn from the successive vats, of the greater portion
of the solution which it has absorbed by being immersed therein.
Thirdly, of a revolving frame, to which the flax combs are to be
attached, for the purpose of being rotated in a heated atmosphere,
and thereby rapidly and effectually dried.
Fig. 1, Sheet I, is a side elevation of the frame for carrying the
combs which hold the flax; and Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the
frame, shewing the combs in their place. Figures 3, and 4, are
partial views, on an enlarged scale, of one of the combs, and shewing
also the mode of securing them to the frame. Fig, 5, is a front view
of one of the spring catches, with which the frame is provided, for
retaining the combs in their proper position.
The comb frame consists of a rectangular cast iron frame a, fur-
nished with a strong hook a*, by which it is to be suspended, and from
the opposite sides of this frame rods b, b, are pendent. These rods are
set at equal distances apart, and are secured together in pairs by a cross
bar c, as shewn at Fig. 2. Between each pair of rods a series of combs
d, d, is placed, and these combs are held in a horizontal position by pro-
jections from one end of the combs entering notches (see Fig. 3,) made
in one of the rods b, to receive them, and by a projection at the opposite
end of the comb entering a recess formed in a spring catch e, (see Fig.
4,) affixed to the opposite rod. Or, instead of this arrangement, the
combs may be connected to the frame by hooks from the ends of the
combs entering lugs attached to the frame, or by any other conve-
nient means. The combs d, are made of brass, copper, or hard
wood, and are shaped somewhat like an ordinary straight hair comb.
The retted or unretted flax is placed upon the teeth so as to hang
with its fibres parallel, straight, and vertical, or nearly so; and above
the teeth, and fitting down upon them, is a retaining bar, which works
upon a hinge, so as to open and close upon the extremities of the teeth,
and thus keep the flax on the combs after it has been once placed
there. The combs are set one above the other at the distance apart of
from two to four inches, and when they are required to be released from

page_text: the frame this may be done by merely pressing back the spring catch e
The frame is suspended by a long cord immediately over the vat, into
which the flax is to be immersed. This cord is attached above to a
hoisting apparatus, so that the whole frame can be lowered or raised
at pleasure.
Fig. 6, is a plan view of the vat, into which the flax, when suspended
from the combs, is to be immersed.
Fig. 7, is a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 8, is a cross
section of the same. In all these Figures the squeezing rollers, and
the mechanical arrangement for working them, are shewn; but in
Fig. 9, which represents this part of the apparatus in side elevation
as detached from the vat, the means for opening and closing the
squeezing rollers is most clearly exhibited.
The vat f, is rectangular, and its dimensions, in horizontal section,
are somewhat greater than the corresponding section of the flax frame
above described. It is made of wood, and lined with lead or copper so
as to be water-tight, and it is of sufficient depth to allow all the combs
of the flax frame to descend into it. Fitted to the upper part of the
vat are two sliding frames g, g, which carry the squeezing rollers
h, . These frames are each composed of two-side bars, connected
together at one end by a cross bar, and provided with lugs at their
other end. Before these side bars are bolted to their respective cross
bars, the side bars of the upper frame are passed through the lugs
formed on the bars of the under frame, and the side bars of the
under frame are passed through the lugs on the bars of the upper
frame, by which means the two frames are linked securely together, as
shewn in the Drawing, and can mutually slide upon each other. The
rollers, are set across their respective frames, and at such dis-
tances apart that when the frames are slidden together the corre-
sponding rollers on each frame will constitute a series of pairs of
squeezing rollers, and when the two frames are slidden apart the
rollers of each pair will recede from each other. These rollers turn
in bearings, with which the frames are provided, and they are made
of brass, and are about one or one and a half inches in dianicter. The

page_text: distance between the pairs of rollers is made to correspond with the
distance between the pendent rods of the flax frame.
In order conveniently to slide the frames g, g, out and in, and thus
open or close the squeezing rollers, a weighted chain i, is fastened to
the cross piece of each sliding frame, and passed over a pulley carried
by a bracket at the end of the vat. The use of the weights pendent
from the chains is to draw cach sliding frame in towards the vat, and
thus close the series of squeezing rollers. The sliding apart of the
frames (so as to open the squeezing rollers) is effected by means of a
pinion wheel, mounted between and gearing into two racks m, m.
The rack m, is carried by the frame g, and the rack_m*, by the
frame. The arbor of this pinion, is carried by a bracket n; bolted
to the side of the vat, and secured to the arbor, is an arm o, which, by
means of a rod, is connected to a treaddle /. The effect of the depres-
sion of this treaddle is to rotate the wheel, whereby the frames will
be slidden simultaneously in opposite directions, and carry with them
their respective rollers. The treadle is made to fit into a rack or
ratchet p, so that the sliding frames and the rollers can be retained in
any desired position.
In preparing and bleaching retted or unretted flax I make use of
seven vats, each constructed and fitted exactly like the vat just
described, and I immerse the flax in the liquid contained in the vats
in the following order--The first vat contains an alkaline solution,
such as caustic soda, of which about fifty pounds are added to two
hundred gallons of water, and this solution is kept boiling by the
admission of steam at the bottom of the vat. The second vat contains
clean water, kept clean by a constant supply and discharge, and is
employed for washing away the matters dissolved out of the flax by the
alkaline solution. The third vat contains dilute sulphuric acid, consist-
ing of about four pounds of acid to two hundred gallons of water.
The fourth vat contains chloride of lime in solution, the strength of
which solution is preferred to be about one degree Beaumé. The fifth
vat contains dilute sulphuric acid of the strength above indicated. The
sixth vat contains a solution of what I term "anti-chlorine" (and

page_text: water.
which will be particularly referred to hereafter), the proportions being
about four pounds of "anti-chlorine to two hundred gallons of
And the seventh vat contains warın water for rinsing the flax.
Having described the vat, and its arrangement of squeezing rollers,
I will now proceed to explain my improved mode of treating flax and
other analogous fibres. The flax frame, with the flax attached, having
been suspended over the vat, as before described, the treadle 1, is
depressed so as to separate the pairs of squeezing rollers; the flax
frame is then caused to descend by any convenient hoisting apparatus,
so that the combs shall pass down between the rollers, and effect the
entire immersion of the flax. The frame is then kept moving up and
down in the vat, in order that the flax may be brought into more
intimate contact with the solution in the vat, and so that the solution
may be made to act thoroughly on every part of the fibre. All this
time the squeezing rollers are kept apart. But when the fibre has
been sufficiently acted upon the frame is required to be withdrawn
from the vat, the treadle is released from the rack p, and the squeezing
rollers are caused to close upon the flax by reason of the drag of the
weights pendent from the chains. The flax, therefore, as it is drawn
up out of the vat by the hoisting apparatus connected with the flax
frame, will, by the pressure of the rollers, be deprived of the greater
part of the liquid which it had absorbed, and which liquid, when
expressed from the flax, will fall back into the tank. The next opera-
tion is to transfer the flax frame from the vat containing the alkaline
solution to a second vat filled with clean water. The flax is here
subjected to the same alternate rising and falling motion, and also to
the same final squeezing, and it is then transferred to the third vat,
and so on to the seventh.
The mode of preparing the substance which I designate as "anti-
chlorine" (and which I employ for destroying the chloride of lime that
may remain in the fibres after being immersed in the fourth vat) is as
follows: I charge a glass retort with three pounds of sulphuric acid
and half a pound of charcoal pulverized, or in that proportion. The
retort is placed in a sand bath, and slowly heated in any convenient

page_text: manner, and it is connected to a receiver by means of a bent tube,
extending nearly to the bottom of that vessel. This receiver is charged
with carbonate of soda or other alkaline carbonate, and water, in the
proportion of two pounds of alkaline carbonate and one gallon of water
to every three pounds of sulphuric acid and every half pound of
charcoal contained in the retort. Heat is applied to the retort until all
the sulphurous acid gas passes over into the receiver; and there unites
with the alkaline carbonate, whereby a solution which I denominate
"anti-chlorine" is formed.
When the flax has undergone the above-described operations, it is
next to be dried. This I effect by the use of a rotating frame, to
which the flax combs are to be attached, and which revolves in a heated
atmosphere.
After the flax frame has been removed from the last vat, the combs
containing the flax are taken out, and secured to the frame shewn in
side elevation at Fig. 1, and in plan view at Fig. 2, Sheet. 2. This
frame is composed of light bracings a, a, connecting together a number
of standards b, b, which are furnished with slots and spring catches (as
above described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5, Sheet 1,) or
with lugs for retaining the combs in their places. The fr me is
mounted upon a vertical axle c, which is rotated by means of bevil
gearing in connection with any prime mover. Surrounding this axle,
and concentric therewith, is a hollow shaft d, (see the sectional eleva-
vation thereof at Fig. 3,) which carries fanners or vanes e, e, for
distributing hot air, which is supplied to the hollow shaft by a pipe f
and passes through perforations made in the shaft, and enters the mass
of pendent flax fibres. Rotary motion is communicated to this fan
shaft d, by a bevil wheel g. (which also drives the axle c.) gearing into
a bevil wheel h, on the shaft d, and by this means the shaft d, is caused
to revolve in an opposite direction to the axle c, the object being to
make the flax meet the current of heated air, and thereby to effect the
rapid drying of the flax. The evaporation of the moisture from the
flax will thus be greatly facilitated, advantage being taken of the loose
arrangement of the flax fibres in the moveable combs, which arrange-
ment is requisite for ensuring the thorough steeping of the flax.

page_text: Fig. 4, Slicet 2, represents in plan view a rotating frame, con-
structed to admit of the combs being arranged in radial lines, one
above another. This mode of arranging them is preferred to the poly-
gonal arrangement shewn at Figures 1, and 2.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into operation, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, the employment of a series of combs for sustaining the fibres
to be operated upon, when constructed and arranged in the manner
substantially as is herein described.
Second, the flax frame, and method of arranging the combs in com-
bination therewith, substantially as herein-before described..
Third, the arrangement of moveable squeezing rollers in combination
with the steeping vats in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Fourth, the method of increasing and expediting the action of the
solutions by constantly agitating or moving the combs containing the
fibres when immersed therein, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the arrangements of rotating drying frames, and the combina-
tion therewith of the moveable flax combs, as herein-before described.
And lastly, I claim the mode of treating flax, hemp, china grass, and
other analogous substances, as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Julius Augustus Roth, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
J. AUGUSTUS ROTH. (L.S.)