AND STURD FIRRE
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Edmund Donisthorpe, of Leeds, in the
County of York, Top and Noil Manufacturer, for the Invention of
ססז
AND STURD FIRRE."
Sealed the 19th September 1865, and dated the 22nd March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Edmund Donis-.
thorpe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd March 1865.
I, GEORGE EDMUND DONISTHORPE, of Leeds, in the County of York, Top
and Noil Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING WOOL, HAIR, AND OTHER FIBRE,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in washing wool, hair, and
other fibre.
Heretofore in apparatus for washing wool and other fibre the fibre after it
has been washed in a bath has been taken either by hand or mechanically and
delivered on to an endless apron which carries it up to a pair of squeezing
rollers by which the soap suds are pressed from the wool or fibre, and the dirty
suds flow back on to the surface of the water at the same end of the bath
from which the wool or fibre is taken to be delivered to the squeezing rollers.
Now according to my Invention I place a partition across the bath near the
end from which the wool or fibre is to be taken, and the dirty suds as they are
pressed out from the wool by the rollers are caused to flow back into the
portion of the bath which is shut off by the partition, and do not fall as before
on to the wool or fibre which is about to be taken out to be passed between

page_text: the rollers. At the bottom of the bath a communication is formed between
the small space which is shut off by the partition and the rest of the bath,
and this communication is by preference formed below the perforated false
bottom, which as usual is placed at the bottom of the bath. The dirty suds
thus only enter the bath below its perforated false bottom, so that the dirt
contained in the suds may be allowed to settle out from them and remain
below this false bottom.
Another part of my Invention consists in a mode of squeezing the suds
from the wool or other fibre after it is taken from the bath; for this purpose
the wool or fibre as it is taken from the bath is placed on to an endless apron,
at the sides of which guide plates or travelling endless vertical belts are placed,
which retain the wool at the sides of the apron and allow a depth of fibre to
be placed upon it. The fibre is to be placed in a continuous and even layer
on to the endless apron, the top edges of the side plates or vertical belts
forming a guide or gauge to regulate the depth of the layer; the endless äpron
delivers the layer to a pair of squeezing rollers, which are provided with flanges
to prevent the fibre escaping from between the rolls at their ends, or the wool
may be otherwise retained from escaping from between the rolls. By thus
delivering an even and continuous layer or sliver of fibre to the squeezing
rollers I am enabled to dispense with the lapping or covering of wool or other
fibre which heretofore has in some cases been wrapped around the rollers, or
with the thick endless fabric which at other times has been employed to replace
the lapping of fibre, the thick fabric in this case being passed "continuously
between the rollers together with the wool or fibre to be dried.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Edmund Donisthorpe in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
EDMUND DONISTHORPE, of Leeds, in 'the County of York, Top 'and Noil
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS 'Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Edmund Donisthorpe, Her 'special licence that I, the said George s
Edmund Donisthorpe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such

page_text: others as I, the said George Edmund Donisthorpe, my executors, adminis-
rators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
co 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING WOOL, HAIR, AND OTHER
FIBRE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Edmund
Donisthorpe, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 George Edmund Donisthorpe, do hereby
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 thereof, that is to say:→
This Invention has for its object improvements in washing wool, hair, and
other fibre.
Heretofore in apparatus for washing wool and other fibre, the fibre after it
has been washed in a bath has been taken either by hand or mechanically and
delivered on to an endless apron which carries it up to a pair of squeezing
rollers, by which the soapsuds are pressed from the wool or fibre, and the
dirty suds flow back on to the surface of the water at the same end of the
bath from which the wool or fibre is taken to be delivered to the squeezing.
rollers.
Now according to my Invention I place a partition across the bath near the
end from which the wool or fibre is to be taken, and the dirty suds as they are
pressed out from the wool or fibre by the rollers are caused to flow back into
the portion of the bath which is shut off by the partition, and do not fall as
before on to the wool or fibre which is about to be taken out to be passed
between the rollers. At the bottom of the bath a communication is formed
between the small space which is shut off by the partition and the rest of the
bath, and this communication is by preference formed below the perforated false
bottom, which as usual is placed at the bottom of the bath. The dirty suds
thus only enter the bath below its perforated false bottom, so that the dirt con-
tained in the suds may be allowed to settle out from them and remain below
the false bottom.
longitudinal coation and Higure 9 a nart plan view of

page_text: apparatus for washing wool and other fibres constructed in accordance with
my Invention.
a, a, is a trough or bath having a partition b, extending transversely across
it near to that end thereof where the wool or fibres after they have been washed
are taken out and placed upon an endless apron c, which in the arrangement
shown is intended to be effected by hand. The endless apron c conducts the
cleansed fibres between squeezing rollers d, d, and by them the dirty suds are
pressed or squeezed out. Now, instead of such dirty suds passing back again
into the trough or vessel a immediately on to the washed wool or fibre about
to be lifted out of the trough or vessel they pass into the compartment e on the
opposite side of the partition 6, wherefrom they cannot again escape to come
again in contact with the wool or fibre except by passing downwards beneath
the false bottom f, f, of the trough or bath a, a, and then up through it; and
by doing so much of the impurities, particularly the sand and heavier portions
thereof, will become separated therefrom, and remain beneath the perforated
false bottom ff. A steam pipe (9) is employed as usual for heating the
wash waters in the bath, and a supply pipe h of the ordinary kind for supplying
water to the bath.
Another part of my Invention, also illustrated by the Drawings, consists in a
mode of squeezing the suds from the wool or other fibre after it is taken from
the bath. At the sides of the endless apron c, on which as already mentioned
the wool or fibre is placed as it is taken from the bath, guide plates are placed,
which retain the wool at the sides of the apron, and allow a depth of fibre to
be placed upon it. The fibre is to be placed in a continuous and even layer on to
the endless apron, the top edges of the side plates forming a guide or gauge to
regulate the depth of the layer, the endless apron delivers the layer to a pair of
squeezing rollers which are provided with flanges to prevent the fibre escaping
from between the rolls at their ends, or the wool or fibre may be otherwise re-
tained from escaping from between the rolls; i, i, are guides or plates fixed to
the frame, one on either side of the endless apron c, c, for carrying the fibres
to the squeezing rollers d, d. These guides or plates i, i, serve to retain the
wool or other fibres from escaping sideways from the endless apron c, c, and by
the use of them I am able, instead of feeding on to the endless apron c, c, a
thin layer of wool or other fibres as usual, to feed on a layer of about 6 inches
or thereabouts in depth; in place of these guide plates, endless aprons passing
round rollers revolving on vertical axes may be employed, but not I believe
so conveniently; is a bar extending across from one of the plates or guides
i, i, to the other, in such manner as to prevent a greater depth of wool or fibres
than is desirable from being carried forward by the apron to the squeezing

page_text: rollers d, d. These rollers may be made with flanges at their ends attached
to and revolving with them, but in the arrangement shown in the Drawings
the guard flanges are made together with the plates i, i, and do not revolve
with the rollers but are fixed to the frame as is shown, and this I believe to be
the most convenient way of arranging these flanges. Opposite the ends of the
lower roller & the plates i are recessed, as is clearly seen in Figure 2, and the
ends of the roller enter into and accurately fit these recesses.
For the upper
roller d, the plates i are not thus recessed, as this roller rises and falls vertically
when at work; the ends of the roller, however, fit closely and accurately up to
the plates i. The rollers d, d, receive movement from the axis k, on which
are driving pulleys actuated by a strap. On the axis k is also a pinion k¹, which
gears with a spur wheel d, on the axis of the lower roller d, which is thus
driven. The upper roller d is geared to the bottom roller by pinions z, z, with
long teeth, and its bearings are carried in guide slots in the frame so that they
can slide up and down, and they are pressed constantly downwards by the rods
d, d, on which, at their upper ends, the weighted levers Z, Z, bear; these levers
are centred to the frame at A, and have upon them the adjustable weights 1.
The endless apron c is driven by a pinion c¹ on the axis of its upper roller;
this gears with an intermediate pinion m, which in turn gears with the spur
wheel d; n is a roller with beaters n¹ on it; this roller is driven by a pulley at
its end, round which a crossed belt passes to a pulley on the main axis, thus
the beaters revolve much more rapidly than the sliver coming from the rollers
d is travelling; they break up the sliver and shake out the wool or fibre, which
falls loosely on to a space prepared for it on the floor beyond. By delivering
an even, continuous, and thick layer or sliver of fibre to the squeezing rollers, as
above explained, in place of a thin and variable layer as heretofore, I am
enabled to dispense with the lapping or covering of wool or other fibre which
heretofore has in some cases been wrapped around the rollers, nor do I
require to use the thick endless fabric which at other times has been employed
to replace the lapping of fibre, such thick endless fabric passing continuously
between the rollers, together with the wool or fibre to be dried.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Edmund Donisthorpe, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty five
G. E. DONISTHORPE. (L.B.)