IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOWELS OR OTHER WOVEN FABRICS FOR ABSORBENT PURPOSES OF THE TOILET OR OTHERWISE
Year: 1884

page_text: CHO
acture 01 Towers or other woven
Fabrics for Absorbent Purposes of the Toilet or otherwise.
I JAMES PIM STRANGMAN of Sarno in the Province of Salerno in the Kingdom
of Italy Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOWELS OR OTHER WOVEN FABRICS FOR
ABSORBENT PURPOSES OF THE TOILET OR OTHERWISE, to be as follows:-
==
In general it is found that towels or textile materials employed for absorbent
purposes in the toilet or other uses thereof are imperfectly or insufficiently
absorbent of moisture particularly when new.
The object of my invention is to render such towels or textile materials employed
for absorbent purposes of the toilet or otherwise more absorbent or mere uniformly
absorbent and for this purpose I employ hemp or flax or yarns made from hemp or
flax by the ordinary processes now in use which has been treated according to, or
according to a modification of, the process described in the specification filed by
Charles Frederick Cross in pursuance of Letters Patent No 4984 bearing date the
30th day of November 1880, and the modification of the said process which I have
found to give most excellent results is as follows; viz, I introduce into a closed
vessel or chamber a quantity of the textile material to be formed into the
absorbent towels or other absorbent article and this material I subject to the
action of steam at about a pressure per square inch of from say 15 lbs to 20 lbs
and for a period of from say 1 to 4 hours and I then introduce into such vessel
sulphurous acid gas to the action of which I subject the material for say some 12
to 14 hours more or less, and then the material is taken out and is freely exposed
to the air for a time dependent on the season-after which it is subjected to a
softening process which may be effected either by passage of the material through
rollers or beetling it in manner such as will be well understood by persons conversant
with the treatment of the aforesaid materials.
By such treatment of the hemp or flax or of yarns made from hemp or flax
I obtain an improved textile material adapted to be used as an absorbent for
surgical, toilet or domestic, or other purposes of a highly and uniform absorbent
character which I am enabled to produce at an exceedingly economical cost;
combining comfort with increased utility.
The operation of the sulphurous acid gas on the material should be conducted in a
vessel which if of iron should be provided with a lining of lead in order to prevent

page_text: iron of the vessel staining the treated material or in a chamber built of concrete
lined with an acid proof cement or in a chamber of equivalent construction.
The hemp which I have found to be particularly well adapted for the purposes
of my invention is that description known as Italian hemp and I more especially
prefer for the purpose the hemp which is largely grown in the Neapolitan
Provinces of the Kingdom of Italy and there known as Canape di Napoli '
(Naples Hemp) on account of its superior quality and the texture of its fibre.
P
The textile material thus treated to render it uniformly and thoroughly
absorbent is then spun into yarns which are woven into the fabric for towels or
other absorbent article in the ordinary manner but that I omit what is known as
the dressing operation.
Should a "higher" or whiter color than that which is obtained by the employ-
ment of Mr Cross's invention before referred to, be desired, this may be obtained
by submitting the yarns or fabrics after such treatment to acid and chlorine dips
or treatinents as is well understood and by further exposure to the air generally
known as grassing as is practiced in bleaching fields.

page_text: Fabrics for Absorbent Purposes of the Toilet or otherwise.
I JAMES PIM STRANGMAN of Sarno in the Province of Salerno in the Kingdom
of Italy Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TOWELS OR OTHER WOVEN FABRICS FOR
ABSORBENT PURPOSES OF THE TOILET OR OTHERWISE, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
In general it is found that towels or textile materials of other kinds or
descriptions employed for absorbent purposes in the toilet or textile materials put
to other uses where such absorbent property thereof is a desirable quality, are only
imperfectly, or insufficiently absorbent of moisture and this defect is particularly
noticeable when the goods are new.
This invention is particularly adapted to the treatment of flax or hemp or yarn
made therefrom to be manufactured into towels or other woven fabrics or other
fabrics for the toilet or other uses such for instance as the manufacture of tubing
or woven hose for the conveyance of liquids, the preparation of textiles intended
to be saturated or covered with a waterproof solution, such for instance as canvas
for the manufacture of railway waggon covers, tarpaulins and coverings for other
vehicles and for other uses also flax and hemp textiles intended to be treated with
water-proofing materials, and other uses where the textile material of flax or hemp
is desired to be rendered very absorbent.
In order to the attainment of this object of rendering such towels or other
textile materials employed for absorbent purposes of the toilet or textile materials
for use otherwise, more absorbent or more uniformly absorbent I proceed as follows
I employ hemp or flax, or yarn made from hemp or flax by the processes now
ordinarily in use for the purpose-which has been treated according to, or according
to a modification of, the process described in the specification of Letters Patent
granted to Charles Frederick Cross bearing date the 30th day of November 1880,
N° 4984, and the modification of the said process which I have found to give most
excellent results is as follows; viz. I introduce into a closed vessel or chamber a
quantity of the textile material to be formed into the absorbent towels or other
absorbent article and this material I subject to the action of steam at about a
pressure per square inch of from say 1.5 lbs to 20 lbs and for a period of from say
1 to 4 hours and I then introduce into such vessel sulphurous acid gas to the
action of which I subject the material for say some 12 to 24 hours more or less
and then the material treated is taken out and freely exposed to the air for a time
dependent upon the season after which it is subjected to a softening process which
may be effected either by the passage of the material through rollers or beetling it
in manner such as will be well understood by persons conversant with the
treatment of the aforesaid materials,
If upon examination, or experiment upon a sample, of the material it should be
found to be insufficiently absorbent I then submit it to, or again to, the patented
process of Charles Frederick Cross herein before referred to,

page_text: I have found in practice that there is a considerable difference or variation in the
nature or character of the flax or hemp treated, as flax or hemp grown in different
localities varies in its character and consequently the same exact treatment cannot
be invariably applied but that certain variations easily ascertainable by treating a
small batch or sample are adapted to give better or quicker results when employed!
on certain varieties of flax or hemp.
اب
I do not therefore confine myself to this use or non use of this process of
Charles Frederick Cross in combination with the process of treating the flax or
hemp material previously described.
By the treatment of the flax or hemp, either as yarn or otherwise, I have herein-
before set forth, I obtain an improved textile material adapted to be used as an
absorbent for surgical, toilet, or domestic or other purposes of a highly and uniform
absorbent character which I am enabled to produce at an exceedingly economical
cost; combining comfort with increased utility.
The operation of the sulphurous acid gas on the material should be conducted in
a vessel which if of iron should be provided with a lining of lead in order to
prevent iron of the vessel staining the treated material or in a chamber built
of concrete lined with an acid proof cement, or in a chamber of equivalent
construction.
The hemp which I have found to be particularly well adapted for the purposes
of my invention is that description known as Italian hemp and I more especially
prefer for the purpose the hemp which is largely grown in the Neapolitan Provinces
of the Kingdom of Italy and there known as "Canape di Napoli" (Naples Hemp)
on account of its superior quality and the texture of its fibre.
The textile material thus treated to render it uniformly and thoroughly absorbent
is then spun into yarns which are woven into the fabric for towels or other article
desired to be absorbent in character, in the ordinary manner but with the exception
that I omit what is known as the dressing operation.
Should a higher or whiter colour than that which is obtained by the employment
of the process which is subject of Letters Patent to Mr Cross herein before referred
to, be desired to be obtained this may be effected by submitting the yarns or fabrics
after such treatment to acid and chlorine dips or treatment as is well understood
and by further exposure to the air-generally known as grassing as is practised in
bleaching fields.
Having now particularly desired 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
The manufacture and use of absorbent hemp or flax in the manufacture of towels
or other woven fabrics for absorbent purposes of the toilet, or otherwise, according
Dated this 26th day of August 1885.
¨WN BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the said James Pim Strangman.