IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON. AND FOR CRUSHING AND PRESSING OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE SAID MACHINERY BEING ADAPTABLE FOR LOCOMOTION ON RAILWAYS OR ON COMMON ROADS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles George Wilson, of Blackheath, in the
County of Kent, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON. AND FOR CRUSHING AND PRESSING OTHER
SUBSTANCES, THE SAID MACHINERY BEING ADAPTABLE FOR LOCOMOTION ON
RAILWAYS OR ON COMMON ROADS."
Sealed the 15th January 1864, and dated the 18th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles George Wilson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th August 1863.
I, CHARLES GEORGE WILSON, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON, AND FOR CRUSHING AND PRESSING
OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE SAID MACHINERY BEING ADAPTABLE FOR LOCOMOTION ON
RAILWAYS OR ON COMMON ROADS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a powerful press, worked by hydraulic or screw
pressure, placed horizontally, by preference, the head plate working inside of a
box made to receive the substance to be pressed, the sides of the said box
working with the head plate, and acting as guides to preserve the parallel and
horizontal position of the machine when in operation; and this machinery I
should in most cases prefer to connect with locomotive or traction engine
arrangements, and thus adapt my machinery for locomotion on railways or
common roads, rendering it very useful for cotton pressing in India and other
places. The outer side casing of the box aforesaid I prefer to make of cast
or wrought iron, put together on horizontal tie bars connecting the top and
bottom plates of the press box, the top being formed on and forming part of

page_text: the press cylinder casting. Doors are provided having levers, cams, or other
suitable contrivance for opening or closing the same when required. Rocking
shafts and levers attached to the end of each spring on each side retaining the
whole machine at a parallel position from any inequalities of the rail or road.
I intend to use steam power to work the pumps of the press, or to work side
screws, and for locomotive purposes, with single or double cylinders with
reversing gear, fly wheel, and adjuncts; I can work the said box on four wheels
with side screws instead of hydraulic press worked by an engine fitted with
reversing locomotive gear, flywheel, steering apparatus,an uprightor horizontal
boiler, the same as the ordinary motive power in use for traction engines. The
action of the press machinery in pressing cotton for packing is this :-The
cotton is placed in the aforesaid box through the doors, and upon being filled
the doors are closed and fastened, and the press head set in motion, and con-
tinues its course down to the size of the bale, when the doors at the end of the
box are opened, and the bale bound in the usual way by rope or hoop iron bands,
on the pressure being removed the baledrops through the lower opening door,
when theram head returns to its original position, and the operation continues.
I would here remark that I do not confine myself to any particular design in
construction, or in the working of the box by steam, hydraulic, or screw
pressure, provided such box has traversing side guides (or equivalents thereof)
and arrangements for keeping the whole machine in a parallel and horizontal
position, or otherwise.
of
My Invention it is also intended should comprise the use of any other kind
press not having the aforesaid box and arrangements when such press is
placed so as to be actuated by locomotive or traction engine arrangements.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles George Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GEORGE WILSON, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of Angust, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles George Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
George Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: as. I, the said Charles George Wilson, 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 Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING COTTON. AND FOR CRUSHING AND
PRESSING OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE SAID MACHINERY BEING ADAPTABLE FOR LOCOMOTION
ON RAILWAYS, OR ON COMMON ROADS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Charles George Wilson, 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 Charles George Wilson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The objects and purposes which my improved machinery is designed to
accomplish are to provide a portable and compact but powerful press with
suitable arrangements for the reception and retention (during the process of
pressing) of the substances to be pressed, specially advantageous for pressing
cotton, but capable also of being used for crushing and pressing other sub-
stances, the said improved machinery being so arranged as to be combined
with suitable locomotive or traction engine arrangements for locomotion on
railways or on common roads, and so as to enable my improved machinery to
be readily transported from place to place in a fit state for immediate use,
though parts of the said improvements might be adopted with advantage for a
stationary press without using the locomotive or traction engine arrangements
aforesaid, and even if with other working arrangements, either for steam,
hand power, or otherwise, substituted in lieu thereof.
In order that my said Invention may be more readily understood, I will
now proceed to describe the same in detail by reference to the accompanying
illustrative Drawings, by the words, figures, and letters following, that is
to sav

page_text: ments consist, first, of powerful press mechanism worked by hydraulic or screw
pressure (placed horizontally by preference), the head plate or ram head A
(see Fig. 4) working inside of a box A* made to receive the substance to be
pressed, the sides and guides B of the said box being bolted or otherwise
firmly fixed to and working in V slides, with the head plate or ram head (A)
and through the bottom end plate, upon which the bale is made, acting as
guides to serve the parallel and horizontal or other position of the machine
when in operation. This machinery I should in most cases prefer to combine
with locomotive or traction engine arrangements, as shewn by the Drawings,
and thus adapt my machinery for locomotion on railways or common roads
rendering it very useful for cotton pressing in India and other places. The
outer side casing C of the box A* aforesaid I prefer to make of cast or
wrought iron put together on horizontal tie bars (C"), connecting the top (D)
and bottom (E) plates of the press box (Ax), the top (D) being cast or
formed with or forming part of the press cylinder casting; doors F (in the
case of Fig. 1 shewn by the dotted lines) are provided, having systems of
levers G (or cambs or other suitable contrivances) for opening or closing the
same when required, the said levers being so arranged and provided with the
counterpoise G³ (as shewn by the Drawing) as to act with equal force to open
and close the said door, so that the opening or closing may be effected with
safety by the application of very small manual power, to which end the pin of
the joint G forming part of lever (which levers) work on pins from the
edges of the doors projecting outwards, and having small rollers working in
one direction on the ledge guide H, the lever or connecting bar * connected
at the lower end to the counterpoise G² also work freely on the pins of levers
or connecting bars *3, also connected to the counterpoise, and work on the
pins of hinge joint produced of the doors F. The said doors are hinge-jointed
as shewn by the Drawings. Rocking levers I rocking on centres K, working
in pendant bearings L, fixed to or forming part of the framings, the one end of
each spring M. being jointed to the said rocking lever I, thus retaining the
whole machine at a parallel position from any inequalities of the rail or road.
N, foot board to facilitate the operator's access to the box sustained by the step
irons Nx. I prefer to use steam power to work the pumps of the press, for
instance, as shewn by the Drawing, where the pump (marked O) is worked by
a continuation P of the piston rod of the steam piston, or to work side screws,
_as hereafter described; and for locomotive purposes with single or double
cylinders, with reversing gear, fly wheel, and other necessary adjuncts. I can
work the said box on four wheels, if required, with side screws instead of
hydraulic press worked by an engine and fitted with reversing gear, fly wheel,
*

page_text: steering apparatus, and upright or horizontal boiler, the same as the ordinary
motive power to be used for traction engines.
In order to actuate the press arrangements by steam and by screw gearing
instead of by steam and hydraulic press arrangements, as shewn by the
Drawings, I should use the same press box as before described, except that
the traversing head plate or ram lead should be connected firmly to screw
nuts, one on each side, the traversing motion being supplied from revolving
screws of any required diameter turning in bearings fixed in or to the top and
bottom plates D, E, the said head plate and side guides would be actuated
together by the revolving screws on each side of the press box by the afore-
said nuts; said screwshafts being worked by toothed wheels driven by endless
screws, being driven by multiplying gearing from the crank axle of the
engine, arrangements being made for throwing the same out of gear and the
power used by similar gearing to work the axle of the driving wheels for
traction engine arrangements or otherwise. Hand power, capstan, winch
handle, or other arrangements may be connected in place of the crank axle
worked by steam or other power, as aforesaid.
With regard to the action or mode of operation of my improved machinery,
the same will be readily understood by describing its action for the pressing of
cotton for packing thus:-The press-box A (the details whereof have been
herein-before particularly described and illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings), has to be filled through the doors F,F,after which the doors have
to be closed and securely fastened by the arrangements shewn for operating
in the latch bolts, viz., Q, the handle, centered to the door at Q*, and jointed
to the cross bar R, to which the levers S, S, are jointed, which levers are also
jointed by fixed centres to the door at T, said levers S, S, working the 'latch
bolts. The press head being set in motion is to be continued down the inside
of the box to the size of the bale required, when the door F near the end of
the box, and a door beneath, marked a, is to be opened by the counterpoise
lever ax. The door a being provided with the same latch-bolt arrangements
as the other doors F. The bale is bound in the usual way by rope or hoop-iron
bands, and upon the pressure being removed the bale descends through the
said lower opening a, when the press head or ram head returns to its original
position by using one or more of the pumps as exhaust pumps, or by means
of chains, pulleys, or other connections to be worked by the reverse motion of
the engine or otherwise. When the six-wheeled engine shewn arrives at a
station or position for working, the wheels are lifted from the rails by means
of the jam nuts and bolts (b) from the top of the bearings, allowing the guard
irons c, of the form shewn (adjusted to any height by nut and screw arrange-

page_text: ment, shewn detached at Fig. 4*), to take the weight of the skid d, also,
when drawn over to a straight joint, or nearly so, assist in steadying the
weight of the engine, upon which the same securely rests as a stationary
engine. When the driving wheels are thus relieved from contact with the
rail or road they will act as fly wheels or as wheels for communicating by
driving bands motion to cotton gins fixed on the press or otherwise, or to
machines of any suitable and available character. Or when the screw arrange
ments herein-before described are adopted a drum on the crank axle, or
otherwise, might be made available for the same purposes. The skids are
provided with spiral springs cat the fixed end to prevent any undue weight
being thrown upon the said arrangement of levers attached to the skid, as
shewn by the Drawing. The framing may be made of cast or of wrought
iron, forming a complete frame on wheels independent of other parts of the
machine; or it may be constructed as part of the machinery in the course of
erection.
Having now particularly described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not
confine myself to auy particular design in construction, or in the working of
the press box, whether by steam, hydraulic, screw pressure, hand power,
or otherwise, provided such box have traversing side guides or equivalents
thereof with arrangements for keeping the whole machine in position, whether
horizontal (as I usually prefer) or otherwise, and whether combined or not
combined with locomotive or traction engine arrangements, has herein-before
set forth according to my Invention secured by the Letters Patent aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles George Wilson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
CHARLES GEORGE WILSON. (L.s.)
Witness,
GEORGE MARSHALL.