AN APPARATUS AND MACHINERY TO BE USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES IN AND FOR MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO AND SNUFF, AND FOR OTHER USES; USED IN FOREIGN PARTS
Year: 1798

page_text: POMEROY'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
POMEROY, late of Boston, in the Commonwealth of Massachusets, in North
America, now residing in London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing däte at West-
minster, the Fifth day of June; in the thirty-eighth year of His reign, (after
reciting that I, the said George Pomeroy, liad; by my Petition; humbly repre-
sented unto His Majesty that I had found out and discovered and was pos-
sessed of an Invention or Manufactory, to wit, "AN APPARATUS AND MACHINERY
TO BE USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES IN AND FOR MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO AND
SNUFF, AND FOR OTHER USES; USED IN FOREIGN PARTS;" which Invention was
and is new in this Kingdom, and not publickly known to or used by any person
or persons therein, and would be of great public utility, and therefore prayed
His Majesty to grant to me His Royal Letters Patent for the sole use and
benefit of the said Invention and Discovery in manner théréin mentioned), did
give and grant unto me; the said George Pomeroy, my exors, admors, and assigns,.
His special licence, full power, sole privilege, that I, the said George Pomeroy,
my exors, admors, and assigns, and every of them, by himself and themselves,
or by his and their deputy or deputies; servants or agents, or such others as
I, the said George Pomeroy; 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 my said Invention

page_text: within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such.
manner as to me, the said George Pomeroy, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
or any of them, should in my or their discretion seem meet; in which said
Letters Patents is contained a proviso, whereby it was declared, that if I, the
said George Pomeroy, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, that
then the said Letters Patent should be void, as in and by the said Letters
Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Pomeroy, do hereby declare that the following is a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and of the manner in which the same
is to be performed (that is to say) :-
―
My Invention consists in pressing and at the same time in cutting the
tobacco by means of knives fixed longitudinally on a cylinder revolving round
its axis, to which the tobacco is brought forwards to receive the cut by a
ratchet wheel working a screw, which wheel receives action from a wheel upon
the axis of the cylinder; it may be brought forward to receive the cut in
various other ways. This machine may be variously made, as will be obvious
to any person conversant with machinery, without varying from the principle
I have specified; one way, amongst others, which I propose making it, is
according to the annexed Drawing, of which the following is an explanatory
description :-
Take two pieces of plank or timber four inches thick, two feet broad, and
six feet high, for end pieces (Figure 1st); two pieces of plank or timber for side
pieces (Fig. 2), eight feet long, eleven inches broad, four inches thick, and dove-
tail them into the end pieces at each side three feet from the bottom of the
said end pieces, and bolt them with iron bolts to make them sufficiently strong.
Two pieces for the bottom (Fig. 3), 4 inches thick, 3 feet 4 inches long, 16
inches broad, to be placed one and a half inch from each end piece, and to be
bolted through the side pieces. Two pieces (Fig. 4), for top or lid, and to
take off occasionally, 4 inches thick, 3 feet 11 inches long, and to be placed
so as to leave a space of 1½ inch from each end piece. Two pieces (Fig. 5),
to be placed 4 feet and half an inch from each end piece, 6 inches broad,
4 inches thick, 2 feet long, to be dovetailed or tenanted into the side pieces.
The above forms the frame or skeleton of the machine, with two spaces next

page_text: Then have a piece of iron
to the end pieces 1½ inches, to receive the racket wheel, to be hereafter,
described. Then two boxes or cylinders sixteen inches broad, 3 inches deep,
3 feet 4 inches long, to receive the tobacco for pressing and cutting: A-
thirteen-inch space (Fig. 6), to receive a horizontal wheel, with twelve knives
or cutters five feet from the bottom. Have a beam (Fig. 7), eight feet long,
12 inches broad, and 8 inches thick, which must be tenanted very firm into
the end pieces, it being to contain one or more screws (Fig. 8) over each lid
or top, for the purpose of pressing the tobacco when in the boxes. At each
end piece, and in the very centre of the boxes or cylinder described, have a
screw of 1 inch diameter, thread of an inch ditto, to pass directly there-
through (Fig. 9); in the inch and half space described, is placed the female
screw, 1 inch thick, with a rim thereon of inch thick, in which teeth are
cut, making it a racket wheel (Fig. 10).
(Fig. 11), to have the screw to turn one thread in and then remain steady,
unless turned back, of the dimensions of the box or cylinder; and so that it
will move backwards and forwards therein, it being to push forward the
tobacco towards the cutters by the force of the screw. A piece of round timber
(Fig. 12), 6 inches diameter, 7 feet 4 inches long, which I shall call the hand
beam, which place two feet from the top or lid described. On the side on
which you have your fly-wheel, to be hereafter described, within two inches of
the edge of each end piece, and fastened with such gudgeons as that it will
turn at each end of the said hand beam, place a hand (Fig. 13) which goes
to the racket wheel, so that whenever the hand beam is turned one sixteenth
round it finishes the racket wheel a given distance. At a proper place in the
said hand beam place an iron piece, projecting out (Fig. 14) a sufficient
distance to come in contact with the friction wheels (Fig. 15) on the rim of.
the said fly-wheel, on which iron piece there is a spring which goes to the
screw seam. (Fig. 16), which keeps the hand beam in its proper place. Two
round heads of cast iron (Fig, 17), thirteen inches diameter, 1 inch thick,
with mortices in the rim thereof to hold twelve knives or cutters, which are to
be 16 inches long, and to be fastened into the said heads firmly. In the centre
of the said heads must be a square mortice 1½ inch, for a shaft of that size
(Fig. 18) to be 3 feet long, and pass through the very centre of the side
pieces, which has boxes for its gudgeons, and to receive the heads with the
knives into the thirteen-inch space. On one end of the above described shaft
have a winch or crank of 18-inch purchase (Fig. 19); on the other end a fly
or balance iron wheel (Fig. 20) sufficiently large, on the rim of which must
be 12 friction wheels at proper distances. The manner of working the above
machine is as follows:-Screw up the screws (Fig. 8) in the screw beam

page_text: (Fig. 7), take off the top or lid of the boxes (Fig. 4), place the tobacco
therein and press it down with the screws, then turn the crank (Fig. 19), by
which the friction wheels (Fig. 15) on the fly (Fig. 20) strikes the projecting
iron (Fig. 14), which gives a motion to the hand (Fig. 13), by which the
racket wheel (Fig. 10) is turned a given distance; which shoves the screw
along (Fig. 9), and pushes the iron (Fig. 11) against the tobacco in the
boxes, by which it is constantly pushed towards the knives.or cutters that
shaves it off, dropping underneath fit for use. It is so regulated that it may
be cut fine or coarse, as you wish it. I likewise claim as my Invention the
cutting of tobacco with more knives than one, whether placed horizontally,
obliquely, or perpendicular.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Pomeroy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred, and ninety-eight.