IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR, WASHING WOOL
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR, WASHING WOOL."-A commu-
nication from abroad by Walter Davis Richards, of Boston, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st July 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WASHING WOOL," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a simple and efficient machine to
supersede the manual process of washing wool. The Invention consists in the
employment of an oval wash tub provided with a longitudinal central partition;.
which does not reach either end of the tub, also of a rotary paddle adapted to.
a horizontal shaft for stirring the wool and cleaning it by dashing it about in;
the water. An endless apron made of wooden slats secured to. bands is;
mounted between two segmental frames, having teeth on their edges, which
gear into pinions, so that the frame an endless cloth may be raised and

page_text: lowered as desired. When the wool has been washed sufficiently the endless
cloth is lowered and raises the wool out of the water, and delivers it to a
pair of squeezing rollers, which squeeze out the water and then deposit it on
an endless travelling apron, whereby it is conveyed out of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st January 1863...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WASHING WOOL,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Inventior and in what manner the 'same was to. be performed,
and cause the sami to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months rxt and immediately after the date of the said :Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, 'that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the natur 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 bereunto:annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to obtain a simple and efficient machine to
supersede the manual process of washing.wool.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention an oval wash-tub is used, and is provided with
a longitudinal central partition, which does not reach either end of the tub;
a.rotary paddle is also adapted to a horizontal shaft for stirring the wool and
cleaning it by dashing it about in the water. An endless apron. made of
wooden slats secured. to bands is mounted between two segmental frames,
having teeth on their edges which gear into pinions; so that the frame and
endless cloth may be raised and lowered as desired. When the wool has been
washed sufficiently the endless cloth is lowered and raises the wool out of the
water, and delivers it to a pair of squeezing rollers which squeeze out the
water, and then deposit the wool on an endless travelling apron, whereby it is
conveyed out of the machine..
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the machine taken in the line x, x,
of Fig. 2, which is a plan or top view of the saine.
A is an oval or elliptical tub, of any suitable dimensions, and provided with
a central partition B, which does not extend the whole length of the tub
spaces a, a, equal in width to the spaces between the partition B and the sides
of the tub being left at the ends of the partition. Cis'a rotary paddle, which is
formed of a suitable and convenient number of blades 6 attached to a shaft c;
these blades 6 are straight a great portion of their length and their ends slightly
curved, as shown in Fig. 1. The paddle C is placed at one side of the partition
B, at about its centre, the shaft c having its bearings d, one on the top of the
partition B, and the other on the top of the tub A, at one side (see Fig. 2).
D is a frame which is formed of two segment sides e, e, connected by cross
bars f. The segment sides e, e, are hung loosely on a shaft E, which is placed
on the tub A at the side of the partition B, opposite to the paddle C. The
outer edges of the sides e, e, are toothed and gear into pinions f, f, on a shaft
F, which is placed on the tub parallel with the shaft E. Between the outer
parts of the sides e, e, of the frame D there is placed a cylinder G, around
which and the shaft E an endless apron H of slats is placed; I, I, are two
pressure rollers which are placed one over the other, the upper roller having
springs g pressing upon its bearings h, the lower roller having its journals in
stationary bearings. The bearings of these rollers are placed in uprights J, J,
one being on the partition B, and the other on the edge of the tub A. The
lower roller I has a pulley i on one of its journals, around which and a
pulley on the shaft E a belt k passes. K is an endless apron, which passes
around rollers 1, 1, at the upper part of the tub A. The upper surface of this
apron K is in line with the bite of the rollers I, I, and the apron is slightly
inclined, as shewn in Fig. 1. The endless apron.K is driven by a band m from

page_text: the pulley i of the lower pressing roller I, the two rollers 1, 1, being connected
by a band m².
The operation is as follows:-The wool to be washed is placed in the tub
A, which is supplied with a requisite quantity of water, and the paddle C is
rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 1, Fig. 1. The rotation of the
paddle C causes the water and wool to circulate around within the tub A, the
curved ends of the blades 6. preventing the wool from being lifted out of the
water by their rotation. By this circulation of the water and wool within the
tub A, the wool is thoroughly cleansed in a short time, and during this cleansing
operation the segment sides e, e, and consequently the endless apron of slats H,
are elevated by turning the shaft E, so that the apron will be above the water
and wool. After the wool has been thoroughly washed, the frame D and
apron H are lowered, and motion being given to the apron by the application
of power to the shaft E, the apron H carries up the washed wool to the pressing
rollers I, I, through which it passes, and has the water expressed from it, the
wool being discharged from the top of the tub by the apron K.
Having now described this Invention of " Improved Machinery for Washing
Wool," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
would observe that I do not claim separately any of the within described parts,
but I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
the combination of the oval or elliptical tub A provided with the partition B,
the rotating paddle C, adjustable endless carrying apron H, pressing rollers I, I,
and endless discharging apron K, for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)