AN IMPROVED COTTON BALE TIE OR HOOP LOCK
Year: 1865

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 "AN IMPROVED COTTON BALE TIE OR HOOP LOCK."—A com-
munication from abroad by Edward Victor Fassman, of New Orleans, in
the State of Tinione Inited States of Amoxion
Sealed the 15th May 1866, and dated the 28th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th December 1865.
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 "AN IMPROVED COTTON BALE TIE OR HOOP LOCK," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new and improved fastening for securing iron
hoops on cotton bales previous to the removal of the latter from the press, and
which fastenings are commonly termed "cotton bale ties" or "hoop locks."
The object of the Invention is to obtain a tie or lock which may be cheaply
manufactured, admit of having the ends of the hoops readily applied or
attached to it to secure the hoops on the bales, and which will admit of the
hoops being applied to bales varying in size or dimensions. The bale tie or
hoop lock consists of a cast-iron plate of square form provided with two slots.

page_text: or openings rather greater in length than the width of the hoop. These slots
or openings have each at one end a slit extending out to the edge of the plate
at opposite sides. The plate is cast with two ridges or projections at each
side, and at the inner edge of each slot or opening one end of the iron hoop is
fitted in one of the slots and bent around so as to be securely fastened in it;
the other end is straight, and when the bale is under compression the straight
end is inserted in the other slot and pressed through, so that the hoop may be
snugly adjusted to the bale. When the bale is released from pressure the
ridges or projections sink into the end of the hoop, and firmly hold the same,
the elasticity of the cotton being sufficient for the purpose; the slits facilitate
the insertion of the ends of the hoop in the plate, and the ridges or projections
are cast on both sides of the plate, so that either side of the plate may be
placed against the bale. The hoops may also be adjusted to bales of different
sizes; this is a great advantage as the bales will always vary materially in
size, and great trouble and embarrassment is experienced with those ties or
locks which are used with holes or notches made in the ends of the hoops, as
the latter can only be fastened at certain points.
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 28th June 1866.
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 Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, 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 "AN IMPROVED COTTON BALE TIE OR. HOOP LOCK," a communication to him
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William

page_text: Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a new and improved fastening for securing iron
hoops on cotton bales previous to the removal of the latter from the press, and
which fastenings are commonly termed "cotton bale ties or "hoop locks."
The object of the Invention is to obtain a tie or lock which may be cheaply
manufactured and will admit of having the ends of the hoops readily applied
or attached to it to secure the hoops on the bales, and which will admit of
the hoops being applied to bales varying in size or dimensions.
Fig. 1 is a detached side view of the improved bale tie; Fig. 2 is a section
of the same taken in the line a, a, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the same
with the ends of the hoop attached; Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 3 taken in the
line, a¹.
The plate A may be
projections b, b, may
C, C', represent the
the slots B and beut
The bale tie or hoop lock consists of a cast-iron plate A of square form and
provided with two slots or openings B, B, rather greater in length than the
width of the hoop. These slots or openings have each a slit a at one end
extending out to the edge of the plate at opposite sides thereof, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 3. The plate A is cast with two ridges or projections 6, 6, at each
side and at the inner edge of each slot or opening B.
about one-eighth of an inch thick, and the ridges or
extend out from the plate about one-eighth of an inch.
two ends of a hoop, one end C being fitted in one of
around so as to be securely fastened in it, as shown at Fig. 4. The other
end C¹ of the hoop is straight, and when the bale is under compression the
straight end is inserted in the other slot B and pressed through, so that the
hoop may be snugly adjusted to the bale. When the bale is released from
pressure the ridges or projections b, b, sink into the end C¹ of the hoop and
firmly hold the same, the elasticity of the cotton being sufficient to effect this
end. The slits a facilitate the insertion of the ends C, C, of the hoop in the
plate, and the ridges or projections b, b, are cast on both sides of the plate, so

page_text: that either side of the same may be placed against the bale, and therefore
obviate much handling or manipulation, which would otherwise occur if the
ridges were only on one side. The hoops may also be adjusted to bales of
different sizes; this is a great advantage as the bales will always vary mate-
rially in size, and great trouble and embarrassment would be experienced
with those ties or locks which are used with holes or notches made in the
ends of the hoops, as the latter can only be fastened at certain points.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, I claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the use of the plate A provided with the
slots B, B, and ridges or projections b, b, at one or both sides of the plate,
and either with or without the slits a, to form a new and improved cotton bale
tie or hoop lock as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lanė.
W. É. NEWTON. (L.S.)