IMPROVEMENTS IN DAMPING OR WETTING PAPER TO BE USED FOR PRINTING THEREON
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th July 1874.-A communication from abroad by Richard
March Hoe, of New York City, United States of America.
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN DAMPING OR
WETTING PAPER TO BE USED FOR PRINTING THEREON," to be as follows:-
.
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The object of this Invention is to facilitate the damping of paper
previous to printing thereon, and is intended to be employed more
particularly for damping paper for newspaper printing. Newspapers
are printed either on single sheets of the usual size of a newspaper;
or on a long continuous sheet of several thousand yards in length,
and which, after it has been printed on, is divided transversely into
sheets of the regular size. This long continuous sheet is usually sent
from the paper mill in the form of a large close roll of paper, and
in order to dampen or wet this close roll it is usually unrolled, and
after passing the paper through water it is rolled up again on another
°

page_text: beam or roller. This is a troublesome operation, but that of wetting
single sheets is even more so, and when it is a question of wetting
and preparing for printing a sufficient number of sheets for a large
edition of a newspaper, the inconvenience of being compelled to
complete these operations within a very limited space of time will
be self-evident.
By means of the present Invention these inconveniences are much
lessened, and the proper wetting of the paper is considerably facilitated.
To this end supposing a long length of paper in the form of a roll
is to be operated upon the roll is placed in a strong close vessel
which is capable of resisting considerable external pressure. Steam
is admitted therein in order to drive out the air, and when all the
latter is. expelled through an aperture provided for the purpose the
latter is closed and the steam is then condensed in the vessel. The
effect of this will be à rarefaction of the atmosphere in the vessel,
and any
air that may be contained within the folds of the paper will
escape therefrom; then upon letting a quantity of water run into the
vessel it will quickly percolate the paper and thoroughly dampen it.
The operation may be further assisted by allowing a volume of high-
pressure steam to enter the vessel and press on the surface of the
water, so as to assist in forcing it through the roll or mass of paper.
.
Instead of employing steam as the agent for expelling the air from
the close vessel, the air may be removed by means of an air pump,
and when the paper has been covered with the water for a short time
compressed air may be admitted or forced into the vessel, and by
pressing on the surface of the water will still further force it through
the mass of paper. The water may then be run off and the paper
removed from the vessel, and will then be found ready to be placed
in the printing machine.
.
It will be obvious that bundles of paper consisting of single sheets