IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL
CHRISTOPHER RANDS, of Shad Thames, Miller; send greeting.
OME, 1,
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster,
the Nineteenth day of December (One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-one), in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Christopher Rands,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Christopher Rands, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Christopher Rands,
my exors, adiiors, and assigns, 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, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
Christopher Rands, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal to be inrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Christopher Rands, do hereby declare that the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
This Invention consists of improvements in constructing, suspending,
and ventilating mill stones.
Figure 1 shows so much of a vertical section of two mill stones as
will enable me to point out the construction and mode of ventilating
the same; Figure 2 shews a plan of the lower stone; and Figure 3
shews a plan, partly in section, of the stones and apparatus combined
therewith. It will be seen that the mill stones have large openings in
them, which is advantageous by reason of removing that part of the
stone which has the slower surface speed, and admits of a fan or blower
being worked within the opening independently of the mill stones. The
upper stone is suspended on axes a, a, in a frame b, b, and the frame
b, b, which surrounds the stone A, is suspended or moves on axes c, c,
by which, like the hanging of a mariner's compass, the stone is free to
vibrate, and thus adjust its position at all times so as to work correctly
with the stone. The under stone B, which is the one I prefer to drive,
is similarly hung, but in the interior in place of the exterior; thus the
frame or plate d, on which the stone is aflixed receives the axes e, c, of
the frame f, and the frame f receives the axes g of the boss h, to which
the axis i is affixed, as is shewn; and it is by this means that motion is
obtained to the under stone, and that stone has at the same time free
power to swing or move in all directions in order to accommodate itself,
and so as at all times to vibrate with and retain its surface correctly
with the surface of the upper stone A. i, is a fan or blower on the
axis, which receives motion by a band from the axis I, which receives

page_text: its motion by a band from the axis i, and it is by these means of
hanging the two stones that they mutually adjust themselves to the
action of cach other, and are enabled to work correctly together. The
stones are surrounded by a case or hoop m. The corn is fed from the
hopper, and falls through the shoot n, and it is projected with the air.
towards the opening between the mill stones. o, is a plate fixed in the
opening in the lower stone, above which the fan or blower works. p, is
an inclined plate fixed within the opening in the upper mill stone, so
that the air will be guided to the opening between the mill stones as
the air is thrown off' by the vanes of the fan or blower. The blower is
formed with six vanes, but that number as well as the form of them
may be varied, so long as there is an opening made in the stone large
enough to receive a fan or blower within it, and capable of free action
within such opening. By this mode of constructing, suspending, and
ventilating mill stones, there is a considerable saving of power, and the
extent of grinding surface is reduced, and when in use I prefer to have
the corn crushed before being fed to the stones.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Rands, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
OTHER (L.S.) RANDS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord 1852. the aforesaid Christopher Rands came
before our said Lady the Queen, in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.