A NEW MACHINE FOR SCOURING AND CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Oowan and James Douglas Cowan, of
the Thames Tunnel Flour Mills, Rotherhithe, S.E., Corn Millers,
for the Invention of "A NEW MACHINE FOR SCOURING AND CLEANING
WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN."
Sealed the 9th January 1672, and dated the 14th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Cowan and
James Douglas Cowan at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th October 1871.
We, THOMAS COWAN and JAMES DOUGLAS COWAN, of the Thames
Tunnel Flour Mills, Rotherhithe, S.E., Corn Millers, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW MACHINE FOR SCOURING AND
CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in constructing and arranging a machine for
scouring and cleaning wheat and other grain so as to free it from all
substances that are unfitted to be reduced to flour or meal.

page_text: "
This machine consists of a number of beaters within a cylinder of
stones. The beaters are short pieces of metal (by preference of steel)
hung upon and projecting about 2 or 3 inches from vertical rods,
several (as for instance 6) of which rods are disposed around a spindlo
carrying the top and the bottom iron plates to which the vertical rods are 5
secured. The beaters form a sort of metal fringe upon the vertical rods,
and whilst the spindle is revolving rapidly the centrifugal action extends
them outwards so that they are nearly in contact with the stone face of
the cylinder, and being in themselves of some weight and strength they
have the necessary force for scouring the grain against the cylinder, and 1
consisting of numerous separate pieces of metal of about a quarter of
an inch diameter and not rigidly fixed upon the rods they afford the
desirable amount of flexibility and passage for the air.
For the escape of the air and of some portion of the matter removed
from the grain the lower part of the cylinder for the height of about 1
6 inches is not faced with stone but with wire gauze, leaving a hollow
space between it and an iron hoop, a wood caseing forming the lower
part of the outside cylinder, and in the flooring within this annular
space holes are cut, putting this space in communication with a fan
arranged so as both to suck the air and the dust from this space, and also 2
to suck the light dust up from the scoured grain which is made to pass
under it.
The stone for the cylinder may be of Derbyshire Peak stone or other
suitable stone, and is secured in a metal framework so that the several
portions of it may be dealt with for replacing a faulty piece or for 2
adjusting the inner face of the cylinder as may be necessary to compen-
sate for any wearing away of it or of the ends of the beaters; or on the
other hand the rods bearing the beaters may be arranged so that
they may be brought a little further outwards so as to supply a like
remedy.
The action of the machine is in principle the same as that of a vertical
smutter. The grain being fed in at the top is thrown against the face of
the cylinder by the centrifugal action of the rods and the beaters, and
its attrition by the beaters and against the stone deprives wheat for
instance of its beard-like end and any grain of much of its outer skin, 3
and disengages any other matter which the ordinary smutter is unable to
affect, but which, as is well known, is injurious to the flour. The scoured

page_text: grain falls to the bottom within the wire gauze, and is thence carried by
a shoot under the fan and into an ordinary screen, where the seed and the
dirt which has been disengaged but is too heavy to be taken up by the
fan arc sifted off.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Thomas Cowan and James Douglas Cowan in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, WC, THOMAS
COWAN and JAMES DOUGLAS COWAN, of the Thames Tunnel Flour Mills,
Rotherhithe, Corn Millers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Cowan and James
Douglas Cowan, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas Cowan
and James Douglas Cowan, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Thomas Cowan and James Douglas Cowan,
our 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 "A NEW MACHINE FOR SCOURING AND CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Cowan and
James Douglas Cowan, our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 we, the said Thomas Cowan and James
Douglas Cowan, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly

page_text: described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of illustrative Drawings and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
-
The Invention consists in constructing and arranging a machine for
scouring and cleaning wheat and other grain so as to free it from all
substances that are unfitted to be reduced to flour or meal.
This machine consists of a number of beaters within a cylinder of
stones. The beaters are short pieces of metal (by preference of steel)
hung upon and projecting about two or three inches from vertical rods,
several (as for instance 6) of which rods are disposed around a spindle
carrying the top and the bottom iron plates, to which the vertical rods
are secured. The beaters form a sort of metal fringe upon the vertical
rods, and whilst the spindle is revolving rapidly the centrifugal action
extends them outwards so that they are nearly in contact with the stone
face of the cylinder, and being in themselves of some weight and strength
they have the necessary force for scouring the grain against the cylinder,
and consisting of numerous separate pieces of metal of about ¼-inch
diam., and not rigidly fixed upon the rod, they afford the desirable
amount of flexibility and passage for the air.
For the escape of the air and of some portion of the matter removed
from the grain the lower part of the cylinder, for the height of about
six inches, is not faced with stone but with wire gauze, leaving a hollow
space between it and an iron hoop or wood casing, forming the lower
part of the outside of the cylinder, and in the flooring within this annular
space holes are cut, putting this space in communication with a fan
arranged so as both to suck the air and the dust from this space, and also
to suck the light dust up from the scoured grain which is made to pass
under it.
The stone for the cylinder may be of Derbyshire Peak stone or other
suitable stone, and is secured in a metal framework so that the several
portions of it may be dealt with for replacing a faulty piece or for
adjusting the inner face of the cylinder as may be necessary to com-
pensate for any wearing away of it or of the ends of the beaters; or on
the other hand the rods bearing the beaters may be arranged so that they
may be brought a little further outwards so as to supply a like remedy.
The action of the machine is in principle the same as that of a vertical
smutter; the grain being fed in at the top is thrown against the face of

page_text: the cylinder by the centrifugal action of the rods and the beaters, and
its attrition by the beaters and against the stone deprives wheat, for
instance, of its beard-like end, and any grain of much of its outer skin,
and disengages any other matter which the ordinary smutter is unable
to affect, but which, as is well known, is injurious to the flour. The
scoured grain falls to the bottom within the wire gauze cylinder, and is
thence carried by a shoot under the fan and into any ordinary screen,
where the seed and the dirt which has been disengaged, but is too heavy
to be taken up by the fan. are sifted off*

page_text: from amongst the scoured corn, passing through the discharge spout 19,
so that the corn finally delivered from 19 is, having regard to quality, in
the best condition for being reduced into meal and flour. 20, discharge
passage from the fan 18; 21, shoot for supplying grain to the improved
Scourer. As above mentioned, the grain is allowed to fall into the
cylinder and is thereupon, by the action of the beaters, thrown against
the face of the cylinder of stones in such manner that when it reaches
the bottom 'it is thoroughly freed from the thin outer skin, fluff, and
other extraneous and objectionable matters.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and parti-
cularized the same by details which answer well in practice, we would
have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact details
described and shown. As instances we may mention (1) that instead of
having both the segmental stones and vertical rods with beaters
adjustable, one only of these may be so fitted; (2) that several support-
ing plates may be used; (3) that the fan may be placed on a separate
spindle; (4) that the wire gauze and space at the bottom may be
dispensed with; (5) that the number of vertical rods with beaters may
be varied; (6) the top and bottom plates may consist of radial arms.
But what we claim as our Invention is, the combination and arrange-
ment of parts operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes
set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Cowan and James Douglas
Cowan, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Twelfth day
of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred :
and seventy-two.