IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR GRINDING CORN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Robinson, of Denton Mill, Carlisle,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR GRINDING CORN
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 1st February 1854, and dated the 8th December 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Robinson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th December 1859.
I, JOSEPH ROBINSON, of Denton Mill, Carlisle, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR
GRINDING CORN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES " to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of corn and such
like mills with a view to obtain more beneficial working and greater
convenier.ce, and the Invention consists of constructing separate
chambers for each pair of stones, and of mounting each pair of stones
within their enclosed chamber on a hollow pedestal or support fixed to
the foundation. For this purpose, a good foundation having been
made, the hollow pedestal or support is to be fixed, and it is preferred

page_text: that such pedestal or support should be of cast-iron and three sided,
having at the upper part a bed plate or tray to receive the bed stone,
but the form and material of the support may be varied. There is an
opening into the hollow support or pedestal to get at the shaft and
gearing which is within it. Around the pedestal or support the closed
chamber is constructed, which it is preferred should be square, and rise
from the foundation to some inches above the upper stone. The
chamber is covered in at top, excepting at an opening to admit the corn
or substance to be ground passing to the cye of the upper stone. The
chamber is a few inches larger than the diameter of the stones. The
meal or other ground substance passes freely out at all parts of
the periphery of the stones into the inclosed chamber, in which there
are inclines, down which it flows to the bottom, where a screw conveys
it away. When several pairs of stones are used in a mill, the supports
or pedestals may be all fixed together, but the floors and other parts
of the building of the mill are independent of the mill stones, and of
the pedestals or supports, and also of the enclosed chambers, and in
order to support the floor of a mill it is preferred to employ hollow
beams opening into the enclosed chambers, so as to allow of air being
withdrawn from such chambers, or the air may be withdrawn therefrom
through suitable pipes or passages. In order to get at the mill stones,
the upper part of each chamber above the floor is mado to admit of
parts being conveniently taken down; and in order to get into the
hollow supports or pedestals, a passage is made through one side of the
enclosed chamber in such manner that the space wherein the meal or
ground matter is received is closed so as to prevent the products getting
to the interior of the hollow pedestal or support.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Robinson in the Great Seal Patent Office s
on the 6th June 1854.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Robinson, Her special licence,
that I, the said Joseph Robinson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Robinson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any timo 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR
GRINDING CORN AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Robinson, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to bo
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 Joseph Robinson, 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 thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object the construction of corn and such
like mills with a view to obtain more beneficial working and greater
convenience, and the Invention consists of constructing separate
chambers for each pair of stones, and of mounting each pair of stones
within their enclosed chamber on a hollow pedestal or support fixed to
the foundation. For this purpose, a good foundation having been made,
the hollow pedestal or support is to be fixed, and it is preferred that
such pedestal or support should be of cast-iron and three sided, having
at the upper part a bed plate or tray to receive the bed stone, but the
form and material of the support may be varied. There is an opening
into the hollow support or pedestal to get at the shaft and gearing which
is within it. Around the pedestal or support the closed chamber is

page_text: constructed, which it is preferred should be square, and rise from the
foundation to some inches above the upper stone. The chamber is
covered in at top, excepting at an opening to admit the corn or substance
to be ground passing to the eye of the upper stone. The chamber is
a few inches larger than the diameter of the stones. The meal or
other ground substance passes freely out at all parts of the periphery
of the stones into the enclosed chamber, in which there are inclines,
down which it flows to the bottom, where a screw convey's it away.
When several pairs of stones are used in a mill, the supports or
pedestals may be all fixed together, but the floors and other parts of
the building of the mill are independent of the mill stones and of the
pedestals or supports, and also-of the enclosed chambers, and in order
to support the floor of a mill it is preferred to employ hollow beams
opening into the enclosed chambers, so as to allow of air being with-
drawn from such chambers, or the air may be withdrawn therefrom
through suitable pipes or passages. In order to get at the mill stones,
the upper part of each chamber above the floor is made to admit of
parts being conveniently taken down; and in order to get into the
hollow supports or pedestals, a passage is made througli one side of the
enclosed chamber in such manner that the space wherein the meal or
ground matter is received is closed so as to prevent the products getting
to the interior of the hollow pedestal or support.
.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows an elevation (in section) of a combination or arrange-
ment of parts according to my Invention for two pairs of mill stones,
the separate chambers for which are placed back to back'; Figure 2
shows a horizontal section of one of them taken just above the main
shaft or axis, which gives motion to the machinery; and Figure 3
shows a plan of the other arrangement with the upper cover of the
mill stones removed. In these Figures the same letters of reference
indicate the same parts, and it may be stated that the section shown in
the Drawing, at Figure 1, of "the left-hand pair of stones (and parts

page_text: connected therewith) is taken vertically nearly through the centre,
whilst the section shewn in the Drawing, at Figure 1, of the right-hand
pair of stones (and parts connected therewith) is taken below the
stones, one of the sides only of the enclosed chamber being removed.
I have not thought it necessary to show the details of fixing the bed
stone, or of the means of feeding the wheat or substance to be ground,
these being matters to which my Invention does not relate.
a, a, is
the foundation of strong masonry to which the hollow pedestal of a
pair of stones is securely fixed. The hollow pedestal for a pair of stones
I prefer to be of cast iron in three parts, and a base plate, as shewn.
But this may be varied, as the same may consist of more or less parts,
or of other material. b, is the base plate which is fixed to the
foundation. b, is the lower part of the hollow pedestal, fixed to the
base plate, and there is an opening in front of this part of the pedestal
in order to admit of the gearing and bearing of the driving shaft being
got at. The lower part or base b', of the hollow pedestal, I prefer to
be rectangular, as shewn. , is another part of the hollow pedestal,
which I prefer to be triangular, or three sided, but this may be varied,
and to be bolted or fixed to the lower part or base b. On the top of
the hollow pedestal is formed or fixed the basin or tray ³, to receive
the bed or fixed stone c. Hence it will be seen that the support for
each pair of stones is fixed to the foundation, and may be separate
from the building or mill; consequently, the mill or building will not
be shaken by the driving of the mill stones. Within the hollow
pedestal the shaft or axis d, of the mill stone, rotates, and it receives
motion from the main or driving shaft e, (which passing through the
lower part of the hollow pedestal) by means of a bevilled toothed
wheel f, fixed thereon, which gives motion to the wheel g, fixed on the
shaft or axis d, as shewn, there being suitable means of adjusting the
step or lower bearing h, of the axis or shaft d, as shewn. By thus
arranging the shaft d, and gearing, within the hollow pedestal, the
same are (though readily accessible) out of the way, and these parts
are also covered in in such manner as to exclude from them the dust
of the mill. The meal or product from the mill stones passes freely off
all round the stones, and falls over the inclined rim i, fixed round the

page_text: lower or bed stone, and then falls on the three inclines j, k, l, by which
the meal or product is conducted into the trough m, from which it is
moved by a screw n. The incline j, is from the back to the front,
whilst the inclines k, l, are in front, and incline from the middle towards
the sides of the enclosed chamber which surrounds each pair of mill
stones and their hollow pedestal. This surrounding chamber o, o, I
prefer to be of wood, as shewn, the upper part above the trough and
all round the inclines being such as to prevent the passage of meal or
dust through it at any part, excepting at the ends of the trough m,
where the trough communicates with other similar chambers. Below
the trough m, there is an opening 2, to admit of the passage of the
engineman or millwright into the base 6', of the hollow pedestal, in
order that he may get at the gearing and bearing. The upper floor r,
is supported by the beams s, which are made hollow at s', and they
communicate by the hollow passage p, with the enclosed chamber
below the mill stones; hence, by connecting the hollow bears s, to a
common chamber from which the air is withdrawn by a fan or other
convenient means, the enclosed chamber surrounding and below the
mill stones may be kept in a state of partial exhaustion, and thus
induce the external air above the mill stones to descend through the
eye of the upper stone, and thence through between the grinding
surfaces. I would, however, remark, that I do not claim to induce air
to pass in this manner by connecting a chamber below mill stones with
a fan or other means of exhausting the air, other arrangements having
a like object having been before proposed. The mill stones are sur-
rounded by a casing v, t, which is to be mado capable of being removed
in parts with convenience, in order to get at or remove the stones;
but when at work, the casing is to be close, except over the eye
of the mill stones, where a tube u descends into the eye, and the same
is to fit the eye, but to offer as little friction as may be, the object
being to prevent as much as possible the passage of air into the cover
and the closed chamber, except through the eye of the mill stone, and
through between the grinding surfaces of tho mill stones.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I

page_text: make no claim to any of the parts separately, nor do I confine myself
to the precise details. But what I claim is, the combination herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Robinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
GEO. PITT,
4, Old Square.
JOSEPH ROBINSON. (L.S.)