IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING VARIOUS MATTERS USUALLY FOUND COMBINED IN CERTAIN SACCHARINE, SALINE, ANDLIGNEOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
DICKASON ROTCH, of Drumlamford House, in the County of Ayr, North
Britain, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the thirteenth year of
Her reign (being the year of our Lord One thousand eight. hundred and
fifty), did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Dickason Rotch, Her special licence, that I, the said
Thomas Dickason Rotch, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Dickason Rotch, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in Her Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Colonies and
Plantations abroad, the following Invention, communicated to me by a
Foreigner residing abroad, namely "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING VARIOUS
MATTERS USUALLY FOUND COMBINED IN CERTAIN SACCHARINE, SALINE, AND LIGNEOUS
SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said Thomas Dickason Rotch, by an instrument in writing unde:

page_text: my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in Her said 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 thereto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Dickason Rotch, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
to consist in various improvements in the apparatus and the means used for
separating matters usually found combined in certain substances, whether
by the application of centrifugal force thereto or otherwise. And in further
compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Thomas Dickason Rotch, do hereby
describe the manner in which the said Invention is to be performed, by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of one of such centrifugal force
machines as are now used in the manufacture of sugar for separating molasses,
treacle, coloring matter, and other impurities from the pure crystals thereof;
and I will, in the first place, describe the improvements with reference to the
manufacture of sugar.
When the drum A is charged with sugar, and the rapid rotary motion
(say one thousand two hundred revolutions per minute) given to it, and which
is acquired by means of the strap B leading from any adequate power, it is
found that the drum oscillates very unsteadily on the pivot of its vertical axis
C. In order to diminish this oscillation the first of the said improvements,
which is the hanging weight D, is applied as shewn in the Figure, where E, E,
is the bottom of the outer case which incloses the working drum. The part F
has a circular facing on it. H, H, is a socket, at the bottom of which is the
brass step I, on which the lower end of the vertical axis C of the drum A turns.
The top of this socket H, it will be seen, has a hemispherically-formed flange
cast on it, the under part of which rests on the facing at F, and thus acts
as an universal joint, allowing motion to the end of the socket H, and con-
sequently to the step I, in all necessary directions. It will be obvious that the
weight D being attached by the hook K to the lower end of the socket H, will
greatly diminish the oscillation of the axis of the vertical shaft C complained
of, and always have a tendency to bring the shaft into a vertical position.
The second of the said improvements is applied, when it is preferred, to pre-
vent all oscillation of the vertical shaft C, and which condition of the apparatus
would of course greatly increase friction if something were not done to

page_text: diminish it. To accomplish this three small conical friction rollers, as shewn
at Figure 2, are placed under the pivot of the vertical shaft C of the drum A,
and the bearings M, M, Figure 3, .placed above the friction rollers, which
effectually prevents the great oscillation of the shaft.
The third of the said improvements relates to the crystallization of the sugar,
great additional advantage accruing to the effective working of the centrifugal
force system with reference to sugar when the crystals put into the drum to be
separated from their coloring matter and other impurities are of a large size.
In order to effect this object, when the syrups are let out of the vacuum pan,
they must be discharged into very large coolers, say from two thousand to
three thousand quarts, and not poured into small moulds as heretofore. On
the size and shallowness of these coolers, and consequent exposure to the
atmosphere and diminution of temperature, mainly depends the size of the
crystals formed. The syrup so crystallized, when put into the centrifugal
machine, should be of a temperature of from 120° to 125° of Fahrenheit, and
of a density of from 30° to 35° of Beaumé.
The fourth of the said improvements relates to the process of giving
colour to the sugar when moulds are used, for which purpose, instead of using
clay or other means as heretofore, I use a piece of sponge or spongy material,
and a piece of woollen, linen, or cotton cloth, as follows:-I place on the
large end of the sugar loaf, when in the mould, and prepared in the usual way
for the reception of clay, a thick piece of cloth, over which I place a piece of
sponge, the full size of the end of the loaf, and about an inch and a half or
two inches thick, the loaf having previously been twice liquored; I then
pour from a watering pot as much pure filtered water over the sponge as it will
absorb; I continue to moisten the sponge for two days, gradually decreasing
the quantity of water poured over the sponge. At the end of the time the
sugar becomes perfectly refined and white. The proportions I use for liquor-
ing are about two quarts of syrup, at a density of 34°° of Beaumé, and half
the quantity of pure distilled water to every twenty pounds weight of sugar.
With reference to saline substances, which are comprised in the fifth improve-
ment, the first and second improvements as yet described only are applicable
to them, and the modus operandi is as follows:-The salt to be operated upon
is placed in the drum of the machine in a damp state, and diluted with fresh
or salt water. The drum being put in motion, the liquid parts force themselves
out, while the salt attaches itself to the inner wall of the drum, and in this
state the salt is ready for use. If required to form the salt into shapes, metal
moulds are used, having their sides pierced with numerous small holes. These
are filled with salt in a damp state, and ranged round the inside of the drum,

page_text: which is then put in motion, when the salt will be treated, purified,.and nearly
dried, as before described.
With reference to ligneous substances, such as dye woods and the like, my
improvement simply consists in treating them in my improved machine cen-
trifugal, herein-before described, for the purpose of separating their coloring
matter therefrom.
And now having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as
the said Invention is,―
First, the application of the hanging weight D, suspended from the socket
H, with its hemispherical flange, or other contrivance for allowing motion in
the nature of a universal joint to centrifugal machines for separating the various
matters usually found combined in certain saccharine, saline, and ligneous
substances, and for the purpose of preventing or counteracting the oscillation
of the drum on its axis when in rapid motion.
Second, the application of the friction rollers and bearings herein-before.
described to the vertical axis of such centrifugal machines as aforesaid.
Third, the introduction of syrups from large coolers, and therefore con-
taining large crystals, and of the densities and temperatures herein-before
described into the centrifugal machines, whereby a much more perfect and
valuable effect is produced by the said machines than heretofore.
Fourth, the application of woven fabrics and sponge, or suitable spongy
material, as herein-before described, for the purpose of refining sugar. And,
Fifth, the application of centrifugal machines to the treatment of saline
matters, as herein-before described.
And such Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief, entirely
new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, nor in the Islands of Guernsey,
Jersey, Alderney, Sark, or Man, nor in any of Her Majesty's Colonies or
Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of
the same, and that I do verily believe this, may said Specification, doth com-
ply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the
said herein-before in part recited. Letters Patent contained; wherefore I hereby
claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to the said Invention..
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Dickason Rotch, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
(L.S.) THOS D. ROTCH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Thomas Dickason Rotch came
before our said Lady the Queen iu Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.