IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wright Child, of Halifax, in the County of
York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBRES."
Sealed the 21st June 1859, and dated the 24th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wright Child
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th December 1858.
I, JOHN WRIGHT CHILD, of Halifax, in the County of York, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING
WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," to be as follows:-
The improvements consist in dyeing wool and other fibres when formed into
a connected sliver, by combing, carding, or other straightening means, or in
any of the states of preparation therefrom, to and including the roving
previous to spinning, by conducting or drawing such fibre in a continuous line
and in a distended state through the dye liquid, and thence to suitable washing
and drying means, from which it is formed into balls or other forms desired,
in place of dyeing such fibres in hanks or coils, as is the usual practice.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Wright Child in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WRIGHT CHILD, of Halifax, in the County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Wright Child, Her special licence that I, the said
John Wright Child, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Wright Child, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Wright Child, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 John Wright Child, 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:-.
The improvements consist in dyeing wool and other fibres when formed
into a connected sliver, by combing, carding, or other straightening means, or
in any of the states of preparation therefrom, to and including the roving
previous to spinning, by conducting or drawing such fibre in a continuous line
and in a distended state through the dye liquid, and thence to suitable washing
and drying means, from which it is formed into balls or other forms desired,
in place of dyeing such fibres in hanks or coils, as is the usual practice.
But that the nature of my improvements and the means I adopt in carrying
the same into effect may be fully understood, I will proceed to explain the
same more in detail, aided by the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents a sectional view of a series of troughs adapted to carry out
my Invention.
The wool or other fibre represented by the line a, when formed into a sliver,
by combing, carding, or other straightening means, or in any of the states of
preparation therefrom, to and including the roving previous to spinning, is
conducted or drawn between the pair of rollers 6, 6', to the first trough c, con-
taining a suitable mordant. Through this trough it passes under the roller c¹
contained therein, and thence up between the rollers c, c³, by which com-
pression takes place, and thence the sliver passes into the trough d, also
containing a mordant, and down under the roller d' contained therein, up
between the expressing rollers d², d³, and from the roller d³ into the trough e
containing water, to wash the fibre of the superfluous mordant liquor. In this
trough the fibre passes under the roller e¹, and thence up between the
expressing rollers e, e³, and by the roller e³ it is conducted into the first trough
of dye liquor f, and under a roller f¹ therein, and thence it is conducted
between the expressing rollers f, f, and by them into the next of the dye
troughs g, and in like manner into and from the series of troughs g, h, i, j, k,
or other number of troughs of dye liquid, according to the strength of dye
sought to be obtained; the first of the troughs of dye liquid, by preference,
containing the weakest dye liquid, and the dye in each succeeding trough
being the strongest. I then pass the sliver into a trough of wash liquid / by
similar rollers, k³, and out by expressing rollers 12, 13; then I operate upon
the fibre by screw gill, porcupine, or other straightening means, to lay and
straighten the fibres. And this straightening or laying of the fibres may be
effected before or after the passage of the fibres to the drying means, or before
and after the drying means; and the drying may be by cylinders or other
suitable drying apparatus, from which it is formed into balls or other forms
desired. The cisterns e and 1 may be supplied with water by suitable taps,
and it passes therefrom by the passages e', 1. The dye liquid is, by preference,
supplied first to the trough k, from which it passes by the passage to the
trough j, and so on by the passages j*, i, h*, 9, to the succeeding troughs
i, h, g, f, till it becomes spent or much weakened, when it passes off by the
passages f* to a suitable receiver. The overflow from the trough c is by the
passages c, c. The respective rollers or cylinders b, c³, d³, e³, ƒ³, g³, h³, i³, 1³,
k³, and 13, have corresponding motion given to them by gear represented by
the red lines, or by other suitable means, the axis of one of them being
operated by a steam engine or other suitable power. But in some cases I

page_text: arrange the gear of the rollers so that progressively increased speed may be
given to them. m, m, are taps to the troughs, by which the liquid may be
drawn from them as required. .
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the means
which I adopt in carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details shown and described, as
these may be varied; but what I do claim is, the arranging apparatus
whereby wool or other fibre may, when formed into a connected sliver, by
combing, carding, or other straightening means, or in other of the states of
preparation therefrom, and including the roving previous to spinning, be dyed
by conducting or drawing such fibre in a continuous line and in a distended
state through the dye liquid, and thence through suitable washing and drying
means, to be formed into balls or other forms desired, substantially as
explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wright Child, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
JNO. BANCROFT.
J. W. CHILD. (L.S.)