IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART, of 3 Mona Villas, Church Road, Chorlton-cum-
Hardy, Manchester in the county of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM WASHING MACHINES and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention relates to Washing Machines of that class of which the principal
purifying or cleansing agent is Steam.
Previous to my Invention the washing of clothes was effected by placing them
in a Cylindrical or Spherical vessel of metal which was punctured in various places
on its surface in order to admit Steam and Water, and which revolved on its axis
in a tank made expressly for it, and filled to such an extent with water that the
The
periphery of the Cylinder or Globe might be immersed a few inches in it.
water was then made to boil by means of a gas-fire underneath, or by placing the
apparatus over a coal fire or stove.
The chief objections to these methods are:-1. the difficulty of obtaining
sufficient gas to beat the water, without fixing fresh pipes from the meter, as the
bore of the ordinary pipes is not generally sufficient to supply gas to raise the
water quickly to the required temperature; 2. the fumes from the gas-burner
are injurious to health besides being disagreeable to the senses; 3. the most
convenient sizes of the tanks are too large to place on the ordinary fire-grates,
and stoves, besides being expensive cannot always be conveniently fixed for the
purpose.
In my Invention I propose, in the first place, to dispense with the tank, and
make the washing vessel, which in this case is in the form of a Sphere, to revolve
in an ordinary washing copper or boiler, on bearings which are fixed either to the
copper or boiler itself, or to a metal ring placed inside the copper or boiler at the
top and fixed by means of set-screws, thus making the apparatus portable. A
second part of my Invention consists in constructing the revolving vessel of Woven
Wire or Wickerwork. A third part of my Invention consists in the method of
Emptying and Filling the vessel of clothes, which I do by detaching it from its
bearings, the caps of which are hinged for the purpose, and then opening it.
vessel, being in two halves, is hinged at one side, and secured at the other by
means of a thin metal strap fixed to one hemisphere, and secured to the other,
The

page_text: when the two halves are together, by means of an oblong button which goes
through a slot in the loose end of the strap, and which when turned a quarter
round, secures the two hemispheres.
In order that iny Invention may be better understood, I have attached hereunto
a Sheet of Drawings to which I will now refer.
In the said Drawings, Fig. 1. represents a front view, and Fig. 2. a top view or
plan. In Figs. 1 and 2, a, a, represent the Spherical Washing Vessel. b, b, is the
ring to which the bearings c, c, and the brackets d, d, are fixed. The feet of the
bearings are flanged and with the brackets prevent the possibility of the ring
falling into the copper or boiler. The tails of the bearings and brackets are carried
below the ring, in order that the heads of the set-screws may clear the revolving
vessel. The caps of the bearings c, c, may be hinged or otherwise fixed in order
to facilitate the operation of removing the vessel from its bearings. e, is the
fastening, which I prefer to use, and which also acts as a guide to the hemispheres
in opening and closing and prevents any undue strain upon the hinge. f,f, are
the openings for the admittance of steam and water. 9, g, represent the cover,
which is dome shaped and made of any suitable metal. The dotted lines h, h,
represent the copper or boiler, and the line x, the water line.
Fig. 3. represents the vessel detached from its bearings, and open for the purpose
of filling or emptying, in position for the operation. ff. f, are openings for the
admission of steam and water, and are made by cutting slots in the surface of the
Sphere and dishing out the metal on one side of each slot only. In this case I
have shewn them dished out in one direction in one hemisphere and in the other
direction in the other hemisphere. e, e, is a side view of the fastening I prefer to
use. k, is the hinge, and m, the handle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The adaptation of the revolving steam washing vessel to ordinary washing
coppers or boilers whether fixed or portable substantially as set forth and
indicated herein before and in and by the accompanying Drawings.
2. The peculiar construction of the revolving steam washing vessel substantially
as described.
3. The method of filling and emptying the revolving washing vessel substantially
as set forth and indicated herein before and in and by the accompanying
Drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1884.