IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEATER FLOUR
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Downs Bowyer, of Ripley, Woking,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF WHEATER FLOUR."
Scaled the 20th July 1860, and dated the 25th January 1809.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Downs Bowyer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th January 1869.
I, HENRY DOWNS BOWYER, of Ripley, Woking, in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In.
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEATEN FLOUR," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
wheaten flour.
In grinding wheat it is usual to pass the grain in the whole or un-
broken state at once to the stones which grind it to flour. It has
however been proposed first to crack and break up the grain by means of
stones set widely apart, then to separate the bran and the offal from the

page_text: farina, and lastly to grind the farina into flour. Now I have invented
a process differing essentially from either of these. I first flatten or
crush the grain without breaking it into pieces; this I do by passing the
grain between smooth metal rollers; in this way I loosen the bran from
the other parts of the grain. I then grind this flattened or crushed
grain between.stones, when in consequence of the preliminary flattening
or crushing as soon as the stones touch the grain the bran separates in
large flakes, and hence little or none of the bran is ground; whereas when
the unflattened or uncrushed grain is exposed to the stones in the usual
way of grinding a notable quantity of the bran is reduced to powder by
the stones, and remaining in the flour discolors it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Downs Bowyer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd July 1869,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DOWNS BOWYER, of Ripley, Woking, in the County of Surrey send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Downs Bowyer, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Downs Bowyer, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Downs Bowyer,
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, excr-
ciso, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEATEN FLOUR," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Downs Bowyer, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that
the said Henry Downs Bowyer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the sámo
is to be performed, to bo particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
wheaton flour.
In grinding wheat it is usual to pass the grain in the whole or un-
broken state at once to the stones which grind it to flour. It has
however been proposed first to crack and break up the grain by means
of stones set' widely apart, then to separate the bran and the offal from
the farina, and lastly to grind the farina into flour. Now I have in-
vented a process differing essentially from either of these. I first flatten
or crush the grain without breaking it into pieces, and this I do by
passing the grain between smooth metal rollers; in this way I loosen
the bran from the other parts of the grain. I then grind the flattened
or crushed grain between stones, when in consequence of the preliminary
flattening or crushing as soon as the stones touch the grain the bran
separates in largo flakes, and hence little or none of the bran is ground;
whereas when the unflattened or uncrushed grain is exposed to tho'
stones in the usual way of grinding a notable quantity of the bran is
reduced to powder by the stones, and remaining in the flour discolors it.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the manner in
which I prefer to operate.
The wheat is allowed to descend from a hopper in a stream, which can
be regulated by a slide, on to a board or table set at such an inclination
that the wheat will run down it in a regular stream; off the end of this
board the grain falls into the nip of a pair of hard polished rollers
about seven' to eight inches in diameter, which are geared together so
that they may rovolve at the same surface speed, and they are driven at
about 300 revolutions per minute, but this may be varied according to
circumstances. The supply from the hopper is so regulated that the
grains descend the inclined board or table in a single layer so that the
rollers may act separately on each grain, and further to insure this the
surface of the table is divided up longitudinally or in the direction in
which the grains travol by a number of strips of tin plate, so as to

page_text: prevent the grains collecting together in their descent. The rollers are
set one over the other, the plane in which their axes are situate being
inclined about thirty degrees from the vertical, that is to say, it is about
a right angle to the direction in which the grain passes to them. The
rollers are set sufficiently close together effectually to crack or burst the
grains, but not closer than is necessary for this purpose. The rollers
are provided with scrapers kept up to them by weights to remove any
grain which may adhere to them. The wheat thus prepared is ground
between millstones in the ordinary way, except that the stones may be
set rather wider apart than when grinding whole wheat. The grinding
will be effected more rapidly than heretofore, the meal will be delivered
at a lower temperature. The meal is dressed to separate the bran and
the offal from the farina and flour in the usual way. The flour obtained
is of better quality than it would have been if manufactured from the
samo wheat in the ordinary manner.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the manufacture of wheaten flour by passing wheat between
rollers so as to crack or burst the grains, then grinding the wheat so
prepared into meal between millstones, and dressing the meal to
separate the bran and offal from the farina or flour as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Downs Bowyer, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-first day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.