IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, AND IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF DAMP WHEAT OR OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Wren, of Stockton-on-Tees, in the County
of Durham, Corn Miller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, AND IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND
IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF DAMP WHEAT OR OTHER GRAIN.
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Wren at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
September 1865.
I, BENJAMIN WREN, of Stockton-on-Tees, in the County of Durham, Corn
Miller, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, AND IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND
IMPROVING THE CONDITION. OF DAMP. WHEAT OR OTHER GRAIN," to be as
follows:
The first part of my Invention relates to grinding wheat and other grain.
A current of air (produced by a fan blast) is forced between the grinding
surfaces of the millstones (either through pipes fixed in the bed stone or down
the eye, of, the running stone) in the ordinary.manner. A roller, which may
be fluted or otherwise, is fixed in the spout or chamber for receiving the meal
from the millstones; this roller revolves and delivers the meal into the creeper

page_text: or other receptacle as it is ground, and prevents dust and waste in the mill.
A current of air is forced up the spout or chamber for receiving the meal,
which cools it as it falls from the millstones; a current of air is also forced
into the millstone cases for carrying off the warm dusty air (produced by the
grinding) into a receiver, which is made so that the air travels in a zig-zag
direction, leaving the whole or nearly the whole of the dust with which it is
charged on floors, which are made to tilt, so that the dust can be cleared off
them in an instant.
The second part of my Invention relates to drying and improving the
condition-of-damp-wheat or other grain. The wheat or other grain is passed
through a feed pipe into an apparatus laid at a proper angle for it to run
down, the bottom on which it runs is made like a Venetian blind, and is
moveable, so that the spaces can be opened or closed as required; through
these spaces is forced a strong current of air, produced by either a blast or
exhaust fan, or both combined.
This apparatus can be made to run in a-straight line, but it requires less
room when it runs the length required in a zig-zag direction from top to
bottom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,,filed
by the said Benjamin Wren in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
WREN, 'of Stockton-on-Tees, in the County of Durham, Corn Miller, send
'greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year, 'of. 'our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, 'did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Benjamin Wren, Her special licence that I; the said Benjamin
Wren, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as-I, the said
Benjamin Wren, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others; froni 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
GRINDING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN, AND IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND IMPROVING

page_text: THE CONDITION OF DAMP WHEAT, OR OTHER GRAIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Benjamin Wren, 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 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 Benjamin Wren, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention; and in what manner. the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being, had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
The first part of my Invention relates: to grinding wheat and other grain.
In carrying out these improvements a current of air produced by a fan blast
is forced between the grinding surfaces of the millstones, either through pipes
fixed in the bed stones, or down the eye of the running or top stone in the
ordinary manner. A roller, which may be fluted or otherwise (I prefer it
being fluted), is fixed in the spout or chamber for receiving the meal from
the millstones; this roller revolves and delivers the meal into the creeper or
other receptacle as it is ground, and prevents dust and waste in 'the mill;
the roller is made to fit into concaves so that the fine particles of dust cannot.
pass it. A current of air is forced up the spout or chamber for receiving the
meal, which cools it as it falls from the millstones; this current of air can
be regulated, so as to cool the meal, carrying only a very small quantity of
dust with it, from, the cases of the millstones; a current of air is also forced
into the millstone cases for carrying, off the warm dusty air (produced by
grinding) through an opening at the top of the millstone case; I prefer
this opening being as near the eye of the millstone, as possible. The warm
dusty air is conveyed through a pipe or pipes into a receiver, which is made
so that the air enters at or near the bottom, and travels in a zig-zag direction
upwards, leaving the whole or nearly the whole of the dust with which it, is
charged on moveable floors, the, air escaping at the, top. These: floors are
made to tilt so that the dust can be cleared off them in an instant.
The second part of my Invention relates to drying and improving the con-
dition of damp wheat and other grain. The wheat or other grain is passed
through a feed.pine into an apparatus. laid at a proper angle. for it to run
down; the bottom on which it runs is made like a Venetian blind, and is
moveable, so that the spaces can be opened or closed as required. Through

page_text: these spaces is forced a strong current of air, produced by either a blast or-
exbaust fan, or both combined. This apparatus can be made to run in a
straight line, but it requires less room when it runs the length required in
a zig-zag direction from the top to the bottom, as shewn in the Drawing.
+
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed to describe the same more in detail, and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures on the Drawing hereunto annexed, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
'
Figure 1 is an elevation of a pair of millstones. A is the stone case,
which is made to cover the back of the stones; round the eye of the stones:
a ring is fixed to the case reaching to the back of the stones so as to prevent
air from passing, or nearly so. B is the meal spout for receiving the meal
from the millstones, part of the front is removed for the purpose of showing
the-arrangements-inside: C-is a roller-made of wood or other suitable
material which revolves slowly (say about 40 revolutions per minute), deliver-
ing the meal as it is ground into the creeper or other receptacle, it prevents
the light particles of dust from escaping into the atmosphere of the mill, thus
avoiding dust and waste in the mill. This roller may be fluted, grooved,
flat sided, or made with teeth, but I prefer it fluted as shewn in the Drawing.
.D is a concave front and back made to fit the delivering roller, so that the
air blown into the spout cannot pass it, the meal being delivered by the flutes;
E is a brush which presses lightly against the roller after the meal has been
delivered, keeping it clean for receiving the meal as it revolves; F is a pipe.
through which a current of air is forced into the metal spout; the air ascends
the spout, cooling the meal as it falls from the millstones; this current of air
can be regulated so as to cool the meal, carrying only a very small quantity
of dust with it from the cases of the millstones. Gis a pipe through which a
current of: air is forced into the millstone case for carrying off the warm
dusty air (produced by grinding) through an opening at the top of the mill
stone case.. I prefer this opening being as near the eye of the millstone as
possible. The warm dusty air is conveyed through a pipe or pipes into the
receiver....
Figure 2. is a front elevation of the receiver; which is made of wood or
other suitable material, with the greater part of the front removed for-the
purpose of shewing the arrangements inside, the higher and lower parts
being shown separate; Figure 3 is the end elevation of the receiver, the
higher and lower parts being separate, as in Figure 2. H is the opening
or spout through which the warm dusty air is carried into the receiver; this
opening can. be made in any side of the receiver, whichever is most con-

page_text: venient. I, I, I, are the floors, which are lowered (or tilted) for the purpose
of clearing them of the dust which falls into the hopper at the bottom, where:
a sack can be placed to receive it. Jis the hopper for receivingi the dust,
with an opening at the bottom, where a sack-may be placed to receive it.i
K, K; K, K, are the floors, shewn level; or in! position for receiving the
dust, the air passing in the direction of the arrows, from the bottom upwards,
leaving the receiver by the spout L.. L'is the spout carrying off the warm
steamy air from the receiver; it can be taken from any side of the receiver,
whichever is most convenient. I-prefer the spout to be fixed,-with- a little
fall towards the end, where, the air, is, discharged into the atmosphere, so
that when the warm steamy air condenses the water runs out of the mill.
M, M, M, M, M, M, are the centres or hinges on which the floors) move;
they can be placed as shown in the Drawing (at either end, or any place
between the two ends, at either side, or any place between the two sides). The
receiver may be round, or square, or otherwise. N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N,
connecting rods for connecting the floors together, so that they. can be raised
or lowered; these can be made of wood or other suitable, materials, but I
have found a strong cord answer this purpose very well.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of apparatus for drying and improving the
condition of damp wheat and other grain with part of the front removed for
shewing the interior; Figure 5 is an end elevation of the apparatus. O is
the shoot on which the wheat or other grain falls on leaving the feed pipe.
P, P, P, represent the parts of the floor or bottom on which it runs down; it
is like a Venetian blind, and can be made either fixed or with centres, so that
they can be moved, and the spaces opened or closed as required. This floor
or bottom is the same as shown in the Drawing from the top of the apparatus
where the wheat or other grain enters to the lower end, where it is discharged.
Qis the pipe from the blast fan (not shown in the Drawing), through which
a strong current of air is forced into the apparatus. R is the pipe from the
exhaust fan (not shown in the Drawing), through which a strong current of
air is drawn from the lower end of the apparatus upwards, passing through
the wheat or other grain (which is kept separate, and agitated by running
down on the floor or bottom described), thus drying and improving its con-
dition. S is a spout through which the wheat or other grain is discharged
from the apparatus.
Having now fully described the nature of my Invention for ") Improvements
in Grinding Wheat and other Grain, and in Apparatus for Drying and Im-
proving the Condition of Damp Wheat or other Grain," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim

page_text: the exclusive use of the several parts of the machinery, appliances, and
apparatus herein-before described and referred to, except when the same are,
employed in the manner and for the purpose above stated; but I claim in the:
improvements intended to be secured by the said Letters Patent,
First, delivering the meal from the millstones, and cooling the meal; also 5
the moveable floors in the receiver, and forcing the warm air out of the.
millstone cases by a current of cold air, arranged. and used as described.
Secondly, the floors in apparatus for drying and improving the condition of
damp wheat and other grain, arranged and used as described.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Wren, have hereunto set my 1
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, in-the-year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
BENJAMIN WREN. (L.S.)