CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING, CLEANSING, OR BLEACHING OF LINENS, COTTONS, AND OTHER FABRICS, GOODS, OR FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEMUEL
WELLMAN WRIGHT, of Wellclose Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twentieth day of April, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, His especial licence that I, the said Lemuel
Wellman Wright, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my exors, adñors, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR WASHING, CLEANSING, OR BLEACHING OF LINENS, COTTONS, AND
OTHER FABRICS, GOODS, OR FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright,
by an instrument in writing under my band and seal, particularly to describe
manner the
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His 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 thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, do bereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following description, reference
being made to the annexed Drawing (that is to say) :-
My Invention of Certain Improvements on the Machinery or Apparatus for
Washing, Cleansing, or Bleaching of Linens, Cottons, and other Fabrics,
Goods, or Fibrous Substances, consists in the construction of a system of
vessels and their connecting pipes, by the employment of which I am enabled
to carry on a process of washing and bleaching, and to clean all impurities
from linen, cottons, or other fibrous substances, without submitting those
articles to rubbing. This is effected by first packing the things which are to
be washed in a close vessel, and then forcing through them (by means of steam
pressure) an alkaline solution as soap and water, or a solution of pearlash,
soda, &c., which in, its progress will effectually remove all impurities or
colouring matters from the linens, cottons, or other goods so operated upon.
After this I pass hot water through the said articles for the purpose of
cleansing away all the alkaline matter. And lastly, I force steam of a high
pressure through them for the purpose of removing the water and drying the
cotton, linen, &c., when the process may be considered to be complete, and the
articles being withdrawn from the vessel in which they had been packed will
be found to be perfectly clean and nearly dry. In bleaching I adopt a similar
process, but in addition to this and the employment of the usual chemicals, I
introduce a current of cold air, which greatly assists in giving whiteness to
the fabric. This process of washing and bleaching is to be carried on by a
series of vessels placed in convenient situations, their particular arrangement
being subject to circumstances, and which vessels are to be connected together
by pipes with suitable cocks to pass the liquor, steam, and air, from one vessel
to another, or stop its progress; I do not, therefore, intend to confine myself
to any particular arrangement of the vessels and have only exhibited in the
Drawings hereto annexed such a disposition of them as I consider to be eligible
for the purposes of the said process, and which will assist in illustrating the
principles that I propose to act upon. A is a vessel made of copper and
formed as the frustrum of a cone, in the lower part of which is a perforated
fal bottom or grating, and below this the real bottom from whence a pipe
descends. In this vessel the cotton, linen, or other articles, about to be
operated upon are to be closely packed, having been previously soaked in
water and rubbed over with soap; they are then to be covered by the cap,
which is screwed down and rendered steam-tight at the joint. This vessel may

page_text: be enclosed by a jacket to prevent the radiation of heat, but this is not
absolutely necessary. B is a vessel containing the soap and water, and other
alkaline solution, and C is a pipe leading from a steam boiler placed at any
convenient distance. The steam having been raised in the boiler to what is
called high pressure (about 50 lb. upon the inch), it must be gradually
admitted into the apparatus by partially opening the stopcock a, when it will
pass into the vessel A, where the fabrics are deposited, and after having acted
upon the goods for about half-an-hour, the cock may be completely opened and
the full force of the steam be allowed to exert itself in the vessel, and also to
pass up the pipe D into the vessel B, which contains the alkaline solution, the
cocks b, c, d, and c, being now opened. The pressure of the steam on the
surface of the liquor in the vessel B will pow cause it to descend through the
pipe E into the vessel A, and here the steam, continuing to press, will force the
liquor through the articles under operation, soaking every part and carrying
the dirt and other impurities to the bottom of the vessel, when the liquor will
pass away by the pipe F into a receiving vessel G below. The cocks b, c, d,
and e, are now to be closed and the cocks ƒ and g opened, when the presure of
the steam passed through the pipe H, exerting itself upon the surface of the
alkaline liquor in the vessel G, will force the liquor up the pipe I, I, and
return it into the vessel B, where it will be ready to repeat the operation in
passing through the vessel A, as above described. The number of times that
niay be necessary to force this alkaline solution through the goods must depend
entirely upon circumstances, such as the state of their foulness, and can only
be known by experience; for ordinary washing, however, of body linen twenty
times would perhaps be found sufficient. Considering now that all the dirt
and other impurities have been removed from the cloths or other articles
operated upon, the next process is that of rinsing, which is performed by
closing the cocks b, c, d, e, f, and 9, and opening the cocks h, i, and k, when
the steam from the pipe c will pass up the pipe K into the vessel L, which
contains clean hot water. The pressure of the steam upon the surface of the
water in the vessel L; will now cause the water to descend through the pipe M
into the vessel A, where the pressure still acting, will force the water through
the goods in the vessel and cleanse away all the alkaline and other impure
matter, which, with the water, will proceed by the pipe N into the vessel O.
In order to return the water from hence into the vessel L for a repetition of
the process, the cocks h, i, and k, must be closed, and the cocks land m opened,
when the steam passing from the pipe C through the pipe P into the vessel O
will there exert its pressure upon the surface of the water, and force it up the

page_text: ་
I
pipe Q into the vessel L, where it will be ready to be employed as before
described. The number of times that may be requisite to pass the water
through the vessel A must be variable, dependant upon circumstances, and can
only be found by experience. The last part of the process is the drying,
which is effected by closing all the cocks except a, d, and e, when steam at a
reduced pressure is to be allowed to blow through the pipe C into the vessel A,
where passing through the articles all the water will be driven off and the
steam escaping through the pipes F & R, the goods will be left nearly in a dry
state; but care must be taken that the steam be not allowed to act longer
'than is necessary to drive off the water, and not at a greater pressure than
'twenty pound on the inch. When the bleaching of piece goods is the object
'such goods are to be folded carefully and packed closely side by side in the
vessel A, and for this purposo perhaps a straight-sided vessel may be found
more convenient than a circular one, but its width must diminish downwards;
and in addition to the process of washing and steaming as above described I
propose to introduce currents of cold air through the pipe S by means of a
blowing machine. I should recommend that immediately after every operation
of passing the chemical solution or the water through the goods has been
performed, that steam be thrown in for the purpose of drying the goods, and
then a blast of cold air in order to cool them, which will greatly assist in
'whitening the fabric.
Before closing my description of the said improved apparatus it may bo
desirable to say that the internal parts of all the vessels must be made of
copper. I wish it to be understood that I do not claim or confine myself to
the precise disposition or form of the several vessels employed as exhibited in the
'annexed Drawing; but I do claim the particular construction of the washing
or bleaching vessel A diminishing in its diameter or breadth downwards, whether
that vessel be made with straight or curved sides. I also claim the mode of
washing and bleaching of cotton, linen, and other fibrous articles, -packed in
'the said vessel in a compact state in the manner above described, and also for
drying the said articles while in the vessel; and lastly, the introducing of
blasts of cold air, which operations together produce a similar effect to the
ordinary process of bleaching.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.
LEMUEL (L.S.) W. WRIGHT.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of October, in
the year of our Lord 1825, the aforesaid Lemuel Wellman Wright came before
our said Lord the King in His 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.
Inrolled the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.