IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR WASHING AND CHURNING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cornes, of Swan Lane, in the City of London,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR WASHING
AND CHURNING."
Sealed the 12th August 1856, and dated the 26th February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cornes at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th February
1856.
I, JOHN CORNES, of Swan Lane, in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
WASHING AND CHURNING," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in mounting upon an axis, supported in bearings in
the sides of a box, two or more peculiarly constructed hollow vessels or cases,
with apertures in the sides thereof. These vessels are for receiving the articles
to be washed in washing machines, and are the dashers in churning machines;
the sides of the hollow vessels converge to the centre, through which a rod is
passed, to serve as the axis upon which the vessels are made to rotate. I
recommend an even number of vessels to be used, and that they be placed
opposite cach other so as to form a balance; the outer ends of the vessels
are formed of two side plates and a central plate, the latter being moveable
and retained in its place by a button or other convenient fastening; the
central plate serves as a door, through which to charge and remove the contents
of the vessel. A crank handle is formed on or affixed to the central rod,
whereby the vessels are caused to rotate. A cover made to fit the box
completes the apparatus.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
.
by the said John Cornes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
August 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CORNES, of Swan Lane, in the City of London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Cornes, Her special licence that I, the said John Cornes, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Cornes, 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
MACHINES FOR WASHING AND CHURNING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Cornes, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 John Cornes, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in mounting upon an axis, supported in bearings in
the sides of a box, two or more peculiarly constructed hollow vessels or cases,
with apertures in the sides thereof. These vessels are for receiving the articles
to be washed in washing machines, and they are the dashers in churning
machines; the sides of the hollow vessels converge to the centre, through which
a rod is passed, to serve as the axis upon which the vessels are made to rotate.
I recommend that an even number of vessels be used, and that they be placed
opposite each other, so as to form a balance; the outer ends of the vessels
are formed of two side plates and a central plate, the latter being moveable
and retained in its place by a button or other convenient fastening. The

page_text: central plate serves as a door, through which to charge and remove the contents
of the vessel. A crank handle is formed on or affixed to the central rod,
whereby the vessels are caused to rotate. A cover made to fit the box
completes the apparatus.
The manner in which I carry my Invention into effect is represented in the
Drawings annexed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus constructed according to my
Invention, here shewn applied as a washing machine; Figure 2 is a tranverse
section of the same, through the line a, b, of Figure 1. A, A, is a box or
outer case supported on feet B, B; C, C, are hollow vessels or cases for
receiving the articles to be washed. These vessels are mounted on an axis D,
supported in bearings E, E, in the sides of the case A. Only two vessels C
are shewn in the Figure, but a greater number might be employed if pre-
ferred. F, F, are moveable sides to the vessels C, forming doors or lids
which are removed or opened when the articles to be washed are to be placed
in or withdrawn from the vessels; G is a crank handle, attached to the axis D,
by turning which the axis is made to revolve, and with it the vessels C, C,
mounted upon it; H is the cover of the box A.
The apparatus is used in the following manner-Water is poured into the
case through the top; the sides F, F, of the vessels C, C, withdrawn or
opened, and the articles to be washed are placed in the vessels; the sides
F, F, are then replaced or shut, the cover H placed on the box, and rapid
rotary motion is communicated to the axis and thence to the vessels C, C, by
incans of the crank handle G. The water is drawn off through a plug or tap
inserted or fitted to one of the sides or end of the box. When the machine
is used for churning, the cases C serve as the dashers.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improve-
ments in machines for washing and churning, the particular construction and
formation of the hollow vessels, herein-before described, serving to hold the
clothes in washing and as dashers in churns.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cornes, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.
JOHN CORNES. (L.S.)