BLEACHING. 



519 



Squeezers. 



1'LATr 



I.V. 



ri g . -1, 5. 



Lowrie's 

 bucking 

 apparatus. 



Plate 

 I.V1. 



rig. 2. 



wheel is thus carried round by the mill ; by the 

 sliding it backward, the teeth are disengaged, and 

 the dash wheel ^eases to move. LM represents the 

 lever for this purpose. NNNN (Fig. 3.) are the 

 holes for introducing the cloth into the four com- 

 partments ; the partitions are equidistant from the 

 holes. O (Fig. 2.) is the pipe which supplies the wa- 

 ter for cleansing the goods. PQ is an open circle 

 in the back of toe wheel for introducing the water 

 from the pipe O. The circle has a number of wire3 

 set all around to prevent any part of the cloth from 

 escaping through the circle PQ. Near the cir- 

 cumference of the wheel are other holes, through 

 which the water finds its way after passing from the 

 cloth. Dash wheels are made to engage and disen- 

 gage by various other modes than that which is de- 



pipe has a valve on each of its extremities ; that on Bleaching, 

 the upper extremity, when shut, prevents the ley <<"" ' 



from running into the boiler, and is regulated by 

 the attendant by means of the rod and handle IB. 

 The valve at K admits the ley; but, opening in- 

 wards, prevents the steam from escaping through 

 the pipe IK. The boiler has a steam tight iron co- 

 ver IL ; and at CD, in the kieve, is a wooden 

 grating, a small distance above the cover of the 

 boiler. 



At MNO is a cone and broad plate of metal, in 

 order to spread the ley over the cloth. It is hardly 

 necessary to say, that the boiler has a furnace, as 

 usual for similar purposes. 



While the ley is at a low temperature, the pump 

 is worked by the mill or steam engine. When it is 



scribed above. Circumstances make it necessary to sufficiently heated, the elasticity of the. 6team forces 



vary these ; and a judicious mill-wright will be at 

 no loss how to adapt the mode of throwing the 

 wheel in and out of gear to the rest of the mill- 

 work. 



A dash wheel, six feet and a half in diameter, and 

 two feet and a half wide, making twenty-two revo- 

 lutions per minute, is the most approved size and di- 

 mensions. The Plate represents the kind used in 

 Lancashire, and in some parts of Scotland. In the 

 neighbourhood of London, they are a little different 



it up through the valves of the pump, when it is dis- 

 joined from the mill. 



NP is a copper spout, which is removed at the 

 time of taking the cloth out of the kieve. 



The boilers used in bleaching are of the common Boilers, 

 form, having a stopcock at bottom for running off 

 the waste ley. They are commonly made of cast- 

 iron, and are capable of containing from 300 to 600 

 gallons of water, according to the extent of the bu- 

 siness done. In order that the capacity of the 



in the mode of introducing the water. Instead of boilers may be enlarged, they are formed so as to 



having the circumference close boarded, as in Lan- 

 casliire, ti. y are made of sparred work : The end of 

 the water pipe is flattened so as to make the aperture 

 very wide and narrow ; and it is applied near the 

 upper part of the circumference. 



After the process of washing by the dash wheel, 

 the water is compressed from the cloth by means of 

 sqieezers. 



Squeezers consist of a pair of wooden rollers, 

 which, in moving, draw the cloth through between 

 tl. m. The lower roller receives its motion from a 

 mil' and the uppermost is pressed down upon it by 

 mean; of h v. rs. Till of late, these rollers were fixed 

 in strong wooden frames ; but the framing is now 

 ger rally n ade of cast iron, which makes a neater 

 and more durable piece of work. 



Figure* 4. and 5. represent one of these ma- 

 chines having a cast-iron framing, as constructed by 

 Mr Parkinson of Manchester. A is the lower roller. 

 B the upper roller. CD a lever which presses upon 

 the brass of the upper roller. FE another lever to 

 increase the power connected with CD. The extre- 

 mity of F is kept down by a pin. In some cases a 

 weight is used in place of the pin. 



The improved mode of bucking was the invention 

 of Mr John Lowrie, a native of Glasgow. It is now 

 practised by many bleachers in Lancashire, some on 

 more perfect plans than others ; but we shall give 

 the description of the kind of apparatus most appro- 

 ved of by those whose experience and skill have ren- 

 dered them the most competent judges. 



In Fifr. 2. Plate LVI. ABCD it the wooden kieve 

 containing the cloth. CEFD represents the cast- 

 iron boiler. GG the pump. IK the pipe of com- 

 munication between the kieve and the boiler. This 



admit of a crib of wood, strongly hooped, or, what 

 is preferable, of cast iron, to be fixed to the upper 

 extremity of it. In order to keep the goods from 

 the bottom of the boiler, where the heat acts most 

 forcibly, a strong iron ring, covered with netting 

 made of stout rope, is allowed to rest six or eight 

 inches above the bottom of the boiler. Four double 

 ropes are attached to the ring, for withdrawing the 

 goods when sufficiently boiled, which have each an 

 eye for admitting hooks from the running tackle of 

 a crane. Where more boilers than one are employ- 

 ed, the crane is so placed, that, in the range of its 

 sweep, it may withdraw the goods from any of 

 them. For this purpose, the crane turns on spindles 

 at top and bottom ; and the goods are raised or 

 lowered at pleasure, by double pulleys and sheives, 

 by means of a cylinder moved by cast-iron wheels. 



Before the year 1794, the apparatus used for Fisher's 

 mak'ng the oxymuriatic acid, was so very inconve- apparatus 

 nient and defective, that the health of the work- f ? r makin g 

 men employed was often injured, or at least their muriatic 

 situation was rendered very uncomfortable, from acid. 

 the deleterious qualities of the gas. To remedy 

 this defect, Mr Peter Fisher, late of Rutherglen, 

 near Glasgow, in the year 1794, invented an ap- 

 paratus * admirably calculated for this purpose, 

 which, with very slight alterations, hs been almost 

 universally adopted. It consists of a leaden retort 

 A, Fig. 4. Plate LVI. set on a tripod of iron D, Plats 

 into a cast iron boiler B, built into brick work, with LVI - 

 a furnace and ash pit of the common construction ^* 4 * 

 EF. The top of the retort is closed with a leaden 

 cover with screws and nuts, having an iron flenge of 

 the same diameter above and below the mouth of the 

 retort, with corresponding nuts and screws. The 



* The apparatus her described does not differ essentially from that employed by BcrthoUet, and Pajet Des Charme?, 



