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Grimes' smut mill
32
F r a n k l i n Institute.
length of one span; this movable span is to be wholly or ,partially" w i t h d r a w n , into the other, w h e n e v e r vessels are to pass. q his is all application of Fisher's patent to a new use, and upon it mu~t r.est M r L e a c h ' s claim to ?zovelty in this branch of his scheme. F r o m the sulntllils of the tall marginal piers above m e n t i o n e d , t h e cables, or chains, arc to sweep down towards both shores in a c a t e narian curve, o[' which the land piers of suspension will be c o m p a r e tiw_'lv low, and tile vertex, consequently, m u c h nearer to the b a n k s r tball'to the piers of tit(; drawbridge. F r o m this (h..s(-ription, it will be at once perceived that practical dif-. tleulties nmsl llow from such a plan', owing te the inequality o f t h e aughts ()f inclination of the taJ~g(:mts of the ca|charles, at the p o i n t s e f suspensiom as well as to the Ime(lual leads imposed upotl the c h a n llcq spa|is by lh(: opt:rations of the drawbridge; and it is a question. net y , t allirma lively settled i|l the minds of the Committee, w h e t h e r susp ms;( ~ I)ridges ~ re ; s suitable as others to carry the trains u s u a l l y (trawll ()lJ railways by locomotive steam p o w e r ? - - l b r i t is certain t h a t tl,e attmnpts hitfterto made ~o apply such bridges u p o n r a i l w a y s , }UtV(~,ll(ll hllcc;C'(.RlCd, aim it is probal)le that to render them s u c e e s s i h l (at b'asl ill ~u(;h l(mg spans :.is lhose of the project betbre us,) it w o u l c l be net:cssar\: :r) trim'cast', tile weight o[' the ch'ains so prodigiously, a s to r(,ll(h'r lll~, ~,xpc~ts~: h)o s e r i o l l S to b(? elleoimtered ill ordinary c a s e s . Und~.r Ill(.< ' eirclmlslaiJ(:cs, wilhout entering ['urther into de{all, t h e (:OllIlllilI~!,' :It4' !1()1 l,',,p:~rc(t Io ]'oC()l[ll)letld ~'lF. l.e[lch~8 d r a w b r i d g e pro.j('(:t ibr g,.lwr;d use ill |my;gable waters, though they incline to t h e el)ill;on tll:,t, in a modified form, it nlay possibly be a p p l i c a b l e in some cases, it its eXl)CJl~e does not lbrbid its adoption. lly order of the Committee, z~,larch lOlh, 184'2. \VILLIA~r H~,~mL'rox, A c t u a r y .
Grimes' S'mut Mill.. The Committee on Science and the ArLs, constituted by the Franklin Institute of die S t a t e of l'emJ..ylvunia, tbr the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for e x a m i nati,m a Smut )dill, invented by Mr. William C. Grimes, of "fork, Penn.~ylva:uia, IlJgPORT :
T h a t they have examined the machine, and obtained such i n f o r m a tion relative to its practical etlicieneg, a:s w a s within their reach~ T h e operation which it is designed {o pcribrm is one of peculiar ditlicult35 and has hilhcrto been excculed very imperi'eebly. T h e smut b a i l s , as they a~'e termed by the miller, are so nearly of the same size an(l weigh} as tl~e grains o[ who.at, that 1:to means have ever been d e v i s e & lbr rmnovil!e tllt~m wilhout first breaking or erushi~g, a n d a f t e r w a r d s riddling or witlnowi~l;r, or both. ',Vh(qt II!e ~ll~Ilt i:~ thos broken, the finer portions of i~ have a ten~ deney to a(lllerc to the wheat, especially b y insinuating into the d e f t o f t h e g l ' a i l ~ , a n d emmot then be removed. Mr. Grimes bas c o n t r i v e d this machi|~c with a view to r e m o v e the diilieulty, by subjecting t h e smutted wheat, simultaneously, to the a c d e n o f revolving b e a t e r s , which shall breuk the smut, and a strong current of air, w h i c h s h a l l
Grimes' Smut Mull.
33
blow away the fragments before they can attach themselves to the grain. The beating is effected by thin cast iron webs, fixed longitudinally on the exterior of a vertical cylinder, which revolves within a cylindrical cast iron case, the inner surface of the case being fluted longitudinally, to prevent the grain from being carried directly around with the revolving cylinder, and cause it to rebound repeatedly when it has been thrown against the case by the centrifugal fl~otion communicated by the beaters. The interior cylinder extends a few inches above the top of the surrounding case, and the webs which tbrm the beaters are here expanded radial]y, so as to form vanes fbr the production of a strong u p w a r d current of air in tim annular space between the cylinders. The grain to be cleaned enters this space near the upper end; as it descends by gravity, the smut is broken by the beaters, on the well known principle of the increased resistance of a fluid medium in proportion as the mass of the penetrating body is diminished, the powdered smut is blown out at the top, while the larger grains of wheat descel~d and escape through an opening below. Beside the main features now described, there are several minor devices, which are ingeniottsly adapted to lessen certain praelical difficulties, particularly those to prevent the blowing out of the wheat befbre it lms acquired sufficient downward velocity to resist the blast, and the dangerous tendency to overheating the upper journal, which deserve commendation; but as they do not constitute any part of the general principle, it is not thought necessary to complicate the report with a particular description of them. From a mere inspection of these several contrivances, the Committee would be inclined to lbrm a tkvorable opinion of their adaptation to their intended object; but as the cleaning of snmtted wheat is an operation which cannot be reduced to any certain rules of mechanics, and can, theretbre, only be judged of by experiment on a practical scale, inquiry has been made of parties using the machine, and it has been examined in actual use. The result of this inquiry and examination has fully confirmed the good opinion of the Committee, and they feel warranted to commend the machine to the notice of millers, as capable not only of malting good white flour from wheat so badly smutted as to be generally considered unmerchantable, but which will also improve the general quality of his flour by the removal af cheat and of the down, or fhrze, which covers one end of the grain, and of most other accidental foreign matters which tend to injure the quality of the flour. In conclusion, the Committee take pleasure in recommending this invention to the Managers of the Institute far an award of the Scott's Legacy premium. By order of the Committee, March lOlls, 1842. WILLIAM H/~IILTON,Actuary.
F r a n k l i n Institute.
length of one span; this movable span is to be wholly or ,partially" w i t h d r a w n , into the other, w h e n e v e r vessels are to pass. q his is all application of Fisher's patent to a new use, and upon it mu~t r.est M r L e a c h ' s claim to ?zovelty in this branch of his scheme. F r o m the sulntllils of the tall marginal piers above m e n t i o n e d , t h e cables, or chains, arc to sweep down towards both shores in a c a t e narian curve, o[' which the land piers of suspension will be c o m p a r e tiw_'lv low, and tile vertex, consequently, m u c h nearer to the b a n k s r tball'to the piers of tit(; drawbridge. F r o m this (h..s(-ription, it will be at once perceived that practical dif-. tleulties nmsl llow from such a plan', owing te the inequality o f t h e aughts ()f inclination of the taJ~g(:mts of the ca|charles, at the p o i n t s e f suspensiom as well as to the Ime(lual leads imposed upotl the c h a n llcq spa|is by lh(: opt:rations of the drawbridge; and it is a question. net y , t allirma lively settled i|l the minds of the Committee, w h e t h e r susp ms;( ~ I)ridges ~ re ; s suitable as others to carry the trains u s u a l l y (trawll ()lJ railways by locomotive steam p o w e r ? - - l b r i t is certain t h a t tl,e attmnpts hitfterto made ~o apply such bridges u p o n r a i l w a y s , }UtV(~,ll(ll hllcc;C'(.RlCd, aim it is probal)le that to render them s u c e e s s i h l (at b'asl ill ~u(;h l(mg spans :.is lhose of the project betbre us,) it w o u l c l be net:cssar\: :r) trim'cast', tile weight o[' the ch'ains so prodigiously, a s to r(,ll(h'r lll~, ~,xpc~ts~: h)o s e r i o l l S to b(? elleoimtered ill ordinary c a s e s . Und~.r Ill(.< ' eirclmlslaiJ(:cs, wilhout entering ['urther into de{all, t h e (:OllIlllilI~!,' :It4' !1()1 l,',,p:~rc(t Io ]'oC()l[ll)letld ~'lF. l.e[lch~8 d r a w b r i d g e pro.j('(:t ibr g,.lwr;d use ill |my;gable waters, though they incline to t h e el)ill;on tll:,t, in a modified form, it nlay possibly be a p p l i c a b l e in some cases, it its eXl)CJl~e does not lbrbid its adoption. lly order of the Committee, z~,larch lOlh, 184'2. \VILLIA~r H~,~mL'rox, A c t u a r y .
Grimes' S'mut Mill.. The Committee on Science and the ArLs, constituted by the Franklin Institute of die S t a t e of l'emJ..ylvunia, tbr the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for e x a m i nati,m a Smut )dill, invented by Mr. William C. Grimes, of "fork, Penn.~ylva:uia, IlJgPORT :
T h a t they have examined the machine, and obtained such i n f o r m a tion relative to its practical etlicieneg, a:s w a s within their reach~ T h e operation which it is designed {o pcribrm is one of peculiar ditlicult35 and has hilhcrto been excculed very imperi'eebly. T h e smut b a i l s , as they a~'e termed by the miller, are so nearly of the same size an(l weigh} as tl~e grains o[ who.at, that 1:to means have ever been d e v i s e & lbr rmnovil!e tllt~m wilhout first breaking or erushi~g, a n d a f t e r w a r d s riddling or witlnowi~l;r, or both. ',Vh(qt II!e ~ll~Ilt i:~ thos broken, the finer portions of i~ have a ten~ deney to a(lllerc to the wheat, especially b y insinuating into the d e f t o f t h e g l ' a i l ~ , a n d emmot then be removed. Mr. Grimes bas c o n t r i v e d this machi|~c with a view to r e m o v e the diilieulty, by subjecting t h e smutted wheat, simultaneously, to the a c d e n o f revolving b e a t e r s , which shall breuk the smut, and a strong current of air, w h i c h s h a l l
Grimes' Smut Mull.
33
blow away the fragments before they can attach themselves to the grain. The beating is effected by thin cast iron webs, fixed longitudinally on the exterior of a vertical cylinder, which revolves within a cylindrical cast iron case, the inner surface of the case being fluted longitudinally, to prevent the grain from being carried directly around with the revolving cylinder, and cause it to rebound repeatedly when it has been thrown against the case by the centrifugal fl~otion communicated by the beaters. The interior cylinder extends a few inches above the top of the surrounding case, and the webs which tbrm the beaters are here expanded radial]y, so as to form vanes fbr the production of a strong u p w a r d current of air in tim annular space between the cylinders. The grain to be cleaned enters this space near the upper end; as it descends by gravity, the smut is broken by the beaters, on the well known principle of the increased resistance of a fluid medium in proportion as the mass of the penetrating body is diminished, the powdered smut is blown out at the top, while the larger grains of wheat descel~d and escape through an opening below. Beside the main features now described, there are several minor devices, which are ingeniottsly adapted to lessen certain praelical difficulties, particularly those to prevent the blowing out of the wheat befbre it lms acquired sufficient downward velocity to resist the blast, and the dangerous tendency to overheating the upper journal, which deserve commendation; but as they do not constitute any part of the general principle, it is not thought necessary to complicate the report with a particular description of them. From a mere inspection of these several contrivances, the Committee would be inclined to lbrm a tkvorable opinion of their adaptation to their intended object; but as the cleaning of snmtted wheat is an operation which cannot be reduced to any certain rules of mechanics, and can, theretbre, only be judged of by experiment on a practical scale, inquiry has been made of parties using the machine, and it has been examined in actual use. The result of this inquiry and examination has fully confirmed the good opinion of the Committee, and they feel warranted to commend the machine to the notice of millers, as capable not only of malting good white flour from wheat so badly smutted as to be generally considered unmerchantable, but which will also improve the general quality of his flour by the removal af cheat and of the down, or fhrze, which covers one end of the grain, and of most other accidental foreign matters which tend to injure the quality of the flour. In conclusion, the Committee take pleasure in recommending this invention to the Managers of the Institute far an award of the Scott's Legacy premium. By order of the Committee, March lOlls, 1842. WILLIAM H/~IILTON,Actuary.