Tobacco curing and ordering apparatus.

(Application filed Aug. 25, 1899.)

Sheets—Sheet

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. t>. C.

No. 646,218.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 27, 1900. J. L. HOLLINGSWORTH.

TOBACCO CURING AND ORDERING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 25, 1899.)

Sheets—Sheet 2.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. O. C.

United States Patent Office.

JAMES L. HOLLINGSWORTH, OF NEWBERN, TENNESSEE·’

TOBACCO CURING AND ORDERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,218, dated. March 27,1900.

Application filed August 25; 1899. Serial No. 728,475. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that '1, James L. Hollingsworth, residing at Newbern, in the county of Dyer and State of Tennessee, have invented 5 certain new arid useful Improvements in Tobacco Curing and Ordering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tobacco treating, particularly to means for first drying the same ib and afterward damping or casing or ordering it; arid primarily this invention seeks to provide an improved means of the character noted bapable of being economically constructed and easily set up for use within or in connects tion with an ordinary tobacco-drying house or barn.

This invention generally comprisesa novel and portable system of smoke and air disseminating pipes capable of being detachably 26 supported within the drying house or barn and means disposed externally of the barn for feeding smoke, hot air, or both, or moist air into the dissemiriating-pipes, as conditions may make desirable, without necessa25 rily disorganizing any of the component parts constituting the complete structure and without necessarily waiting for a proper humidity or dampness of the atmospheric air and without changing the position of the tobacco sup30 ported within the barn or housing when it is desired to order same by humidizingit.

Another and desirable object of my invention is to provide a novel arrangement of portable air and smoke disseminator capable of 35 discharging the air or smoke in such directionsandmanner relatively to the staple hung from the poles or hangers that the drying or dampening operation can be the more expeditiously, economically, and effectively ac40 complished.

With these and other objects in view, which hereinafter will appear, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and peculiar combination of parts, as will be 45 first described and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which— Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tobacco curing and ordering barn, illustrating a prac50 tical operation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the barn, illustrating the manner in which the portable smoke and air dis seminating pipes are arranged relatively to the tobacco-suspending means. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the general arrangeiheirt of 55 a complete set of disseminating-pipes. Figs, 4 and 4^a are views illustrating the mariner of detachably connecting the perforated transversely-held pipes with the vertically-disposed conveyer-pipes, and Fig. 5 is a vertical 60 section of the generator forming a part of my complete means for curing and ordering tobacco.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts in 65 all the figures, 1 indicates the barn or curinghouse, which in its general construction may be of the conventional size and shape. The tobacco-supporting means are, however, especially arranged to provide for conveniently 70 setting in place my improved system of piping, which is intended to be detachably held within the barn, and for this purpose the sides of the barn have a series of horizontally-disposed cleats 2, upon which the transverse 75 hanger-rods 3 are detachably and adjustably supported, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The pipe system comprises a series of longitudinal sections connected by a series of transverse pipe-sections. For the ordinary 80 size tobacco-barn but two side sections are provided, each of which, as will be readily understood by referring to Fig. 3, consists of a lower horizontal pipe 4, an upper horizontal pipe 4^a, and a series of vertical pipes 4^b, 85 joined to the upper and lower pipes 4 4^a. The two side sections are joined by a series of trans verse pipes 0, arranged in clearly-defined horizontal tiers, and these pipes 5 are perforated, the pipes 4, 4^a, and 4^b being imperfo- 90 rate for a purpose presently explained. One of the bottom pipes 4 has a lateral inlet-section 4°, which in practice projects through the side of the barn and connects with the offtake of the smoke, air, andhumidizing gen- 95 erator, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

In the practical construction of the disseminating-pipes the perforated pipes are divided into regular vertical as well as horizontal tiers, and the said tiers are so spaced rela- 100 tively to the arrangement of the tobaccohangers that each vertical tier of perforated pipes will discharge upward between a pair of tiers of suspended tobacco-bunches, as best δ 646,218 shown in Fig. 2. The correlation of the tobacco-bunches and the perforated-pipe tiers can, however, be regulated at will and the tobacco hung closely together or separated, as 5 the condition of the staple may make desirable, by reason of the hanger-rods being loosely mounted on the cleats 2. The rods 3 are also loosely supported on the cleats for the reason that the pipe system when fitted io together can be placed into the barn in its complete shape by carrying it endwise into one end of the barn, an operation that could not be done were the rods 3 fixedly secured in place, said rods 3 in practice being lifted 15 into a proper position after the tobaccobunches have been hung therein and after the disseminating-pipe system has been set within the barn.

The perforated pipes can be connected to 20 the vertical or end pipes by ordinary unioncouplings, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3; but I prefer to detachably connect them to the said end pipes, because such arrangement admits of regulating the number of ejector-pipes to 25 suit the size of the barn and the quantity and character of the staple to be treated. Under all conditions, however, the side portions of the piping are made of a fixed size, the number of the perforated pipes being increased 30 or diminished, as desired. For this purpose suitable means are provided whereby the perforated pipes can be conveniently and quickly placed into position or detached, as desired. In Figs. 4 and4^a I have illustrated one way of 35 doing this and also for closing off the opening in the feeder-pipes 4^b when the transverse pipe is omitted or disconnected. In said figures it will be seen that the pipe 4^b has a discharge-aperture 4^d, and at a point in line with 40 such aperture said pipe carries a rotatable cuff member 6, having an opening adapted to be brought into register with the opening 4^d and having a seat portion 6^d to receive theend of the perforated pipe 5. To connect the pipe 45 5 to. pipe 4”, it is only necessary to rotate the member 6 to bring its opening into register with pipe 4¹’ to seat the end of pipe on said, member 6, with its end close against the aperture 4^d. To make the joint tight, an asbes50 tos washer 7 is inserted between the pipe 5 and member Gand the said pipe held fast against said washer by clamping devices, a simple form of such devices being shown, which consists of a spring-wire 8Jooped about 55 pipe 4^b and about itself and having its ends 8^shooked into the perforations of pipe 5. By providing a joint such as described it is obvious that when the pipe-section is removed the opening 4^d can be readily closed byprop60 erly turning the cuff G.

By arranging the perforated pipes as described they will discharge up between the bunches as also down over them and sidewise, the upper and lower sections dominating to 65 such an extent as to provide for a more positive penetration of the discharges from the pipes between the bunches. This result .is attained to a high degree on account of the pipes forming the sides being imperforate, such arrangement also providing for the more 70 uniform dissemination of the discharges both as to volume and condition for the reason that were the side members perforated the discharges from the transverse pipes, especially those at the top, would be materially de- 75 creased and of less effect than the discharges through the lowermost tiers of pipes.

So far as described the operation is as follows : Smoke or hot air, or a mixture of both, passing into the disseminator escapes only 80 through the perforated transversely-disposed pipes and in such manner as to cause a quick, uniform, and effective drying of the staple. After the staple is dried as desired the same can be immediately ordered or humidized 85 without in the slightest rearrangingthe parts within the barn or shifting the tobacco from its position, such operation being.effected by forcing moist atmosphere through the disseminating-pipes. While this latter result 90 .may be obtained-by. connecting a special humidizing means with the inlet to the disseminator, yet I prefer to employ a generatingmeans which can be almost instantly adjusted to discharge dry air or smoke, or both, 95 at the same-time, or a moist air, without requiring a secondary or supplemental means other than the generator, having a single offtake connecting with the disseminator.

The generator in its general construction— 100 that is, as a means for creating and discharging smoke, dry hot air, or both, or moist airforms an essential feature of my present case. Iishall, however, to render its operation and · 'ad vantages clear, describe the same in detail. 105 Thegenerator shown in detail in Fig,5 comprises a, body formed, preferably, of sheet metal and mounted on casters to facilitate its movement. The body10 terminates in a. conical top 10 ^s, with which the-natural off- no takeqfipe 11 is connected. This pipe has a cut-off valve 12 and at a. point above said; valve it has air-inlets 13, the area of which can be readily increased or diminished by a proper shifting of the sliding hood 14, as 115 shown.

indicates one set of a.series of coibpipes, the lowermost members or legs of which form a crown part of. the fire-space 17, the end of said pipes as well as all of the other like se- 120 ries of pipes (not shown) opening into a collecting-space 18 common to the lower, end of all the coiled pipes. The upper ends-of all the pipe-coils discharge into a collecting-space 19, .having a single offtake 20, that discharges 125 into asmoke-outlet 21, that opens into.the conical top of the body 1, its entrant endhaving a_; sparkrarrester 22. and an agitator 23. for clearing it. The pipe or outlet 21 has a cut-off damper 24, as, has the offtake 20;. 130 said, offtake 20 also having a valved branch pipe 25, that injects.air into the pipe.21.

The grate .portion of the fire-pot is formed of a series of tubular pipes 26, that communi646j218 cate at one end with the air-space IS and at the other end discharge into a spaced?; which in turn discharges into the space 19.

indicates brackets projected from one 5 side of the generator-body, on which is supported a suction-pipe 29, that discharges at the lower end into afap_-chamber 30, that has its outlet-discharge into a space 31, with which a series of jet-pipes 32 comm u nicate and which io are disposed below the grate-pipes and discharge up between them.

indicates a blower operated by electric or other power, which has its blowpipe held to discharge into the space 18.

34 indicates an elbow-pipe section pivotally supported in the pipe 29 to turn in a horizontal plane, said section having an attached handle 35, whereby it can be conveniently manipulated. The elbow-pipe is so arranged 20 that it can be swung over the draft-flue 11 and form, as it were, together with the suction-fan, a means for creating an increased draft and also for consuming the smoke or products of combustion. The blower may be 25 driven in any well-known manner, for example, by belting it with the main-blast fanshaft. In the latter case by shifting the belt 36 the suction-fan can be held at rest and the generator operated by its natural draft.

37 indicates a water-jacket surrounding the heating-space of the generator. This provides a simple means for generating moisture.

The water-space has a suitable feed at one point and a blow-off 38, which has also a way35 valve 39, that can be set to discharge into atmosphere or into the air-offtake flue-pipe 20.

In practice the generator is located adjacent the barn under a shed or other housing. When it is desired to smoke-dry the tobacco, 40 the means for creating an air-blast are held at rest and the pipe 20 closed and the damper in the pipe 11 also closed. This will cause the smoke to pass out into the single offtake 21 into the disseminating-pipes within the 45 barn, danger of fire being reduced to the minimum by reason of the spark-arrester at the entrant end of the offtake 21 and the fact that the discharge-pipes in the barn have very small outlets. Should it be desired to create 50 an increased draft, the valve in pipe 21 and in its injector-section may be slightly'opened or the draft may be regulated by opening the door in the ash-pit of the heater. Now should it be desired to discharge both hot air and 55 smoke it is only necessary to open the valve in the pipe 20 full and set the blasf-fan running to feed the air under pressure, if desired. To feed air only, the smbke-pipeTs'closed and the smoke allo wed to pass on t the nat ural off60 take 11. Should it be desired to humidize the tobacco after being dried, this can be done by opening the valve in the discharge from the fluid-space to allow the steam to pass out with the warm air. Thus it will be seen I 65 can begin to humidize the tobacco almost instantly after it has been dried. I can dry it by smoke alone, hot-air alone, or both hot air and smoke, and after it is dry I can disseminate moisture to properly cure or order the tobacco, the several operations of treating the 70 tobacco being accomplished without shifting the tobacco-bunches after they have been hung.

While I have described and illustrated my invention as especially adapted for treating 75 tobacco, it is obvious it can be used for other drying and humidizing purposes.