The Windlass Rotary Drier: Lower It to Load, Wind It Up to Dry

"L represents a rope passing over the sheave, the ends being attached to the rotating shaft b and slide-box C." "The slide-box and arms will then descend by their own weight to the lower part of the post, resting on the shoulder of the base". After loading, they "are then elevated to the desired height upon the post by turning the crank h, which is kept from descending by a ratchet-wheel and pawl". "After use all the parts can be detached from the base and post in an instant, and removed into a house or any other convenient place from the changes of the weather, thus leaving the post and base only standing out."

Stand a timber post in a heavy base. Make a square collar that slides on it and fix four short arms to the collar; string clothesline between the arm ends. Fix a pulley at the top of the post. Tie cotton rope to the collar, run it up over the pulley and down to a dowel shaft with a crank handle, mounted on the post. Add a ratchet: a notched wheel on the shaft and a hinged wooden pawl that drops into the notches. Lower the frame, peg on a weighed load of wet washing, and wind it up. Hook the force meter to the crank handle to read the hand force, and compare with the notebook.

**James W. Kenning** of Quincy, Branch County, Michigan, received US 110,145, dated 13 December 1870. The patent prints no filing date. **Honest limits.** The notebook ignores friction in the collar, the sheave and the shaft, so the real crank force is higher. The masses and radii are examples. Your force-meter reading is the measurement.