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We copy this engraving from the London Engineer, as it appears to us to be an ingenious and useful little device. It consists in an arrangement for holding casks while being caused to rotate for rinsing and scouring the interior of the cask. The illustration represents a front view of a cask-cleaning machine with a cask mounted in it. a, a, is a strong rectangular frame of iron, furnished with journals, b, b, one on each side, which are fitted in suitable bearings, c c, carried by A-shaped standards, d d, which are erected and rigidly fixed on the base or floor, . The axis of the frame is represented as furnished with a winch handle, f, for the purpose of rotating the frame a by hand, but it may be driven by a strap and rigger or other suitable contrivance for communicating steam or other motive power, g g are the fangs or parts for fixing the cask in the frame. The V-holding prongs or fangs, g g, are formed to suit the chime or angle of the cask to be held; the stem, h, of each of these fangs, g g, is furnished with a screw thread fitted with nuts, i i. The stems, h h, are passed through plain holes in the frame, and are fixed in position by the set nuts, i i. The nuts, i i, afford the necessary facilities for forcing up and fixing the cask by the fangs, g g; and also permit of the fangs being adjusted to suit different sizes of casks. The position of the cask may also be varied at will by turning the cask round on the stems, h h, as on an axis ; this may be done from time to time as the work progresses, if necessary, the machine being stopped for the purpose. In order to effect this, the nuts, i i, are slacked on the stems, h h, which being furnished with squares for applying suitable keys or wrenches, the stems and the cask with them are partially turned round. The mode of operation is as follows :—The cask having been mounted and fixed in the frame by tbe fangs, g g, the bung is turned uppermost, and water or other fluid, with or [without solid materials, introduced into the cask; the bunghole is then closed, and the frame, a a, with the cask, put in motion by the winch handle, f; the frame, a, being turned end over end, gives the necessary motion to the cask, and thereby agitates the contents in such a manner as to effectually scour and cleanse the interior of the cask so submitted to its action. The contents of the cask are then run out at the bunghole, and fresh water put in if necessary and the motion repeated, in order to rinse the cask, which is then removed from the frame. A modification of the above apparatus is described in the patentee's specification. It consists of an arrangement for holding the cask in a position in line with the axis of rotation of the frame. The apparatus is worked in the same manner as that above described.
