Roots Blower
1854 The Roots brothers, Philander Higley Roots and Francis Marion Roots, established the Roots Woollen Mill alongside the Whitewater Canal (USA).
Their plan was to use the flow of water in the canal to power their mill, and as they attempted to design a better water wheel for the slow current, they discovered an unusual principle for moving air that became known as the Roots Positive Rotary Principle. This discovery led to the production of the Roots Blower patented in 1860.
The Roots brothers were probably unaware that the design was anticipated by George Jones of Birmingham, England, registered in 1843, and manufactured by Jones. In fact the concept was published earlier. See Fig. 2 here, drawn by Mutlow, who was active from 1808 to 1840.[1]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Custom Built by McFarlan: A History of the Carriage and Automobile, by Richard A. Stanley