Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1859-11-12
The Wheeling Cotton Mills,

THE Wheeling Cotton Mills.
Yesterday morning we visited the Wheel
ing Cotton Mills, which have been idle for
two years and more, until recently put in
operation by AIr. T. w. Gillis, an enterpri-
sing gentleman from the east, who posses
ses a perfectly practical knowledge of all
the minutia of the business. We found the
machinery, which two years of idleness
had somewhat disordered, Thoroughly brush
ed up, and almost as good rs new. The
clatter and Changing of the spinning wheels,
pickers and drawers, reminded us of bus
mess thrift and prosperity that was very
gratifying to witness in Wheeling palmiest
days. Only few weeks ago the lofty and
many-windowed structure, in its perfect
stillnes was suggestive of ghosts and haunt
cd crcviccs. Now all is life and hustle and
active energy. Everything. in the vicinity
seems to feel the change. '' ="
The process through which the cotton
passes in a firctory of this kind is not gen
orally understood, and we therefore attempt
to describe it, and find ourselves materially
assisted by familiar Cyclopedia before us.
After the cotton has been ginned on the
plantation, picked and separated into
light uniform mass, the first operation is
carding, which serves TO cqualize the sub
stance of the cotton, and dispose its fibres
inaparallel direction. The carding-eniggiine
consists of revolving cylinder, covered
with cards of iron wire, which is nearly
surrounded by fixed concave framing, also
lined with cards, with which the cylinder
comes in contact.
From this cylinder, called the breaker,
the cotton is taken off by the motion of a
transverse comb, called the daffing-plate
and it passes through a second carding in
the finishing cylinder. II is then passed
through kind of funnel, by which it is
contracted into narrow band or silver. velI. and
received into tin cans, in the state OF. a uni
form continued carding.
The next step in the process is called
drawing the cotton. The machine en-
ployed for this purpose, called the drawing
frame, is constructed on the same principle
us the spinning franc, or jenny, from which
the idea of it was taken. To initiate the
operation performed by the thumb and
finger in hand-spinnipg, two pairs of rollers
are employed; the first pair, slowly revol-
in contact with each othe rare placed at
little distance from the second pair, which
reyolvc with greater velocity. The lower
roller of each pair is furrowcd or fluted,
longitudinolly, and theupper one is covered
with leather, to give the two proper hold
of the cotton. If carding be passed be-
tween the first pair, it will be merely COM
pressed by the pressure of. the rollers but,
lit be then passed through the second
pair, moving with twice or thrice the velo-
city of the first, it will be drawn twice or
thrice smaller than it was when it entered
the first rollers. The relative velocity of
the two pairs of rollers is called tho iraught
of the machine
Several of these drawings arc then passed
together through rollers, in the same man
ner, plying (coalescing) 4as they pass, and
forming single new drawing. The draw
ing and plying are several times repeated,
and have the effect of arranging all the
fibres of the cotton longitudinaliy, in a
uniform and parallel direction, and doing
away all the inequalities Of thickness. In
these operations the cotton receives n o twist.
Rowing the cotton, which is the next part
of the process, ,givesit d slight twist, which
converts it into a soft and loose thread,
called the rowing. The machine for per-
forming this operation is called the rowing
frame ordouble-speeder.e - In order to wind
the rowing uponthe bobbins of the sbindles,
in even cylindrical layers, the spindle-raiI
ismade to!rise and fall slowly, bymeans of
heart-wheelsin theinterior of the machine.
Andi.as the size of thehobbins is augmen-
ted by eachla layer, the velocity of the spin
dies and of the spindle-raila is made ito
diminish gradually, from the beginning to
the end of the operation. This is effected
by transmitting the motion to both, through
two opposite cones, one of which drives the
other with band, which is made to pass
slowly from one end to the other Of the the
cones, and thus continually to alter their
relative speed, and cause uniform. retar-.
d0tiOn of the velocity. The bobbins are
now transferred 'toaithe spinning-fame,
which has a double set of rollers; like those
described in,'the account of the drawing.
and roying-frames, and which, operating in
the same manner, as in those machines. ex-.
tend the rove5 and reduce,it to a thread of
the he.fequfred Ffneness by Ayers; driven bI