Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-30
ELECTRICITY AND COTTON.
The Electric Stop Motion in Cotton
Manufacturing.

A notable invention has been on exhibi-
tton at the Boston Institute Fair touching
the manufacture Of cotton. 1t deals In a
new element which is being rapidly utilized
in many directions, to wit: electricity. Many
inventions have been introduced into cotton
and other textile machinery, known as stop
motions. These have been designed to act
10 an automatic manner to stop the machine
when, from some cause or other, 1t begins
to perform its work In an improper manner,
for example, when yarns and slivers break.
Most of the mechanical devices in question,
to be very delicate, are necessarily, fragile
and liable to arrangement. To do away with
these altogether, and substitute for them
stop motion that Will be at once simple, of
direct action, and unfailng, has been the
object OF the invention shown in the fair,
and now widely known to English manu-
factureTs as the electric stop motion. This
is very simple, and at the same time a
most unfailing, device for a stop motion
to cotton machinery. The fact that cot
ton, when in comparatively dry state, is
a non conductor of electricity, is the lead.
ing principle OF this method, which was
taken advantage of and adopted for the
electric stop motion for the machines ex-
hibited In the fair, which comprise card
ing engine, drawing frame, an inter
mediate or rowing frame and a loom But
the perfect adaptabilisy of electricity for
stopping purposes may be best understood
by an examination Of the drawing frame,
for here no less than four conditions can
occur in which the work can be spoiled,
when In each case it becomes necessary to
stop the machine: A silver may break on
the way from the cans to the drawing rollers
and this also includes a can getting empty
then, the cotton may lap or accumulate on
the drawing rollers; or the slivers may break
In passing from the drawing rollers to the
calender rollers, as, for instance, by Jumps
on them, and which cannot pass through
the tunnels above the latter rollers ; and,
fourthly, when the front cans get filed
with the drawn silver. The principle of
the invention, which is an English one.
may, in general terms, be thus described:
The electric current is supplied .hY a mag
neto-electric machine, which is Ufiven by a
email band or belt from the main driving
shaft. The machine weighs but few
pounds, and Is driven by belt an inch wide.
The power required to operate 1t is about
the same as would be required to run a
small sewing machine. The electricity be-
ing constant, 1t is always available so long
as the engine Is running. One pole is con-
nected by means of a rod or wire to the
machine frame, and the other pole is the
electro magnet. The msgneto machine acts
through the electro-magnet, so that when
q contact is made In any working machine
to which It is attached the electro-magnet
at the machine attracts an armature of
soft iron. which drops into a ratchet wheel.
whose motion being impeded, causes the
belt to work upon the loose pulley, and
thus stop the machine at once, electrical
contact being made In each case Of stoppaoe
by the various simple contrfvances which
are attached to the machine, and which
only act when an improper performance
OF work takes place. To illustrate this in
vention mere fully, its operation on a draw
ing frame may be described In detail. II
well known to those familiar with cotton
machinery that the slivers, before they
reach the drawing rollers, which, for the
present purpose, may be described as cleo
tric rollers, the bottom one OF which is
huted, and revolves In bearings attached
to the machine frame. The top rollers
are made short, so as to allow of there
being one for every pair of slivers which
Is passing through the frame, and they
revolve in plates, secured to plate called
a beckplste, which is electrically insulated
from the rest of the machine. On the frame
is a small electro magnet, and the stop
electric rollers are kept from being In con-
tact with the bottom one by means or a
non-coDducting cotton silver, and the upper
and lower rollers being insulated from each
other by the non-conductors, the passage of
the electric current is not possible; but IL
tne silver enouid Dreak, the rollers then
come into contact, the circuit is completed,
and the machine is stopped instantly. When
the cotton laps on the drawing rollers
the stoppage occurs In this way: These
rollers, both top and bottom, are In
electrical contact with the machine frame.
and as is usual, are covered by plates of
the top clearers which are placed at a
short distance from them, and are attached
to the insulated backplate. The top
clearers. therefore, are In electrical
contact with one pole Of the magnetic