IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WASHERS AND WASHER CLOTHS USED IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Worth, of Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF WASHERS AND WASHER CLOTHS USED IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND
SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Worth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st March 1878.
I, JOHN WORTH, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manu-
FACTURE OF WASHERS AND WASHER CLOTHS USED IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING
AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows :-
My improvements relate to the manufacture of the washers and
washer cloths used for the purpose of giving the requisite amount of
drag or friction to the bobbins employed in such machinery, and consists
firstly, in making the said washers convex on the upper surface and
formed of unglazed earthenware, cast iron, or rough glass.

page_text: And secondly, in weaving the said washer cloths in such a way as to
leave square holes in the same at suitable distances apart, so as to avoid
the necessity for punching holes through the same to admit the spindles
as usually practised. I use soft yarn of either cotton or wool (or a
mixture of the same), and I arrange the warps in the loom in such a 5
way as to leave spaces in the centre of each width where the line of
spindles is to pass through, and I weave in the weft in a similar way,
that is to say, I weave in a certain number of picks close together for a
distance corresponding with the space between any two spindles, and
then leave a space corresponding with the diameter of the spindle 1
entirely without any weft and so on alternately. This will produce a
cloth with square holes corresponding to cach spindle and can be effected
in the loom in various ways. For instance, by causing the taking up of
the cloth to be irregular or by causing the picking motion to be
intermittent at the required intervals, the cloth may either be woven in 1
a single width and cut into strips, or it may be woven in separate widths
in a smallware loom, in which latter case it will have a selvedge.
In some cases I propose to insert a warp of lead or other metal wire
along cach side of the row of holes and along the outer edge of cach
strip. This will not only strengthen the cloth, but will also in a great 2
measure prevent the spreading of the oil from the spindle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Worth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th August 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Jomn 2
WORTH, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, 3
give and grant unto me, the said John Worth, Her special license that
I, the said John Worth, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Worth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time

page_text: to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP WASHERS AND WASHER CLOTHS USED IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND
SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Worth, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Worth, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement (that is to say) :—
My improvements relate to the manufacture of the washer and
washer cloths used for the purpose of giving the requisite amount of
drag or friction to the bobbins employed in such machinery, and consists
firstly, in making the said washers convex on the upper surface and
formed of unglazed earthenware, cast iron, or rough glass.
And secondly, in weaving the said washer cloths in such a way as to
leave square holes in the same at suitable distances apart, so as to avoid
the necessity for punching holes through the same to admit the spindles
as usually practised. I use soft yarn of either cotton, wool, or other
fibrous substance (or a mixture of the same), and I arrange the warps
in the loom in such a way as to leave spaces in the centre of each width
where the line of spindles is to pass through, and I weavo in the weft in
a similar way, that is to say, I wcave in a certain number of picks close
together for a distance corresponding with the space between any two
spindles, and then leave a space corresponding with the diameter of the
spindle entirely without any weft, and so on alternately. This will
produce a cloth with square holes corresponding to each spindle and can
be effected in the loom in various ways. For instance, by causing the
taking up of the cloth to be irregular or by causing the picking motion
to be intermittent at the requisito intervals, the cloth may either be

page_text: woven in a single width and cut into strips, or it may be woven in.
separate widths in à smallware loom, in which latter case it will have
a selvedge.
In some cases I propose to insert a warp of lead or other metal, wire
along each side the row of holes, and along the outer edge of each strip.
This will not only strengthen the cloth, but will also in a great measure
prevent the spreading of the oil from the spindles.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to understood that I1
am aware that washer cloths have been made by leaving out a certain
number of the warp threads along the centre line, so that the weft
threads might be separated to pass the spindles through, and I therefore
lay no claim to such leaving out of the warp threads alone, but I wish
it to be distinctly understood that I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, making washers for such machinery of unglazed earthenware,
cast iron, or rough glass formed convex on the upper side.
.1
And secondly, I claim weaving washer cloths for such machinery in
such a way as to leave square holes in the same at suitable distances
apart to allow the spindles to pass through substantially in the manner 2
herein-before described.
1
In witness whereof, I, the said John Worth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witnessed by,
GEORGE DAVIES, O. E.,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JOHN WORTH. (L.S.) .. 2