IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF HARNESSES AND HARNESS SHAFTS IN Looms FOR WHAVING RIBBONS AND OTHER NARROW FABRICS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederic Condit at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
August 1873.
I, FREDERIC CONDIT, of Providence, Rhode Island, in the United
States of America, but now residing at Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF HARNESSES AND HARNESS SHAFTS IN Looms
FOR WHAVING RIBBONS AND OTHER NARROW FABRICS," to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the arrangement
of harnesses and harness shafts to be used in looms for weaving ribbons,
hat bands, tapes, and other narrow fabrics, and whereby some dis-
advantages which have hitherto existed in connection with such
machinery are avoided.
Heretofore the harnesses have been arranged with certain distances
between, side by side, on shafts placed at the top and bottom thereof,
and by which the same are spread and kept stretched, so that the threads
of the warp which pass through the eyes of the harness may be kept
separate, and raised or depressed to provide a proper shed for the

page_text: shuttle to pass through. It has been found impossible however with
this arrangement to remove any of the harnesses, except those at each
end, without damaging or destroying the piece which is removed, or
disturbing some of the other series, especially when the harnesses have
the threads of the warp in their eyes.
Under the present Invention each piece of harness is provided with a
shaft of its own at the top and bottom thereof, each of which shafts is
in its turn attached either temporarily or permanently to a longer or
main shaft by cords, wire, loops, hooks, eyes, screws, bolts, or other
attachments for holding the small shafts to the main shafts, so that the
harnesses may be kept in a proper position and properly stretched. The
small shafts with their harnesses are arranged side by side at proper
distances as may be desired on the larger shafts. By means of this
arrangement a warp of cotton, silk, or other material may be removed
from the loom with its harnesses and reed without disturbing any of the
rest of the warps or harnesses, so that when one or more warps is or are
woven out, or is or are desired to be removed for any purpose, another
may be substituted if desired without delay beyond the time required to
unfasten one set of harness and put in another.
An important advantage resulting from this arrangement is that new
warps may be hoisted or tied to threads already in the harnesses while
out of the loom, thus avoiding any delay or stoppage of the loom to
"draw in," "twist in," replace, or change warps, or to mend those badly
broken.
The main shafts may be kept apart at proper distances by
"stretchers" between the same, as may also the small ones if desired.
In some cases it is desirable to keep the harnesses stretched whilst out
of the loom in order that the eyes may not slip or get out of place or
shape. This is effected' by inserting a piece of wood on each side between
the respective ends of the shafts.