AN IMPROVE- MENT IN THE MACHINERY NOW IN USE FOR MAKING STRANDS FROM THE YARNS, AND LAYING ROPES BY SUCH MACHINERY AT ONE AND THE SAME TIME
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NOWELL, of the Town and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of May, in the third year of His reign, did,, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Nowell, His especial licence, that I, the said William Nowell, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Nowell, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE MACHINERY NOW IN USE FOR MAKING STRANDS FROM THE YARNS,
AND LAYING ROPES BY SUCH MACHINERY AT ONE AND THE SAME TIME;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me; the said William
Nowell, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at largo
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Nowell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained by and in the annexed Drawings, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the whole machine, including my improvements;
and Fig. 4 an elevation of the drawing motion. Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are plans
of the same respectively. The same letters refer to the same things in each
respective Figure.
My Improvements consist,-
Firstly, in the application of three or more tubes represented in Fig. 1,
Fig. 2, Fig. 3, placed in an angular position, so as to receive the strands
immediately above the press blocks a, a, and nearly in a line with A, the point
of closing or laying the rope; B' and B are opposite side views; B, an edge
view; and B, a side section of the same.
I do not claim any exclusive right of Patent for the tubes themselves, only
for their form and angular position.
Secondly, in the attaching of two common flat sheaves or pullies C, C, Fig. 1
and Fig. 2, to each of the said tubes, nearly round which each strand is lapped
or coiled, to prevent them from slipping, as shown in the section, Fig. 2. The
said sheaves or pullies are connected by a crown or centre wheel D loose upon
b, b, the main or upright axle. E, E, a smaller wheel upon each tube work-
ing into the said crown or centre wheel, and fixed upon a loose box I. On
each of the said tubes F, F, a spur wheel, fixed also upon each of the said
loose boxes I, and working into a lesser wheel G upon the axis 2 of each
tube. H, a bevilled wheel fixed upon the same axis with G, and working
into another bevilled wheel j fixed upon the cross axle 3 of each tube. K, a
spur wheel attached to the same axis with j at the opposite end, and working
into L, another spur wheel of the same size upon each of the said tubes. By
wheels thus arranged, and connected with the sheaves or pullies C, C, each
sheave or pulley, and each corresponding wheel or wheels upon their respective
tubes move exactly at the same speed; and by the strands being lapped or
coiled round the said sheaves or pullies as above described a perfectly equal
strain or tension is put upon each strand, as drawn forward over the pulley C.
I do not claim the manner in which the sheaves or pullies are connected as
my Invention, only their application to the tubes in their angular position.
Thirdly, in the introduction of change wheels M, M, M, M, Fig. 1, 2, 3,
for putting the forehard or proper twist into each strand before the rope is
laid. This I effect by small spindles or axles 4, 4, placed parallel with the line

page_text: of each tube B. Upon the lower end of each spindle or axle the bevilled
wheels N, N, are attached and driven by other bevilled wheels O, O, fixed
immediately above each press block a; a. On the top end of each said spindle
or axle 4, 4, is attached one of the change wheels working into the other
change wheel fixed upon the bottom end of each of the said tubes, whereby
the forehard or proper twist in the strands for all sizes of ropes is at once
attained by simply changing the sizes of those two last-described wheels, which
can be very readily effected from the manner in which they are attached to the
tubes B, B, and 4, 4. From the angular position of the tubes towards the
centre, the strands are nearly in contact at their upper ends where the rope
is laid, and immediately below which the forehard or proper twist is given to
the strands.
Fourthly, in the application of a press block P in two parts of brass or any
other metal placed directly above and close down to where the rope is laid at
A, the inside of which is polished, and the under end bell-mouthed, to pre-
vent the rope from being chafed in entering it. A sufficient grip or pressure
is put upon the rope by one or two levers and weights 5, 5, acting upon the
press block so as to adjust any trifling irregularity in the strands or in the lay-
ing, the inside of which being polished gives a smoothness, and, by the said
levers and weights, a proper tension to the rope as it is drawn forward
through the press block. By the application of this block ropes may be made
at once properly stretched, rendering them decidedly preferable and extremely
advantageous, particularly for shipping, inclined planes, mines, and so forth.
The preceding description includes the whole of my improvements. The
remaining parts of the machine are similar to those now in use, and which I
shall briefly describe as follows, namely:-
Fig. 1, c, pulley fixed, independent of the machine over which the rope passes
to the drawing motion represented by Fig. 4, 5. d, d, is a groved wheel round
which the rope is passed and pressed into the grove by means of the lever and
weight e, e, acting upon the binding sheave f, to prevent the rope from slipping.
After the rope leaves the said sheave, it is coiled away at pleasure. g, g, are
two change wheels for varying the speed of the groved wheel d, d, to answer
the various sizes of ropes. h, a spiral wheel driven by the screw k fixed upon
the axle l. m is a band wheel, which is driven by a belt from the shaft of
the engine or any other communicating power. n, n, friction
striking clutch. The axle q is driven by two change wheels p, p. By chang-
ing the sizes of those wheels the different speed of the drums R, R, for any
sizes of ropes,
is at once effected. The additional axle s and wheels t, t, shewn
in Fig. 4, 5, are applied occasionally for reversing the motion of the said
strap and

page_text: drums, and making what is usually termed left-hand ropes. u, Fig. 1, and 6,
crown wheel v, v, which wheel carries and
bevilled pinion, driving the main
gives motion to the drums R, R. w, w; is a fixed or sun wheel which gives
a reverse motion to the drums as they revolve round the same by means of
the intervening wheels a, a, a, whereby the reverse or retrograding motion is
produced, and which gives to the strands the right twist. The various retro-
grading motions or right twist for all sizes and descriptions of ropes may be
obtained. by changing the diameters of the pinions y, y, y, on the under ends
of the drum spindles, the carriages of the said intervening wheels x, x, x, being
made to slide round the ring z, z. W, W; is the framework of the machine
and drawing motion. T, T, T, are the bobbins containing the yarns. Their
number is varied to correspond with the different sizes of the machines. The
machine here described is calculated to make ropes from three to seven and
one half inches in circumference, and to any indefinite length.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Nowell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.
The general arrangement with my improvements of the machine already
described will, I am fully satisfied, be of the greatest importance and advan-
tage in the manufacturing of ropes of all sizes and descriptions, giving at once
facility to the maker and great improvement in the quality and durability of
the ropes, the change wheels M, M, M, M, being arranged that they may be
so varied and readily adjusted in a few minutes as to give the forehard or
proper twist to the strands for all sizes and descriptions of ropes, and which,
being given immediately below where the rope is closed or laid, a more per-
fect regularity, both in the twist of the strands and in the laying of the
rope, is
at once: obtained, than by any other machine hitherto used. The press block
P will not only give a smoothness to and improve the appearance of the rope,
but by the pressure put upon it by the levers and weights 5, 5, the rope may
be stretched or tested to answer any purpose it may be required for. This is
of infinite service in many cases. Ropes made by the ordinary machines have
not this advantage, and are often found to stretch so much after being made
and put, to work as to reduce in size considerably, which destroys the proper
position of the strands, and makes the rope what is technically amongst rope-
makers termed long jawed. The arrangement of the drawing motion, Fig. 4, 5,
and that of the retrograding motion of the drums by the different change

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1833, the aforesaid William Nowell came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-three.