IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING, COMBING, AND DRAWING WOOL, ALPACA, MOHAIR, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
SHARP BAILEY, of Bradford, in the County of York, Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fifth day of October, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Sharp Bailey, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Sharp Bailey, my
exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Sharp
Bailey, my exors, adñors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
other, 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 and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING, COMBING, AND DRAWING WOOL, ALPACA, MOHAIR,
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Joseph Sharp Bailey, shall cause a full and particular
description of the nature of my said Inventions, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Sharp Bailey, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, are herein-after
fully ascertained by the following description thereof, reference being had to

page_text: the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say, my said Invention of improvements consists,―
First, in apparatus and machinery for treating wool, alpaca, mohair, and
other fibrous materials, preparatory to the process of combing such fibrous
materials.
Secondly, in apparatus and machinery for combing wool, alpaca, mohair,
and other fibrous materials.
Thirdly, in apparatus and machinery for drawing into slivers, wool, alpaca,
mohair, and other fibrous materials.
Fourthly, in heating the combs employed in the processes of combing wool,
alpaca, mohair, and other fibrous materials.
The apparatus and machinery I employ for the preparatory process in the
manufacture of fibrous materials, and which constitutes the first part of my
improvements are illustrated in Sheet A of the accompanying Drawings, Fig. I.
being a longitudinal elevation of the machine, and Fig. II. a. longitudinal
section of the rollers drawn to an enlarged scale.. This apparatus consists of a
series of revolving rollers, the peripheries of which are provided with heckle or
comb teeth or points, and with projecting bristles or brushes;. between these
rollers the fibrous material passes during the process of preparation, and is fed
into the machine by means of feeding rollers and a feeding cloth or apron upon
which the fibrous material is previously placed by hand. The fibrous material,
after passing between these series of revolving rollers, is taken off the last
brush roller by a series of combs attached to a revolving frame, such combs
being removed from the said revolving frame when they are charged with a
sufficient quantity of the fibrous materials from the last, brush roller, and is
preparatory to the subsequent operation of combing. A, A, the framing
of the machine, upon which are mounted the porcupine or pointed rollers
B, B', B, and the brush rollers C, C', C"; the teeth upon the porcupine
rollers are finer, and diminish in length, as also, their pitch is finer as they are
more distant from the feeding rollers. D, D; that is, the roller B, which is the
nearest to the feeding rollers D, D, has its teeth coarser and longer and the
pitch greater than the rollers B¹ or B", which are more distant. The surface
speeds of the porcupine rollers, as also,, of the brush rollers, increase as they
are more distant from the feeding rollers. I prefer to place the teeth upon
the porcupine rollers at an angle or inclination of about 10° or 15° from a
radial line, as when the teeth are at about this angle the fibrous material is
more effectually cleared from them by the brush. rollers; but other angles, or
even a radial line, may be adopted.
comb frames F, F, are attached;
E is the revolving frame to which the
these comb frames are. caused to-

page_text: move outwards by the levers G, G, which are acted upon by the groove
of the fixed guide or cam H. The part of the revolution when the
cam acts upon the comb frames to project them outwards is when the
combs I, I, are passing successively the last brush roller C". The action
of the cam is such that the points of the comb teeth. continue to approach the
brush roller as they move past it, moving through the bristles of the brush.
The action of the cam then causes the comb to recede back to its former
position; which movement, together with a continued rotary motion of the
frame carrying the comb frames and combs, strips the fibrous material from
the brush roller. The mode of operation is this:-Empty combs being placed
upon the comb frames F; F, the machine is set in motion; the fibrous
material to be operated upon is spread by hand upon the feeding apron D', it
then passes between the feeding rollers D, D, when it is taken hold of and
carried forward by the teeth of the first porcupine roller B, but is almost
immediately taken off by the first brush roller C, which transfers it to the
second porcupine roller B¹, and so on through the series, until it arrives at the
last brush roller C", whence it is taken by the passing combs. The small
plain roller K, above the last brush roller C", is for the purpose of enabling
the passing combs more offectually to take hold of the fibrous material. The
other small roller, L, above the first porcupine roller B, is for the purpose of
enabling the passing points of the porcupine roller B more effectually to take
hold of the fibrous material issuing from between the feeding rollers. When
the combs are full the machine is stopped, when they are removed and empty
ones substituted; the machine is then again put in operation, and the filling
of the combs repeated. I sometimes employ a greater or less number, of the
porcupine and brush rollers according to circumstances. The position of the
passing comb at the moment of its greatest projection is shown by the red
lines Fig. I. In place of taking the fibrous materials from the last brush
roller by combs I sometimes dispense with the. use of the combs and comb
frames, and employ drawing rollers, and draw the fibrous material in the
form of a sliver. This constitutes the first part of my present improvements.
The second part of my Invention relates to the process of combing wool,
molair, alpaca, and other fibrous substances. I employ for this purpose two
sets of revolving combs, moving in opposite directions, in such a manner that
the fibrous material may be transferred many times from one set of combs to
the other set; as also I cause such a movement to be given to the combs that
they shall recede from each other at a greater angle to their faces than has
hitherto, usual been the case with revolving combs. I also cause the combs
to commence their working, at a distance from each other, and, during the

page_text: process of combing, to approach each other, so that only the longest fibres will
be combed at the commencement of the operation; and this distance and rate
of approach I regulate in accordance with the nature of the fibrous material
to be operated upon. Sheet B 'illustrates this part of my improvements;
Fig. I. being a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of the combing machine.
Fig. 3, an enlarged view of the position of the combs, and Figs. 4, 5, and 6,
show the comb frame, also drawn to an enlarged scale. A, A, the framing of
the machine; B, B', are two vertical shafts, the bearings of which are fixed to
the framing. Upon the shaft B are fixed permanently the two sets of arms
C, C. Two similar sets of arms C¹, C¹, are likewise attached to the other
shaft B', but are placed loosely thereon, so as to be free to revolve upon the
shaft; both these sets of arms upon each shaft have stretching bolts between
them, to retain them in their proper relative positions. Between the sets of
arms B', B¹, are placed the two toothed or ratchet wheels D', D', into the
teeth or ratchets of which catches fixed upon the inner sides of the arms take,
springs being placed at the backs of the catches to retain them securely in the
teeth. Upon the outer ends of the arms C, C, & C¹, C', are attached the
comb frames E, E, & E', E'; they move upon the pivots e, e, at the ends of
the arms. Upon the outer ends of the comb frames E, E; and E¹, E', are the
friction rollers f, f, which pass into the guiding grooves F, F, and F¹, F¹, thus
regulating the position of the comb frames E, E, and E', E¹, and consequently
'the combs Ġ, G, and G², G'. The portions of the guiding grooves from a to
6 I make a regular curve, being a portion of a circle, or it may be of any
other convenient form or shape, but I prefer the above as most simple and
most efficient. The portions from 6 to ċ I prefer being made a regular
curve, receding from the centres of the shafts B, B'. The portions from
the point c to the point a I make of the form and shape shown, or of a
somewhat similar form and shape, calculated to give the movement I
'require to the comb frame during the revolution of the arms C, 'C, and
C¹, C', the excentricity of the guiding grooves acts successively upon the comb
frames by means of the. friction rollers F, F, within the grooves; as these
friction rollers pass along that portion of the grooves from a to b there is little
or no change of the relative positions of the combs, none being required, but
from 6 to c the effect is to cause the points of the comb teeth to move towards
the centres of the shafts B, B'. The form of the grooves then causes the
points of the teeth of the combs to be moved quickly outwards, the faces of
the combs taking a more radial direction from the centre of the shafts than
before; this movement has the effect of throwing the combs in a manner
behind one another. This position of the combs is shewn drawn to an

page_text: enlarged scale in Fig. 3 by the black lines. The continued revolution of the
arms further separates the combs in an inclined direction to their faces. At
the commencement. of the process the combs work with their faces at a
considerable distance asunder, as shewn in red lines in Fig. 3, but their
relative positions are constantly varying during the process, as they are made
to approach each other, in manner as will be hereafter described, until they
arrive in the position indicated by the black lines, Fig. 3, which is the position
they assume at the termination of the combing process. In Fig. 2 are repre-
sented the combs in the position they assume at the moment the points of the
teeth of one pair of combs are passing each other at the last stroke of the
operation. The combs containing the combed fibrous material have now to be
removed from the comb frames, and others with wool to be combed upon
them are placed thereon preparatory to a repetition of the operation; but
previous to commencing it is necessary to return the comb frames to their
former and proper relative positions, which are those shewn by the red lines in
Fig. 3.. This I effect by moving by hand the two sets of arms C¹, C', upon
the shaft B', a distance proportionate to the length of the fibre, of the
material to be combed. The combs are then again in their proper relativo
position for commencing another combing operation.
I have herein-before stated, that at the commencement of the operation
of combing the combs pass each other at a considerable distance asunder,
and during the process are caused to approach each other. I will now
state how I accomplish this movement. The two sets of arms, comb
frames, and combs are driven from a past pulley H; through the vertical
shaft I, the pinions L, L, and spur wheels M, M. The diameters of the
pinions and wheels and number of their teeth I arrange in such manner that
the vertical shaft B, upon which are the arms C, C, shall move at a slightly
quicker speed than the shaft B', to which the other sets of arms C', C', are
attached. The increase of speed depending on the quality and nature of the
fibrous material under operation, I recommend for ordinary qualities that the
speed be such that for each revolution of the comb franies E¹ the comb frame
E shall move about one fourth of an inch more than an entire revolution,
therefore the combs G, G, and G', G', will approach towards each other at
each revolution a distance proportionate to their relative positions. When
the combs have approached close to each other into the positions sliewn in
Fig. 3 by the black lines, the further movements of the machine aře suspended
by shifting the driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley. This I effect
in the following manner :-Upon the upper set of arms C I affix the projecting
rod or bar N, and upon the other upper set of arins C, is attached the move-

page_text: able rod N', carrying at its outer end the small friction cone or pulley O. The
rod N¹ is capable of being raised; the fulcrum being at its inner end D
during the process of combing these rods pass each other in the revolutions of
the arms, but at the completion of the process when the combs have closely
approached each other, then they will by the difference in the speeds of the
arms come into contact, the fixed rod N passing under the friction conc or
pulley upon the moveable rod N¹, thereby raising that rod up, and which is
afterwards prevented from falling to its former position by the spring
catch P slipping under the rod. The arms, however, still continue their
movement until the rod N¹ by reason of its raised position strikes against the
end of the strap guide Q, and thus shifts the driving strap from the fast to the
loose pulley, and suspends the further movement of the machine. The comb
frames E, E, and E', E', are provided with an apparatus which I call sup-
porting guards; these are for the purpose of giving support to the fibrous
material upon the combs, so that the combs may act effectually upon the
.fibres; these are likewise shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, in connexion with the
combs; the motion given to these supporting guards is such that they may
support the fibrous material up to the working combs, while combing.
The guards R', R', upon the comb frames E¹, E', are plates of thin metal
which are capable of being pushed out and in, in an angular direction
to the face of the combs; they derive their motion from the levers
r, r, and s, s, the fulcra of which are upon the ends of the comb frames, and
therefore partake of their motion. Friction rollers T¹, T, upon the end of the
levers r, r, pass into the guiding grooves F, F, by which means the required
motion is given to the supporting guards. The supporting guards R, R, upon
the other set of the comb frames E, E, derive a somewhat similar movement
by means of rods and cranks from the movement which is imparted to the
comb frames themselves by the guiding grooves, the double levers t, t, moving
upon the stretching bolts c, c, between the two sets of arms C, C, as fulera, one
end of the levers being attached by a connecting link to the comb frame, and the
other end by another link to the supporting guard; thus effecting the required
movement of the supporting guards, as before described. These guards are
so arranged that the points of the combs may pass by them at any distance
required.
Having described the arrangements and construction of the machinery and
apparatus, I will now state the mode of operation. The whole of the combs
upon the comb. frames are charged with the fibrous material to be operated
upon; the arms are, by means of the toothed or ratchet wheels, brought into
such relative position to cach other that the faces of the combs on passing the

page_text: ceutral point or the plane joining the two centres of the shafts shall be at a
distance from each other. The driving strap being now shifted on to the fast
pulley, motion is given to the machine and the combing commences.
In con-
sequence of the shaft B moving at a slightly increased speed to that of shaft
B', the combs approach each other as the operation of combing proceeds until
they attain the position shewn in Fig. 3 by the black lines, when the operation
is complete and the movement suspended, as before described. The fibrous
material being placed upon the whole of the combs at the commencement of
the operation, the fibres are continually passing from one to another, as all
the combs are working combs. This constitutes the second part of my
Invention.
The third part of my Invention relates to the process of drawing the combed
wool, mohair,.alpaca, and other fibrous materials into slivers from the combs
upon which such wool, mohair, alpaca, and other fibrous materials have been
combed, and consists of one or more pairs of drawing rollers, mounted upon a
suitable drawing. head, and into which drawing head the combs containing the
wool to be drawn are so placed that by the action of the apparatus the combs
shall, during the process of drawing, approach towards the drawing rollers
with either a uniform, continuous, an accelerated or retarded motion as desired.
Sheet C of the Drawings will illustrate this part of my Invention. Fig. 1 being
a longitudinal elevation of the machine. Fig. 2, a plan view. Fig. 3, a longitu-
dinal section through the line XX, Fig. 2. Fig. 4, a transverse section
through the line- z, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the
drawing rollers the full size, and Fig. 6 an enlarged view of the adjusting head of
the traversing lever for effecting the movement of the combs towards the rollers.
The letters of reference indicate the same parts in all these Figures where they
occur. A, A, the framing of the machines, upon which are mounted the
drawing rollers B, B'; B being the upper and B' the lower roller. The
length of these rollers is somewhat more than the length of the combs to
be placed in the machine. These are grooved with continuous. longitudinal
grooves; the surfaces of the grooves of the lower roller B being plain, but
those of the upper roller B have auxiliary or finer grooves upon them through-
out, for the purpose of better holding and retaining the fibres of the material
passing between the rollers. Their construction is best shewn in the full-size
section Fig. 5; C, the apron passing partially around the lower roller B', upon
which the sliver of fibrous material is received and carried away from the
drawing rollers B, B', after having been drawn from the combs. I make the
apron of leather, having upon its upper surface another apron or sheet of vul-
canized india-rubber, so that the fibrous material, in passing between the

page_text: drawing rollers, will be embedded into the finer grooves of the double fluted
roller, and thereby firmly held by reason of the elasticity of the vulcanized
india-rubber. I sometimes employ the apron made wholly of vulcanized
india-rubber, and passing also partially around the lower roller for effecting
the like object. The apron C likewise passes partially around another roller
at the end of the framing A, A, of the machine, and is maintained at a proper
state of tension by the tension roller D. The drawing rollers B, B', have the
requisite motion given to them by means of toothed geering from the fast
pulley E, which is driven in the usual manner by any convenient first mover.
F the comb, which is placed in the traversing comb frame G, there being upon
the frame guide-pieces G', under which the ends of the comb head are slid
when placed upon the frame, thereby holding the comb securely thereon. In
front of the holding comb thus placed in the frame G, I place another comb
H, which I call the clearing comb. The object of this comb is to arrest any
loose knots or entanglements which may be in or near the head of the holding
comb, and prevent them passing onward to the drawing rollers with the
straightened fibres. The pitch of the teeth of this comb I make finer than the
pitch of the teeth of the holding comb; the clearing comb is capable of being
moved in a vertical directions by means of the 'levers and handle I, I, the ends of
the head of it moving in grooves upon the traversing frame G, so that, by
moving the handle I, the workman can clevate the clearing comb so that the
teeth of it shall be wholly in front of the holding comb, by which the fibrous
material passing from the holding comb to the drawing rollers shall pass
between the teeth of the clearing comb, or by moving the handle the reverse
way the clearing comb shall be depressed and be clear of the fibrons mate-
rial upon the holding comb. I obtain the traversing movement of the comb
frame G towards the drawing rollers B, B', in the following manner:-
Upon the axis of the upper drawing roller BI place a small toothed wheel, and
thence through a train of other toothed and bevil wheel I give motion to the
laying shaft K; upon this shaft is fixed the worm L, which geers into the
teeth of the rack M, which is thus made to move in a longitudinal direction
between guides fixed to the framing A, A, of the machinery. Upon the back
of the rack M a stud is fixed, which projects into a slotted hole in thertra-
versing lever N, which is thereby carried forward with the rack M. There
is another stud O, projecting from the back part of the comb frame into the
mortice O' of the adjusting head of the traversing lever N. Thus is the comb
frame also carried forward with the toothed rack M. There is a similar
machine, and which
train of wheels and apparatus at the opposite side of the
are indicated in the several Figures by like letters of reference. The action of

page_text: the apparatus as thus described effects the movement of the comb table or
frame towards the drawing rollers, and which movement takes place during
the drawing of the fibrous material from the combs by the drawing -rollers..
When the combs upon the comb frame have approached close to the drawing
rollers and the fibrous material have been drawn from the face of the comb, it
becomes necessary that the comb frame should recede to its former situation
at a distance from the drawing rollers, in order that the combs should be
removed for the purpose of having the back silver taken off and other combs
substituted, preparatory to another drawing operation; and this back movement
of the comb frame I effect in the following manner, namely:-The laying
shaft K is mounted upon bearings, one of which is attached to the starting lever
P, and the other is attached to the side framing A, in such manner as to allow.
of the bevil wheel upon the end of the shaft K being moved out of gear with
the other bevil wheel attached to the train of wheels by the action of the lever
P; the fulcrum of the lever P is at the lower part of the framing A; the
corresponding laying shaft K at the other side of the machine is connected
also to the starting lever P, by means of the double lever P¹ and rod Q, so
that the action of the starting lever when moved outwards from the framing
has the effect of throwing the bevil whicels on both sides of the machine out.
of gear; at the same time the forked end of the strap guide R, clips tho.
starting lever P, so that when that lever is moved outwards the strap guido.
shifts the driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley, thus suspending the
movements of the machine. When the laying shaft K is moved outwards by.
the lever the worm is also thrown out of gear with the rack M, thus leaving.
the comb frame at liberty to be drawn back by the action of the weights.
W, W; the cords to which they are suspended, after passing over the small
pullies T, being attached to the upper part of the adjusting head of the tra-
versing lever N. There is a projecting piece U attached to the comb frame,.
which, when the comb frame has completed its traverse and arrived at the
drawing rollers, strikes against the starting lever P, and throwing it out.
of the notch in the stop piece W, where it has hitherto been retained, allows
the starting lever P by its spring to move outwards and shift the driving strap
from the fast to the loose pulley, and the laying shafts K, K, out of
gear.
The
empty combs, when taken from the comb frame G, are placed in a reversed
position at the back of the drawing rollers B", B", for the purpose of removing
therefrom the back sliver.
I will now describe the mode of operating and drawing the wool from the
comb by this machine:-The starting lever being out of geer, the driving
strap will be on the loose pulley; the bevil wheels and worms on the laying

page_text: shafts will be out of geer, the comb frame at the back of the machine farthest
from the drawing rollers ready to receive the full combs. The workman having
placed the combs upon the comb frame, he moves the starting lever P inwards
towards the side of the machine into the notch upon the stop piece W, where
the lever is retained; by this movement the driving strap is thrown off the
loose on to the fast pulley, the bevil wheels and the worms upon the laying
shafts K, K, are likewise at the same time thrown into gear, the one with the
corresponding bevil wheels upon the trains of wheels, and the other with the
toothed racks. The movements of the machine now take place: the traversing
comb frames.carrying the combs approach towards the drawing rollers, while
the fibrous material upon the combs is drawn off by the drawing rollers in the
form of a sliver. and deposited upon the travelling aprons C, C, where it is
carried forward by it. So soon as the drawing rollers have commenced to draw
the fibrous material from the holding comb, or at any other time during the
process, the workman, by means of the handle I, elevates the clearing comb H
in front of the holding comb F; the portion of the fibrous material nearest the
comb is then likewise drawn through the clearing comb, thus clearing the
fibrous material from knots and other entanglements that may be with it, and
improving the quality of the slivers produced. When the comb frame has
approached close to the drawing rollers, the projecting piece U upon it
striking against the starting lever P, and releasing it from the notch in which
it has been held, shifts the driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley, and
throws the bevil wheels and worms out of geer, and stopping the further move-
ments of the machine; the comb frame being also released, is carried back by
the action of the weights to its first situation at the back of the machine,
when the combs are removed and transferred to the back sliver, drawing
rollers, and others substituted for another operation.; The adjusting head of
the traversing lever I construct in such manner that I am enabled to cause the
comb frame to approach towards the drawing rollers with either a decreasing
motion, a uniform motion, or increasing motion, at pleasure, according to the
uniformity or irregularity of the length of the fibres of the material. under
operation. It is shewn to an enlarged scale at Fig. 6, which is. the front and
back views of it. The disc a is mounted excentrically upon the circular part b
of the head, where it can be retained in any one of the three different positions
shewn by means of the screws C, C, which pass through holes corresponding
to those positions; it may be retained also at any other angle by increasing
the number of holes to admit the screws. The position of the disc a, as
shewn in the Figures by the black lines, is that which produces a decreasing
movement of the comb frame towards the drawing rollers. When the disc is

page_text: fixed in the position indicated by the red lines, then it will produce a unform
motion; and when in the position as shewn by the blue lines, then the motion
produced is accelerated. For the purpose of obtaining a still greater variation
of speed than is produced by any of the before-stated changes of the traversing
lever I sometimes change the fulcrum of the lever by releasing the lever from
the fulcrum pin at its lower end, and making the point p of the lever coincide
with the pin pl.upon the framing A for a fulcrum. This constitutes the third
part of my Invention.
The fourth part of my improvements consists in a mode or modes of heating
the combs employed in the process of combing wool, alpaca, mohair, and other
fibrous materials. I employ for this purpose steam or heated air, which I
admit within hollow steam or air-tight boxes or chambers provided with
recesses, into which the combs to be heated are placed; the chambers are
either fixed or may be caused to move by the hand of the workman in a rotary
direction.
Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet A, represent the arrangement and construction which
I employ when a movement is to be given to the boxes or chainbers, the one
Figure being an elevation and the other a vertical section through the
centre A, A, A. The steam or air-tight boxes or chambers for the reception
of the combs are represented to contain four combs, two within each recess;
but they may be made to contain a greater or less number, or .a greater
number of recesses may be formed:in each box or chamber, but I prefer the
employment of them as shewn. There are three of these. several boxes or
chambers shewn, though any other number of them may be employed as
convenient; they are connected together by the steam or heated air pipes B, B,
which also afford means of communication for the steam or heated air between
the chambers. The chambers are placed at a distance asunder somewhat more
than the length of the longest staple of fibrous material upon the combs, the
intervening space C between them, which is enclosed upon two of its sides,
being used for the reception of the empty combs, which are placed with their
teeth in a vertical position. The pipes B, B, the one from the upper side of
upper chamber, and the other from the under side of the lower chamber,
pass respectively into the steam or air-tight stuffing boxes D, D, thus allowing
a free rotary movement to be given to the chambers and pipes. The upper
stuffing-box communicates by the pipe E with a steam boiler or air-heating
apparatus, which supplies steam or heated air to the apparatus, and from the
lower stuffing-box a pipe F conveys away the water resulting from the con-
densation of the steam in the apparatus when steam is employed. The bracket
G which supports the upper stufling-box may be fixed to a wall or otherwise.
the

page_text: improvements.
Having now fully described and illustrated my said improvements, and the
manner of carrying them into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine and limit myself to the precise details herein-before described and illus-
trated, as such details may be varied and modified without departing from the
principle of my said Invention. And I would observe that I make no claim
to any of the mechanical arrangements herein-before described, except when
used in the particular manner indicated by me, and forming by their combina-
tion my Inventions. But what I claim is,—
process
of
First, the arrangement and construction of apparatus and machinery for
preparing wool, alpaca, mohair, and other fibrous materials for the
combing, having rollers revolving at different velocities, which are provided with
projecting teeth or points, and with bristles or brushes, and the points of which
are longest and of a coarser thickness and pitch upon the roller nearest to
the feeding rollers, and decreasing in length, pitch, and thickness as they are
more distant from them, and the brushes of which are longest upon the brush
roller nearest to the feeding rollers, and shorter as they are more distant from
them; also the mode of charging such prepared fibrous materials upon combs
by means of a revolving frame carrying such combs in manner as herein-before
described.
Secondly, the general arrangement and construction of machinery and appa-
ratus herein-before described for combing wool, alpaca, mohair, and other fibrous
materials, and severally the combing of such fibrous materials by the employ-
ment of combs attached to revolving frames or arms moving or revolving in
opposite directions at different velocities, by which the combs are caused to
approach each other in manner herein-before described.
Thirdly, the arrangement and construction of machinery for drawing wool,
alpaca, mohair, and other fibrous materials from combs into slivers, wherein
such combs are, during the process of drawing, caused to approach towards
the drawing rollers in a direction at or near a right angle to the faces of the
combs; also the application of a clearing comb placed between the holding
comb and the drawing rollers, the direction of the teeth of which is parrallel
to those of the holding comb. Also the mode of obtaining a variable move-
ment by means of the adjusting traversing lever herein-before described,
whether applied to my present improvements or to any other machinery
or apparatus for preparing, combing, or drawing fibrous materials. I claim
also under this head the employment of an endless apron passing between the
drawing rollers formed of vulcanized india-rubber or of other materials (as

page_text: Enrolled the Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-nine.