IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVERS' HARNESS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVERS' HARNESS." A communication from abroad by
John Howland Crowell, of Providence, Rhode Island, United States of
America.
Sealed the 19th July 1878, and dated the 31st May 1878.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st May 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVERS' HARNESS."
A communication from abroad by John Howland Crowell, of Providence, Rhode
Island, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in weavers' harness, as herein-after
specified, and as illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 represents a view of a portion of my improved harness mounted upon
its shafts.
Figure 2 shows in perspective an enlargement of a portion of a single improved
leddle, illustrating the construction of the same.
Figure 3 represents in perspective a portion of a heddle, the eye of which is
formed jointly by metal clasps, and the harness twines, the same being enlarged.
Figure 4 shows in perspective a portion of a heddle enlarged, the same being of
the common "knob and loop" pattern.
Prior to the said Invention, the description of weavers' harness in common use on
looms for weaving cotton was that known as loop harness, an illustration of which

page_text: is shown in Figure 4 of the Drawing.
Each heddle of the harness is composed of
the twines, one of which is concatenated so as to form an eye for a thread of the warp
to pass through, and is secured to one of the "back bands" of the harness, while
the other twine is interlocked with the eye so formed, and is attached to the other
back band of the harness. This arrangement of the two twines enables each heddle
eye when the harness is mounted on its proper shafts in the loom to face to the front,
or stand in a plane at right angles with the line of warp threads.
Prior to the present Invention also heddles for weavers' harnesses have also been
formed of two twines of equal length, extending from band to band, and having the
eye formed by uniting the two twines by two metal clasps separated by a distance
equal to the desired length of the eye. Such kind of harness is illustrated at
Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
The advantage in a heddle which the metal clasp eye possesses over an eye formed
wholly of twine is that in the former the warp thread has a smooth surface of
metal to ride upon, while in the latter it is constantly chafing against the knotted
or looped ends of the twine-formed eye. The disadvantage however of this
description of heddle is that the eye does not look squarely to the front, and as a
consequence the warp threads and the twine sides of the eye are more or less
abraded by chafing against each other, and also a considerable inconvenience is ex-
perienced from the angular position in which the eyes stand in the operation of
drawing in the warp threads when a fresh yarn beam is supplied to the loom.
The purpose of my Invention is to combine in the same heddle the better
qualities of both the description of heddles referred to; this purpose is
effected as follows, that is to say:-I form that portion of each heddle of a harness to
which the eye belongs of a single twine, which is secured to one of the "back
bands," and is doubled upon itself at a point beyond the central line of the harness,
and returned and secured again to the same "back band," thereby making a simple
loop, the eye being made by uniting the twine so doubled by two metal clasps
located at a suitable distance apart to give the proper length of eye, the lower one
of such clasps being placed far enough from the point where the twine doubles. on
itself to leave a loop. And I form the residue of each heddle by means of a single
twine, which is attached to the other of the two "back bands," and is interlocked
with the looped end of the eye side of the heddle, and returned upon itself, and
secured again to the same "back band." A harness heddle thus formed stands
when mounted upon suitable shafts in a loom with its eye looking squarely to the
front, and has the ends of the eye formed of metal.
In the accompanying Drawing A, A', represent the two "back bands," to which
the heddle twines are secured; and F, F¹, represent sections of the harness shafts.
The twine a is attached to the "back band "A, and extends therefrom a distance
something more than one-half the length of the entire heddle, then doubles upon itself,
and is returned to the "back band" A and secured. The metal clasps, which unite
the twine a so doubled to form the eye, are indicated by b, b', and the lower one b¹
is so located as to leave the loop of twine indicated by c. The twine d is attached
to the other "back band." A is so passed through the loop c as to interlock there-
with, and is returned to the "back band " A', and secured thereto, thus completing
the heddle.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I do not claim a weavers' harness whose heddles are composed of two separate
twines interlocked and secured to their respective "back bands," as in Figure 4,
neither do I claim a heddle with an eye formed by uniting two lengths of twine by
means of metal bands or clasps located at suitable distances apart to form a harness
eye, as in Figure 3, but I claim a weavers' harness, the several heddles of which are
composed of two twines interlocked, and each secured to its respective "back band,"
as described, and the eyes of which are formed by uniting with metal clasps the.

page_text: heddle twines that are returned upon themselves, and laid side by side, as and for
the purposes above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)