IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Bottomley, of Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, Spinner, Christopher Hodson, of the same Place, Manager,
and William Fielden, of the same Place, Manager, for the Invention of
T
Sealed the 23rd October 1857, and dated the 29th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Bottomley,
Christopher Hodson, and William Fielden at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 29th April 1857.
We, JOSEPH BOTTOMLEY, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Spinner,
CHRISTOPHER HODSON, of the same Place, Manager, and WILLIAM FIELDEN, of
the same Place, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING," to be as follows:→
Our Invention relates to a method of governing the motion of the carriage
of hand and other mules, technically called the "stretch," so as to gain a
varying motion thereof. For this purpose we employ a conical pulley instead
of the ordinary parallel "mendoza," or drag pulley, and to which one end of
the band is attached, the other being connected to the carriage; this pulley
being put in motion winds up the band upon its gradually-increasing diameter,
and thereby effects the required object.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Bottomley, Christopher Hodson, and William Fielden
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JOSEPII
BOTTOMLEY, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Spinner, CHRISTOPHER
HODSON, of the same Place, Manager, and WILLIAM FIELDEN, of the same
Place, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Hor
reign, did, for Herself, Der heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Joseph Bottomley, Christopher Hodson, and William Fielden, Her
especial license that wo, the said Joseph Bottomley, Christopher Hodson, and
William Fielden, our executors,-administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Joseph Bottomley, Christopher Hodson, and William Fielden,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time 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 MULES FOR
SPINNING,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said Joseph
Bottomley, Christopher Hodson, and William Fielden, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what mauner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in thio 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 William Fielden, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to say) :-
:
Our Invention relates to a method of governing the motion of the carriage
of hand and other mules, technically called the stretch, so as to gain a varying
motion thereof. For this purpose, instead of the ordinary parallel "mendoza,”
or drag pulley, we employ a conical pulley, to which one end of the band is
attached, the other being connected to the carriage.
Fig. 1 is a partial view of a self-acting mule, shewing the improvement
applied; and Fig. 2, a plan view of a portion thereof. The ordinary "back

page_text: shaft" is shown at a driven from the headstock, as usual, and upon this
shaft is mounted the conical pulley b, instead of the ordinary pulley with
parallel sides. The drag band c passes around the conical surface, and is
connected to the carriage, as usual. Fig. 3 shews the conical pulley detached.
Upon the carriage commencing to run out, the drag band will be on the
smaller diameter of the pulley, but as the stretch proceeds the increasing
diameter will come into action, so as to accellerate the speed of the carriage,
by which means the yarn will be kept at a proper tension and the occurrence
of "snarls" prevented. In applying our improvement to hand mules, wo
place it, as shewn at b, upon the stud or shaft of the "mendoza wheel "d (sec
Fig. 4), which is driven from the front roller e by means of a wheel f. Wo
would remark, that although we have shewn the pulley conical throughout its
width, yet we do not confine ourselves thereto, as one portion of it may, if
desired, be parrallel, so that the carriage will run at an uniform speed for a
part of the stretch and at an increasing rate for the remainder; the pulley
may also be grooved if desired.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we claim, as secured to us under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, the use of a conical pulley for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fielden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
WILLIAM FIELDEN. (L.s.)