CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE PREPARATION AND SPINNING OF COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1844

page_text: TATHAM & CHEETHAM'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
TATHAM, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and
DAVID CHEETHAM, of the same place, Cotton Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster the Fourteenth day of March, in the seventh year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said John
Tatham and David Cheetham, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said John Tatham and David Cheetham, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as we, the said John
Tatham and David Cheetham, our executors, administrators, 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, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE PREPARATION AND SPINNING OF COTTON,
WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that we, the said John Tatham and David Cheetham,
or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said
Invention, 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,

page_text: as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Tatham and David Cheetham, do hereby declare that the nature
of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
is particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto
annexed, and the following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
These Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus to be employed in the
Preparation and Spinning of Cotton, Wool, and other Fibrous Substances,
apply, firstly, to certain ordinary machines employed in the preparation pro-
cesses of the cotton manufactures; and, secondly, to the well-known machine
called "the throstle," for spinning cotton, wool, and other fibrous substances;
and, thirdly, to the ordinary machinery or apparatus employed for carding and
spinning wool only.
66
Firstly, these improvements consist in a novel and peculiar construction
and arrangement of apparatus to be applied to the carding engine and
other subsequent preparation machines, such as the drawing, roving, or
slubbing machines, for the purpose of delivering or depositing the "slivers,"
"drawings," "slubbings," or rovings" of cotton or other fibrous
material into the ordinary cans or other receptacles commonly used for
such purposes in order than the cans may be caused to contain a
much greater quantity of cotton, &c., and also to leave it in such a state that
upon being withdrawn from the can in any subsequent process it may be freely
delivered or unwound, and the presence of any knots, lumps, or other imper-
fections be avoided; but in order that these improvements may be more per-
fectly explained, we have attached to these presents two sheets of Drawings
representing several views of the same, and also their particular mode of
application and use, and marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with the following description thereof :--
In Sheet I., Fig. 1 is a horizontal view of one arrangement of this improved
apparatus, as seen from above, and attached to or placed in connection with
the doffing end of a common carding engine, being drawn upon a scale of
about one fourth the real size. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, and shewn
in its relative situation in connection with the ordinary tin can or receptacle
placed to receive the sliver of cotton, &c. as usual; and Fig. 8 is a vertical
section taken through about the middle of the apparatus, for the purpose of
more clearly exhibiting its working parts. In these Figures the web of cotton
is shown at A as passing from the doffing cylinder through the cone or trumpet
into the drawing or delivering rollers in the box B, from whence it is con-

page_text: g
ducted along the trough or passage C, to the delivering apparatus about to be
described. D is the tin can or common receptacle for the sliver, which has a
hole in its bottom, and is placed upon a plate wheel a, a, formed with a central
boss or stud to receive the can, and ensure its correct position with respect to
the delivering apparatus. This plate wheel a, a, is mounted upon a central
stud or pin 6 affixed to the foundation or bottom plate c, c, and from this plate
rise two vertical pillars d, d, carrying the top plate or box e, e, placed some
distance above the mouth of the tin can D, and supporting the improved deli-
vering apparatus. This apparatus (constituting the first feature of novelty in
these improvements) is constructed and operates as follows:-A small pulley
(or other connecting gearing) is fixed upon the shaft f, suitably mounted in
the bottom plate c, c, and to which pulley motion is to be communicated from
any convenient driving part of the carding engine or other machinery. This
shaft has a mitre wheel 9 in gear with a similar wheel h upon the lower end
of the upright shaft i, which is inclosed by one of the hollow pillars d., and
bearing in or being supported by the upper and lower end of the same. Upon
the upper end of this vertical shaft i, a spur pinion k is keyed, taking into a
spur wheel, formed round the periphery of a circular box m, which box
revolves with the centre pin or stud n, being supported by and bearing in
the stationary upper plate e, e. This stationary upper plate e, e, has a
horizontal circle of bevilled teeth o, formed on its surface, into which the
bevilled pinion p gears. q, q, are a pair of calendar rollers, one of
which is made fast to the bevel pinion p; and r, r, are a pair of pinions
taking into each other, and coupling the roller q, q, together. These rollors
9, 9, pinions r,, and the bevil pinion p, are mounted and turn loosely upon
studs or axles fixed in the bracket s, from the top of which an arm extends,
carrying the trumpet t that conducts the sliver A* to the rollers; the plate m
has also a spout or opening n, for the same purposes. From the rotary move-
ments of the parts described it will be seen that the sliver A* will be drawn
down by the calendar rollers q, and delivered through the spout u as it revolves.
Now, in order that the "slivers," " drawings," "slubbings," or
"rovings,"
may be deposited in the can in a certain novel and peculiar manner, and which
will allow of their subsequent deposit without injury or crimping, and also
allow of their being readily withdrawn therefrom, it must be observed that this
delivering apparatus is placed excentric with respect to the centre of the
receiving can, and also that the can is caused to revolve very slowly in the con-
trary direction to that of the delivering or depositing apparatus, which is effected
by means of the worm v, also placed upon the driving shaft f, and suitably con-
nected by a slow train of gearing to the spur wheel w, round the bottom of

page_text: the can receiver a, a; the effect of which is that the sliver is deposited in
excentric helices, winding one above the other around the interior of the can,
in a similar manner to that represented in the top view of the can of sliver,
drawing, slubbing, or roving, at Fig. 4, and in side view at Fig. 5, each of the
apparent divisions x, y, z, indicating one entire revolution of the can to so many
of the revolving delivering apparatus as shall be required to form these
excentric helices entirely round the can. When the can or receptacle has thus
become loosely filled with "slivers," "drawings," "slubbings," or "rovings,"
the helical column will extend upwards, and at length rise against the under
side of the box m, and as the continued evolutions of the apparatus proceed
the cotton will still be deposited in the can or other receptacle, until any
desired quantity has been accumulated therein before it need be removed from
the machine. We would here remark, that in such cases, where a very great
weight of cotton is thus put in, considerable elasticity would take place on
removal of the cotton from the apparatus, and then it would be desirable
to have a moveable telescopic upper part to the can, or a skeleton frame of
side rods to be elevated round the top of the can, and thus prevent the sliver
falling over sideways as it rises.
In Sheet 2, Fig. 1 represents a horizontal view of an adaptation of a similar
delivering apparatus to that just described, to an ordinary drawing framo.
Fig. 2, a front elevation. Fig. 3, another top view of the same, exposing
more particularly the delivering apparatus, by having the upper plate removed;
and Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the whole apparatus, exhibiting the working
parts with much distinctness.
As it will be quite apparent to any competent mechanic, or to the prac-
tical cotton-spinner, that this arrangement is only a modification of that just
described, being composed of precisely the same essential working parts, but
somewhat differently arranged and applied, it is only necessary to state that
here the whole is driven from above instead of below, and that the upper and
lower plates composing the box m are changed in position; that is, the upper
one here receives the driving impulse, with which exception, and that of
bevilled gearing being employed in place of spur wheels, the whole apparatus
and its operative effect is precisely similar to that exhibited in Sheet 1, and, as
it will be seen, admits of the same letters of reference being placed upon
corresponding parts in both arrangements; it may also be observed in these
Figures that the callendering rollers q, q, &c., are boxed up, or enclosed
between the plates of the box m, and thus protected from flyings or loose
fibres which may arise.
With respect to the process of " slubbing" or "roving," we would remark

page_text: that in those instances where it is not desirable or convenient to employ this
apparatus to such process, we propose to take the "slubbings" or "rovings"
from the ordinary bobbins, and double them, and by this apparatus depositing
them in cans, or other receptacles precisely in the same form, and placing
these cans behind the roving or spinning machines, instead of using bobbins,
as commonly done. We would further observe, that in those instances where
it may be preferred to deposit the sliver directly upon a false bottom of the can,
which will recede as the sliver accumulates, the calender rollers may be
dispensed with by placing the false bottom against the box m, which will then
be sufficient to cause the sliver, drawing, slubbing, or roving to be properly
deposited. And lastly, that in such instances where the cans or receptacles
should be required to be of an oval, square, oblong, or any other form, the
sliver, drawing, slubbing, or roving may be deposited with a similar effect,
merely by suitably traversing or revolving the plates on which the calender or
delivering rollers are placed, the receivers or cans being either stationary or in
motion.
Fig. 1 in Sheet 3 is a horizontal view, and Fig. 2 is a partial and vertical
section of another modification of the same Invention, in which the can, or
other receiving vessel, is made stationary. In these Figures, a is a horizontal
driving shaft, turning in suitable bearings; b, a bevil pinion thereon, taking
into a corresponding bevil pinion c, which pinion c and two spur wheels & and
e are connected by being fixed upon a tube, enabling them all to turn loosely
upon a stud set in the stationary plate i, i, i, below. The spur wheel d takes
into a circle of teeth formed round the outer periphery of a ring f, f, f, which
has also an inner circle of teeth. This ring f, it will be seen, is made to
revolve in the groove of a circular plate or wheel g, by the rotation of
the gear b, c, d, above described, and the internal circle of teeth on the ring f,
taking into the teeth on the edge of the small circular plate h which carries
the feeding or calender rollers will, as the ring revolves, give rotary motion
to the small plate h. As the plate h goes round, a bevil pinion on one
of the feeding rollers j, by taking into a circle of teeth on the plate g,
causes the feeding rollers to turn. The plate or wheel g is made to revolve
in a groove of the stationary plate i by means of a train of wheels con-
nected to the spur wheel e, as shewn in Fig. 1, giving that slow rotary move-
ment to the plate or wheel g conducting the calender rollers which causes the
sliver, &c. to be delivered into the can below in excentric helices.
The second part of our improvements apply particularly to the spindle and
flyer of the ordinary roving, spinning, and doubling machines, and consists in

page_text: the application of a slight ring or hook, applied to the head of the flyer, in
connection and combination with a conducting orifice, also applied to the top
of the flyer exactly over the centre of the revolving spindle, and also in the
application and use of a small metallic washer or false bottom to the bobbins
used in these spinning machines in order to preserve them from wear, and to
secure an equal drag upon the yarn by leaving these washers on the spindles,
and removing the bobbins only when doffing.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 6 is an elevation of our improved arrangement of the
throstle spindle, flyer, and bobbin, drawn full size; Fig. 7 is a top view;
Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the same; and Fig. 9 is a plan and side
view of the brass washer or drag shield to be used under the bobbin as a false
bottom. a, a, is the revolving spindle; and b, b, the flyer. c, c, is an eye or
or orifice of brass or other metal attached to and forming the hollow head of
the flyer, with an oblique or curved lateral slit in the side of it for the insertion
of the thread or yarn into the eye through which the yarn passes direct from
the drawing rollers; d, d, is the bobbin, having its false bottom or washer e,
which has a pin on it to connect it with the bobbin; and f, f, is the ring
extending around the flyer immediately above the arms thereof, and is designed
to prevent the yarn coming in contact with the bobbin head whilst spinning,
which improved combination of the ring f, f, and the central conducting top
piece c of the flyer, with its orifice and lateral slit, together with the drag
shield or false bottom e, as applied to the bobbins of roving, spinning, and
doubling machines, constitutes our only claim of novelty in this apparatus for
spinning.
The third part of our improvements applies solely to apparatus for carding
and spinning wool, and consists in the application and use of a trough or
channel of hot water, and a pair of plain calender rollers, to operate upon the
roving of wool between the creel and the drawing rollers prior to spinning,
and which is designed to dispense with the great consumption of oil commonly
expended in such manufactures. The manner in which this application of hot
water may be effected is exhibited in the sectional Fig. 5, in Sheet 2. a is
the common creel supporting the bobbins of rovings of wool, b, the slivers of
which are passed over a guide rod c directly into the trough of water d, d,
heated by means of the steam pipe e or otherwise. The sliver passes under
the tension roller f, and after being squeezed through the pair of calender
rollers g, g, the roving of wool will be found in a fit state for the operation of
the drawing rollers and the spindles. We also find it advantageous to steep
wool in hot water, and afterwards squeeze it as nearly dry as possible before

page_text: introducing it into an ordinary scribbling or carding engine for the same
purpose, viz. to supersede the use of oil.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Tatham and David Cheetham,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourteenth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty-four.