IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROPE, CORD, LINE, AND TWINE
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WINTER, now of No. 10 Saint Petersburgh Place, Bayswater, in the County of
Middlesex, but late of Uxbridge Gardens, Park Place, Bayswater, in the
county of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of Decem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Winter, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Henry Winter, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Winter, 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, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ROPE, CORD, LINE, AND TWINE," being a communication from
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
Henry Winter, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said 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 thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Winter, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention consists of combining yarns made of cotton waste with yarns
made of hemp, flax, or tow in the manufacture of rope, cord, line, and twine;
and in order that the Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will describe the means pursued by me. It is well known
that cotton waste is a refuse product obtained in the manufacture of cotton
into the finer classes of cotton yarn, and that such cotton waste has before been
spun into yarn in the manufacture of candlewick, and therefore the spinning
of cotton waste into yarn is not claimed by me, and in carrying out the
Invention, I prefer that the yarn of cotton waste should have more twist than
when for candlewick; I use it with about twice as much twist as is put into
candlewick, but I do not confine myself thereto; and in the manufactures
above-mentioned, I have used yarns of cotton waste with different proportions
of yarns made of flax, hemp, or tow, but I believe the best manufactures
(taking cost, strength, and durability into consideration) to be two-thirds by
weight of yarn of cotton waste, and one-third of yarn of flax, hemp, or tow,
when making rope, cord, and line, and about half of each by weight when
making twine, but I do not confine myself thereto. I have, however, found,
so far as my experience has gone, that such proportions produce the above-
mentioned manufactures at about equal or greater strength than when made
of all flax, hemp, or tow yarn in the usual manner, and owing to such appli-
cation of cotton waste the cost of the manufactures above-mentioned is greatly
reduced.
In the manufacture of rope I proceed as follows:-I take one-third by
weight (whatever be the weight and size of the rope to be made) of yarn of
hemp, flax, or tow, made as heretofore; but I prefer to have the yarn finer,
for although this will increase the cost of this part of the manufacture, such
additional cost will increase the strength, and it may be advantageously
resorted to, and yet the manufactures above mentioned produce therefrom in
combination with yarn of cotton waste will be less in cost than when all flax,
hemp, or tow is used; and I combine therewith two-thirds by weight of yarn
of cotton waste, and when for a three-strand rope, I divide the yarns into
twenty-seven parts, and I throw each of such twenty-seven parts separately,
and then lay three of them together, so as to produce one of what I call nine
compound yarns, and then I lay three of such compound yarns into a strand,
and then use three such strands, and lay them into a rope; and in like manner

page_text: may ropes of four or more strands be made.
would state that it is not
absolutely necessary that the mixed yarns should be first laid into compound
yarns, as the bundle of yarns consisting, when for a three-strand rope, of
one-ninth of the whole of the yarns, may be thrown into a strand, and three
of those strands laid into a rope. I would, however, state that when I have
combined the yarns, and slightly thrown them together, I steep them in lime
and water, which I prepare as follows:-I slack lime, using about two
gallons of water for each bushel of lime, and then add twenty gallons more of
water to each bushel of lime, and allow the yarns to soak for three or four
days; I then well wash the yarns, after which I soak the yarns in a mixture
of whiting and water for three or four hours, using about fifty-six pounds of
whiting to twelve gallons of water. I then hang them up to dry, after which
I throw the yarns together more tightly, when they will be ready for the
manufactures above mentioned; and the yarns may be subjected to tar, or
otherwise treated, as heretofore in the manufacture of ropes of flax, hemp, or
tow. In manufacturing cord from hemp, flax, or tow it is generally usual to
employ three yarns to make each strand, but in making them of combined
yarns, according to the Invention, I throw the mixed yarns into what I have
above called compound yarns, and use three or more in making a cord, the
yarns being treated with lime and whiting, as before explained, after which
they are to be dipped into common warm size, partly dried, and then twisted.
The cords are then rubbed over with a solution of sea-weed, called Irish moss,
which I prepare by boiling such weed for two hours in water, using one pound
to three gallons of water. The solution is strained, and when cold is fit for
use. In making line according to my Invention, what I have called com-
pound yarns are used, which having been treated with lime, whiting, and size,
as above described, they are to be well rubbed to clean and smooth them, and
this I prefer to do with a portion of coir rope uncoiled, together with water,
and then three or more are to be made into a line, and if very white line is
I mix whiting with the solution of Irish moss.
In the manufacture of twine from flax, hemp, or tow it has been usual to
employ two or three yarns, but according to this Invention I employ two of
what I have called compound yarns, each of such yarns being composed of
several yarns of cotton waste, and of flax, hemp, or tow combined, and I have
generally combined therein equal quantities, such compound yarns being
treated, as when making cord or line, with lime, whiting, and size, and the
twine made is rubbed over with the solution of Irish moss, and the reason of
my preferring such moss solution is, that it does not give color to the
manufactures.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the details herein described so long as the peculiar
character of the Invention be retained, but what I claim is, the manu-
facture of rope, cord, line, and twine, by combining yarn made of cotton waste
with yarn made of hemp, flax, or tow.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Winter, have hereunto set my
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.