IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING YARNS FOR WEAVING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Midgley, of Salterlee Mill, in the Parish of
Halifax and County of York, and George Collier, of Halifax, in the said
County, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING YARNS FOR
WEAVING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 26th October 1855, and dated the 5th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Midgley and
George Collier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 5th May 1855.
We, ROBERT MIDGLEY, of Salterlee Mill, in the Parish of Halifax, and
County of York, & GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the said County, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING YARNS
FOR WEAVING AND OTHER PURPOSES" to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means for facilitating the stretching and drying
of, and at the same time giving lustre to, yarns in the hank.
We support the yarns in hanks upon pairs of pulleys or rollers carried by
lever arms or frames, by which they are capable of being borne against a
revolving heated cylinder, the rotation of which gives motion to the yarns
whilst the heat thereof dries them. Adjusting means are provided to one of
each pair of pulleys or rollers, which, with weight or other pressure applied to
the lever arms or frames to force the yarns in contact with the heated cylinder,
effects the stretching. If desired, motion may be given to one of each pair of
pulleys or rollers, independently of the friction obtained by contact of the yarns
with the surface of the heated cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Midgley and George Collier in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 5th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
MIDGLEY, of Salterlee Mill, in the Parish of Halifax, and County of York, and
GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the said County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Robert Midgley and George Collier, Her special licence that we, the
said Robert Midgley and George Collier, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Robert Midgley and George
Collier, 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 PRE-
PARING YARNS FOR WEAVING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Robert Midgley and George Collier, 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 manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert Midgley and George Collier,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:―
The improvements relate to means for facilitating the stretching and drying
of, and at the same time giving lustre to, yarns in the bank.
We support the yarns in hanks upon pairs of pulleys or rollers carried by
lever arms or frames, by which they are capable of being borne against a
revolving heated cylinder, the rotation of which gives-motion to the yarns
whilst the heat thereof dries them. Adjusting means are provided to one of
each pair of pulleys or rollers, which (with weight or other pressure applied to
the lever arms or frames, when those arms or frames turn on axes, to force
the yarns in contact with the heated cylinder,) effects the stretching.

page_text: describe the Drawing annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a side view, and Figure 2 a section, of apparatus arranged
according to our improvements. a, a, is the framing by which the parts are
supported; 6 is a hollow cylinder, affixed to the axis 6', which is supported so
as to revolve in bearings, as shewn, carried by the framing a. The cylinder b
has slow rotary motion given to it by means of a strap or band from a steam
engine or other suitable power acting on the pulley or drum c affixed to the
axis c', which is capable of revolving freely in bearings affixed to the framing,
and has affixed upon it the pinion c, which takes into and drives the toothed
wheel d, which, with the pinion d' thereto affixed, is capable of revolving freely
on the fixed stud d', whilst the pinion d' gives motion to the toothed wheel o
affixed to the axis of the hollow cylinder b, by which that cylinder will have a
slow rotary motion given to it as compared with that of the driving drum'
pulley; fand g are pulleys or rollers, upon which the yarns are distended in
such manner as to press tightly against the surface of the cylinder b, by which
the motion given to the cylinder b will cause a slow motion to be communicated
to the yarns to bring each part of them progressively in contact with the surface
of that heated cylinder.
.
'or
The pulleys or rollers f, g, are supported on axes f, g, carried by the frames
h, and the axes are capable of being shifted, so as to be fixed at a distance
from the axes of the rollers or pulleys g, adapted to the length of the bank or
yarn to be treated, whilst the axes of the pulleys or rollers g are carried by
sliding bearings capable of being shifted in the slots formed in the upper ends
of the frames h by means of the screws i, so as to give increased tension to
the yarns whilst under operation. According to the arrangement shewn by
these Figures, the frames h are stationary; but this may be varied, and they
may, if desired, be free at their upper ends, and be arranged to turn on axes
at their lower ends with weights or other pressure, to give them a tendency to
bear towards the cylinder, whilst screw or other suitable retaining means may
hold their upper ends in the position desired to enable the operator to put
increased tension upon the yarns by acting upon the screws i.
If desired, motion may be given to one of each pair of pulleys or rollers
independently of the friction obtained by contact of the yarns with the surface
of the heated cylinder.
Heat is applied to the cylinder 6 by steam passing thereto by the pipe k,

page_text: whilst the water formed by condensation of that steam passes away by the pipe 1,
but in place of steam, hot water or hot air might be employed to give heat to
the cylinder b. In some cases we also heat the pulleys, or rollers f. f, and
for that purpose we employ the pipe j with branches j¹ opening into the
hollow ends of the axes, and thence by passages to the interior of the pulleys
or rollers f. We prefer to employ heated air, as the heating means to these
pulleys or rollers f, and we connect the pipe. j.to the branches by pipes or
tubes of vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable flexible materiál ², in order.
to allow of variation in the position of the branches with the rollers f;
when those rollers fare, required to be shifted in position on their frames h
for longer or shorter hanks. In carrying out our improvements by. means
such as described, whilst great facility will be obtained in drying the yarns and
in stretching, and thereby setting the yarns during the drying, yarns so treated
will be found to have increased lustre imparted to them."
Having thus described the nature of our said improvements, and the means
we adopt in carrying the same into practice, we would have it understood that
we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein 'shown and described.
as variations may be made therein without departing from the peculiar
character of our Invention; but what we do claim is, the arranging and com-
bining apparatus for operating upon yarns in the hank to prepare them for
weaving and other purposes, whereby the yarns are capable of being distended
whilst being dried by contact with a heated surface which is caused to travel
with them, in manner substantially as herein explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Midgley and George Collier, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
ROBERT MIDGLY.
GEORGE COLLIER.
(L.S.)
(L.B.)
Witness,
WILLIAM WATKIN.