IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOOTSTEPS AND LOWER ENDS OF THE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Thomas Palmer, of Middleton, in the
County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention, of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOOTSTEPS AND LOWER ENDS OF THE
Sealed the 27th July 1875, and dated the 29th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Thomas Palmer
-
at the Office of tlic Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th January 1875.
I, HENRY THOMAS PALMER, of Middleton, in, the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOOTSTEPS AND LOWER ENDS OF THE
SPINDLES OF MULES AND MULE DOUBLERS," to be as follows:-
.
"
The object of this Invention is to prevent the waste of oil or other
lubricant used for lubricating the bottom ends or feet of the spindles;
and consists in the construction and employment of covers of the spindle
steps formed of sheet metal; wood, leather, or other suitable material;
the covers being made of any desired lengths.

page_text: In one arrangement each length of cover is made of one piece, having
round or oblong holes, through which the spindle feet pass, and when in
use, rests on the bottom rail containing the footsteps, thereby preventing
the oil from being thrown out, and reducing to a great extent the entrance
of dust, dirt, and loose fibres.
"
In another arrangement of covers in which each length is made of one
piece, slots extending from one edge are used instead of holes, and in
other arrangements the covers are each made of two pieces having
semicircular recesses nearly fitting the bottoms of the spindles. When
in use the two inner edges, being in close contact or overlapping each
other, or one half cover may have a straight inner edge almost in
contact with the spindle bottoms, and the other half cover having slots
through which the bottoms of the spindles pass and overlap each other,
and in all cases the covers are capable of being raised or removed for the
admission of oil or for cleaning, and also kept in their places as covers
by ribs, recesses, pins, hinges, or other ordinary means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Thomas Palmer in the Great Seal Patent
.
Office on the 29th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
THOMAS PALMER, of Middleton, in thic County of Lancaster, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth. day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Thomas Palmer, Her
special license, that I, the said Henry Thomas Palmer, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the 'said Henry Thomas
Palmer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should' at any time
agree with, and no: others, from time to time and at all times. there-
after 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 Inven-

page_text: tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOOTSTEPS AND LOWER ENDS OF
THE SPINDLES OF MULES AND MULE DOUBLERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Thomas Palmer, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
1 particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inventión,
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 I, the said Henry Thomas Palmer, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Figures on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to prevent the waste of oil or other
lubricant used for lubricating the bottom ends or feet of the spindles,
and consists in the construction and employment of covers of the spindle
steps formed of sheet metal or other suitable material, the covers being
made of any desired lengths, and resting on the bottom rail when in
.usc.
In one arrangement the covers are cach made of two picces over-
lapping each other, having recesses, the inner edges of which nearly
fit the bottoms of the spindles when the pieces are turned over to rest
on the bottom rail containing the footsteps, thereby preventing the oil
from being thrown, out, and reducing to a great extent the entrance of
dust, dirt, and loose fibres.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figs. 1, 2, and 3 are plans,
and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 end views drawn about full size of part of the
bottom rail of a spinning or doubling mule provided with this arrange-
ment of my improved covers for footsteps, and in the several Figures
a represents part of the rail; b, the footsteps; c, d, the two pieces of
sheet metal forming the cover; and e, f, the recesses.
The two pieces c, d, are hinged to the rail a, and in Figs. 1 and 4 the
pieces are shewn turned back to leave the footsteps open; in Figs. 2
and 5, one piece turned over, and the other kept back; and in Figs. 3
and 6 both pieces are turned over to cover the footsteps.

page_text: In the Figures the piece e is wider than the piece d, so that the pieces
can overlap each other when closed, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 6, but each
piece may be made of the same width as the piece d, in which case the
recesses will be semicircular, and the edges of the pieces will be in
close contact with each other.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
I desire it to be understood that I claim, the construction and employ-
ment of covers, cach formed of two pieces for covering the footsteps
and lower ends of the spindles of spinning mulés and mule doublers,
the pieces either having their edges in close contact or overlapping each
other, as hercin described and illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Thomas Palmer, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
HENRY THOMAS PALMER. (L.S.)
Signed, scaled, and delivered
by the within-named Henry
Thomas Palmer in the pre-
sence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.