IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND LUBRICATING THE BEARINGS OF MULE SPINDLES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Oddy, of the firm of Oddy, Thompson, and
Oldfield, of the Adelphi Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING
AND LUBRICATING THE BEARINGS OF MULE SPINDLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Oddy at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th July
1855.
"I, SAMUEL ODDY, of the firm of Oddy, Thompson, and Oldfield, of the
Adelphi Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS, IN
CONSTRUCTING AND LUBRICATING THE BEARINGS OF MULE SPINDLES" to be as
follows:-
"The nature of my Invention consists in making the front of the top bolster
open, so that the spindle may project beyond or be level therewith, and in
applying-felt or-other-suitable material to the inner_side of the spindle rib or
to a rail; the object of-this-felt or other material is to retain_the_lubricating.
material, which is guided into the holes in the top bolster by a rib projecting
therefrom.

page_text: My improvements in footsteps consist in making them in rails of any con-
venient length, with a rib to prevent the escape of the lubricating material,
which is thereby guided into the footsteps, and in covering the footsteps with a
guard, hinged to the spindle box or to the footstep rail, through which the
spindles pass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Oddy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
ODDY, of the firm of Oddy, Thömpson, and Oldfield, of the Adelphi Iron
Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year. of Her, reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give' and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Oddy, Hor special license that I, the said Samuel Oddy, my executors,
administrators,
s, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Oddy, my
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 CONSTRUCTING AND LUBRICATING THE
BEARINGS OF MULE SPINDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Samuel Oddy, my exécutors or administrators, by an instrument. in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 I, the said Samuel Oddy, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
Specification thereof, references being had to the accompanying Drawing (that
is to say):-
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in making the front of the top
bolster or rail in which the spindles revolve open, so that a portion of the.

page_text: spindle may be exposed to the action of a piece of felt or other suitable
material, by which the oil or other lubricating material is absorbed and
imparted to the spindles.
=
Secondly, in making the footsteps of mule spindles in rails of any convenient
length, with a rib to guide the lubricating material into the footsteps.
And, lastly, in covering the footsteps with lids extending over several
spindles, to prevent] the escape of the lubricating material; and to keep the
flyings out of the footsteps.
4.
".
I have in the said Drawing given Figures for shewing how my Invention
may be performed, similar parts in each of the views bring marked with similar
letters of reference.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a mule carriage to which my improved
bearings for spindles are applied; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a plan of the improved top bolster; and Figure 4 is a plan of the
improved footstep rail and lid.
a, a, in Figures 1 and 2, is the wood-work of the carriage, and b, b, the
spindles; c is the top bolster, which is provided with a rib to guide the-lubri-
cating material into the holes in which the spindles revolve. On referring to
Figure 3 it will be seen that the front of the spindle projects a little beyond
or is level with the bolster rail, and that the piece of felt or other suitable
material e comes in contact with the spindle, by which means the lubricating
material absorbed by the felt is imparted to the spindle. The felt or other
suitable material e is attached to the rail f, against which the buttons of the
spindles come when the full cops are drawn off the spindles; the rail f is sup-
ported at intervals by studs f', projecting from from the wood-work of the
carriage in the usual manner. g is the footstep rail, to which is cast or
attached the rib h, for guiding the lubricating material into the footsteps;
to this rib or to the wood-work of the carriage is hinged the lid i; which is
provided with slots, as shewn in Figure 4, for the spindles to pass through.
When the footsteps are being lubricated, the attendant raises the lid into
the position shewn by dots in Figure 1, and when the lubricating material
has been applied, the lid is closed to prevent the escape thereof, and to pre-
vent the flyings entering into the footsteps.
By means of the above-described improvements a considerable saving is
effected in the lubricating material as it is guided into and retained in the
bearings, whereas in the ordinary-mode-of-construction-a-large proportion of
the lubricating material is wasted.
====
Figure 5 is a section of a top bolster ; and Figure 6, a plan representing a
modification of my improvements. In this instance the felt or other suitable

page_text: material for absorbing the lubricating material is placed in a groove made in
- the bolster.
Figure 7 represents a section, and Figure 8 a plan, of a modification
of my improvements in constructing the lids of the footsteps. In these views
the footsteps are let into the rail a in the ordinary manner; and the lid i is
attached to the front board k, which is hinged as usual to the rail a. When
the front board is closed, as shewn in Figure 7, the lid i comes against the
rib h; and when the front board is opened, as shewn by the dotted lines," for
lubricating and cleaning, the rib h prevents the escape of the lubricating
-material.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I'wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the details herein set forth, as the same may be varied without departing
from the peculiar character of my Invention; but what' I do claim is; the
application of felt or other suitable material to the top bolster of mule spindles,
as described.
"Secondly, the application of a rib to the footsteps of mule spindles when the
same are made in rails of any convenient length.
'And, lastly, the lids for the footsteps of mule spindles, as described.
"In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Oddy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
-H.-B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
SAM ODDY. (L.S.)