IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES." A communication from abroad by James Eaton, of Boston,
in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 17th June 1862, and dated the 1st April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st April 1862.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," a communication from abroad by James Eaton, of Boston,
in the State of Massachusetts, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates more particularly to what are known as "mule"
spinning machines, and consists, firstly, of an improved mode of driving the
spindles, for which purpose a double grooved wharve or pulley is fixed or
formed upon the lower portion of each spindle, and one strand of an endless

page_text: band is made to pass alternately upon opposite sides of the upper series of
grooves, whilst the opposite strand of the same band is similarly passed round
the opposite sides of the lower set of grooves of the series, both sides or strands
of the endless band being thus made to operate equally upon the opposite side
of each spindle. The band before entering and after leaving the series of
wharves or pullies is guided by stationary guide pullies from and on to a larger
grooved driving pulley situate at each end of the machine, motion being
transmitted to the band at each end simultaneously.
The second part of this Invention consists of a peculiar construction of
spindle, which I propose to make much shorter than the ordinary spindles,
and of a hollow or tubular section in lieu of solid excepting at the tip and base.
This spindle is supported upon a lower rail, and is steadied by being passed
through two guide rails situate above the supporting rail, and parallel
thereto.
The third part of the Invention consists of a peculiar form of the tip of the
spindle, which it is proposed to make either, conical or slightly rounded, and to
form a helical slot or groove therein, into which the yarn enters and passes
thence into a small central aperture, made vertically in the tip of the
spindle, from which central point the yarn receives its twist in place of
passing and slipping over the end of the spindle at each revolution, as
heretofore.
... AI
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...
The fourth part of this Invention consists in lubricating the spindles by the
application to the parts requiring lubrication of a piece of felt or other
absorbent material saturated in oil or other good lubricant, such piece of
saturated material being enclosed in a suitable box or receptacle provided with
a binged cover, which when closed will press the material gently against the
nart to be lubricated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
30
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in, the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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," IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," a communication from abroad by James. Eaton, of Boston, in the
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson; my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under
the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
"
The said Invention relates more particularly to what are known as "mulo'
spinning machines, and consists, firstly, of an improved mode of driving the
spindles, for which purpose a double-grooved wharve or pulley is fixed or
formed upon the lower portion of each spindle, and one strand of an endless
band is made to pass alternately upon opposite sides of the upper series of
grooves, whilst the opposite strand of the same band is similarly passed round
the opposite sides of the lower set of grooves of the series, both sides or
strands of the endless band being thus made to operate equally upon the
opposite side of each spindle. The band before entering and after leaving the
series of wharves or pullies is guided by stationary guide pullies from and on
to a larger grooved driving pulley, situate at each end of the machine, motion
being transmitted to the band at each end simultaneously.
The second part of this Invention consists of a peculiar construction of
spindle, which I propose to make much shorter than the ordinary spindles,
and of a hollow or tubular section in lieu of solid, excepting at the tip and

page_text: base. This spindle is supported upon a lower rail, and is steadied by being
passed through two guide rails situate above the supporting rail, parallel
thereto.
The third part of this Invention consists of a peculiar form of the tip of the
spindle, which it is proposed to make either conical or slightly rounded, and
to form a helical slot or groove therein, into which the yarn enters and passes
thence into a small central aperture made vertically in the tip of the spindle,
from which central point the yarn receives its twist in place of passing or
slipping over the end of the spindle at each revolution, as heretofore.
The fourth part of this Invention consists in lubricating the spindles by the
application to the parts requiring lubrication of a piece of felt or other
absorbent material saturated in oil or other good lubricant, such piece of
saturated material being enclosed in a suitable box or receptacle provided with
a binged cover, which when closed will press the material gently against the
part to be lubricated.
.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that i purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures in the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
corresponding Figures.
Figure I. of the annexed Sheet of Drawings is a side elevation of the
improved apparatus; Figure II. is a sectional plan, shewing the position of
the whirls and bands; Figure III. is an end elevation; Figure IV. is an
elevation, shewing one of the spindles detached; and Figures V. and VI.
represent the shape of the tip of the spindle on an enlarged scale.
The main features of these improvements consist in the system of banding
or driving the spindles and in the centre draft or mode of making the tip of
the spindle, also in the use of a hollow spindle, and in the mode of
lubricating.
I will first describe the mode of driving the spindle représented in the
Drawings at Figures I., II., and III. The power is applied to the machine
by a band. E at the pulley D, which is affixed to the shaft B extending through
the whole length of the frame, and having near each of its ends the large
grooved pullies C, C¹.. The driving band or cord G is made in one length or
loop, that is, it is a single cord, with the two ends spliced together, forming an
endless band. From the grooved pulley C¹ the band G. passes upwards and
over the fixed friction pulley H, and thence to the upper groove J¹ of the
whirl of the first spindle, thence it passes to the opposite side of the next whirl,
and so on through the whole of the spindles to the other end of the frame;

page_text: here the band leaves the last whirl and passes over another friction pulley H',
and thence around the other driving grooved pulley C; on leaving this it runs
over the third fixed friction pulley H³, and enters the lower series of grooves
in the whirls, and passing alternately in front and rear to the end of the
frame first mentioned, thence over the fourth fixed pulley H, and returns to
the driving pulley C. The double whirls J, J, form a part of the spindle,
which is turned by the contact of the band applied at the same time and upon
opposite sides. As the upper part of the band moves in one direction upon
the upper whirl and the lower part in the opposite direction upon the lower
whirl, the motion imparted to each spindle is always in the same direction,
but this direction is alternate, that is, every second spindle moves in one
direction, and every intermediate spindle in the opposite direction. Viewed
from above, the upper and lower courses of the bands cross each other, as
shewn at G, Figure II. It will be perceived that the spindles are driven by
the application of power simultaneously at both ends of the frame or machinė,
and that the band occupies a space nearly equal to the whole periphery of the
whirl, thus ensuring very perfect contact. Another advantage attending this
mode of driving the spindles is, that the friction is very equally distributed
upon the bearings, the spindle being held nearly in equilibrium by 'the equal
pressure of the driving band applied to opposite sides of the whirl. Instead
of the long spindle commonly used in mule frames, I make my improved
spindle of. about one half the usual length, as represented in Figures I., III.,
and IV., at Q, Q, thus the weight to be driven is very much diminished, and
is still further reduced by making the spindle hollow, as represented at Q', a
small portion of its length' being left solid at the tip and base. In order that
the hollow spindles may be perfectly balanced; I make them of drawn steel
tubes; thereby ensuring perfect uniformity in the thickness of the metal.
I prefer to support the spindle in the manner represented in Figures I.
and III.; it has its upper bearing in the horizontal rail Nabove the whirl,
and its lower one in the rail M below the whirl. These rails M and N are
planed, then bolted together, and the holes to form the bearings for the spindles
are drilled through both of the rails, thus ensuring perfect uniformity of the
two rails when separated and supported in their proper positions parallel with
each other by the. studs o, o'. A short distance below the rail M a parallel
rail L is placed, having a hard and polished surface, upon which the base of
the spindle, having a pointed or conical end P, revolves; the weight of the
spindle is also supported by the rail L. A part of a cap of yarn is represented
in Figure I. at R, R!, the yarn passing spirally around the spindle and leading
to the top of the same at S, S'. The mode of receiving the yarn at the top

page_text: of the spindle and retaining it at that point or delivering it on to the cap is
one of the most important features of this Invention.
:
In the ordinary mode of mule spinning the thread, while being spun and
twisted, passes over the conical or pointed tip of the spindle as many times as
the spindle revolves, that is, at every revolution the thread leaves one side of
the tip and passes around the periphery and back to the side that it started
from; this motion of the thread is not uniform, for as the strain or draft on
the thread is always in one direction, the velocity is greatest when it is moving
towards the point where the opposite end of the thread is held, that is, at the
front rollers; this gives rise to an eccentric motion, the effect of which is seen
in a succession of snaps or twitches upon the thread or yarn at every revo-
lution of the spindle. This eccentric motion is communicated to the whole
-length of the yarn, (about six feet, when the carriage is at its farthest point,
and all the threads are seen in rapid, vibration, which prevents a uniformity of
twist and also causes a great deal of waste or flyings, the fibres are also left
standing out from the thread instead of being laid down to form an even and
smooth surface. The centre draft spindle obviates all these difficulties, the
improvement relating in this particular to the shape of the tip of the spindle
only, as the spindle itself may be of any required length, form, or construction.
The tips of two spindles are shown in the enlarged view. (Figures V. and VI.,
one of them having a conical and the other a slightly rounded form. The
main features are the same in both Figures. The thread S passes spirally
around the spindle and enters a spiral slot or cut at T, thence it passes to the
small central hole U and upwards over the top of the spindle, from which it
leads in the direction X, Y, to the front rollers. The central aperture U is
very small, not much larger than the diameter of the thread, and the helical
cut or slot V, T, begins at the top of the spindle and extends from the walls or
sides of this cavity to the outside of the spindle, passing obliquely downwards
a short distance, usually not more than one-sixteenth of an inch. The slot is
well polished and the edges rounded so as to receive the thread easily when
running up the spindle and deliver it freely when running down. In Figure V.
the line X, Y, represents approximately the position of the thread when the
carriage is at the end of its traverse outwards, the spindle revolving in the
direction of the arrow. As long as the spindle revolves in this direction the
thread or yarn receives the twist and has no tendency to leave the central
aperture or to enter the slot, but as soon as the motion of the spindle is
reversed to perform the operation 'termed "backing off" and the presser bar
W descends upon the thread (as represented in Figure VI.) it instantly leaves
the circular cavity and runs down the spindle in readiness to be wound upon

page_text: the cop or bobbin. When the presser bar W rises and the spindle again
begins to revolve in the direction of the arrow, the thread instantly runs up.
the spindle, enters the slot T, V, and takes its position at the centre of the tip
of the spindle in readiness for the next outward motion of the. carriage. It
will be observed that while the fibre is being drawn and twisted the thread
remains at the axis of motion of the spindle, and consequently no eccentric
motion can be imparted to it. The vibration or throw of the thread being thus
prevented, much finer yarns can be spun from the same quality of stock than
by the common mode of spinning, or when running on the same numbers the..
breakage will be much diminished.
.
Several other important results are obtained by the use of the improved.
spindle;
for instance, the draft upon the sliver as it is delivered from the front
rollers is perfectly steady and uniforin, for as the twist runs back in a straight
line from the tip to the point of delivery of the sliver, the strain or tension
upon it at the instant of delivery, or before the twist gets fairly hold of it is
not variable, and consequently very few ends are broken. By the use of my
improvement what is termed the "standing twist" can be dispensed with, that
is, instead of allowing the carriage to remain at rest when it is run out, as
heretofore practised, and give additional twist to the yarn, i it may be started
back towards the rollers without stoppage, for as there is no vibration of the
yarn the whole of the twist is put in while the carriage is running out. To
い
effect this the velocity of the horizontal motion of the carriage is made to
correspond with the number of revolutions of the spindles in order to give any
required amount of twist. It will be perceived that by this process the twist
is more uniformly distributed than it is when a large part of it is put into a
thread five or six feet in length, for in the latter case the coarse parts of the
sliver get but a small part of the twist, while the fine parts are twisted much
harder than is required. To prevent these hard twisted parts from kinking
while being run on to the cop greater strain is required upon the yarn, this
also is a cause of breakage that is avoided by my process, as above described.
The vibration of the yarn being prevented by my improved tip, it also results
that the wear of the spindles and bolsters is very much diminished, less noise
is produced, and the power required for driving the frames is very small as
compared with the amount heretofore used in spindles of the ordinary
construction.
The improvement in lubricating the spindle is represented in Figures VII.
and VIII., and consists in the application to a door or cover a, situated near
the spindles, opposite the bearings, a piece of felt d or other porous substance
saturated with oil and enclosed in a suitable box or receptacle e, so placed that

page_text: as the door is shut, turning upon the hinge b, the felt comes in contact with
the spindle at its bearings and supplies a small and uniform quantity of oil, all
of which is utilized, while by the modes of oiling heretofore practised more oil
is wasted than is actually required to keep the bearings in good condition.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried.
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
1st, the general construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for spinning cotton and other fibrous substances, as herein-before described.
2nd, the forming of a helical slot or opening near the tip of the spindle
leading to a small central hole from which the yarn receives the twist, as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
3rd, the application and use of the hollow spindle, and the mode of sup-
porting and driving the same, as herein-before described.
4th, the peculiar mode of lubricating the spindles by means of saturated felt
or other similar material, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
. Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
my
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)