CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DRIVING BANDS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent. under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of November, in the tenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors,
administrators, 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 mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF DRIVING BANDS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE
MANUFACTURE OF OTHER FABRICS," being a communication from a Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of Improvements in the Manufacture of Driving Bands, as
communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondent, refers to that kind of
band which is composed of hemp or other similar fibrous material. The
Invention consists principally in a new mode of attaching together the strands
or cords which compose such bands, whereby a firmer and better fabric will
be produced, and that at a cheaper rate, than is at present attainable. It has
hitherto been the practice, in manufacturing flat Lempen bands, to sew the
cords or strands together by hand, which mode of operating is not only
exceedingly tedious, but the strands having to be pierced in order to draw
through the binding cord, they are consequently weakened by the twisted fibres
being displaced. According to the improved method the hemp or other textiles
substance from which the flat bands are to be manufactured is, first, properly
prepared and spun or twisted into cords or strands, either by the rope maker
or by a machine. These strands, after being well washed and dried, are to be
wound (in such equal lengths as are necessary for the band to be manu-
factured) upon reels or bobbins, which reels or bobbins are placed in carriers
to wind up the strands, as they severally pass from between weighted rollers,
which are intended to keep the strands at a proper tension, in order that they
may be wound up at an equal tension on all the bobbins. This precaution is
indispensable as the operation is analagous to that of warping. The reels thus
charged with strands, either of the whole length of the intended band or as
portion thereof, are then taken to the loom, where they are to be woven
together to form a strong narrow fabric.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 represents a diagram, which will
explain the order of laying the strands into the fabric, one half the number of
hempen strands being twisted to the right, and the other half to the left.
Four strands are taken from one reel or bobbin, and passed through the
eyes of the weighted rods, which correspond to the lingoes of the ordinary
Jacquard loom, and are numbered 8, 7, 6, and 5, beginning from the left
hand; four other strands are then taken from another reel, and passed through

page_text: the eyes of the weighted rods 4, 3, 2, and 1. A like number of strands
twisted in the opposite direction are taken from the other reels, and so on, four
for the eyes 8, 7, 6, 5, and four others for those marked 4, 3, 2, 1, the whole
breadth of the fabric; the wheels are then weighted so as to obtain uniform
tension, and each of the weighted rods is properly adjusted to answer to the
action of the Jacquard apparatus. Each working of the headles when acted
upon by the treadle of the loom raises four of the bars j, commencing with
5, 6, 7, and 8; at the first movement of the headles the four rods 5, 6, 7,
and 8 are raised by means of the Jacquard apparatus, and the threads 4, 3, 2,
and 1 will remain inactive; in this state the strands are equally divided, and the
shuttle is thrown through the opening formed by the raising of the rods 5, 6,
7, and 8. The weft is then beaten up home, the workman raising his foot off
the treadle; and the Jacquard cylinder having made one eighth of a revolution,
the treadle is again brought into operation, and the headles will this time
raise Nos. 1, 5, 6, and 7, whilst 2, 3, 4, and 8 remain stationary. At the
third movement of the headles Nos. 1, 2, 5, and 6 are raised, and Nos. 8, 7,
3, and 4 remain stationary. At the fourth, Nos. 1, 2, 8, and 5 will rise, and
Nos. 8, 7, 6, and 4 will remain stationary. At the fifth, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4
will rise, and Nos. 8, 7, 6, and 5 remain stationary, and so on.
Description of the Loom.-Figure 2 is a front view, and Figure 3 a side
view, of a simple construction of loom arranged for weaving the improved
flat driving bands. A is the main framing. B, the batten, furnished with its
sword or slay. C are reels or bobbins which carry the strands or warps, and
D are tension levers carrying weights of about twenty pounds each at their
outer ends. E are treadles for working the loom. E', perforated guide rods
acting as the "lingoes" in the ordinary loom for opening the warp. F is the
sword or slay for beating up the weft. F', levers in connection with the
treadles E, for working the headles. G is a comb, which is assisted in its
operation by the sword F. H is the breast beam or roller in front of the
loom, and I is the beam for taking up the fabric as it is woven.
furnished with a pinion, which gears into a cog wheel on the axle of the
beam I, for the purpose of causing that beam to wind up the woven fabric.
L is an iron rod on the beam I, for keeping the fabric in its place. M is
an auxiliary pulley for facilitating the movement of the roller I, and connected
by means of a weighted cord with another pulley M', fixed on the axle of the
beam I. N is a weight of about fifty pounds fixed to the cord of the pulleys
M and M. O represents the woven fabric. P is a bracket or bearing for
the pulley M; and Q, Q, are clicks which take into ratchet wheels attached to
the beam I, for the purpose of holding the fabric at a proper tension. The
K is a wheel

page_text: detached Figures R, S, and T. are views of a metal fastening to be used for
joining the ends of flat bands together; R is a round-headed screw, and S is
a nut fitting on to the threads of the screw. T is a pointed instrument,
tapped to receive the screw, and is intended to pierce the fabric and leave the
screw therein when the nut S may be applied.
Second Machine.-Figure 4 is a front view of another arrangement of loom
for weaving driving bands, the Jacquard apparatus being applied thereto; and
Figure 5 is a side view of the same. A is the main framing; B is the batten;
and C, the comb or reed. D, Figure 6, is the shuttle made of cast iron or other
suitable material, and furnished with friction rollers D¹. E is the Jacquard ap-
paratus adapted to this particular kind of work; and F-is the Jacquard cylinder
acting without cards. G is a cord for drawing back the Jacquard cylinder; and H, a
lever for working the Jacquard by means of the treadle I, to which it is connected
by a cord. J are the pierced rods or "lingocs" for receiving the strands or warps
through their eyes, and they are acted upon by the Jacquard apparatus in the
usual way. K are weights for returning the rods to their original position
after they have been raised by the working of the Jacquard apparatus. Lare
the reels or bobbins for holding the warp threads or strands, and they are
furnished with pulleys M to receive the cords of the tension. levers N (see
detached view Figure 7). P is the take-up roller provided with a regulating
apparatus for moving it in proportion to the working speed of the batten, in
order that a proper tension may be kept on the fabric as it is formed. On the
axle of the take-up roller P a cog wheel a is fixed, which gears into a pinion b
mounted on a shaft having its bearings in arms c attached to the main framing.
The shaft of the pinion 6 is also provided with a wheel d, which gears into a
pinion e mounted on a second shaft, supported by the arms c, and on this shaft
is also keyed a ratchet wheelf. The shaft of the pinion e supports loosely an
arm 9,
which carries a pawle for working into the teeth of the ratchet
wheelf, and to the end of one of the arms c a pawle is also attached for
preventing the ratchet wheel from running back when the pawle h is not in
contact with the wheel f. Affixed to the end of the arm g is a cord y, which
is connected at its other end to a balance lever Y above, communicating with
the batten by a cord which passes over a small pulley mounted on the framing;
when, therefore, the batten is moved forward to beat up the weft, every such
movement is communicated to the lever Y, and thence through the regulating
apparatus to take-up roller P. Q, Q, are supplementary or guide rollers for
conducting the fabric forward. R is a weighted pulley (see detached views
Figures 8 and 9), for keeping the fabric at a suitable tension as it advances,
after having passed the take-up rollers. S are guides for keeping the warps.

page_text: V repre-
threads T at equal distances apart in their passage from the bobbins.
sents the manufactured fabric; W are arms fixed on the cloth beam x for the
purpose of keeping the fabric in its proper place. This beam x is turned by
means of a lever in the same manner as a windlass when the weight has
reached the ground. In order to render the flat bands impervious to water, a
bath composed of the following substances is prepared, namely, 2lbs of linseed
oil; 14oz. of litharge; ditto ditto terra umbra, or lamp black, or soot; ditto ditto
ceruse; ditto ditto plaster. These substances (the proportions of which may
be varied) are mixed together and boiled slowly in any suitable vessel. When
the scum begins to rise of a red color, the mixture is taken from the fire, and
acquires a certain consistency. It is then laid on the fabric with a brush when
small bands are required to be prepared. With regard to large bands, such as
those used in mines, it will be found most convenient to prepare them by
means of the apparatus represented at Figure 10. A, A, is the framing made
of wood or other suitable material, and in it are mounted three rollers B, B, B,
which turn freely in adjustable bearings supported in vertical slots of the
framing. These rollers are furnished with weights C, C, of about 50lbs, and
are caused to rotate by the winch D fixed on the axle of the lower roller. E is
a vessel of cast iron or other metal, in which the waterproof composition is
placed; and it is furnished with two cross bars F, F, for guiding the fabric into
the composition. The vat is filled, and kept heated by a fire underneath. The
band is then passed through the composition and drawn up between the rollers
from the vat, as shewn in the Figure, for the purpose of expressing the
superfluous material, and also to fix that which remains into the fabric. This
part of the Invention may also be applied to the waterproofing of other coarse
fabrics, such as tarpaulings; but in that case the rollers for expressing the
superfluous composition must be proportionably lengthened.
Having now described the Invention as communicated to me by my Foreign
Correspondent, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim the manufacturing of flat bands (applicable to the
driving of machinery, the raising of weights from mines, and other similar
purposes) by the employment of mechanical means, as above described. And
also claim the mode above described of rendering flat bands and other fabrics
impervious to water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of May, One thousand cight
hundred and forty-seven.
(LS.) A. V. NEWTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Third day of May, in the
year above mentioned, the aforesaid Alfred Vincent Newton came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also
the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
in that case made and provided.