Apparatus for Supplying Moisture to the Air in Cotton Factories, and for Indicating and Registering the Strength and Elasticity of Yarn Thread.
Year: 1859

page_text: Apparatus for Supplying Moisture to the Air in Cotton
Factories, and for Indicating and Registering the
Strength and Elasticity of Yarn Thread.
LETTERS PATENT to George James Wainwright, of Dukinfield, in the
County of Chester, Cotton Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING MOISTURE TO THE AIR IN COTTON FACTORIES,
AND FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE STRENGTH AND ELASTICITY OF
YARN AND THREAD.”
Sealed the 15th May 1860, and dated the 30th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George James Wainwright
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th November 1859.
I, GEORGE JAMES WAINWRIGHT, of Dukinfield, in the County of Chester,
Cotton Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING MOISTURE TO THE AIR IN COTTON
FACTORIES, AND FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE STRENGTH AND ELASTICITY
OF YARN AND THREAD," to be as follows:-
The object of the first part of my Invention is to supply suitable moisture to
the air in the rooms where the various operations of preparing, spinning,

page_text: doubling, and weaving cotton are performed, in order to prevent the frequent
breaking of the slivers and rovings, and to render the yarn stronger and more
elastic than heretofore.
In performing this part of my Invention, I cause belts of fabric to pass
slowly through troughs containing water; the rollers for giving motion to the
belts may be driven by friction, from the shafting of the room, or in any other
convenient manner, or any other mode of exposing a large wet or moist surface
of fabric or other material to evaporation may be adopted. In order to test
and ascertain the greater strength and elasticity of yarn or thread when manu-
factured under the conditions above referred to, I make use of an apparatus
for indicating and registering the same. This apparatus consists of a spring
balance or other equivalent, and of a rack or slide actuated by suitable gearing;
the yarn is connected between the balance and slide, and the force is exerted
on the slide by a crank, or otherwise. When the yarn breaks, the strength
and elasticity are indicated by pointers and indexes. This apparatus may be
used for indicating and registering the strength and elasticity of every
description of yarn or thread.
*SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George James Wainwright in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
JAMES WAINWRIGHT, of Dukinfield, in the County of Chester, Cotton Spinner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George James Wainwright, Her special licence that I, the said George
James Wainwright, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George James Wainwright, 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 APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING MOISTURE TO THE AIR IN COTTON

page_text: FACTORIES, AND FOR INDICATING AND REGISTERING THE STRENGTH AND ELASTICITY OF
YARN AND THREAD," upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said
George James Wainwright, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said George James Wainwright, 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 (that is to say) :-
The object of the first part of my Invention is to supply suitable moisture to
the air in the rooms where the various operations of preparing, spinning,
doubling, and weaving cotton are performed, in order to prevent the frequent
breaking of the slivers and rovings, and to render the yarn stronger and more
elastic than heretofore.
In performing this part of my Invention, I cause belts of fabric to pass
slowly through troughs containing water; the rollers for giving motion to the
belts may be driven by friction from the shafting of the room, or in any other
convenient manner, or any other mode of exposing a large wet or moist surface
of fabric or other material to evaporation may be adopted. In order to test
and ascertain the greater strength and elasticity of yarn or thread when manu-
factured under the conditions above referred to, I make use of an apparatus
for indicating and registering the same. This apparatus consists of a spring
balance or other equivalent, and of a rack or slide actuated by suitable gearing;
the yarn is connected between the balance and slide, and the force is exerted
on the slide by a crank or otherwise. When the yarn breaks, the strength
and elasticity are indicated by pointers and indexes; this apparatus may be
used for indicating and registering the strength and elasticity of every description
yarn or thread.
of
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 an end view, of my improved:
apparatus for supplying moisture to the air in cotton factories. a is the main
driving shaft, which is supposed to pass through the centre of the room in
which the various operations of preparing, spinning, doubling, and weaving

page_text: are performed; b, b, are a series of endless belts or webs of cotton or other
fabric, which pass above over the rollers c, c, and dip below in the troughs d, d,
which are kept constantly supplied with water through the pipe e. The
rollers c are moved very slowly round by the worms f, fixed on the shaft a,
gearing in the worm wheels g, fixed on the shaft h, to the other end of which
is fixed a pinion i, gearing in the carrier wheel j. To this wheel is fixed the
pinion k, gearing into the wheel l, fixed to the roller c; by this means the
endless webs are made to pass slowly through the water in the troughs d,
thereby absorbing moisture, which is evaporated by exposure to the atmosphere
in the room. I wish to observe that any other combination of machinery
may be used for giving the requisite slow motion to the webs b, the velocity of
which is regulated according to the temperature in the room, or to the degree
of moisture to be imparted to the air. It is also evident that various other
modes of exposing large wet or moist surfaces of fabric or other material to
evaporation may be adopted.
Figure 3 is an elevation, and Figure 4 a plan, of my improved apparatus
for indicating and registering the strength and elasticity of yarn and thread.
m is a spring balance, fixed to a board or foundation plate n, to which is also
fixed the plate o, supporting the bearings of the shafts p and q. To the
shaft p is fixed a pinion r, gearing into the wheels, fixed on the shaft q; to
this shaft is also fixed the pinion t, gearing into the sliding rack u. The
spring balance m is made with a sliding finger, which is acted upon by a
stud fixed to the same bar as the hook v, and another hook w is made on the
rack u, which is provided with a pointer. The hook w is made with a spring
catch hinged at x; this catch takes into ratchet teeth, fixed to the plate o.
The lea of yarn to be tested is held between the hooks v and w, as shewn in
the Drawing, and, in order to ascertain its strength and elasticity, the attendant
gently turns the handle y in the direction of the arrow, thereby gradually
stretching the lea until it breaks. The moment the breakage takes place, the
spring catch in the hook w being no longer held up by the lea, drops into
the teeth of the ratchet rack, and arrests the motion of the rack u, at the same
time the hook v of the spring balance returns to its starting point, leaving the
sliding finger at the point to which it had been drawn; the attendant then,
by looking at the pointer on the rack, and sliding finger on the spring balance,
can immediately ascertain the strength as indicated in pounds on the scale of
the spring balance, and the elasticity, as indicated by the divisions in inches
and tenths of inches, marked on the plate o, and by the distance traversed by
the rack u.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described 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 they may be considerably varied or modified
without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention; but what I
do claim is,
First, the apparatus shewn and described, or any other suitable apparatus, for
exposing a large wet or moist surface of fabric or other material to evaporation,
when used for supplying moisture to the air in cotton factories.
And, secondly, the combination of apparatus, as herein shewn and described,
for indicating and registering the strength and elasticity of yarn and thread.
In witness whereof, I, the said George James Wainwright, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
G. J. WAINWRIGHT. (L.S.)