IMPROVEMENTS IN PROVISIONAL SPECIFIC
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Russel Handy, of Manville, in the County of
Providence and State of Rhode Island, one of the States of the
United States of America, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Russel Handy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th August 1875.
I, RUSSEL HANDY, of Manville, in the County of Providence and
State of Rhode Island, one of the States of the United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESSES FOR PREPARING COTTON FOR SPINNING," to be as
follows:-
The objects of this Invention are to preserve the cotton fibre as much
as possible in its natural condition, having the natural twist in the fibre,
which gives to the cotton its strength and clasticity; also to prevent

page_text: the tearing of the fibre in the drawing frame, and to save labor, power,
space, and cost of the drawing frames.
The nature of the said Invention consists in delivering the cotton
from a number of carding machines through the condenser on each
carding machine to a railway, and dividing the resultant sliver at the
end of the railway into two or more separate slivers, and running these
separated slivers each through an evener, and from the evener at once to
the slubbing frame, without passing the same as heretofore through a
number of drawing frames. In this process a greater number of
carding engines are used, and the laying and straightening of the fibre
is mostly performed on the cards, whilst the speed of the railway is
regulated to cause more or less drawing of the sliver, whilst the eveners
at the end of the railway take each one sliver and deliver the same cither
into cans or directly to the slubbing frame.
In the old process the resultant sliver from a number of carding
engines delivered at the end of the railway passes through one evener
into cans, and these cans are passed to the first drawing frame where
usually four or six slivers are passed into the rolls and drawn out to
four or six times their length delivered into cans, the same process being
repeated three or four times until it is assumed that the resultant sliver
is of uniform quality, having a uniform number of fibres in the cross
section when the same is passed to the slubbing frame to receive the
first twist.
With the old and imperfect carding engine delivering a heavy lap the
process of drawing was no doubt a necessity, but with the present
improved and perfected engine delivering a light lap, even and uniform,
and with the railway by which the lap from each engine condensed by
the condenser is delivered in one band when this band is divided into
two or more slivers at the railway head and perfectly evened, each by an
evener, a sliver is produced much superior to the old sliver.
A careful examination into the nature of the cotton fibre will show
that the strength and elasticity of the same, and its capacity to be spun
into yarn, depends upon the peculiar twisted form of the fibre and
length of the staple. Both of these are seriously injured by the process
of drawing, as the sliver is pulled apart with great force; whilst being
held in part on the rolls the staple is torn and broken and the fibre
made smooth and straight. The supposition that such drawing evens

page_text: the sliver, that is, reduces the heavier portions and makes the whole
even and uniform, is wrong, for in place of the heavier and stronger
portion being reduced by such drawing it is the lighter and weaker parts
that yield more readily to the force. That such a process is wrong in
principle and injurious to the fibre is evident, and in practice the fibre
is often so injured by the repeated drawing that the sliver will break by
its own weight when the drawing frame is stopped.
In my improved process for preparing cotton for spinning I place
according to the fineness of the yarn to be spun a number of carding
engines in connection with a railway common to all, the finer the yarn
required the greater must be the number of such engines. From cach
carding engine I pass the condensed lap to the railway and regulate the
said railway to give the required amount of drawing between the
railway and the condenser. The tunnel at the end of the railway I
divide by partitions, either vertically or horizontally, and divide the
whole sliver at the end of the railway into two or any other number of
slivers; these I pass cach through an evener and thence usually into
cans, but they may be passed directly to the slubbing frame. I thus
obviate the necessity for the use of the drawing frames, avoid the loss
caused by waste, save time, labour, power, and cost of machinery,
produce stronger and better yarn, avoid waste in spinning and weaving,
and produce stronger and more uniform cloth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Russel Handy in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 4th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RUSSEL
HANDY, of Manville, in the County of Providence, and State of Rhode
Island, one of the States of the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-

page_text: cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Russel Handy, Her special
licence, that I, the said Russel Handy, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Russel Handy,
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 PROCESSES FOR PREPARING COTTON FOR SPINNING," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Russel Handy, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Russel Handy, 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:-
The objects of this Invention are to preserve the cotton fibre as much
as possible in its natural condition, having the natural twist in the fibre,
which gives to the cotton its strength and clasticity; also to prevent the
tearing of the fibre in the drawing frame, and to save labor, power,
space, and cost of the drawing frames.
The nature of the said Invention consists in delivering the cotton
from a number of carding machines through the condenser on each
carding machine to a railway, and dividing the resultant sliver at the
end of the railway into two or more separate slivers and running these
separate slivers each through an evener, and from the evener at once to
the slubbing frame without passing the same as heretofore through a
number of drawing frames. In this process a greater number of carding
engines are used, and the laying and straightening of the fibre is mostly
performed on the cards whilst the speed of the railway is regulated to
cause more or less drawing of the sliver, whilst the eveners at the end of
the railway take each one sliver and deliver the same either into cans or
directly to the slubbing frame.

page_text: In the old process the resultant sliver from a number of carding
engines delivered at the end of the railway passes through one evener
into cans, and these cans are passed to the first drawing frame, where
usually four or six slivers are passed into the rolls and drawn out to
four or six times their length and delivered into cans, the same process
being repeated three or four times until it is assumed that the resultant
sliver is of uniform quality, having a uniform number of fibres in the
cross section, when the same is passed to the slubbing frame to receive
the first twist.
With the old and imperfect carding engine delivering a heavy lap the
process of drawing was a necessity, but with the present improved and
perfect engine delivering a light lap even and uniform, and with the
railway by which the lap from each engine, condensed by the con-
denser, is delivered in one band when this band is divided into two or
more slivers at the railway head, and perfectly evened, each by an
evener, a sliver is produced much superior to that produced by the old
machines.
A careful examination into the nature of the cotton fibre will show
that the strength and clasticity of the same and its capacity to be spun
into yarn depends on the peculiar twist of the fibre and length of the
staple. Both of these are seriously injured by the process of drawing,
as the sliver is pulled apart with great force; whilst being held in part on
the rolls, the staple is torn and broken, and the fibre made smooth and
straight. The supposition that such drawing evens the sliver, that is,
reduces the heavier portions and makes the whole even and uniform is
erroneous, for instead of the heavier and stronger portion being reduced
by such drawing it is the lighter and weaker parts that yield more
readily to the drawing force. That such a process is wrong in principal
and injurious to the fibre is evident, and in practice the fibre is often
so injured by repeated drawing that the sliver will break by its own
weight when the drawing frame is stopped.
In my improved process for preparing cotton for spinning I place a
number of carding engines in connection with a railway common to all.
This number is varied according to the fineness of the yarn to be spun,
the finer the yarn required the greater must be the number of such
engines. From each carding engine I pass the condensed lap to the
railway and regulate the said railway to give the required amount of

page_text: drawing between the railway and the condenser. The tunnel at the end
of the railway I divide by partitions, either vertically or horizontally,
and divide the whole sliver at the end of the railway into two or
any other number of slivers; I pass each of these through an evener,
and thence usually into cans, but they may be passed directly to the
slubbing frame. I thus obviate the necessity for the use of the drawing
frames, avoid the loss caused by waste, save time, labor, power, and cost
of machinery, produce stronger and better yarn, avoid waste in spinning
and weaving, and produce stronger and more uniform cloth.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim, the
process herein described of separating the sliver at the end of the railway
into two or more bands and passing each band through an evener, and
from the latter directly to the slubbing frame, as herein set forth and
for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Russel Handy, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-
six.
Witnesses,
JOSEPH A. MILLER.
D. M. THOMPSON.
RUSSEL HANDY. (L.S.)