IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEWING SILK, TWIST, AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF THREAD
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEWING SILK,
TWIST, AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF THREAD."-A communication.
Sealed the 30th March 1858, and dated the 28th October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th October 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
SEWING SILK, TWIST, AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF THREAD," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in forming a single thread into three strands
preparatory to or while undergoing a twisting or spinning process, and then
spinning the three strands into a thread. The mode of forming the thread
into three strands, or, as it may be termed, "trebling" it, is, first to form a
loop, then to form a second loop, and draw it through the first to a suitable
length, then to form a third loop, and draw it through the second in the same
way, and so on indefinitely. This operation is effected by mechanical means,
the principal novel parts of which are a travelling band provided with hitching
heads or studs, which take up the yarn and double it when moved forward
away from the yarn bobbin; the yarn is also passed round a fixed stud. By

page_text: this contrivance the yarn is trebled, and made into loops the length of the
double band, and as fast as the looping or trebling operation is performed, a
spindle and flyer at the end of the machine twists or spins the three strands,
or rather the trebled strand together, and forms one thread.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William-Edward-Newton in. the. Great Seal-Patent Office
on the 28th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton,' Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SEWING SILK, TWIST,
AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF THREAD," being a communication from abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others). that I, the said William Edward Newton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 5
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Sewing Silk,
Twist, and different Kinds of Thread," consists, firstly, in a certain method

page_text: of forming a single thread into three strands preparatory to or while under-
going a twisting or spinning process, and then spinning the three strands into
a thread by means of certain mechanism, which constitutes the second part of
the Invention:
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 exhibits the mode of forming the
thread into three-strands, constituting the first part of the Invention; Fig. 2
is a plan of a machine for twisting or spinning. the three strands into a single
thread; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the said machine; Fig. 4. is a longi-
tudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 5 is a front view of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
The mode of forming the thread into three strands, or, as it may be termed,
"trebling" it, is, first to form a loop, as: represented; by 1 in Fig: 1; then to
form a second loop, and draw it through the first to a suitable length, as
represented by 2; in the same Figure; then to form a third. loop, and draw
it through the second in the same way, as represented by 3, and so on
indefinitely.
inThe machine represented in the Drawing, performs the above,operation,
and as fast as that is performed twists or spins the three strands; or rather,
the trebled strand together, and. forms one thread: A is the frame of the
machine, which may be of wood or metal, of any suitable form for holding
and supporting the working parts. At the upper part of the front end of the
said frame there is arranged a set of drawing rollers B. and C,, which are
caused to rotate by an endless band: D, passing around two cone pulleys a
and b, one of which is fixed, upon the shaft of the lower roller C, while the
other is carried by the main driving shaft E.of, the (machine, and which
driving shaft is rotated by any suitable means. Below the feed rollers B, C,
is placed a flyer and bobbin G, H, shewn in; Figs. 4 and 5. The spindle c
of this flyer is driven by an endless band d, working around a
on the spindle c, and a drum f; carried by the driving shaft E. The bobbin H
rests on. a moveable rail I, which, by one or more cams .g. and levers h, or
their mechanical equivalent, is raised and lowered; as occasion may require,
after; the manner of the, corresponding parts of other twisting or spinning
machinery, for the purpose of elevating or depressing it upon the spindle.
pulley c', fixed
In the upper part of the frame there are arranged, the bearings of two
shafts k, l, which carry two druins or pulleys K, L, the former shaft being
arranged but a short distance in rear of. the feed rollers B and C, and the
latter near the rear end of the frame; and around these drums or pulleys an
endless band M of leather or other material travels, such band being furnished

page_text: with two knobs, or, as they may be termed, "bitching heads," N, O, which
are fastened to and traverse with it around the drums or pulleys, the said
hitching heads being arranged at equal distances apart in both directions.
It may be here observed, that it is preferable that the band M be of such
length that the hitching heads may be not less than thirty feet apart, though
they may be at even a less distance asunder. Directly in rear of the band M,
and supported by and upon the frame A, is another knob or hitching head P,
which, for the sake of distinction, may be termed the "stationary hitching
head." This stationary hitching head may be fastened to the frame, so as
to be immoveable; but, as a general thing, it is better to have it so applied
to the frame as to rest against a spring Q, and to be moveable towards the
endless band M. Below the stationary hitching head P is arranged the
bobbin R, from which the thread S to be trebled and twisted is taken, as
seen in Fig: 4.
In operating with the mechanism above described, the thread from the
bobbin R is first to be drawn up over the rear of the frame A, and over the
endless band M, and taken in a direction towards the flyer and between
the feed rollers, and is next doubled or carried backward between the feed
rollers and towards the hitching head N or O, which is at the time on the
upper part of the band M, as O in the Drawing, and passed half way round
the same, and carried again forward through the feed rollers, and is attached
to the bobbin H. The attendant upon the machine then seizes that part of
the thread which extends from the bobbin or spool R towards the feed rollers;
and draws it in the form of a loop, and passes it underneath and between the
portions of the thread that are held in the form of a loop upon the aforesaid
hitching head N or O on the upper part of the band, and draws the loop so
passed in a backward direction against the said hitching head towards the
stationary hitching head P, and hitches it over the latter head. This condition
of the thread is represented in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.
The thread being disposed on the machine in the manner above described,
rotary motion may be given to the driving shaft E, which will give rotary
motion to the spindle and flyer and to the feed rollers, which will cause the
trebled portion of the thread to be twisted and wound upon the bobbin H.
While the thread is being wound upon the bobbin, the draft upon the hitching
head O will not only cause the endless band M to be moved on its drums,
but cause the hitching head to travel with the band M towards the feed
rollers. In passing downward around the front drum L, the head O will
slip out of the loopings of the thread, leaving them enchained or connected
together, as shewn at l in Fig. 1, like two contiguous links of a chain.

page_text: While the hitching head O is passing down around the front drum L, the
other hitching head N of the band M will be coming upwards around the
back drum K, and as it rises the attendant standing at the back of
the machine seizes the loop which is upon the stationary hitching head P,
and removes it from the head P, and loops it around the head N. Next, he
seizes that part of the thread coming directly from the bobbin R, and loops it
around his finger, and passes it in the form of a loop upward through the
loop on the head N, and from thence carries it back and loops it over the
stationary head P, and so he continues the process of first unlooping from
the head P, and looping over the back hitching head N or O of the endless
band M, and next forming a new loop at the back of the endless band, and
passing it through the loop on the back hitching head N or O, and looping
it over the head P, until the whole of the thread is drawn off the bobbin or
spool R, and twisted upon the flyer bobbin.
It is obvious, that by making the frame A of proper width, and all the shafts,
drums, and rollers of proper length, and providing two or more hitching
bands M, and sets of hitching heads and a corresponding number of flyers
and their appendages, two or more threads may be trebled and twisted at the
same time in one machine.
Having now described the improvements in the manufacture of sewing
silk, twist, and different kinds of thread, and having explained the means of
carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I claim,-
First, trebling a single thread preparatory to or while undergoing the
twisting or spinning process, by forming a series of loops and enchaining
them, substantially as described and represented in Fig. 1.
Second, I claim the mode herein shewn and described, or any mere
modification thereof, for spinning or twisting the trebled threads or strands.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)