AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, TWISTING, AND DOUBLING COTTON, SILK, WOOL, HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LEES, of Salem, near Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of December, in the second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Lees, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said James Lees, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said James Lees, my executors, administrators;
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other, and from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, TWISTING, AND DOUBLING COTTON, SILK, WOOL, HEMP,
FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said James Lees, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six 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
James Lees, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof; that is to say:-
The object of my Improvement in the Machinery for Spinning, Twisting,
and Doubling Cotton, Silk, Wool, Hemp, Flax, and other Fibrous Materials, is
to spin, twist, and double, at a greater speed than can be done by ordinary spin-
ning, twisting, and doubling machinery, and which object I effect in the following
manner, reference being made to the Drawing attached to these Presents, and
illustrated by the figures and letters marked thereon, in which Figure 1 is an
elevation of that portion of a spinning or doubling frame or machine
which is the subject of my improvement, the same being shewn detached from
the spinning or doubling frame or machine, and arranged or combined accord-
ing to my improvement. Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the
same, and Figure 3 a side elevation of the same. I use a spindle a, a, made
stronger than ordinary, and having a thin plate attached to its upper
part as a support to the bobbin c and to the washer d, and the spindle is
supported at its foot by a step c, fixed in a copping rail f, which copping
rail causes the spindle to traverse up and down, and the spindle is also
guided and steadied a little above its middle by a collar or bolster g, fixed in a
fast rail h, and the spindle is allowed to revolve in its said step and collar
freely. I use the fixed collar or bolster g to guide and steady the spindle,
and having its top made flat and thin for a bearing. I use a flyer i, i, the arms
of which point upwards, and which arms are made to taper sufficiently from
their neck to their upper extremities, and are unconnected at their upper
extremities, and are there each furnished with the usual delivering eye to
guide the yarn on to the bobbin, and also with an extension of the arm beyond
the usual delivering eye, and with a hook upon the top of such extension,
which extension, and which hook, are for the purpose of regulating the drag
upon the yarn, in the same manner as it is now regulated in ordinary flyers,
whose arms point downwards, namely, the same being regulated in ordinary
flyers by passing the yarn one or more times round the arm of the flyer, as the
case may require; and in this instance, by passing the yarn one or more times
round the extension of the arm, as may be necessary. I use a tube j, j, the
bottom of which is for a bearing, and is for that purpose made flat and thin,
and which bearing, when the tube is placed upon the spindle, bears upon the top
of the fixed collar or bolster, and is made of equal size to the same. I use a
warve k, which is made flat at its top, so that the bottom of the stem or neck
of the flyer may fit close to this top, and which warve is also made dished at
its bottom. I use a bobbin which has its two ends made alike, and which has

page_text: its bush which is within its barrel, and with which it embraces the spindle.
When this bush is made of wood it is made the entire length of the bobbin.
I fix the above described flyer by its stem or neck upon the afore-named tube j;
and I also fix upon this tube the above-named warve k, and I fix the bottom of
the stem or neck of the flyer also upon the tube j, in close contact with the
top of the warve. The flyer tube and warve, so fixed together, I place upon the
above described spindle to revolve around it, and to be by it kept steady whilst
they revolve around it, and the spindle at the same time being loose; and the
afore-named flyer tube and warve so fixed together as aforesaid I place upon
the above-named spindle in such a manner that the bottom of the tube bears
upon the top of the fixed collar or bolster, and the warve and the stem or neck of
the flyer are brought as near to the said top of the fixed collar or. bolster as can
be, so that the flyer, warve and tube may revolve upon the steadiest part of that
portion of the spindle which is above the fixed collar or bolster, and which part
is most able to resist a shake or pull. I place the bobbin upon the upper part
of the spindle, or upon that portion of the spindle which is above the thin plate,
so that the bobbin; when pulled round by the thread, revolves upon the
spindle, and bears upon the washer, as is usual. The bobbin has its bush,
which is within its barrel, and with which it embraces the spindle. When this
bush is made of wood it is made the entire length of the bobbin. In consequence
of there being more friction upon this bush than upon the bushes of the
bobbins of the present common spinning and doubling machines, by reason of
the spindle in this instance running much slower than the bobbin, the pull
requisite to cause the flyer tube and warve to revolve rapidly upon the spindle
will also cause the spindle to revolve with them, but at a less speed; and when
the spindle revolves it will always keep the bearings which are upon the top
of the fixed collar or bolster, and upon the bottom of the tube, supplied with
oil, so long as there is the least. oil upon that portion of the spindle which
passes the bearings during the whole course of the traverse of the said
spindle. In spinning with flyers whose arms point upwards, as those I use do,
it will be found advantageous to place between and behind each flyer a plate or
guard of tin or other metal, to prevent each thread, when it breaks, from
lashing the others. For this purpose I use tin plates or guards, which extend
from the wire board, which they touch, to as low as the eyes of the flyer, and
project about an inch beyond the sweep of the arms of the flyer.
Thus, by the above-described arrangement and combination of the above-
described parts, I am enabled to run the flyer, and to spin, twist, and double
quicker than can be done by ordinary spinning, twisting, and doubling
machinery.

page_text: Having now particularly described the object of my Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I would declare that many parts have
been necessarily shewn and described by me, to which I make no claim, save
in so far as they form a part of my particular arrangement, construction, and
combination, of parts, as shewn in the Drawings, for carrying the object of my
said Invention into practical effect, and to which I consider myself entitled by
virtue of my Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lees, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
Inrolled the Seventeenth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-nine.