AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANVASS AND SAILCLOTH FOR THE MAKING OF SAILS
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
RAMSAY and ANDREW RAMSAY, of Greenock, in North Britain, Sailcloth
Manufacturers, and MATTHEW ORB, of the same place, Sailmaker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His late Majesty King George the Fourth, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of March,
One thousand eight hundred and thirty, did give and grant unto us,
the said James Ramsay, Andrew Ramsay, and Matthew Orr, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said James
Ramsay, Andrew Ramsay, and Matthew Orr, our exors, adiñors, and assigns,
and such others as we, the said James Ramsay, Andrew Ramsay, and
Matthew Orr, our exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree.
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,.
our Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANVASS AND
SAILCLOTH FOR THE MAKING OF SAILS;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso obliging us, the said James Ramsay, Arthur Ramsay,
and Matthew Orr, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly to describe and ascertain

page_text: the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, and to cause the same to be in
inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
James Ramsay, Andrew Ramsay, and Matthew Orr, do hereby declare that
the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, is described and ascertained as follows (that is to: say):
The said improvement in the manufacture of canvass and sailcloth for the
making of sails consists in the threads or yarn of the weft or woof of the
canvass or cloth being placed' or arranged at oblique angles with the warp, the
angles being greater or less in different canvass or cloth, as required, to adapt
it to the shape, or figure, or purpose of the sail: The yarn may be spun,
twisted, or prepared in the manner and of any material considered advisable,
this Patent not affecting the nature of the yarn. This arrangement of the
weft is produced in the weaving of the canvass or cloth, and may be obtained
by a suitable modification of the loom. The common hand loom may bo
modified for--that purpose in the following manner: The breast beams.
and yarn beams are to be made moveable at pleasure, and are. to be
placed from time to time at the same angles with the side of the loom
as it is required that the weft or woof of the canvass or cloth should
have with the warp, and in this position, when the. loom is in use, they
are to be fixed to the side, beams by, cramps, or screws, or, other well-
known contrivances. The lay slay or batten, reed and heddles, harness
or the gear, are all to be placed at the same angles with the side. beams.
as the breast and yarn beams, to which latter. they are to be parallel.
The splits or, dents in the, reed, are, to be placed in the ribs or. frame of the
reed at the same angle in relation to the ribs or frame as the said ribs or
frame, make with the side beams, so that the splits. or dents should. move.
parallel to the warp of the web. For this, purpose the. axes of motion.
of the lay slay or batten must be at right angles with the side beams and the.
direction of the warp. The lay slay or batten should be suspended from the
frame at the top of the loom by four iron rods, two of them instead of the
ordinary sword at each end. These rods, being separately suspended on an
axis in the frame for that purpose, should have; a bar joining, the. lower, ends.
of the two which are on one side, of the, loom, and another bar joining, tho
ends, of the two on the other side.. These bars are to be; in, the direction. of
the length of the loom, and to, be fixed to the suspension. rods, upon an. axis

page_text: or joint at the bottom of each rod, so that the bars may continue horizontal
while they move and parallel to the warp. To the end of these bars the two
ends of the lay slay or batten are to be fixed by a bolt passing through the
ends of the two parts of the lay and of the end of the bars. On these two
bolts the lay will turn freely to the required angle, and is then to be firmly
fixed there by tightening the screw nut at the end of the bolts. As the frame
to which the lay and heddles are suspended is moveable, it is only required to
move one side of it a little one way, and the other a little the other in the
direction of the length of the loom, to allow the lay to work at the angle of
the breast beam. The roller on which the cloth is wound up is to be parallel
to the breast beam, and below it and its axis to be supported by bars fixed to
the breast beam. In order that the cloth may be wound conveniently upon
the roller two bars are to be placed between the breast beam and cloth roller.
The lower bar is always parallel to the breast beam and roller. The other bar
turns at one end upon a pivot which is between the lower bars and the breast
beam; the other end is moveable horizontally, so that it may be placed at any
required angle to the breast beam and lower bar, where it may be fixed upon
a support for that purpose by a screw. The two bars and breast beam should
be so near to each other as only just to allow the canvass or cloth conveniently
to pass between them. When the loom is in operation the cloth comes over
the top of the breast beam and goes forward below. It passes over the higher
oblique bar, returns under that, then passes over the lower bar, and again
goes forward under that to the cloth roller. If cloth be to be made with the
weft or warp at an angle with the warp of forty-five degrees, the moveable bar
should be placed at half that angle, or twenty-two and a half degrees with the
breast beam, or sixty-seven and a half degrees with the warp of the web, and
in proportion for any greater or smaller angle. The yarn roller is to be placed
in a similar position with respect to the yarn beam to that in which the cloth
roller is to the breast beam, and a similar arrangement is to be adopted to
allow the yarn to be unwound from the yarn roller to that by which the cloth
is wound on the cloth roller. The top of the yarn beam should be about
eight inches higher than the top of the breast beam. The joint of the treadles
is to be fixed to a moveable block of stone or iron which can be placed in any
position which the weaver may find most convenient for himself. Every other
part of the loom, as well as the operation of weaving, is to be similar to that
of the common hand loom. This modification of the hand loom may be varied
considerably either to adapt it to the form of the work room or other circuni-
stances. It may sometimes be convenient, instead of having separate looms
for each weaver, to have side beams continued the whole length of the house,

page_text: upon which the breast beams and yarn beams may be placed in the- manner
above described: In this case the frame by which the lay and heddles, are
supported is.to-be suspended from the roof or ceiling by cross bars and screw
bolts. An arrangement. nearly similar to the modification of the hand, loom
above described may be adapted to the power loom or to looms to which, the
-moving power is applied by machinery.
Though we have thus described the method-in-which the improved.canvass
or sail+cloth may be made, it is not intended to limit the. Patent to, that
particular method of manufacturing. it. But we claim that the Patent
extends to the improved manufacture, itself. In the formation of sails.of.this
improved canvass.or sail cloth the sailmaker may arrange the cloth in the sail
according to the usual or any other manner, but the weft or woof should be as
nearly as possible-at such an angle with the warp that the greatest pressure.or
-strain on the sail should be in the direction of the thread or yarn of the weft
or woof and warp.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ramsay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, at Glasgow, in North Britain, the Tenth day of
September, in the year-of-our-Lord-One thousand eight hundred and
thirty."

page_text: and as his own act and deed deliver the Instrument or Deed Poll hereunto
annexed, and that he so executed the same, as well in the presence of this
Deponent as of Andrew Drummond, also of the said city of Glasgow, Writer,
the other attesting witness thereto. And this Deponent further saith, that
the name or signature "Ja. Ramsay" set and subscribed to the said Instru-
ment or Deed Poll is of the proper handwriting of the said James Ramsay,
and that the names or signatures "Robert Adam" and "And" Drummond"
are of the respective hands writing of this Deponent and of the said Andrew
So help him God.
Drummond

page_text: This is the Document or paper writing, marked. B., referred to in the
Affidavit of Josepili Bowman; sworn this 20th day of September; 1880,
beforo me,
6
In Chancery.
R: H: EDEN:
Joseph Bownian, of Bridge Row, in the City of London, Warehouseman,
maketh oath and saith, that he is well acquainted with the handwriting of
Alexander Garden, Esquire, the present Provost, of the City of Glasgow, in
North Britain. And this Deponent further saith, that he hath looked upon
the several documents or writings hereunto annexed, marked respectively
with the letters A., B., C., and upon the several signatures "Alex Garden,
Provost and Chief Magistrate of Glasgow," thereon respectively written.
And this Deponent saith, that the whole of the said several signatures of
"Alex" Garden, Provost of Glasgow and Chief Magistrate," are of the proper
handwriting of the said Alexander Garden, as this Deponent verily believes.
Aud this Deponent further saith; that the said Alexander Garden, Esquire,
is the present Provost or Chief Magistrate of the said City of Glasgow.
JOSEPH BOWMAN.