IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING WOOL, MOHAIR, ALPACA, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Waterhouse Midgley, of Keighley, in the
County of York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING WOOL, MOHAIR, ALPACA, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 21st August 1860, and dated the 28th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Waterhouse
Midgley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th February 1860.
I, JAMES WATERHOUSE. MIDGLEY, of Keighley, in the County of York,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING WOOL, MOHAIR, ALPACA, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a meaus of preventing. the fibre from
flying out of wool, mohair, alpaca, and other similar fibrous or filamentous
materials during the operation of spinning; and secondly, to a means of
regulating the distance between the spindle cap and the front rollers..
The first part of the Invention consists in placing the bobbin on which the

page_text: yarn is wound within a case which is fixed to the spindle rail, the said case
being made of iron or other suitable material, and by these means the fibre is
confined and prevented from flying off during the spinning. Hitherto the
bobbins have been left uncovered and great waste and inconvenience has
consequently been experienced by the flying off of the fibre from the same
during the spinning process.
The second part of the Invention consists in so arranging the spindle rail
as to enable it and the spindles to be moved nearer to or further from the
nip of the front rollers by means of a rack which rests upon a toothed wheel
fixed on a shaft which runs parallel to the spindle rail (below the same) and
which is turned by means of a winch handle. Hitherto the spindle rail has
been bolted fast to the frame and the regulating thereof has been attended
with considerable trouble.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Waterhouse Midgley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WATERHOUSE MIDGLEY, of Keighley, in the County of York, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Waterhouse Midgley, Her special licence that I, the said James
Waterhouse Midgley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or,
or, such
others as I, the said James Waterhouse Midgley, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING WOOL, MOHAIR,
ALPACA, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst 'others)
that I, the said James Waterhouse Midgley, 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 Inven-

page_text: tion, 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, tho said James Waterhouse Midgley, 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 fol-
lowing statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say-
My Invention relates, firstly, to a means of preventing the fibre from
starting or flying out of wool, mohair, alpaca, and other similar fibrous or
filamentous substances during the operation of spinning, and thereby manu-
facturing a smoother and more even yarn than by the methods hitherto used;
and secondly, to a means of regulating the distance between the spindle cap
and the front rollers.
The first part of my Invention consists in placing the bobbin on which the
yarn is wound within a case or ring which is fixed to the spindle rail imme-
diately below the spindle cap, the said case being made of iron or other
suitable material, and the yarn passing between it and the lower edge of the
spindle cap; by these means the fibre is laid and prevented from starting or
flying out during the spinning.
I may here remark that in the Provisional Specification filed with my
Petition for Letters Patent, it was stated that "hitherto the bobbins had been
left uncovered; I now wish to state that it was not intended to be thereby
expressed that the bobbins had no covering or protection whatever, but that
the ring or case below the cap had not hitherto been used, and great waste
and inconvenience in the subsequent weaving of the yarn had consequently
been experienced by the starting or flying out of the fibre during the spinning
process, whereby a rough hairy yarn was produced.
1
The second part of my Invention consists in so arranging the spindle rai
as to enable it and the spindles to be moved nearer to or further from the
"nip" of the front rollers by means of a rack which rests upon a toothed.
wheel fixed to a shaft which runs parallel to the spindle rail (below the same),
and which is turned by means of a winch handle. Hitherto the spindle rail
has been bolted fast to the frame ends, and the regulation thereof has been
attended with considerable trouble.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improvements
in Machinery for Spinning Wool, Mobair, Alpaca, and other Fibrous
Substances," I will proceed. to describe more in detail the manner in which

page_text: the same is to be or may be performed. And in order that the same may bo
perfectly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of illustrative Drawings
and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof.
Figure 1 is a front view of part of a machine for spinning wool, mohair,
alpaca, and other fibrous substances with my improvements shewn as applied,
and Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same.
a, a, are the end frames of the machine; b, b, is the spindle rail; c, c, are
the spindles; d, d, the bobbins; and e, e, the spindlé caps. The lower end
of these spindle caps have hitherto been left entirely open, as shewn at the
right hand side of Figure 1.
Now the first part of my Invention consists in placing immediately below
the lower edge of each spindle cap, and partly within it, à ring or case f, f,
(see also full size views Figure 3). These rings or cases f, f, are attached to
a rail g, 9, which is supported at intervals by rods h, h, fixed to the spindle
rail b, b, and they may be set nearer to or further from the spindle caps by.
means of the nuts i, i, or the spindle and cap may be adjusted to the ring
or case by the nut k at the lower part of the spindle. The threads or
yarn,
as before stated, pass between the lower edge of the spindle cap e, e, and the
ring or case ff, immediately before passing on to the bobbins d, d, and thus
the fibres are laid and prevented from starting or flying out. The bobbins
are supported as usual by the lifter plate 1, 1, which is actuated by means of
the strap m, m, connected thereto, and to the lifter rod n, n. In the
machines as hitherto constructed the spindle rail b, b, has been bolted to
the frame end a, a, as shewn at the right hand of Figure 1, but according
to the second part of my Invention I so construct this rail that its ends o, o,
shall be capable of moving up and down in slides or guides p, p, in the frame
end, and I provide the same with a toothed rack 9, 9, in gear. with a toothed.
wheel r, r, fixed on a shaft s, s, provided with a winch handle t, t, upon
turning which the spindle rail b, b, with the spindles and the whole of their
appurtenances may be moved further from or nearer to the "nip" of the front
rollers u, u, at pleasure.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improvements in Machinery for Spinning Wool, Mohair, Alpaca, and other
Fibrous Substances," together with the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed, I would remark in conclusion, that I claim as my
Invention,―
Firstly, the application to such machines of a ring or case below the

page_text: spindle cap, whereby the loose fibres or filaments are laid and prevented
from starting or flying out, as shewn in the Drawings and above described.
And, secondly, providing the spindle rail with toothed racks and pinions
or other equivalent mechanical means, whereby the spindles and their
appurtenances can be readily adjusted to or from the front rollers when
required.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Waterhouse Midgley, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
JAMES WATERHOUSE MIDGLEY. (L.S.)
Mechanic, Keighley.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-
named James Waterhouse Midgley, in
the presence of
B. C. MIDGLEY,
Mechanic, Newsholme.