IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, DRAWING, AND SPINNING TOW
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Fairbairn, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Machinist, and Robert Dempster, of Bessbrook, near Newry, in the
County of Armagh, in Ireland, Flax Mill Manager, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, DRAWING, AND SPINNING TOW
Sealed the 31st October 1854, and dated the 26th August 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Fairbairn and
Robert Dempster at the Office of the Cominissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 26th August 1854.
We, PETER FAIRBAIRN, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist, and
ROBERT DEMPSTER, of Bessbrook, near Newry, in the County of Armagh,
in Ireland, Flax Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, DRAWING, AND
SPINNING TOW AND TOW WASTE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in applying a suitable number of spindles to a tow-
carding machine, for the purpose of spinning the slivers as they are delivered
from the delivery rollers of the carding machine, or from the drawing rollers
when a gill-drawing apparatus is attached to the carding machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Paient, filed
by the said Peter Fairbairn and Robert Dempster in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
FAIRBAIRN, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist, and ROBERT
DEMPSTER, of Bessbrook, near Newry, in the County of Armagh, in Ireland,
Flax Mill Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Peter Fairbairn and Robert Dempster, Her special license that we, the
said Peter Fairbairn and Robert Dempster, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Peter Fairbairn and Robert
Dempster, our 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
MACHINERY FOR CARDING, DRAWING, AND SPINNING TOW AND TOW WASTE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Peter Fairbairn and Robert
Dempster, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of ouc of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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, the said Peter Fairbairn, (on behalf of myself
and of the said Robert Dempster,) do bereby declare the nature of our
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):-
The object of this Invention is to combine the chief elements of carding,
gill-drawing, and spinning machinery into one machine, for the purpose of

page_text: carrying on the three operations of carding, drawing, and spinning tow or tow
waste simultaneously, and with an economical expenditure of motive power
and hand labor.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews in front elevation an arrange-
ment of machinery for effecting this object; and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of
the same.
A, A, is the main framing, upon the upper part of which is mounted what
may be termed a tow-carding machine, of the ordinary construction, but of
much less dimensions than those usually employed. B is the card cylinder,
the axle of which carries the driving pullies; C, C, are the feed rollers and
licker-in roller, for supplying the tow to the card cylinder; D, D, are three
pairs of workers and strippers, set around the card cylinder after the usual
manner of constructing carding engines; E is the doffing cylinder, and 6 the
doffer comb, worked by the excentrics a, a. A pair of rollers F, F, receives
the slivers of tow as they are delivered from the doffing cylinder E, and con-
ducts them towards the gill G; the slivers thence pass under the bite of the
drawing rollers II, II, by the action of which they are drawn out or elongated
to the required degree, and they are then severally conducted to their respective
flyers to be spun into yarn. These flyers are mounted on spindles I, set in the
front of the machine, and receiving rotary motion from driving belts on the
cylinder J. Upon the axle of this cylinder a driving pulley K is keyed, which
receives its motion from a belt which passes from a corresponding pulley on
the shaft of the card cylinder B. The card surface of the doffing cylinder is
divided into sections of about four inches in breadth, to permit of the tow being
doffed in slivers or ribbons. Contiguous to the doffing cylinder E the gill-
drawing apparatus is placed, for receiving the slivers as they are stripped from
the doffing cylinder by the comb b. This gill-drawing apparatus is driven from
the card in the usual manner, as indicated by the blue circles in Fig. 2.
Below the gill-drawing rollers G (which correspond in number to the sections
of card surface on the doffing cylinder) the spindles. I are placed, in number
proportioned to the width of the carding machine, the pitch of the spindles
being about four and a half inches.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Carding, Drawing, and Spinning Tow and Tow Waste," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement of details
as here shewn; but what we claim under the above in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent is, combining in one machine the means of carding, drawing, and
spinning, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Fairbairn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
P. FAIRBAIRN. (L.S.)