IMPROVE-. MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING FLAX, TOW, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson, of Leeds, in.
the County of York, Flax Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-.
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING FLAX, TOW, AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 9th March 1858, and dated the 11th January 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Robert
Wilkin Atkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 11th January 1853.
I, JOSEPH ROBERT WILKIN ATKINSON, of Leeds, in the County o
York, Flax Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING FLAX,
Tow, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a. peculiar combination of mechanical
arrangements, which separately are not new. The parts so combined
are as follows:-First, the sliver, as it comes from cans or suitable
holders, is drawn out by drawing rollers, there being a revolving cylinder
or endless band of inclined hackle points or teeth between the two pairs
of rollers. Secondly, the extended sliver is caused to descend into a
trough and become saturated. Thirdly, the sliver in passing to the
spinning is drawn out by rollers, and thus again extended whilst in the

page_text: wet state, and is thus spun; and it is the combining of these three
processes of machinery which constitutes the peculiarity of this In-
vention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th July 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH ROBERT WILKIN ATKINSON, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Flax Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of Jannary, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenthi
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson, Her special licence
that I, the said Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or. such others as I, the said Joseph Robert
Wilkin Atkinson, 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 MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND
SPINNING FLAX, Tow, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson, by
an instrument in writing, under my hand and scal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the sanic 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, the said Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson,
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 thereof (that is to say):

page_text: This Invention consists of a peculiar combination of mechanical arrange-
ments, which separately are not new. The parts so combined are as
follows: First, the sliver as it comes from caus or suitable holders is
drawn out by drawing rollers, there being a revolving cylinder or endless
band of inclined hackle points or teeth between the two pairs of rollers.
Secondly, the extended sliver is caused to descend into the trough,
and become saturated. Thirdly, the sliver in passing to the spinning
is drawn out by rollers, and thus again extended whilst in the wet state,
and is thus spun; and it is the combining of these three processes of
machinery which constitutes the peculiarity of this Invention.
And in order that my said improvements may be most fully understood,
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pur-
sued by me, first remarking that the improved combination of machinery
has for its object the dispensing with the operation of roving or twisting
in the preparation process, and thus to economise the production, and
improve the uniformity of the yarn.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is a side elevation, and Figure II. is a front elevation of
what I call the "combined sliver spinning frame," for spinning fine
flax yarns, in each of which Figures the same letters indicate similar
parts. A, A, are the cans, containing the sliver B, B, B, which
passes over the conductor C, to the retaining rollers D, immediately
on leaving which it is entered by the pins upon the gill sheet E.
This gill sheet is driven by the rollers F, F, and travels in the same
relative speed to the retaining rollers, and serves the same purpose as
the gill in the roving frame, ordinarily in use to prepare the sliver for
the spinning frame. The sliver is thus passed on to the pair of rollers
G, G, which, in their turn, serve as retaining rollers to the second
pair of drawing rollers H, H, from whence it is twisted and wound
upon the bobbin as in an ordinary spinning frame. In order that the
sliver may be macerated it may pass into a trough, or the rollers, or
one of them, between which the sliver passes, may revolve in a trougli.
I prefer the latter, but the means of macerating may be varied. The
Drawing shows the wetting of the roller G, in order to macerate the

page_text: sliver, to facilitate the drawing of the same between the rollers G, G,
and H, H, to be by means of a trough I, under the roller G; also
another trough K, over the wood roller G. And I would state that
although I prefer the gill apparatus shewn, I do not confine myself
thereto, as the same may be varied so long as the arrangement used is
suitable for straightening and drawing the fibres in a similar manner to
the arrangement shewn and above described.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the combination of machinery herein. described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Robert Wilkin Atkinson,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,
WILLIAM ROBINSON,
Knostrop Road, Leeds.
J. R. W. ATKINSON. (L.s.)