CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR SPINNING, DOUBLING, AND WIND- ING COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Fletcher, of Facit, near Rochdale, in
the County of Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR SPINNING, DOUBLING, AND WIND-
ING COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 11th January 1854, and dated the 12th July 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Fletcher at
the Office of the Commissioners of.. Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th July 1853.
3. .
I, JAMES FLETCHER, of Facit, near Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED FOR SPINNING,
DOUBLING, AND WINDING COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS to be as follows:-
First, in an improved arrangement of the rollers relative to each
other & to the spindles, & of the guide wire through which the thread.
passes in throstle frames, which arrangeinent enables the-twist put into
the thread by the spindles to pass better into the nip of the rollers, and
cis accomplished. by placing the front bottom roller in such a position"

page_text: that the thread will form from the flyer to the said roller the smallest
vertical angle which may be found convenient, the front covered roller
being brought forward so that a line drawn from its axis to that of the
front bottom roller shall approach as near as convenient to a right
angle with the line of the thread, & the middle rollers placed in the
most suitable position to the altered position of the front rollers &
the guide wire, so that the thread will not bear upon it at one part
of the revolution of the flyer. By this arrangement the portion of
gist or partly twisted gist or thread resting upon the front bottom
roller is reduced, and this in connection with. the position of the guide
wire allows each turn of twist unimpeded passage towards the nip of
the rollers.
Secondly, in an improvement which consists in substituting for the
front fluted rollers of throstle frames rollers which are not fluted,
which will effect an economy in the covering of the top rollers and
improve the spinning.
Thirdly, in the application to throstle and doubling frames of one
or more clearers between the flyers & bobbins, & a board or other
suitable arrangement placed so as to receive the "fly" or small fibres
thrown off towards the interior of the frame, which clearer or clearers
may be made of iron or wood or other suitable substance, and may be
made to revolve, or one or more clearers may have both a revolving
& traversing motion over the face of the said board or other arrange-
ment placed to intercept the "fly" or fibres thrown towards the interior
of the frame from the flyers & bobbins, and also another similar clearer
or clearers placed at the back of the roller stands under the rollers to
intercept the fly which may pass towards the roving bobbins, & also
in the application of boards or covers to the front of the spindles
between the top & bottom spindle rails to prevent "fly" from getting
upon the spindles, & in arranging in such boards or covers springs or
stops, which the operative will press against to stop the spindle when
piercing an end.
Fourthly, in imparting motion to two spindles by one band in
throstle & doubling frames & winding machines. This improvement
may be considered as supplemental to the Invention for which Letters

page_text: Patent were granted unto me, dated the 12th January, and N° 80,
being modifications of the method described in the Specification of the
said Letters Patent. The same oblique angular arrangement of the
spindles relative to the axis of the driving roller or drum, and the same
method of applying the Invention to frames already made with the
line of their corresponding spindles placed at right angles to the axis of
the driving roller or drum is adopted, the difference consisting in the
use of two driving drums or rollers. By the first method the two drums
are placed with their upper sides a little below the level of the warves
of the spindles, and motion is imparted to both drums in the same
direction, and the band is passed round both drums & the warves of
the spindles exactly in the same manner (considering the two drums as
one) as described in the Specification of the Letters Patent referred to.
In the second method the two rollers are placed with the circumference
of one a little above, & that of the other a little below, the level of the
warves of the spindles, & motion is imparted to them in opposite direc-
tions; the band passes (as described in the Specification of the Patent
before referred to), say, round the lower roller or drum, but instead
of passing in a straight line from the second warve back to the first, it
is passed on the under side and round the upper drum or roller, &
then to the warve; by this arrangement there is a direct driving pull
upon the leading side of the band of both spindles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 12th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I
JAMES FLETCHER, of Facit, near Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster;
Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three,. in the seven-
teentli year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Fletcher, Her especial license

page_text: that I, the said James Fletcher, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I,. the said James Fletcher, 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 ex-
pressed, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI-
NERY USED, POR SPINNING, DOUBLING, AND WINDING COTTON, WOOL, FLAX,
SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said. James Fletcher, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and, seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the. said. Invention, 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, the said James Fletcher, do hereby declare
the nature of, my, said, Invention, and in what mamer the same is to
be performed,to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, and the accompanying Drawing (that is to
say): "
.
...My. Invention consists, first, in an improved arrangement of the
rollers relative to each other and to the spindles, and of the guide wire
through which the thread passes in throstle spinning and doubling
frames, which is effected by placing the front bottom roller in such
a position 'that 'the 'thread' will form, from the flyer to the said roller,
the smallest vertical angle which may be found convenient, the front
covered roller being brought forward so that a line drawn from its
axis to that of the front bottom roller shall approach as near as con-
venient to a right angle with the line of the thread, and by placing the
middle and back rollers in the most suitable position to the altered
position of the front rollers, and by fixing the guide wire so that the
thread will not bear upon it at one part of the revolution of the flyer.
By this arrangement the portion of grist or partly twisted grist or
thread resting upon the front bottom roller is reduced, and this, in
connection with the position of the guide wire, allows each turn of

page_text: twist unimpeded passage towards the "nip" of the rollers. The
arrangement which I find most convenient is shewn in the Draw-
ing annexed hereto at Fig. 1, by a sectional view of a roller stand
full size, and on a reduced scale in in Fig. 2; and 3, (Fig. 2, being
a sectional, and Fig. 3, a front view of part of a throstle frame.) A,
is the stand; a, the front fluted roller; and a', its top covered one;
b. and b, the middle, c and c', the back rollers; d, the under clearer.
The front roller is weighted by an hook e, and rod f', by the lever
weight f, (see Fig. 2,) which has its fulcrum in a notch in the corner
of the roller beam; g, is the guide wire; and the line drawn from the
roller a, and through the guide wire, represents the thread passing
from the flyer being clear of the guide wire when the flyers are in that
part of their revolution shewn in Fig. 2.
The second part of the Invention consists in the application of a
cover to the lower part of the spindles of throstle spinning and doubling
frames, and of stops by which the spindle may be held from revolv-
ing while an end is pieced. These covers are for the purpose of
preventing, as far as possible, fly or loose fibres from accumulating on
the spindles, by which arrangement less cleaning will be required, and
an economy of oil will be effected. The covers may be made of wood,
sheet iron, or other suitable material, and may be hinged to either of the
spindle rails, or fixed in slides, or otherwise secured before the spindles.
When the top spindle rail traverses up and down for winding the
thread on the bobbin, as in that represented at Figures 2, and 3, it will
be most convenient to hinge the cover to the step or lower rail; but in
such throstle frames as have both rails fixed, then the cover may be
hinged to either; but I should prefer to to hing to the upper rail. It
will be seen in Figures 2, and 8, that the front part of the top rail h,
has a breadth equal to the traverse of the bobbin, by which provision
the spindles are covered in every position of the rail. i, is the lower
rail, to which the board or cover k, is hinged at j. To stop the spindle
when an end requires piecing, the operative presses with the knee
against the knobs n, which are screwed on to a piece 1, passing
through a hole in the cover, the end of which takes on each side of
the "warf" of the spindle. A spring m, of vulcanised india-rubber, or

page_text: a helical or other spring, is used to bring the part 1, clear of the war
when the pressure is removed from the knobs n. I do not confine
myself to the arrangement and construction of the stop shewn in the
Drawings and just described, as others may be used, namely, a "bell
crank" having is fulcrum on the cover k, placed with one arın upwards,
and the other in an horizontal position, a little above the top of the
warf when not pressed, but when the upright arm is pressed the other
arm.will be forced against the top of the warf, and so stop the spindle
from revolving.
The third part of my Invention relates to the imparting of motion to
the spindles of throstle and doubling frames and winding machines.
It may be considered as supplemental to part of the Invention for
which Letters Patent were granted to me, dated Twelfth January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, and
numbered 80, and it consists in extending the method of banding
(so as to drive two spindles by one band) described in the Specification
of that Patent to machines where two driving cylinders are used.
1
The obliquity of the line. drawn. between the two spindles to be
driven, relative to the axes of the driving cylinders, is preserved, but a
much less amount is required for clearance in the methods about to be
described. Supposing the two cylinders to be on the same level
a little below the level of the warves, and one placed on one side, and
the other on the other side, as near the spindles as convenient, the
band then passes, as described in the Specification referred to, from
the warf of one, spindle round the driving roller nearest it, and from
thence to the warf of its opposite spindle, passing partly round; but,
instead of returning straight to the warf of the first spindle, as
described in the Specification referred to, it is passed round the other
roller, and from thence goes straight to the warf of the first spindle.
In this case the driving cylinders are revolved in opposite directions;
or otherwise the band may be passed. round both driving cylinders
precisely as in the method described in the Specification referred to,
considering both cylinders as one, in which case they must both be
revolved in the same direction.
In applying this mode of landing to frames and machines of

page_text: ordinary construction the spindles at the ends of the machines, and
near the spring pieces or cross frames, may be driven as explained in
the Specification referred to.
Having now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and
the manner of carrying it into effect, I would have it understood,
firstly, that I claim as my Invention throstle spinning and doubling
frames having the rollers and guide wires arranged as herein explained
and described in the first part of the Invention, and shewn in the
Drawing:
Secondly, the covering of the parts of the spindles in throstle
spinning and doubling frames between the two rails, and the arrange-
ment for stopping the spindle when required, as described in the second
part of the Invention.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of driving two spindles by one band in
throstle and doubling frames and winding machines, as described and
explained in the third part of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Fletcher, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
JAMES FLETCHER. (L.s.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered"
(being first duly stamped)
by the within-named James
Fletcher in the presence of
PETER J. LIVSEY,
of Manchester.