CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TWISTING AND DOUBLING COTTON YARNS AND SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE FREDE
me, we, MATTHEW
HAGUE, of Waterhead Mill, near Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, and JOSEPH FIRTH, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Cotton
Doubler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in
the eleventh year of Her reign, did give and grant unto us, the said Matthew
Hague and Joseph Firth, our exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Matthew Hague and
Joseph Firth, our exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as we, the said
Matthew Hague and Joseph Firth, our exors, admors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise and vend, within that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR TWISTING AND DOUBLING COTTON YARNS AND SIMILAR FIBROUS
MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, re-
quiring that we, the said Matthew Hague and Joseph Firth, shall particularly
describe and certain the nature of our Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in

page_text: part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Matthew Hague and Joseph Firth, do hereby declare that the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect,
are particularly set forth and ascertained in and by this present instrument in
writing, and the Drawings hereto annexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention relates to that description or class of machines usually
known as "twining or twisting jennies," and the object of these our present
improvements are to render the various operations performed by these
machines (in the process of doubling and twisting cotton yarns) self-acting,
or independent of the application of manual power. These machines consist
of three several parts, the headstock, the "spindles," and the "carriage," and
by a series of mechanical arrangements these are combined in such a manner
that the seven distinct operations required in spinning a perfect cop are effec-
tuated with facility and precision. These may be enumerated as follows:-
First, the running out of the carriage, by which a continuous supply of
mule or throstle twist is delivered to the spindles; second, the rotation of
the spindles; third, the stripping off, by which the rotation of the spindles is
momentarily checked and a small portion of the twisted yarn is lifted off from
their stems; simultaneous with which the fourth operation, known as the
faller movement, takes place, by which the delivery of the twisted yarn upon
the spindles for winding on is regulated; fifth, the "putting up," or the return
of the carriage towards the spindles; sixth, the winding on, by which the
twisted yarn is wound upon the spindles in successive coils at a differential
speed, proportioned to the varying size of the cop; seventh, the cop or shaper
movement, by which the cop is built of an uniform and proper shape upon all
the spindles simultaneously; the cop being the technical term by which the
successive layers of yarn wound upon the spindles of spinning and doubling
frames is known. And the means which we employ for effectuating these
operations are practically illustrated in the following description of the
Drawings, which Drawings are made to the scale marked thereon; the same
letters or figures of reference representing the same part or parts in the
various Figures:—
Figure 1 is a left-hand, and Figure 2 a right-hand, elevation of our improved
twining jenny; Figure 3 is an end or front view thereof; while Figure 4 is
a plan of the works upon the upper part of the head-tock, and Figure 5 is
a ground plan of the same. The headstock and the various apparatus con-
nected therewith are drawn in black; and the spindles and the carriage, in.

page_text: order to exhibit them with greater distinctness, are drawn in red lines; and we
will now commence with the description of the headstock from whence the
various motions emanate.
A is the driving shaft, upon which is placed the drum or fast pulley a,
motion being imparted thereto by a continuous strap or band a³, in the
ordinary manner; while a is the customary loose pulley on to which the
driving strap a³ is occasionally traversed; upon this shaft are also placed the
large wheel a³, and the smaller drums or pullies a, a, and the rim pulley aº,
from each of which motion is conveyed to other of the working parts of the
machine; and here we would remark, that an important feature in our
Invention consists in the fact that the shaft A rotates continuously in the same
direction, consequently no time is lost in reversing its motion or shifting the
driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley, and vice versa. From the
drum a* motion is imparted by a strap or band to the pulley b¹ upon the shaft
B, and through the train of wheels b, c, d, to the shaft D, upon one end of
which will be observed the scroll d², upon which are wound or lapped the
bands F, F, (colored red); the band F is connected to the carriage G by
passing over a small stud h¹ upon the standard II, and thence to the cylindrical
axis of the ratchet wheel h, whose action is hereafter explained; and the band
F passing over the pulley f, hung upon the upper arm of the lever at the
front end of the headstock, is attached to the carriage G by passing over the
stud h, and thence to the axis of the ratchet wheel h³, the ratchets h and h³
being used for the purpose of maintaining the tension of the bands F, F¹, in
equilibrio.
We will now describe the novel methods which we employ for actuating
these bands. The scroll is an uniform right-handed spiral worm, with the
exception of the last or outer thread thereof, in which the uniformity is broken
by its abrupt convergence towards the axis of the shaft D. The upper band F
is used for the purpose of "running out," and the lower band F for the purpose
of putting up the carriage; and as these bands are placed upon the scroll d' as
near to the semi-breadth thereof as is convenient, it follows, that upon thé
near approach of the carriage to the spindles I, the band F is wound upon the
narrower portion of the scroll d², and as the circumference of this portion must
necessarily be much less than that of the other parts, the band is of course
proportionably slackened; in order to compensate for which, a small projection
placed upon the carriage G strikes upon a small cylindrical collar X' upon the
rod a, which, being attached to the lower arm of the level, whose fulcrum is
at as, the wheel f, which is hung on the upper arm thereof, is thrown outwards,
and the slackness of the band " is amply compensated; and it is by the

page_text: rotation of the scroll upon the shaft D, effectuated through the train of
wheels b, c, d, that the first operation, or that of running out the carriage, is
performed, by which the delivery of yarns from the mule cops g', g, is effected;
these are delivered upon the stems of the spindles I, and the second operation, or the
rotation of the spindles, by which the yarns so delivered are doubled or twisted,
now takes place; this is effected by a strap or band from the large wheel (³
upon the shaft A passing over the carrier pulleys a', a', to the pulley a³,
upon the small shaft Z, upon which is placed the strap pulley ato, from which
motion is conveyed to the pulley k¹ on the tin roller shaft K fixed in brackets
upon the lower frame of the headstock. This shaft is continued on each side
thereof for the whole length of the machine; the tin drum ³ (rod) is placed
upon this shaft, and the spindles I are driven from it by cords in the usual
manner. This rotation of the spindles causes the threads of yarn to become
twisted into or doubled with each other, one thread only being delivered upon
the spindle I for the two or more threads delivered from the mule cops g', ';
while this operation is taking place, the under faller i prevents the escape of
any of the twisted yarns from off the spindle I, holding the yarns delivered
from the mule cops g', 93, in a position suitable for twisting or doubling them
with each other until the carriage has arrived at the end of the stretch, or
the greatest distance from the spindles. The third operation, or that of
stripping off," now takes place, and consists in causing the under faller i³ to
lift the twisted yarn from the position in which it was held whilst the carriage
was running out; but as this process is performed in the manner usually
employed, no details are given in the Drawings. The fourth operation, or that
of the faller movement, now takes place, by which the counter faller W' is
made to ensure the regular and progressive delivery of the twisted yarn upon
the spindles I, in order that a cop of uniform size and thickness may be
obtained; to effect which, the system of levers 7,,, &c. are employed,
and motion is imparted to them from the sliding bar R, in the manner here-
after described; the lever ¹ is held fast to the projection upon the top of tho
lever, and is connected at the other end to the lever, at the farther
extremity of which is placed the bowl, which traverses the "shaper" curve S
of the cop motion, and by the combination of levers r,, as represented, is
attached to the extremity of the sliding bar R; it happens, therefore, that the
counter faller W, being placed upon the axis of the small chain wheel, and
the further extremity of the chain being attached to the projection, that
whenever the sliding bar R is moved towards the headstock the lever, is
proportionably elevated, and the chain being unwound from wheel, the
counter faller W' receives a proportionate depression, which increases as the

page_text: carriage G approaches towards the spindle I, and causes the winding-on to
proceed with the nicest accuracy. The sliding motion of the bar R is effected
thus the stud g³ striking against the lever f¹ carries the bell-crank lever h
forwards, and liberates the horizontal bell-crank lever n from the catch in
the upper arm of the lever h; simultaneously with which, the recoil of the
spring t, affixed to the arm of the lever n, placed transversely of the headstock,
causes the other arm of the lever n, which works the catch box upon the
shaft E, to put it into gear with the wheel e', by which means motion is
communicated to the shaft E, previously at rest, and to the wheel e³, placed
at the further extremity thereof; upon the wheel is placed the crank pin v,
which as it revolves imparts through the rod va vibratory motion to the
lever, placed upon the upright shaft V; upon the lower part of the shaft
V is placed the lever ', which is connected to the sliding bar R by the
rod V, imparting to it the traverse requisite to effect the faller movement.
The fifth operation, which is the putting up, or the return of the carriage
towards the spindles, now takes place; this is effected by the stud striking
against the lever f', suspended from the framing of the headstock, which by
means of the rods h7, hs, and lever hº, liberates the horizontal bell-crank
lever from the catch in the upper arm of the lever f³; so soon as this
is effected the spring acts upon the bell-crank lever f, which works
the double catch box d, throwing it out of gear with the wheel d',
and into gear with the pulley d"; the wheel d¹ and pulley do are loose
upon the shaft D, except when in gear with the double catch box a³. The
pulley being now in gear, and receiving motion from a continuous strap
from the pulley a upon the shaft A, the shaft D is made to revolve in the
opposite direction, and the scroll d revolving with it, also causes the
band F, connected to the carriage G, as before described, to effectuate the
approach of the carriage towards the spindles I, by which means the putting
up is effected. The sixth operation, or that of winding on, is performed
simultaneously with the putting up of the carriage, and consists in winding
upon the spindle I, at a speed proportioned to the varying size of the cop, the
yarns which were twisted while the carriage was running out; so soon as
the carriage has arrived at the end of the stretch, the pin p strikes against
the lever, which, being connected by the rod to the lever m, shifts the
strap on the tin roller shaft K, which is worked from the wheel as on the
shaft A, from off the fast pulley K' on to the loose pulley K³; nearly simul-
taneously with this operation the stud 9 upon the carriage G comes into
contact with the small lever q, suspended from the framing, and, striking
it forward, causes the rods q' and lever to follow in the same direction,

page_text: liberating the lever K³ from the notch in the spring lever q, and causing the
brake K to press upon the pulley K upon the shaft K, so that the shaft K
and the spindles I are brought to a state of rest so soon as the carriage has
completed the stretch preparatory to the process of winding on, which requires
to be performed at a greatly diminished speed than that required for twisting,
and is effected by the rim pulley a upon the shaft A, from which a continuous
cord is passed, as represented, round the pulley o upon the lever o', one
portion of it being conducted round the pulley o at the farther end of the
headstock, meeting the other portion at and with it circumferenting the rim
pulley K upon the tin drum shaft K, thus imparting motion at a diminished
speed to the tin drum K³, before mentioned, the speed at which the spindles
should rotate being regulated by the friction of the leather cone K' within the
pulley K', its action being affected by the lever M striking against a projection
m³, shown in dotted lines, upon the sliding bar R, which causes the bell-crank
lever M to be liberated from the detent in the horizontal arm M' of the
lever M, by which the elasticity of the spiral spring M³ is called into effective
action, its recoil being sufficiently strong to throw the leather cone K' into
contact with the pulley ¹, as before described, the liberation of the leather
cone K7 being performed by the action of the lever striking against a
projection upon the carriage G, which action is conveyed to the bell-crank
lever M through the rod mo, consequently the spindles I are enabled to wind
on the yarn twisted during the running out of the carriage. As the size of the
cop increases, the speed at which the spindles travel requires a further dimi-
nution; and this is effected by the set screw o³, the extremity of which
pressing upon the arm of the lever o¹, enables the operative to depress the
lever at pleasure, thereby causing the pulley o to tighten the cord 0, and
by the increased friction upon the pulley K' upon the shaft K to cause the
spindles to rotate with a reduced velocity. The seventh operation is the
cop motion; and the cop motion employed in this machine is similar to that
commonly employed in mules and twisting jennies; it is used for the
purpose of building the cop in conjunction with the arrangements of the
faller movement, and consists of a series of ares, one of which only is
exhibited, the novelty here consisting in the method of rendering the cop
motion self-acting; this is done by means of the pinion d," which is fast
upon the shaft D, and receives, while the carriage is "running out" and
"putting up," an equal amount of rotation in opposite directions, this it commu-
nicates to the wheel W working upon the stud W, upon which is also placed
the wheel W, having nugs or projections upon its periphery, and working
by means of an endless chain Wo the wheel X", which is placed upon the

page_text: smaller transverse shaft X, and which is furnished with nugs in a similar
manner; upon this shaft is also placed a small pinion X, which works with
an alternating motion the rack Y, which acts upon the cop motion in the
usual manner.
Ilaving shewn the method in which the various operations required are
performed, it becomes necessary to notice how, in the "putting up," or return
of the carriage towards the spindles, the different parts are arranged, so as to
assume the positions necessary for running out: this is effected entirely by
the carriage G and the sliding bar R; as the carriage returns towards the
spindles the pin g strikes against the lever n³, and causes the lever n to slip
into gear with and rest upon the notch in the lever ', before mentioned,
which throws the catch box & out of gear with the wheel d' upon the shaft D,
while the lever n depending from the headstock is acted upon by the stud Z
upon the carriage, which causes it to slip into gear with the lever f³, and
liberates the clutch box d from the pulley do, bringing into gear the
wheel d'; as the carriage G approaches the spindles I, the end p³ comes in
contact with the lever l', and shifts the strap from the loose pulley K' to the
fast pulley K' upon the shaft K, while as the bar R is sliding inwards, the
wheel ¹, fixed upon it by the bracket, presses down the lever K³ into the
notch in the upright lever g, and thus relieves the wheel K* from the pressure
of the break K, and thus upon the return of the carriage the various parts
are arranged preparatory for again running out.
Having now fully described the nature of our Invention of certain improve-
ments in machinery for twisting and doubling cotton yarns and similar fibrous
materials, and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried
into effect, we would remark that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
particulars of the details and mechanical arrangements herein set forth,
neither do we claim any of the common and well-known parts of the
machinery described and illustrated in connexion with our improvements; but
what we claim as new and of our Invention is,
Firstly, the rotation of the first motion shaft being uniformly in the same
direction, by which any back lash or shock to the working parts of the
machinery is avoided.
Secondly, in effecting the "running out" of the carriage by means of the scroll
wheel and bands, dispensing altogether with the racks and straps ordinarily
made use of.
Thirdly, in effecting the "putting up" of the carriage by reversing the motion
of the scroll wheel and bands by which the running out was performed.
Fourthly, the methods of working the faller movement, as described.

page_text: Fifthly, the method of "winding on" at the variable speed required by means
of the leather friction cone and the action of the lever upon the rim pullies
and endless bands, as illustrated and described.
Sixthly, the method of effectuating the cop motion, as described.
Seventhly, the systematic action of the mechanical arrangements, or any
modified system of mechanical equivalents calculated to render the machine
self-acting, or capable of performing the various operations required indepen-
dent of the application of manual power, as described.
The whole of which being, to the best of our knowledge and belief, new
and never before practised within that part of Her said Majesty's said United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, we deliver this as our true and
faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, we, the said Matthew Hague and Joseph Firth, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fourth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.