An Improved Seat for Work People in Attendance upon Textile and other Machinery and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1897--Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
An Improved Seat for Work People in Attendance upon Textile
and other Machinery and the like.
I, HENRY MERCER GIRDWOOD, of Broughton Flax Mills, Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Flax Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved seat particularly applicable for the use of
work people engaged in feeding or otherwise attending to textile and other machinery
where it is necessary for the operative to turn partly round and also to move or reach
forward in different directions my object being chiefly to enable women and girls to
accomplish such labour whilst seated, in place of standing, and thereby make the
work less exhaustive.
My improved seat is mounted upon a pillar or pedestal so that it can swivel and is
adjustable as to height and can also be set nearer to or farther from the machine as
desired; the seat is also fitted so that it can readily be moved on rods or slides or
equivalent parts laterally in either direction by the operative whose feet rest upon a
stationary foot board.
In applying my improved seat say to a gill box for preparing flax, rhea or the like,
the pedestal of the seat is secured to the floor in a convenient position and the seat
can then be adjusted nearer to or farther from the spread board or feed apron or other
part as required. The operative when seated can move his or her body on the seat
in the direction of the heap of dressed flax or the like, usually placed at the rear of
the spread board, and turn partly round to take a piece or pieces of flax and then
move on and with the seat toward the machine and turn partly round so as to be
able to lay the flax readily in the proper position on the spread board of the machine
and then reverse these movements with the greatest ease.
This improved seat could be applied equally well to hackling machines and to every
class of machine in which a seat capable of being swivelled and moved laterally or end-
wise would be found useful.
Dated this 5th day of March 1007
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
Agents for Applicant.
An Improved Seat for Work People in attendance upon Textile
and other Machinery and the like.
I, HENRY MERCER GIRDWOOD, of Broughton Flax Mills, Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Flax Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved seat particularly applicable for the use of

page_text: work people engaged in feeding or otherwise attending to textile and other machinery
where it is necessary for the operative to turn partly round and also to move or reach
forward in different directions, my object being chiefly to enable women and girls
to accomplish such labour whilst seated, in place of standing, and thereby make the
work less exhaustive.
My improved seat is mounted upon a pillar or pedestal so that it can swivel and is
adjustable as to height and can also be set nearer to or farther from the machine as
desired; the seat is also fitted so that it can readily be moved on rods or slides or
equivalent parts laterally in either direction by the operative whose feet rest upon &
stationary foot board.
In applying my improved seat say to a gill box for preparing flax, rhea or the like,
the pedestal of the seat is secured to the floor in a convenient position and the seat
can then be adjusted nearer to or farther from the spread board or feed apron or
other part as required. The operative when seated can move his or her body on the
seat in the direction of the heap of dressed flax or the like, usually placed at the rear
of the spread board, and turn partly round to take a piece or pieces of flax and then
move on and with the seat toward the machine and turn partly round so as to be able
to lay the flax readily in the proper position on the spread board of the machine
and then reverse these movements with the greatest ease.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings-
Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, and Fig. 2 is a front view of a
combined sliding and swivelling seat made according to my Invention.
In these views,d designates a pillar fitted in a standard or pedestal e and fixed
adjustably therein by a bolt k; a sleeve m is fitted so as to turn freely on this pillar d
and to the sleeve m is secured a base plate or frame through slots n¹ in which and
holes in the head of the sleeve m are passed bolts o to allow the base plate n to be set
nearer to or farther from the feed table or spreader p of a gill box or other machine
and a foot rest q for the operative. Secured in the base plate n are four rods r and to
a pair of brackets s are secured two studs t on each of which is mounted a pair of
antifriction rollers u, which run between the rods and so form the wheels of a
carriage for the seat c which is preferably inclined to a convenient angle and is bolted
to the brackets s.
When the operative is seated with her (or his) feet resting on the foot rest q it is
easy for her by inclining her body to the right or left to slide the seat c in either
direction as well as to swivel it and this freedom of movement enables her to feed the
machine with considerably less fatigue and trouble.
This improved seat could be applied equally well to hackling machines and to every
class of machine in which a seat capable of being swivelled and moved laterally or
endwise would be found useful.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed
I declare that what I claim is :-
The combination with the feed table of a gill box, hackling machine, or other
machine of the type indicated, of an adjustable seat arranged to slide and swivel
substantially as herein set forth for the purposes specified.
LOLL
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.