CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HARRISON, of Irwell House, Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of July, in the eighth year of Her reign, and in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Harrison, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said James Harrison, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said James Harrison, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James Harrison, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Harrison, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawing hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof, that is to say :-
My Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Spinning Cotton and other
Fibrous Substances, apply to that class of spinning machinery called "mules,"
"billies," "stretchers," and "jennies," and particularly those called "self-
actors;" and consist, firstly, in the novel application of a clearing shaft or roller
to the front of the roller beam of such machines, and causing the same to
revolve so as to collect any waste flyings or loose filaments of cotton or other
fibrous substance that may fall from the drawing rollers during the process of
spinning, and also to remove or take up all waste that may accumulate on tho
top of the mule carriage as it passes under the roller beam when "putting up."
This shaft is caused to revolve by means of a band passing around a grooved
pulley fixed at its end (or otherwise), and, as it revolves in the same direction
as the mule carriage, passes under it while "going in," but rather faster than
the carriage, it is evident that it will collect or lick up, the loose waste which-
ever way the carriage may be passing under it.
The second part of my improvement consists in causing the clearing shaft
to travel up the front of the roller beam during the "going out" of the
carriage and just at the close of the stretch, so as to clean the front of the
roller beam, and also of the stands which carry the drawing. rollers. This is
effected by placing brushes or collars at intervals along the whole length
of the machine around the clearing roller, in which it can revolve loosely, to
which brushes chains or bands are affixed which pass over the roller bean
to pullies placed at corresponding intervals upon a shaft behind the drawing
rollers; these pullies have counterbalance weights attached to the side farthest
from the roller beam, which, by the chains being fixed to them, will assist in
raising the clearer shaft. The chain passing from one of the brushes, instead
of being fixed to the pulley, passes around it, and from thence over carrier
pullies to a rod sliding in bearings (fixed to the railway upon which the mule
carriages traverses), to which rod it is attached; this rod has a pin or stud
extending from it in a horizontal direction, against which an arm fixed to the
carriage strikes at or near the close of each stretch, and, by carrying the rod
with it to which the chain is affixed, will cause the chain to lift the clearer
shaft (which is continually revolving) and carry it up the front of the roller
beam, thereby collecting all the waste upon its surface. As soon as the mule

page_text: carriage commences its "going in," the clearer shaft will fall slowly into
its original position and clear or sweep the top board of the carriage as it
passes under the roller beam. It will be evident that in both these arrange-
ments the top board of the carriage will have to be made level instead of being
placed at an angle with the horizon as usual in such machines; but if it should
be desirable to apply my Invention to mule carriages of the old construction
without altering the top board of the carriage, the clearer shaft may be
mounted in the ends of a series of levers having their fulcra below the roller
beam, and being weighted at their other ends, which levers, by vibrating upon
their fulcra, will allow the clearer shaft to adapt itself to the inclination of
the carriage top as it passes under the roller beam. A stop or guide must
be placed below the clearer shaft to prevent it from falling below the level of
the lowest point of inclination of the top board of the carriage.
.
"Having now described the nature and object of my Invention, I will pro-
ceed to describe the manner in which the same may be carried into practical
effect, which will be better understood by referring to the Drawing accom-
panying these Presents, Figure 1 being an end elevation of the framing of a
self-actor mule with my improvements attached thereto, as represented in
colours, the ordinary parts of the mule being drawn in outline only; and
in order to shew the peculiar application of my Invention, the spindle,
carriage, roller beam, and drawing rollers are 'shewn in section. Figure 2 is a
front view of the same, and Figure 3 a similar view to Figure 1, excepting
that the carriage, which in Figure 1 is shewn' as "put up," is in this instanco
shewn as "run out," or at its farthest distance from the drawing rollers at the
completion of the stretch, and, consequently, the clearing apparatus is in the
reverse position. These Figures are drawn upon a scale of about one inch
and a half to the foot. a, a, is the end framing of the mule; b,.b, the
carriage; c, c, the headstock driving pullies; d, d, the roller beam; .and
e, e, e, e, the drawing rollers. The improved application of the clearer shaft
is shewn at f, f, which revolves in bearings 9, 9, 9, 9, placed at suitable
intervals the whole length of the roller beam, which bearings also serve as
guides for steadying the clearer shaft f, f, as it rises for the purpose of clearing
the roller beam. At one end of the shaft f, f, is a pulley h around which
a band i passes, to which motion may be communicated in. any convenient
manner so as to cause the pulley.and shaft to revolve in the direction of tho
arrow, which, as the carriage, b, b, passes under the roller beam d, d, will clear
or.lick up all the loose waste or flyings from the top board k, k, of the carriage;
1,1,1,1, are bushes or collars in which the shaft f, f, revolves freely. To

page_text: these bushes chains m, m, m, are fixed, which pass over small carrier pullies m, n,
upon the roller beam d, d, to the pullies o, o, o, o, keyed upon the shaft p.
These pullies are weighted on the side farthest from the roller beam so as to
counterbalance (or nearly so) the weight of the clearer shaft f, f. In order
to cause the clearer shaft f, f, to travel up the front of the roller beam d, d,
the chain from one of the bushes instead of being fixed to its corresponding
weighted pulley passes around it, and thence over and under the carrier
pullies and r to the rod s (below) to which it is made fast. This rod s slides
in bearings t, t, fixed to the railway of the mule, and motion is communicated
to it at every "going out" of the carriage in the following manner :-To
the back of the carriage b, b, b, b, is fixed an arm u which strikes against
a stud v (fixed to the rod s) every time the carriage runs out and carries the
rods with it, which, from the rod being connected to the clearer shaft f, f, by
the chain m, will cause this shaft to travel up the front of the roller beam d, d,
until the carriage b, b, has arrived at its greatest distance from the roller
beam. As soon as the carriage begins to return, it releases tho stud v from
the arm u and allows the clearer shaft to fall by its own gravity into its
original position in time to clean the top of the carriage b, b, as the carriage
passes under the roller beam d, d.
Figure 4 is a section of the roller beam, shewing more distinctly the
peculiar application of a travelling clearer shaft thereto to operate both upon
the roller beam and the carriage top. And Figure 5 is a similar view showing
the application of a stationary clearer shaft for cleaning the top of the carriago
only, the dotted line in both instances representing the level of the top of the
carriage. It will be seen that letters of reference are placed upon the
respective parts in both Figures corresponding with those in Figures 1, 2,
and 3.
In conclusion, I desire it to be distinctly understood that I claim as my
Invention the novel and particular application of a revolving clearer shaft to
the roller beam of "mules," "billies," "stretchers," and "jennies" employed
for spinning cotton and other fibrous substances in the manner and for the
purpose above described, as herein set forth and as shown in the Drawings
attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Harrison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
JAMES (L.S.) HARRISON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Fourteenth day of January,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid James Harrison came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of January in the year shove written.
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of January in the year above written.