IMPROVEMENTS IN ROVING AND SPINNING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
SIMON WOLCOTT, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of June, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the the
said Alexander Simon Wolcott, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Alexander Simon Wolcott, my exors, adñors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Simon Wolcott, my exors,
adñiors, or 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, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROVING
AND SPINNING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Alexander Simon
Wolcott, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 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 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
Alexander Simon Wolcott, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
First, the winding or the assisting the winding of the thread or roving on
to the bobbin by a blast of air.-Figure 1, A, is the spindle running in a step
in the rail B, and also passing through the rail C; both these rails are
stationary. D is an inverted cup or cap, screwed or otherwise fastened to the
top of the spindle, and made to run very truly. The upper part of the spindle is
slotted to about an inch below the lower edge of the cap. E is a metal tube, so
formed as to touch the spindle only at its (the tube's) upper part, the lower
part being enlarged for the purpose of forming a shoulder for the bobbin F to
rest on. A pin on the lower part of the bobbin enters a hole in the tube
to prevent the bobbin turning without the tube, and also for the purpose of
running in the grooved piece G. The tube E has a pin at its upper part
projecting inwards, to slide in the slot in the spindle as the tube rises and
falls, and at the same time prevent the spindles turning without the tube.
The groove in the piece G is made larger than would be merely necessary for
the tube E to run in, for the purpose of holding a supply of oil. H is a rod
supporting the piece G. It passes through the rail C at an angle of about
forty-five degrees back from the line of the spindles. This position will allow
it to rest perpendicularly in the rail I, which rail I is back of the spindles.
The rail I is to rise and fall, and by the connecting rod H, which supports the
tube and bobbin, communicate the same alternating motion to the bobbin, for
the purpose of distributing the roving along its length. K is a flat piece of
metal, on the under part of the rail I, moving on its centre like a button; by
turning this partly round it will allow the rod H to descend, for the purpose
of getting at the bobbin to piece up. The rod H can then be lifted, and the
button turned to prevent its descent. L is a semi-cylindrical piece of metal
passing round the back part of the cap D, and descending about one eighth
of an inch below it (the cap D), and just so much larger than D as to leave
about one eighth of an inch between them. At the back part of L a tube M
is soldered, inclining forty-five degrees from the perpendicular, when viewed
so that the part of the piece L where the tube M enters it is directly
opposite to the eye; and the tube should also make an angle of forty degrees
with the plane of that part where it enters L, when viewed from above, as at
Figure 5. The orifice of the tube on the inner part of L should be made
....

page_text: even with that part, and the edges nicely smoothed. A flat stout piece N, of
the form represented in Figure 3, should be fastened to L, so that its lower
face shall be just at that point where the lower part of the tube M enters L.
The tube is now to be extended in a curved form, so as to bring it perpen-
dicularly about one quarter of an inch through the plate N, the rail O being
drilled entirely through to admit the air to pass into the tube, the end of the
tube passing into the hole from above. A piece of tin or other metal P is
soldered or otherwise fastened to the under part of O to form a box to
distribute the wind to the various tubes attached to the rail. The piece L
has been spoken of as being semi-cylindrical, but from the point Q it is
continued forward nearly at a taugent, to insure a more free entrance for the
roving as it revolves with the cap D. About half an inch above the top
of the spindle the thread board, Figure 6, is placed. The action of the
machine is as follows:-The roving, as it is formed, passes over the notch in
the thread board close to R, then over the cap D and under its lower edge,
when it is attached to the bobbin E. Now, the tin inclosure under O being
supplied with a blast of air from a bellows, or any other source, a portion of
that air passes through the tube M and meets the roving, which is revolving
in an opposite direction, and lays it over the edge of the cap. If the point R
of the thread board is a very little out of centre with the line of the centre
of the spindle, so as to slacken the roving a very little at that point where the
wind strikes it, it will very much assist the winding on. Although I have
described this arrangement as having only one jet of air, I do not limit myself
to any particular number of jets; but I consider one jet to be preferable to a
greater number, because it is better and more effectual to expend whatever
power of blast which it may appear most economical to employ in one strong
jet than to divide it into a number of smaller and weaker ones; and the
quantity of yarn or roving spun during one revolution of the spindle being
very small will not require it to be acted on by the blast oftener than once in
a revolution.
What I claim under this, the first part of my Invention, is the winding or the
assisting the winding of the thread or roving on to the bobbin or other form,
by causing air to pass forcibly through one or more orifices, so arranged that
the air shall act on the thread or roving so as to produce the result of winding
on, or assist in doing so.
Second, the forming the bobbin, or tube carrying the bobbin, so that it shall
only touch the spindle at its (the tube's or bobbin's) upper end, the lower end
being supported as described. A, Figure 7, is a bobbin (without a tube to
carry it) formed so that it only touches the spindle at the part B. The lower

page_text: part of the bobbin rests on the collar C, which is fastened into the rail from
the top of the collar C. A short tube D enters the lower part of the bobbin,
which is made of a corresponding size, and this size may be continued through
to the bearing at B. Thus the bobbin is supported laterally at the top by
the spindle, and at the bottom by the tube D. It is evident that the same
lateral support to the bobbin can be obtained by turning into the lower part
of the bobbin a concentric groove, at any distance from the centre of the
bobbin, as at Figure 8, and having corresponding tube rising from the collar,
and that the bearing of the tube may be either against the inner or outer side
of the groove; and it is also evident, that instead of turning a groove into
the bobbin, a tubular projection may be formed on it, as at Figure 9, which
can run into a corresponding groove formed into the collar beneath. But all
these changes would still have the same character of a lateral support to the
bobbin by a stationary body beneath. Figure 10 represents the bobbin carried
by a tube. E, E, is the tube which bears against the spindle at its (the tube's)
upper part. The lower part runs in the groove turned in the top of the
collar F. This groove is made much larger than what would be merely
necessary for the tube E to run in, for the purpose of holding a supply of oil.
The bobbin itself may form the upper bearing against the spindle, and the
tube not to pass quite through the bobbin, as at Figure 11. The same
remarks that were made respecting the changes of form that might be made
in the lower part of the bobbin may be applied to the tube E in its connection
with the collar beneath. The form that I consider the best is that repre-
sented at No. 10. When very fine numbers are to be spun, I would recom-
mend an eye G, Figure 12, to be placed just at the bend of the flyer, and
another directly over the centre of the spindle, and in case the thread
cannot pass directly from the rollers to the spindles, instead of passing it over
a thread board it should be passed over a roller I, which roller I is made to
revolve in the direction of the arrow, and six to ten times as fast as the front
drawing rollers. The roller I may be made by grooving out a solid rod
of metal, or fixing discs of metal to a smaller rod, holes being made in the
discs. Through these holes rods of metal or glass should be passed. The
action of this roller will much assist the passing up of the twist, and conse-
quently greatly assist in preventing the breaking down of the thread.
In order that the improvement may be appreciated, it will be necessary to
state the cause of the irregularity in the drag in the ordinary machines. If the
spindle is the least out of truth, it follows, that when the spindle shall have
acquired a certain velocity, this little irregularity will cause it to strike a blow
against the bobbin, by which the bobbin will be thrown against the spindle in

page_text: the opposite direction. Just as this action takes place, the spindle has com-
pleted, say a half revolution, which again brings the most prominent part of
the spindle in contact with the bobbin. To such an extent will the effects of
this vibratory motion extend (particularly when assisted by an irregularity in
the bobbin itself), that the bobbin will cling to the spindle without scarcely
any tendency to descend by its own weight, and sometimes these succession of
blows will take place at such a peculiar succession of points on the bobbin as
to drive the bobbin faster than the spindle, when of course there will be no
take up at all. In the improved form just described, the spindle can never
act on the bobbin in the above-described manner, for if a blow is struck
against the top of the bobbin (the only part where the spindle is allowed to
touch it) it will cause a reacting blow against the stationary collar beneath,
which will neutralize the effects of the blow from the spindle, and it will be
found that the joint effect of the action of the revolving spindle against one
end of the bobbin, and the action of the stationary part against the other end
of the bobbin, will be such, that at almost any velocity at which a spindle can
be run there will still be a uniform and gentle drag. I am aware that tubes
have been made to pass up into bobbins for the purpose of running them on
these as a staff or support, but this is evidently another thing, as the Figures
will show.
What I claim under this, the second part of my Invention, is the forming
the bobbin or the tube carrying the bobbin, or the tube by itself, or the tube
and bobbin combined, as in Figure 11, in such a manner that the upper bear-
ing, at the upper end of the tube or bobbin, shall be against the spindle, and the
lower bearing, laterally, shall be against a fixture on or in the rail below,
or against a lateral bearing formed on the rail itself, the bobbin or tube not
having any other bearing except at its two extremities.
Third, new forms of parts connected with the spindles and wharves of
spinning machines, for the purpose of containing a supply of oil.-In Fig. 13
a short tube is attached to a wharve to run on to another tube fastened
to the rail; here the tube is surrounded with a cup for the purpose of holding
a plentiful supply of oil; and here it will be observed that, as the tube attached
to the wharve revolves, its action is to throw the oil from the centre, and
in proportion as it is thrown from the centre will the depression be in the
middle, and in proportion to the depression in the middle will be the lessening
of the acting surface of the revolving tube; but the revolving tube can never
be entirely bare of the oil, because there would not be any power in this
case to maintain the centrifugal position of the oil; the result then is that
the oil will stand at a slope much like that represented by the dotted lines

page_text: A, A. As long then as sufficient oil remains in the cup to cover the bottom
edge of the revolving tube, the capillary attraction between the revolving
and stationary tubes will always insure their being oiled throughout their
lengths. Fig. 14 is like the last, except that the tubes are so enlarged as to
admit of a bobbin or cop to pass through it, thereby doing away with the
necessity of a flyer, as the thread may be only passed through an eye fastened
to the wharve; the top of the cup is here represented as turning inwards for
the purpose of holding more oil. Fig. 15 is an application of an oil cup
to the upper bearing of an ordinary spindle. B is the cup; C is a tube
attached to the collar in the rail, and reaching nearly to the bottom of the
cup B.
When the spindle is revolving, the oil will be thrown outwards and
the surface of it stand as represented by the dotted lines D; but each time
the spindle is stopped, either for piecing up or for doffings, the oil will
assume a horizontal position, when the capillary attraction will cause the oil
to raise between the spindle and its bearing. When it is necessary to clean
the cup, the rail containing the step must be depressed or the upper rail
raised. Fig. 16 is a case of an inverted flyer, the wharve itself is here made
into an oil cup. When the cup is to be cleaned the nut E is to be unscrewed
from off the top of the tube fastened to the wharve, when the wharve may be
removed, cleaned, and replaced.
What I claim under this, the third part of my Invention, is the forming
both the stationary and revolving cups for holding oil in the manner described,
or in any other manner that is substantially the same, so that nearly a regular
supply of oil shall be afforded to the parts requiring it.
Fourth, the driving a double row of wharves by one driving drum, the
bands being put on as described.-A, Figure 17, represents the end view of
the drum. B, C, D, E, are four wharves all turned by one band; the order in
which the band passes from wharve to wharve can be seen by following the
direction of the arrows. It will be observed, that two wharves directly
opposite each other, as B and F, are not banded together, but instead of F, C, is
banded with B. This arrangement may be used with the ordinary spindle, by
placing the wharves alternately close to the upper and lower rail; or in case
of two rows of spindles being used, one being placed above the other. In
case of two wharves being used to a spindle for the purpose of giving
dissimilar speeds to the bobbin and flyer, the wharves directly opposite must
be banded together, instead of taking them obliquely; and also the wharves
which are directly over each other on the same spindle are to be banded
together, instead of taking the top wharve of one spindle and the lower
wharve of the next to band together. With these exceptions of choosing which

page_text: wharves are to be banded together, the bands are to follow the same order in-
passing from wharve to wharve as in the first described cases.
What I claim, under this fourth part of my Invention, is the so applying
the driving bands to the wharves of spinning machines, upon which there
are four rows of wharves, that the band which passes to any one wharve
shall, on its return from the same, pass to the same side of the drum as it
came from in going to the wharve, and that the bands from two rows of
wharves shall pass to one side of the drum, and the bands from the other two
rows shall pass to the opposite side of the drum.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Simon Wolcott, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.