IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John White, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING FOR SPINNING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 31st March 1857, and dated the 3rd November 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John White at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd November 1856.
I, JOHN WHITE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Merchant, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING FOR
SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be follows:-
The object of my improvements is to effect a greater uniformity in the
size or numbers of the yarn, as produced in the preparation of the same for
spinning. For this purpose I apply weighting, governing, and indicating means,
in connection with the carding engines & lap machines, in such manner that only
a given quantity of the carded fibre will at any one operation be taken by the
cans or other receivers, by which the laps or other sheets or slivers obtained
from the breaker engines will, in the successive operations to the drawing
frame, continue of uniform length and weight.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John White, Her special licence that I, the said John White, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
White, 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 expressed, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING FOR SPINNING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John White, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands-and-scals, should-par-
ticularly 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 John White, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
The object of my improvements is to effect a greater uniformity in the size
or numbers of the yarn, as produced in the preparation of the same for
spinning. For this purpose I apply weighting, governing, and indicating means,
in connection with the carding engines and lap machines, in such manner that
only a given quantity of the carded fibre will at any one operation be taken by
the cans
or other receivers, by which the laps or other sheets or slivers
obtained from the breaker engines will, in the successive operations to the
first drawing head or frame, continue of uniform length and weight.
But that the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner I carry
the same into effect, may be more fully understood, I will proceed to explain
the means pursued by me. I apply to the breaker or other carding engine
counters or other suitable indicating means to indicate when the required
length of sheet, or fleece, or sliver, has been supplied to the cans or other
receivers, in order that when such desired length has been produced, the cans
or other receivers taking them, may be immediately removed to prevent their
receiving further supply; or, if desired, the carding engines may be stopped
when the desired length of sheet, fleece, lap, or sliver has been supplied to the

page_text: cans; but it will save time if, when the bells or other indicating means operated
by the counters give the alarm, the fleeces are instantly broken, and the cans
or other receivers carried away, and their places supplied by other empty ones.
Each empty can or receiver I prefer should have its weight stamped on it;
but if they are all one weight, the weight of the sliver in the several cans will
be more easily ascertained. The sliver in each can when weighed, if judged
proper, may have the gross tare and nett weight of it indicated on a ticket
attached to the cans, or the cans required for the various widths of laps may
be weighed at once, or as the parties may otherwise determine. The weight
of these cans, when full, should be ascertained by suitable weighing means.
As it will not follow that fleeces will be all one weight, or that cans filled with
an exact length of sliver will all be one weight, it will be necessary to fix a
weight that fleeces and laps of the various widths are to be made up to, which
weight I prefer to be above and not under the general weight of a fleece or
the sliver that may be put into cans for the making up of the various widths
of laps, for this reason, that any extra desired weight may be readily and
accurately added; but such cannot so readily and accurately be taken away
from the fleece or sliver in the cans. Any deficiency that may be in a fleece
or in the sliver in the cans from the determined weight for a fleece or laps
can be made up by adding sliver to the fleece of the length and weight
required, or by filling a can or cans with, the same length of sliver that is in
the cans for the various widths of laps, and of the exact weight required to be
made up. A little experience will give the necessary knowledge for adjusting
these weights; but to facilitate the carrying out of my improvements, I will
give a few illustrations of the difference I found between the quantity taken
by one can and that of another, when filled with sliver of an exact length, by
means of a counter or other indicating means to indicate lengths. As one
example, with Surat cotton it was found that in ten cans there were, on an
average, 3 lbs. 10 ozs. below 6 lbs. the weight of one of them, and in another
trial, with six cans of the same kind of cotton, it required 3 lbs. to make these
six cans to average 5 lbs. each; and from a trial made with Egyptian cotton,
there was in six cans a deficiency of 1 lb. 10 ozs. to make each up to 4 lbs. ; and
in a trial with six cans of Orleans cotton there were 2½ lbs. deficient in making
them up to 5 lbs. each, which deficiencies are quite sufficient to account for the
irregularities complained of, for in the various kinds of laps there may be
from ten to twenty cans in each; besides, these illustrations were taken at only
one of the two processes before referred to; but indeed it is that one (the
breaker) where the greatest irregularities can occur; but still there will be
some in the other process (the finisher) which must be corrected, in order to

page_text: obtain the correctness desired. I may further notice that cans may be filled
with sliver that will make more than one lap, and if the cans are filled with an
exact length, and made up to an exact weight of sliver, no harm will take
place. To give an approximate rule for carrying out my improvements, it
may be supposed that tho weight of a lap, according to its width, is 20, 30, or
40 lbs., and say that the regular average weight of each can of sliver is to be
made up to 4 or 6 lbs. weight, and that ten cans make a lap of 20 lbs., fifteen
cans a lap of 30 lbs., and twenty cans a lap of 40 lbs., which, I think, will
not be far from the reality, and if the weight of the can is to be 4 lbs., there
will be two laps of 20, 30, and 40 lbs., according to the number of cans
required for the laps of the different widths, and if 6 lbs. is fixed for the weight
of a can, there will be three laps of the different widths above specified. I do
not, however, assume to give any particular weights as a rule, there being such
various widths now_in_carding engines, and, therefore, parties using the Inven-
tion must fix the weight of the sheet, fleece, lap, or sliver for the time required.
Fleeces or slivers thus obtained, of uniform length and weight from the
breaker and finishing engine, will be found to produce yarns of much greater
uniformity in size and strength through the successive operations of drawing.
When cotton is to be only once carded, I adopt the same process as pre-
scribed at the finishing engines, namely, putting an exact length and weight of
sliver to first drawing heads.
Having thus described the means which I adopt in carrying out my
improvements, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details referred to, so long as the peculiar character thereof, whereby
the making up of uniform length to the weight of separate sheets, fleeces, laps,
or slivers to be worked together is retained, as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John White, have bereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
Ro. BARR,
of Glasgow, Engineer.
JOHN WHITE. (L.S.)