IMPROVEMENTS IN TOWELLING CLOTH AND IN THE SYSTEM, ARRANGEMENT, OR METHOD OF WEAVING THEREFOR
Year: 1884

page_text: I, RICHARD THOMAS WEBB of the Old Bleach Linen Company, Randalstown,
in the County of Antrim, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TOWELLING CLOTH AND IN THE SYSTEM,
ARRANGEMENT, OR METHOD OF WEAVING THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
"
The object is to secure a new description of cloth to be used as a rough towelling
or any other purpose that its character suits it for.
It is obtained by a novel mode of placing the threads in relation to each other,
in the process of weaving the cloth. The object to be obtained is a suitable
roughness; this is made by causing certain of the weft threads at intervals to.
skip over a number of the warp threads forming at each skip a loop or loose piece
of thread on the surface of the cloth; these loops standing up from the body of the
cloth give the desired rougliness.
One of the essential points in the invention by which this roughness is aided is
the manner in which the weft threads are so placed together that those wliich
form the loops will be found when being driven into place by the loom reed in the
process of weaving to be pushed on the top of or superimposed on each other.
This makes the cloth thicker at that place and assists the roughness by causing
the loops to stand out more prominently than they otherwise would.
As an illustration I append a description of a single repeat of ten warp threads
and six weft threads of one pattern inade on ny invention, it being understood
however that there could be any number of warp and of weft threads to a repent
and the loops could be longer or shorter or more or less frequent as the pattern is
varied. The numbers indicate the respective numbers of the ten warp threads
that the respective weft thread passes under looking on one side of the fabric.
The warp threads being numbered consecutively from 1 to 10.
First weft 1, 9.
Second weft 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9.
Third weft 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
Fourth weft 3, 5, 7.
Fifth weft 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10.

page_text: loop on the under surface extending beneath warp threads 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. It also
follows from this arrangement that weft shot N° 1 will be superimposed on N° 2,
thereby assisting the roughness of the surface as previously referred to.
The above pattern is one we find to be specially good for towelling, but other
patterns having the same valuable qualities could be made by using a different
number of threads less or more to the repeat in either warp or weft or in both;
thus if 12 or 14 were used instead of ten the loops could be elongated, if eight
threads of weft to the repeat were employed the loops forming the roughness
could be spaced further apart in the length of the fabric.
Dated this first day of January 1884.

page_text: Fig 5 is a diagram representing a single repeat or pattern shewing the mode of
making this cloth. Although a greater or lesser number of threads might be used
with a similar result.
Referring to Fig 5, the vertical lines are supposed to indicate the position of the
warp threads, and the horizontal the weft threads. The shaded portions are
supposed to represent where the weft threads are above the warp threads, on the
upper surface and the black portions where they are below.
For instance commencing at the left hand top corner of sketch (Fig 5), weft
thread No 1 passes under warp thread No 1 over Nos 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 under 9 and
over 10. Weft thread N° 2 passes under N° 1, over 2, under 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, over 8,
under 9, and over 10. N° 3 passes alternately over and under the warp threads as
shewn, and so on with the remainder.
From this arrangement it follows that weft shot No 1 forms a loop on the upper
surface when passing over warp threads No 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and N° 2 forms a
loop on the under surface extending beneath warp threads 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. It also
follows from this arrangement that weft shot N° 1 will be superimposed on N° 2,
thereby assisting the roughness of the surface as previously referred to.

page_text: Referring to Figs 1, 2, 3 and 4, a a' are the weft threads which are shown
thicker and coarsor than the warp threads b. I prefer to have them thus as
adding to the roughness and effectiveness of the cloth, but I do not limit the
invention thereto, as, if desired, the two sets of threads may be of equal quality,
or the warp even coarser than the weft. cc are the loops formed on the upper
and under surfaces respectively of the cloth, the position of the weft threads
relatively to each other which form them, being seen in Figs 3 and 4. a' is an
intermediate weft thread woven in between and adjacent to each of the pair of
threads which form the loops; these by the action of the reed are drawn towards
each other and nearly under the thread a at the place where the loops c c' are
formed.
The above pattern is one I find to be specially good for towelling, but other
patterns having the same valuable qualities could be made by using a different
number of threads, less or more, to the repeat in either warp or weft or in both
thus if 12 or 14 were used instead of 10, the loops could be elongated, if eight
threads of weft to the repeat were employed, the loops forming the roughness
could be spaced further apart in the length of the fabric.
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
1st. As a new article of manufacture, a towelling cloth, in which the weft
threads are interwoven with the warp threads, in such manner that the former
form loops opposite each other on the two surfaces of the cloth, substantially as
described.
2nd. As a new article of manufacture, a towelling in which some of the weft
threads are formed into long loops on the surfaces of the cloth, while the adjacent
weft threads not forming the loops are drawn together beneath the loops by the
reed, owing to the warp not crossing between them near the centre of the loops.
3rd. The method of weaving towelling cloth, consisting in interweaving the
weft threads with the warp, in such manner, that at intervals certain of the weft
threads shall skip over a number of the warp threads, while the adjacent weft
thread skips under the same or most of the same threads, and the adjacent
warp threads shall through the arrangement of the cards at or near the centre
of the loops, lie between the same set of weft without the latter crossing, by which
means the two loops stand out opposite each other, and the adjacent weft threads
are drawn towards each other beneath the loops, still further bulging them out aud
thickening the fabric at these points.
Dotad this 15th dov of Santambon 188.1.
;