IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WOOLLEN FABRICS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. EZEKIEL
EDMONDS the younger, of Bradford, in the County of Wiltshire, Cloth
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Seventeenth day of July, in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said Ezekiel Edmonds the younger, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Ezekiel Edmonds the younger, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ezekiel Edmonds the younger, my
exors, adññiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon Tweed, and in the Islands
of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WOOLLEN FABRICS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Ezekiel Edmonds the
younger, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after

page_text: the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in. compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Ezekiel Edmonds the younger, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
ascertained in and by the following description, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of certain descriptions of woollen
fabrics, known to the trade by the name of "superfine cloth," double
milled and beaver cloth, and blankets. But in order that my Invention may
be better understood and more readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe the same fully.
In the manufacture of the woollen fabrics enumerated, the present usual
mode of weaving is with two harnesses, by throwing one thread of weft
of a given size between the warp threads, such thread of weft being, as
compared with the thread I use (and which shall be hereafter described),
large, loose, and hollow; thus it will be observed that every thread of
weft crosses alternately over and then under every thread of the warp which
it comes to; in short the threads of the warp and weft are thus interwoven
at every point where they cross each other. Now my Invention consists
in weaving two or more successive threads or shoots of the weft (of a much
smaller size, as herein-after described, under or over the same thread of warp; in
other words, the thread of warp passes over two threads of the weft at once with-
out any interweaving whatever. Then it crosses and passes beneath two threads
of weft without any interweaving before it again crosses; the mode in which
this is done is as follows:-After the crossing of the warps one thread of weft
is thrown across the whole width of the fabric which may be weaving between
the warps, and is properly beaten or forced into its place either by hand or
power; the action of the shuttle is then reversed and (the warps being retainėd
in the same position) another thread of weft is then thrown across the warps;
such second thread of weft is then beaten or forced into its place by hand or
power, and the warps are then crossed and ready to receive two more threads
of weft, as above described. I would here remark that the two threads of weft
are brought perfectly close together, side by side, and in a line with each other.
In order that the first thread of weft may be retained in its proper place
between the warps, while the shuttle carries the second thread of weft to the
opposite side of the fabric, I cause one (or more if required) of the outside
threads of warp or list to cross every time the shuttle arrives at the side of the
fabric with the first of the two threads of weft, and before the action of the

page_text: shuttle is reversed; the first thread of weft must be retained in its position
by this means or by some other means, before the second thread of weft is
thrown, or the reverse action of the shuttle would carry back if not throw out
the first shoot of weft unless so retained. The mode of retaining the first
thread of weft in its proper position is one in common use; I do not claim this
as part of my Invention; it is done by attaching a string to the pecker of the
shuttle box, which being driven back by the action of the shuttle, draws
up the list which is attached to the other end of the string. There are other
means by which this may be accomplished, but I prefer using the one
herein described. The size of the weft used in the present mode of weaving
superfine cloth, double milled and beaver cloth, and blankets is, as I have
described above, somewhat large, loose, and hollow. Now by my mode
of manufacturing, the weft is spun much smaller in size, being scarcely
more than half the size of the usual weft, that is to say:-weft hitherto
used being from sixteen to eighteen skeins per pound, by my mode of
manufacturing from thirty to thirty-five skeins per pound would be the
size of the weft according to the quality and staple of the wool, and so on
in proportion for larger or for smaller sizes of the weft, from two skeins
to one hundred skeins per pound, according to the substance of the fabric
to be woven. The advantages thus derived from the weft being spun so
much smaller are very apparent, as the smaller the thread is spun the
finer and more even it becomes, and by my mode of throwing two threads
of weft one by one between the warps, should there be any imperfection
in one thread, the second thread would support and strengthen the said
imperfection, for the chances are very remote that two imperfect parts of
two threads should meet together in the same place. The size of the weft
by the present usual mode of weaving superfine cloth, double milled and
beaver cloth, and blankets, prevents the weft from being beaten or woven
so closely into the crossings of the warps, as may be seen by Figure 1 in
the margin, whereas from the much smaller size of the weft in Figure 2, the
said thread of weft can easily be beaten or woven much closer, as may be
seen by referring to Figure 2. This closeness of texture produces a much
better felt in the milling of superfine cloth, which is effected in much
less time than is required to mill other cloth, and hence a considerable
saving of soap is effected. The appearance of the cloth from the fulling
mill or stock is much smoother and more free from wrinkles, and appears
much finer than those manufactured by the usual method, are remarkable
for evenness of width, which may be accounted for by the great number of
threads of abb or weft in the cloth, which, being of so small a size, are less

page_text: liable to vary in size than those spun larger. It will also be evident to the
observer of this my mode of manufacturing superfine cloth, that it is much
more capable of producing by dressing a rich, thick, and short wool, than the
usual mode of manufacturing. By referring to Fig. 3 and 4, it will at onco
convey my meaning. If a square be drawn of sufficient dimensions to enclose
the larger circle O, Figure 8, and a parallelogram enclosing the two smaller
circles P, P, Figure 4, let the circle O, Figure 3, represent the abb or weft
'thread now in general use, and the two circles P, P, Figure 4, the two abb or
weft threads used according to my Invention. It is evident that the surface
of the fabric presented to the dresser from B, A, Figure 4, is greater than
that offered from C, D, Fig. 8. In the circle O, Figure 3, a larger proportion
of the woolly fibre is enclosed and lost in the body of the thread, which by my
improvement is on the surface, which thus assumes the character and
possesses all the susceptibilities of a flat thread, and the thread being small,
fine, and close, as well as the surface being more flat and even, very little waste
occurs in dressing: The cloth is thus capable of a much better dress and
finish. Another superiority consists in the great strength of the fabrics woven
according to this improvement. Owing to the cloth made according to this
improvement wasting so little, the length produced from-a given quantity of
wool is much greater than by the ordinary mode. I find an addition in length
of at least five per cent. in the finished state on superfine cloth woven the
same length, and at the same time the substance, closeness, and texture of the
cloth thus made is far superior.
It is uscless my describing my improvements in the blankets, as it consists
in weaving the same precisely similar to the mode above described with
reference to superfine cloth and double-milled and beaver cloths, and the
texture will necessarily be much finer than blankets woven according to the
present usual mode of weaving. I must here observe that a certain fabric
known by the name of paletot cloth, and other woollen fabrics of various
descriptions in cloth and cassimeres, have been woven in a similar way
to this; but superfine cloth and double-milled and beaver cloth and blankets
have never been woven in this manner. I am also aware that two threads
of abb or weft have been before thrown between the crossing of the warps,
but they have been been so thrown either by being doubled together, or by one
action of the shuttle, and not according to my improvement. The result of
such mode of weaving is not so satisfactory as by throwing one thread of abb
or weft from right to left, or left to right, and beating or forcing such thread
of abb or weft into its proper place, and then crossing the outside thread of
warp or list, and throwing another thread of abb or weft across with the

page_text: action of the shuttle from left to right, or right to left, before crossing the
warp threads, for in throwing two or more threads of abb or weft together
across the warps with one action of the shuttle, they are liable to twist, and
cause an uneven surface on the face of the fabric.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
this mode of weaving paletot cloths or other woollen fabrics of that particular
description; but what I claim is the weaving or manufacturing of a certain
description of fabrics known by the name of superfine cloth, also double
milled and beaver cloth and blankets, by throwing two or more small threads
or wefts, one by one, laying evenly side by side, across the warp threads, (but
I prefer using only two abb or weft threads), the one having been beaten or
forced into its position or place before the other is thrown across the said warp
threads, and the second thread being beaten into its position or place by the
side of the first one already so beaten, and so on for any additional threads,
if required, before the crossing of the warp threads, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ezekiel Edmonds the younger, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
EZEKIEL (L.s.) EDMONDS, Jun".
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named Ezekiel Edmonds the