IMPROVEMENTS IN YARNS, THREADS, TWINES, Cordage, orMENTTION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stebbins Fish and James Wotherspoon,
both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN YARNS, THREADS, TWINES, Cordage, or
Sealed the 8th March 1872, and dated the 1st January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stebbins Fish
and James Wotherspoon at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st January 1872.
We, WILLIAM STEBBINS FISH and JAMES WOTHERSPOON, both of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN YARNS, THREADS,
TWINES, CORDAGE, OR ROPES, AND IN THE EMPLOYMENT OR APPLICATION THEREOF,”
to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the production of yarns, threads,
twines, cordage, or ropes of a much stronger and generally of more
durable nature than hitherto obtained, and it consists in the employment

page_text: of asbestos or amianthus as the material of which such yarns, threads,
twines, cordage, or ropes are constructed either entirely or in part, thus
rendering the same resisting to fire and water.
In manufacturing the yarns, threads, twines, cordage, or ropes the
crude asbestos or amianthus is subjected to disintegrating operations in
order to obtain the fibre in a separate and loose state. The fibres after
being so separated or disintegrated are by preference collected in quan-
tities of equal length after the manner and by the same or similar
means which are employed for assorting fibres of cotton or other similar
substances preparatory to their being spun or twisted into yarns, threads,
or other continuous lengths. It is however to be understood that such
assortment of the asbestos or amianthus fibres is not in all cases
essential.
The asbestos or amianthus fibres may be admixed with a portion of
hemp, jute, flax, rhea fibre, cotton, wool, hair, silk, or other animal or
vegetable fibres preparatory to being spun or twisted, or the asbestos or
amianthus fibres alone, that is to say, without admixture with other
fibrous substances, may be spun or twisted into yarns, threads, or the
other continuous lengths herein-before described.
In the construction of yarns the asbestos or amianthus fibres may be
spun or twisted as one strand, but in the construction of threads, twines,
cordage, or ropes, several strands or sets of strands may be twisted,
plaited, or braided together to compose the same.
It is to be understood that the essential features constituting the
Invention herein-before described consist in the employment or applica-
tion of asbestos or amianthus combined or uncombined with other
fibrous substances as the materials to substitute jute, hemp, flax, cotton,
or other fibrous materials at present used in the manufacture of threads,
twines, cordage, or ropes, and it is also intended to claim the employ-
ment of yarns, threads, or twines so composed for sewing together
saddlery and harness, boots or shoes, or other articles composed wholly or
in part of leather, and cordage or ropes formed thereof for the rigging
of ships, and the employment generally of asbestos or amianthus braided,
plaited, or spun in continuous lengths to resist tension.
It is to be further understood that cloth or canvas composed of asbestos
tminted hmidad

page_text: as hercin-before described is under this Invention applied for the con-
struction of mail and despatch bags, sail cloths, awnings, and the
coverings of railway cars and ships' decks, or other generally similar
purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Stebbins Fish. and James Wotherspoon in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
STEBBINS FISH and JAMES WOTHERSPOON, both of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the 35th year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said William Stebbins Fish and James Wotherspoon, Her special
license that we, the said William Stebbins Fish and James Wother-
spoon, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said William Stebbins Fish and James Wotherspoon, our
executors, administrators, or 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 YARNS, THREADS, TWINES, CORDAGE, OR ROPES, AND IN THE EMPLOYMENT OR
APPLICATION THEREOF," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said William Stebbins Fish and James Wotherspoon, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and scals, should particularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE. that we the said William Stebbins Fish and James.

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our said Invention, which has for its object improvements in yarns
otherwise known as threads, twines, cordage, or ropes, consists in the
employment of asbestos or amianthus as the material of which such
yarns or threads, twines, cordage, or ropes are constructed, either
entirely or in combination with other fibrous substances, by which means
much more durable threads, twines, cords, or ropes are obtained, the
same from the nature of the asbestos or amianthus offering great
resistance to destruction by fire or heat, und little affected by water or
moisture.
In manufacturing the yarns or threads, twines, cordage, or ropes, the
crude asbestos or amianthus is subjected to disintegrating operations,
either by the employment of suitable acids, as set forth in the Specifica-
tion of John Henry Johnson, No. 807, A.D. 1871, or other convenient
means, in order to obtain the fibre in a separate and loose or disintegrated
state. The said fibres after being so separated or disintegrated are
collected in quantities of equal lengths after the manner of or by the
same or similar means as those which are employed for assorting fibres
of cotton or other similar substances preparatory to the said fibres being
twisted or spun into yarns or threads, or other continuous lengths. It
is however to be understood that such arranging or assorting of the
asbestos or amianthus fibres is not in all cases essential.
In constructing threads, twines, cordage, or ropes of asbestos or
amianthus fibres, the said fibres previous to being twisted or spun may
be admixed with a portion of hemp, jute, flax, rhea fibre, cotton, wool,
hair, silk, or other animal or vegetable fibres, or the asbestos or amian-
thus fibres alone, that is to say, without admixture with other fibrous
substances, may be spun or twisted into yarns or threads, twines, cordage,
or ropes.
In the construction of the strands of which such yarns or threads,
twines, cordage, or ropes are composed, the asbestos or amianthus fibres
after having been separated or disintegrated and used either alone or in
admixture with other fibres, as herein-before set forth, are spun or
twisted by machinery or apparatus similar or analagous to that employed
in spinning or twisting other fibres into strands, and two or more of

page_text: these strands are then twisted, plaited, or braided together to compose
the yarns or threads, twine, cordage, or ropes.
It is to be understood that the yarns or threads, twines, cordage, or
ropes constructed according to this Invention are or may be used for all
purposes excepting weaving for which yarns or threads, cordage or ropes,
formed of other fibrous substances are employed, being specially adapted
for fish lines, fishing nets, ships' rigging, and for sewing or stitching
saddlery or other work in leather and harness.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be used
or practically carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that
what we consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
employment of the fibres of asbestos or amianthus as a material to be
used alone or in conjunction or admixture with other fibres for forming
yarns or threads, twine, cordage, or ropes, as distinct from yarns for
weaving purposes as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Stebbins Fish and James
Wotherspoon, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
eighth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two