IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
HAMER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, 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 Fifteenth day of November, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said William Hamer, my exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
William Hamer, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said William Hamer, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING TEXTILE FABRICS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William
Hamer, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, 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 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, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Hamer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be duly ascertained and

page_text: described in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements in woven fabrics are in that class of goods known as
"Genoa cords" eight shaft cords," "constitution cords," cable cords, and
"fustians" or "imperials," and consist in a peculiar combination and arrange-
ment of the weft threads which bind and form the back of the fabric with the
warp threads, whereby the appearance of the fabric so made is rendered finer
than that of an equivalent weight manufactured according to the usual mode.
The improvement in the fustians or imperial consists also of a peculiar com-
bination of the weft threads with the warp threads whereby a finer back
surface is given to the fabric, although of the same weight of cloth and of
warp and weft threads of the numbers usually employed. In exemplifying
these improvements, I have adopted in the annexed Drawings the ordinary
modes by which weavers represent the pattern or arrangement of the threads
desired to be produced, which is known as the "draft." In order to dis-
tinguish more clearly my improvement in cords, I have represented at Figures
1, 3, and 5, "drafts" for Genoa cord of the ordinary make, and at Figures 2, 4,
and 6, "drafts" according to my improvements in that manufacture. In the
manufacture of cords it is well understood that some of the weft threads pass
across the warp without appearing on the face of the fabric for the purpose of
forming the back and binding the whole together; these threads are represented
by red lines in the several Figures, while the blue lines indicate the threads
which form the face of the fabric. The black horizontal lines represent the
warp threads. The number of black lines, which in Figures 1, 3, and 5 are
sixteen in number, constitute the "draft," this with the rest of the plan is
repeated to form the entire width of the fabric. Figures 1, 3, and 5 consist
respectively of ten, twelve, and fourteen shots or picks of weft to one round of
the tappets, with the back and face threads disposed as represented, the order
of which is repeated throughout the length of the fabric. It will be observed
that in each of these Figures there are four red lines representing threads
which form the back, while the blue lines indicate the face threads of the
fabric; the several drafts represent the threads in their position as in the loom,
that is, with the face of the fabric uppermost; the several cross marks denote
where the warp threads are raised above the weft, while the absence of those
marks at the intersections show the weft threads to be above the warp. In
examining the crossing of the red lines of Figures 1, 3, and 5, it will be found
that these shots or picks of weft pass alternately under and over the warp
threads in pairs, by which the back of the fabric is produced, while the face

page_text: picks are knitted or interwoven at the proper points to give the necessary
floating thread to produce the cord or rib of the cloth, as is well understood.
In carrying out my improved manufacture of Genoa cord, I employ eighteen
threads of warp in the "draft," as indicated in Figures 2, 4, and 6, but instead
of forming the back of the fabric with four picks or shots of weft to be
"round," I employ three only, as indicated by the red lines in those Figures.
Instead of ten shots or picks of weft to the "round," as shewn at Figure 1,
I use nine shots or picks, as at Figure 2, which represents the "draft" of an
equivalent fabric. On examining the interlacing or course of the red lines
1, 4, and 7, Figure 2, across the warp threads, it will be found that they
alternately rise over and pass under two of the warp threads; for instance,
weft 1 passes under warp 1, and 2 over 3, under 4 and 5, over 6, and so on
across the whole width of the fabric; weft thread 4 over warp 1, under 2
and 3, over 4, and so on; and weft 7 under warp thread 1, over 2, under 3
and 4, &c. This number and disposition of the weft threads cause the twill
or diagonal figure of the back to pass more directly across the web, giving the
back of the fabric a closer and finer appearance. The face is also of a better
and finer character than when made with four back picks or shots of weft,
as at Fig. 1. The crosses on the blue lines indicate the points of fixing or
where the weft falls below the warp, as before mentioned, as is well under-
stood in this manufacture, and will not, therefore, require further description.
Fig. 4 represents the draft of a fabric, according to my improvements, equi-
valent to Fig. 3. In this there are 11 shots or picks of weft to the "round,"
three of which, 1, 5, and 9, form the back, as before, while the remainder in
blue are the face picks. The arrangement and combination of the back picks
1, 5, and 9 with the warp threads are the same as described in reference to
Fig. 2, and need not be repeated.
Fig. 6 represents the draft of my improved Genoa cord with thirteen shots
or picks of weft to the round, three of which, 1, 6, and 10, form the back,
while the remainder in blue are the face picks or shots of weft. The arrange-
ment of the back picks with reference to the warp, as will be observed, is the
same as before described. Thus, whatever may be the number of picks or
shots of weft constituting the "round" or repeat, the number of picks or shots
of weft forming the back is three in all cases.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9 represent drafts of my improved eight-shaft cord with
nine, eleven, and thirteen shots or picks of weft to the "round." The red
lines indicate the three back picks or shots of weft, as before; their combina-
tion with the warp threads being precisely the same as already described with
reference to Genoa cord, need not be repeated. The face picks, represented

page_text: in blue, are interwoven with the warp to produce the character of the cord
desired.
Figs. 10, 11, and 12 represent "drafts" of my improved constitution cord
with nine, eleven, and thirteen shots or picks of weft to the "round," three of
which, in each case indicated by the red lines, form the back of the fabric,
the others in blue shewing the face picks, as before. The same combination of
the back picks or shots of weft with the warp is observed, as before described.
The face picks or shots in blue are arranged and combined with the warp to
produce the constitution cord required, as indicated by the crosses marking
the rising points of the warp above the weft.
Fig. 13 exhibits a "draft" of the ordinary cable cord having twelve shots
to the round, four of which, 1, 4, 7, and 10, form the back of the cloth, while
the others produce the face. The draft consists of twenty threads in order to
obtain the usual arrangement of the weft threads. In using ny improve-
ments I prefer a draft of eighteen threads, as represented at Fig. 14, in which
the round consists of eleven weft threads. In this, as in all the other cases,
three picks or shots form the back combined with the warp, as shown and
before described with reference to the other Figures. The eight picks shewn
in blue represent the face threads knitted or woven into the warp at the points
marked thus, X, to form the cord required.
Fig. 16 represents a "draft" of the improved arrangement and combina-
tion of warp and weft threads I adopt in the manufacture of what is known
as "imperial," in which the same weft threads that form the face of the cloth
bind the fabric together.
Fig. 15 represents a draft of the ordinary imperial, which, it will be seen,
consists of eight threads, while at the same time eight weft threads constitute
the round. The points marked X are the risers of the warp above the weft
threads, while the absence of those marks at the intersections indicates the
warp as being below. Thus on examining Fig. 15 it will be evident that each
weft thread is knitted to two warp threads, and floats over the remaining six
of the draft. According to my improved combination I limit the draft to
seven threads and the "round" of the weft to seven picks, as shewn at
Figure 16, so that although each weft thread is knitted to two warp threads,
as at weft 1 and warp 1, 2, the length of thread floating is limited to the
breadth of the remaining five warp threads 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, which order and
combination are continued throughout the whole fabric, as will be evident by
tracing out the remaining weft threads of the round. The floating threads
being shorter than in the imperial hitherto manufactured, a shorter and better
face is the result of the subsequent operations on that fabric. In illustrating

page_text: my improvements, I have represented the "draft" of cach in its full width to
prevent confusion; this may, however, be condensed by placing several of the
numbers on the same leaves, as is well understood by weavers.
Having described the nature of my Invention, I desire it to be under-
stood that what I claim is the manufacture of Genoa cord, eight-shaft cord,
constitution cord, and cable cord, in which the back is formed by three picks
or shots of weft in cach "round" or repeat combined and interwoven with the
warp threads in the manner described and represented in Figs. 2, 4, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 12, and 14. I also claim the manufacture of imperial with seven
shots or picks of weft constituting the "round," arranged and interwoven with
seven warp threads to the "draft," as described, and represented at Fig. 16.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hamer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 13th day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-two
the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid William Hamer came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-two.