IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING WOOL FOR AND IN THE MANUFACTURE AND FINISHING OF WOOLLEN CLOTHS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE WEAVING AND STRETCHING OF OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
LEDGER SHAW, of Honley, near Huddersfield, in the County of York, Clothier,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing dato at West-
minster, the Twelfth day of June, in the first year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin
Ledger Shaw, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Benjamin Ledger Shaw, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Benjamin Ledger Shaw, my exors, admors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING WOOL FOR
AND IN THE MANUFACTURE AND FINISHING OF WOOLLEN CLOTHS, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE WEAVING AND STRETCHING OF OTHER
FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said

page_text: b
surface d next above it. The object of which is, that as the wool becomes
more worked out, the teeth or points should work it more intimately. And I
would remark, that where two or more such surfaces d are employed, I prefer
that the teeth or points should be arranged as above explained; but when
only one surface d is used, which may be the case with some wool not
requiring so much working or preparing, I then have the teeth coarse in the
centre, increasing in fineness, and are closer set as the distance increases from
the centre. Each of the surfaces d works with another surface f, similar to
itself, through which the main shaft 6 passes and turns freely. 9, 9, are four
rods, which are affixed by screws and nuts to the three plates f, which carry
the surfaces f, as above explained. On the upper end of each of the rods g is
formed a screw; and h, h, are four wheels, in the naves or bosses of which
are formed female screws to fit the screws formed on the rods g. i is an end-
less chain which, taking around the wheels h (which are spiked wheels),
causes the whole of those wheels to move round when one is acted upon, as
hereafter explained. j is a shaft or axis, having a handle k, by which it can
be caused to turn in its bearings, as will readily be understood on examining
the Drawing. 1 is a pinion, affixed on the upper end of the axis j, the
pinion taking into drives the cog wheel m, which is affixed on the boss or
nave of one of the wheels h. By this means, when it is desired to clean the
teeth on the surfaces d and f, by turning the handle k, the whole of the plates
and surfaces f can be raised away from the surfaces d; and by reversing the
direction of the handle k, the plates and surfaces f can be again brought to a
proper position to work with their surfaces d, the surfaces f being securely
held in the position by the set screws n. On the shaft or axis 6 is affixed a
screw o, which takes into and drives the wheel P, affixed on the axis 2; and on
the axis q is affixed a wheel which drives the endless chain r, which chain drives
the roller s, which works the endless feeding cloth s³, as will readily be traced
in the Drawing. x, x, are plates or veins affixed to the under part of the
surfaces d, which, by their revolution, cause currents of air to pass through the
trunks t, v, u, such currents of air carrying forward the fibres of wool. The
surfaces d, f, are cased all round to prevent the wool passing in any but the
desired direction. w, w, are steam boxes for giving heat to the wool whilst
under operation.
I will now shortly state the mode of using this machine. The shaft or
axis 6 is caused to revolve at a speed from three to four hundred revolutions
per minute, though other speeds may be used. Wool is fed on to the
cloth s', by which it will be carried to near the centre of the upper surface f,
through which it will pass, there being a suitable opening for that purpose.

page_text: The revolution of the upper surface & will cause the wool to be drawn out and
carried from the centre outwards, when it will be driven through the trunk t,
and enter through an opening in the surface f, and be worked between the
second surface d, f. The wool, in being worked, proceeds from the centre of
the surfaces d, f, outwards, and is then driven down the trunk v, and worked
by the lower surfaces d, f; from thence it is driven out at u, when it is in
a condition to be carried to the scribbling or carding machine. I would in
conclusion remark, that variations may be made in the various parts, so long
as the mode of preparing wool herein described be retained.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to improvements on carding engines.
Drawing No. 2 represents the elevation of a carding engine, the nature of
the parts of which, and their modes of working, being well understood, it will
not be necessary to enter into a particular description thereof in this my
Specification. a, a, being the ordinary working rollers; and b, b, are the
additional working rollers, the application of which, in carding wool, constitutes
this part of my Invention; and it will only be necessary further to remark,
that the wool on the surface of the ordinary working rollers a, in addition to
being worked by those rollers with the main cylinder, is also worked with the
additional rollers b, and the wool having been so worked is cleared from the
rollers a, b, by the ordinary clearing or stripping rollers c, all which will
readily be traced on examining the Drawing marked No. 2; and I have
found that by giving the additional working rollers six times the speed of the
ordinary working roller with which they work, that a very beneficial result is
obtained; but I do not confine myself to such speed.
I will next proceed to describe the Drawing marked No. 3. Figure 1
represents so much of an ordinary carding machine as will enable me
readily to describe the third part of my Invention. a, a, are two rollers
carrying an endless cloth b, which is made to move at a speed equal to that at
which the carding or slivers are doffed off the doffing cylinder. c is a roller
on which is wound a considerable length of calico or other suitable fabric, and
d is a roller on to which is progressively wound the length of calico from off
the roller c in the following manuer:-The surface of the calico wound on the
roller d rests on the surface of the endless cloth b, hence, as the cloth b is
caused to move it carries with it the calico and causes it to be wound on the
roller d, together with the slivers or cardings laid thereon, by which the slivers
or cardings will be included in the rolls of the calico or other fabric, and when
the whole length of the calico or other fabric has been wound upon the
roller d, the roller d, with the roll of fabric and slivers, may be substituted for

page_text: the roller c, and the roller c placed in the position of d, and a further layer of
cardings or slivers obtained on the previous one, and thus may any number of
layers of cardings or slivers be obtained, one on the other, which may then be
conveyed to feed a carding engine, as shewn at Figure 2 in Drawing No. 3.
I will now proceed to describe the fourth part of my Invention, which is
shown in Drawing No. 2.-The object of this part of my Invention is to
obtain a greater uniformity of length of the fibres of wool, and by such means
to improve the quality of the yarns produced therefrom, and consequently the
woollen fabrics made of the same. The improvements may be used in con-
junction with a carding engine or otherwise, so long as they are suitably
arranged to receive slivers of wool, and the Invention consists in employing a
series of pairs of rollers, each succeeding pair revolving at a greater speed
than the preceding pair. d, d, is the first pair of rollers which receive the
sliver at the speed at which it is delivered from the carding engine. e, e, is
the second pair of rollers, which revolve at a surface speed of one third faster
than the rollers d, d, and the centres of the rollers d, d, and e, e, should be set
at such a distance apart as is somewhat more than the length of the fibre
desired to be produced; such is to be the case with whatever number of pairs
of rollers there may be required. There are seven pairs of rollers shewn in
the Drawing, and each succeeding pair is caused to revolve or have a surface
speed equal to one third faster than the preceding pair, the effect of which
will be that, whatever be the varying lengths of the fibres of wool originally, all
that are of greater lengths than that at which the centres of the rollers are set
apart will be broken into lengths nearly equal to the distance at which the
centres of the rollers are set apart. I would remark, that although I have
shewn seven pairs of rollers more or less may be used, depending on the ori-
ginal length of fibre of the wool and its clastic properties, longer wool, which
requires to be broken into many pieces, will require more rollers than short
wool;
and I have found that when wool is very elastic it is better to cause the
first and sometimes even the second pair of rollers to move with only a
slightly increased speed over the receiving rollers, by which the wool
is drawn out to the length of its elasticity, and then, when broken by
the rollors, will more nearly and equally maintain the lengths at which the
centres of the rollers are set apart; and I have found it beneficial to work the
wool in a damp state, and to apply heat to the rollers by steam or other means
in order to keep the fibre from curling during the process.
As above stated, I have shewn seven pairs of rollers to be used, which, under
most circumstances, if not all, would be sufficient for the longest descriptions of
wool; the rollers are all of the same diameter, and their surfaces are of smooth,
hardened steel. I have not thought it necessary to shew the cog wheels for

page_text: gearing or driving such rollers, nor the weights by which the rollers are pressed
together, in order to give them sufficient pinch to break the fibres, nor any
mode of cleaning the rollers, the same will readily be applied, being well
understood; and the bearings of the rollers should be so arranged that they
can be conveniently moved to or from each other in order to adjust the centres
of the rollers to such a distance apart to produce the lengths of fibres desired.
And I prefer to use rollers of small diameter; those which I have employed
have been about three quarters of an inch, which enables me to break the
fibres into lengths of from three quarters of an inch upwards, depending on
the distance the centres of the rollers are set apart; and in taking the slivers
from the carding machines I prefer to divide the sheet into several parts, in
order that the fibres may be acted on by the rollers in as nearly the condition
as it departs from the doffer as possible, though that is not absolutely neces-
sary, as the sliver may be more closely brought together, I have only further
to remark with respect to this part of my Invention, that altho' I have named
particular speeds at which the rollers should revolve faster than each other, I
do not confine myself thereto, neither do I confine myself to making the
rollers of steel, nor to the number of rollers used, provided the object of my
Invention be attained, that of drawing out and thereby breaking fibres of
wool into the lengths desired.
I will now describe the fifth part of my Invention, relating to improvements
applicable to weaving woollen and other fabrics.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS MARKED No. 4.
The nature of the various Figures being written on the Drawing, it will not
be necessary to repeat them here, and it will only be desirable to state that the
same letters of reference are used in each of these Figures to indicate similar
parts. The construction of looms being well understood, it will not be neces-
sary to enter at large into the particular action of each part, and it will only
be necessary to explain the variations consequent on applying various parts, in
order to work a loom according to my Invention, and as such parts are shewn
by the Drawing in connection with the ordinary parts of looms, a workman
will not only readily trace the new arrangements, but will most readily see
their relative position and mode of working in respect to the other parts of
looms. a, a, are the two arches on which the Jacquard machine or engine
rests. b, b, the frame of the Jacquard, and c the lifting bar in the shape of an
angular trough, on the two edges of which the hooks d, d, and e, e, are
occasionally attached, one edge serving to lift the hook d, d, d, d, which raise
the heddles, and the opposite edge serving to raise the hooks e, e, e, e, which
depress the same heddles by means of the levers f, f, f, f, to which they are

page_text: attached by cords 9, 9, passing down between the threads of the warp.
d, d, d, is the row of hooks attached to the upper sides of the heddles d', d',
and serve, when the lifting bar c is raised, to elevate such heddles as may be
necessary to form the upper shed according to the pattern required, and which
is governed by the endless chain h, h. e, e, e, e, is that row of hooks which
serve when raised by the lifting bar to depress such heddles as are not lifted
by the hooks d, d, d, d. i, i, i, i, are horizontal needles or wires corresponding
with the number of heddles d¹, d¹. It will be seen that each of the
needles i, i, has two eyes, through which the two opposing hooked wires d, e
(necessary to raise and depress one heddle), pass. These needles are each fast
to a flat upright spring j, j, j, j, against which the stud in the bars of the
endless chain h revolves, so that when it is necessary to lower any particular
heddle, the pushing back of the proper spring belonging to that heddle will, by
means of the horizontal needle i projecting from it, push forward the proper
hook e for depressing the heddle d', and detach by the same movements the
opposite hook e, which, if lifted, would serve to depress the same heddle again.
When it is necessary to raise any particular heddle, the bar on the endless
chain h is left without a stud for that particular heddle, and the spring; (not
being acted upon) by its own action retains back the horizontal needle i, and
thus attaches the raising hook d and detaches the depressing hook e. k is the
carrying board, upon which the hooked wires d and e, when detached from the
lifting bar, rest, and descending with it describe the same space in their descent
as the attached hooks describe in their ascent.
I shall now describe the peculiar arrangement of levers, by means of which the
engine or Jacquard machine, including the lifting bar c, and the carrying board k,
and the endless chain h, is actuated. 7 is a lever, having its fulcrum at m, at
the opposite end of which is a slot or opening n, which receives a pulley
moving on a stud fixed at a distance from the centre of the fly wheel on
the driving shaft p, and which performs the office of a crank. This slot
it will be seen, from its peculiar construction, allows the motion of the
lever to be suspended during the time the shuttle is passing through the
shed. From the lever / proceed the two upright rods q and r, which
are connected to the outer ends of the two levers s and t, having their
fulcrums at y; the opposite ends take hold of the lifting bar c, which moves on
the guide rods A, A². From the levers s, t, proceed the connecting rods B, B';
these impart motion to the levers C, C, the ends of which are attached to the
carrying board, which board moves on the guide rods E, E. Now it will be
perceived that the connecting rod 9 (which actuates the levers s, and is
further from the fulcrum m of the lever 7 than the rod r) which actuates the

page_text: levers and c, and it will describe a greater space and thus cause that end of
the lifting bar c and carrying board which it actuates to be raised higher and
It is also further
depressed lower than the opposite ends actuated by rod r.
evident that the effect produced by this arrangement will be that every suc-
cessive heddle, from the front one to the furthest of the series, will be made to
rise higher and sink lower than the one preceding, thereby causing the warp
threads which form the shed or angular opening for the passage of the shuttle
to be kept to range together, no one thread being raised higher or depressed
lower than another. a¹ is the endless chain roller, the surface of which is
formed into parallel grooves or channels for the reception of the bars of the
endless chain, and which, when in motion, carry forward the endless chain.
This roller a has upon its axis a cireular plate a², having metal studs or pins
projecting from its face corresponding in number to the channels in the
roller a. Now it will be easily understood on referring to the Drawing that
whenever the series of levers l, s, t, c, c³, are actuated to produce the shed, &c.,
that the driving catch 6', suspended from lever t, will take hold of one of the
studs in the plate a³, and will turn the roller a¹ one division, and so present
the succeeding bar with its studs to the springs ; which govern the hooks, as
before described. is a double catch suspended from the spring 6%, which
enables the weaver, by pulling at the handle &, to turn back any number of
bars, the catch below preventing the roller from being brought back by the
weight of the endless chain. I would remark, that in the place of the endless
chain h perforated cards may be employed, in which case the spring to which
the needles are attached should have projecting studs to come against the card
or to penetrate it, as it is desired to work particular needles by the cards or
miss them, and suitable arrangement for moving the Jacquard cylinder in
place of the roller a³.
Another part of my Invention in respect to weaving relates to the mode of
delivering the warp from the warp beams of looms. M is a cam on the end
of the driving shaft p, against which a curved lever O reelines, and is made to
vibrate to and fro' with each revolution of the shaft. The nature of this lever
and its shape is clearly shewn in the Drawing. From the outer end of this
lever is suspended a rod P, the lower extremity of which is attached to a
eatch lever Q, operating upon a ratchet wheel R on the shaft R', on which is
an endless screw or worm S, which turns the toothed wheol T. On the end of
the yarn beam T' is a wheel with angular teeth, and which receives a
spring T to prevent the shaft R' from moving further than it is actuated by
the catch lever Q. By this means there is at all times a tendency in the
machinery to unwind or let off the warp, but in consequence of the warp seam

page_text: being turned from the main shaft of the loom, every revolution of that shaft
having a tendency to unwind a portion of the warp, whether the weft be going
in or not, renders it necessary to obtain a counter movement to operate as a
check or governor upon the constant tendency of the warp beam to be
moved, and that not only when (or about the time) the supply of weft ceases,
but also to act at all times as a self-adjusting regulator, capable of so con-
trolling the first mover that the quantity of warp delivered off the beam may
coincide with the bulk of weft driven in by the batten. The mechanical
arrangement by which I accomplish this is as follows:-On each end of that
roller called the rest beam I fix a wheel W, W, having a chanuel round its
The wheels bear
circumference, and capable of turning freely on its axis.
upon horizontal ledges or short railways X, X, on the frame of the loom
immediately over the warp beam, and thus allow the rest beam to traverse a
little nearor to or farther from the batten. From each axis of the rest beam
is a forked rod Y, within the branches of which the wheels W are moved, each
branch having a hole at its extremity through which the axis of the rod, beam,
or roller is inserted. The rod of each of these forks enters freely into the
open end of two short tubes 1, 1, fixed horizontally on the top of the frame.
Within each of these tubes is a coiled spring which acts against the ends of
the forks, and consequently against the rest beam, but which are prevented
from moving too far by two small studs Z, Z, fixed in the rods and coming
through a slot in the tubes. The action of these springs produce the requisite
degree of tension to the warp; but as different fabrics require different degrees
of tension in the weaving, I pass a screw (2) through the breach, or opposite
or front end of each tube, which forces discs against the extremity of the
spring, and thus enables me to change the elastic force of the springs at
pleasure. I attach a small rod (3) to the back of the curved lever O, against
which the cam revolves. This end is serewed into a socket admitting of its
being shortened or lengthened, according to the strength of the fabric required
to be woven, and which will, if desired, supersede the necessity of the screws
(2). The other end of the rod has a slot or opening through which a stud
from the fork Y projects. This stud admits of the rod (3) sliding freely to
and fro', as it is actuated by the cam M; and it will be evident that by
employing padlocks or other closed fastenings to the screws (2), and to the
5 rods, and also to the weights of the work or cloth roller, the master or over-
looker of the factory may so lock up the regulating means of the loom as to
ensure the same closeness of fabric for any length of time, and thus have a
constant security against fraud of the workmen. The axis of the rest roller U
holds back the curved lever by means of the rod (3), allowing it to approach
O the cam only as warp of a given tension is required from the yarn beam, for

page_text: as the reiterated strokes of the batten urges the web forwards, and allows it to
be wound upon the cloth roller in the usual manner, as is well understood, the
rest beam allows the curved lever to approach the cam and be acted upon in
proportion to the thickness of the weft employed. As it is well known that
the drag of the warp upon the rest roller, occasioned by the stroke of the
batten, varies according to the varying angle occasioned by the decreasing
diameter of the yarn beam, I apply a roller (4) in such a position that what-
ever may be the diameter of the yarn beam the actuating force or drag against
the rest roller U may be always uniform.
In concluding this part of my Specification I would remark that several
alterations may be introduced without deviating from the principle on which
it operates.
First, in place of screws for equalizing and varying the
clastic force of the coiled springs, the same end may be attained by
making the tubes moveable on the frame. Second, weights may be
substituted instead of springs, as shewn in the Drawing. I am aware that
it is not new to give to the axis of the rest beam or roller a movement to
and from the front of the machine, such having been before done to relieve the
warp; and further, when the axes of the rest beam have been carried by levers,
the opposite end of such levers have been used to drive the warp roller in
order to its giving off the warp as it is required. I do not therefore claim
such movement to the rest beam, but only the mode of retarding the delivery
of warp; and for giving the swing-off motion, it is desirable in all cases to
relieve the shuttle from the pressure of the swells or projections or prominences,
and there are various methods by which this is accomplished. The method I
adopt is, to place a stud d² on the side of the loom frame in such a situation
as to intercept and raise the bent lever connected with the well-known
apparatus for throwing the loom out of work at such time as the shuttle is
being driven out of one box into the opposite one. The shuttle being now
perfectly at liberty, in order to prevent its recoiling, I place a vibrating lever
(c) on the front of the shuttle box opposite to the swells or prominences, as
shewn. This lever moves upon a pin inserted through the centre, and is
hollowed out to receive the body of the shuttle, and is so placed in the side as
to allow the two ends to project into the shuttle box, so that when the shuttle
carries the picker to the farthest end of the shuttle box, the latter presses in
the opposite projecting end of the lever behind the shuttle, and thus locks it
fast in the box, in which state it will remain so long as the picker remains at
the end of the shuttle box.
My improvement in the construction of heddles or harness consists in the
application of elastic strings or bands upon which the heddles or harness is

page_text: tied and fastened; and I prefer india rubber for that purpose (thick india-
rubber threads closely covered by a covering or braiding machine, as is well
understood). It is well known to weavers that when a harness is made
up for
a given width it cannot be made suitable to the weaving of the same number
of threads as a narrower warp or to a wider warp; hence it is requisite to
have separate harness for each width of warp, notwithstanding that they
contain each the same number of threads. Now, by my improvement a set
of harness or heddles is capable of being employed sometimes for weaving one
width of warp, and sometimes another width of warp. The heddles or
harness should be made, in the first instance, in such manner that, in knitting
on the heddles to the elastic bands, the band should be in its contracted state,
and suitably arranged to carry the finest counts of warp, to allow of its
expansion to produce greater widths or coarser counts, that is to say, the
same number of warp in a wider fabric. This improvement consists in the
use of elastic bands for the purpose of enabling me to vary the lengths of my
heddles to suit different widths of warp having the same number of warp
threads, in order to accomplish which care should be taken to tie and so fasten
the loops on to the band as to ensure perfect uniformity in the distances of the
loops, both when the bands are contracted and when they are in an expanded
state.
My.improvements in self-acting temples consist in the employment of two
wheels wand a moving on axes at an angle to each other, there being two
such wheels to each selvage of the fabric. The wheel w has points which
penetrate the cloth, and the wheel a has holes to correspond with the points on
the wheel w. The axes of the wheels w, x, are carried by suitable projections
from the rest beam, as is shewn by the Drawing; hence, when the two sel-
vages enter between the two wheels, they will move round and hold out the
fabric as it is delivered from the reed; and the projections which carry the axes
are capable of opening like a pair of forceps when the list is to be inserted
between the two wheels w, a, and then closed, which will retain the wheels w
and a to work correctly and hold out the cloth, and are then retained by a set
screw..
I will now describe my improvements in the mode of milling or fulling,
which constitutes the sixth part of my Invention.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING MARKED No. 5.
The process of milling or fulling woollen cloth as at present practised being
well understood, and as my mode differs entirely therefrom, it will not be
necessary to describe such process; but I will confine myself to describing the

page_text: means and process invented by me. Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 is
a front view, of machinery suitably constructed for carrying out my Invention.
a is a vessel made of any suitable materials, but I prefer the internal surface
be of wood; and such vessel is to be suitably constructed to resist the pressure
of the atmosphere when a vacuum is produced in the inside of the vessel a
The vessel a, which I prefer to be cylindrical, is suspended on pivots or
axes b, c, the axis c being hollow. d is a drum by which rotary motion is to
be communicated to the vessel a, by a steam engine or other suitable power, at
a speed of about twenty turns a minute. e is a tube which is connected with
the axis c of the vessel a in such manner as to allow the axis c of the vessel a
to turn; but it has an air-tight joint where the tube e is connected. f is a
tube connecting the tube e with the lower part of the air pump g. h is a tube
connecting the upper part of the air pump g to the lower part of the air
pump i, there being a valve or suitable opening in the air pump i for
the egress of air therefrom. j is an air cock by which, when it is desired
to open the vessel a, air is admitted into that vessel. k is a mercurial
guage, to indicate the state of vacuum, which I prefer to obtain as
perfect as possible. The cloth to be milled, having been properly prepared
by soap, is to be put into a net or bag loosely. The apparatus shewn in
the Drawing is suitable for receiving three pieces of broad cloth at one time.
The cloth having been put into the vessel a, the cover or end 7 of that vessel is
to be screwed down, there being a collar of leather soaped on the surfaces
between the cover 2 and the end of the vessel a. The workman will give
motion to the pistons of the air pump by communicating motion to the drum m,
which drives the cranked axis n, which; by means of connecting rods, work
the pistons of the pumps; and it will be seen that the pump g removes air from
the vessel a, and the pump i removes air from the pump g, by which means a
vacuum will be obtained in the vessel a, and by the revolution of such vessel
the cloth therein will be moved with considerable force from end to end, by
which the process of milling will go on, and without being liable to the
prejudicial effect of having to squeeze or drive out the air which otherwise
might happen to be between the folds, as is the effect in milling with the
ordinary stocks. The progress of the process should be examined from time
to time by examining the cloth, and opening it out, and, if necessary, more
soap is to be applied. The distance of time at which such examination of the
cloth under operation should take place will vary, depending on the quality of
cloth under operation, as is the case when milling with the ordinary stocks.
And I would remark that I have found it desirable to use this process as a
preparatory means of milling in preference to completing the milling process

page_text: by the use of it; and the mode I pursue is to work the cloth in the cylinder a
until it appears that the progress made is but slow; I then finish the milling
by means of the ordinary stocks.
Having thus explained the nature of this part of my Invention, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the shape of the vessel a, as
other shapes may be employed. And further, I do not confine myself to the
use of air pumps for obtaining a vacuum, as other means may be resorted to.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood, that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of preparing wool for scribbling or carding by means of the
surfaces d, f, as above described in Drawing No. 1.
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying additional working rollers to carding
engines as above described.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of receiving the slivers or cardings as hercin
described.
Fourthly, I claim the mode of preparing wool by drawing out and breaking
into lengths, as above described.
Fifthly, I claim the mode of opening the shed of looms worked with the
engine or Jacquard system by means of an inclined lifting board or bar raising
the hooks or wires in such manner as to cause all the threads of the warp to
range side by side and at the same elevation, and also the using of two hooks
or wires (one to lift and the other to lower each heddle) in conjunction with
the above-mentioned lifting board or bar, together with a carrying bar or board,
as above described, which carrying board or bar performs a like movement to the
lifting bar or board. And further, I claim the mode of retarding and regulating
the delivery of the warp from the warp beam, and the locking up the regulating
means, in order to keep the loom working the same closeness of fabric for any
length of time. And further, I claim the mode of securing the shuttle in
the shuttle box. And further, I claim the mode of combining the parts of the
self-acting temple as herein described. And lastly, I claim, in respect to
weaving, the application of an elastic ridge band to heddles or harness, as above
described, such improvements in weaving being applicable to woollen and other
fabrics.
Sixthly, I claim the mode herein described of milling or fulling woollen
cloths by means of a vacuum.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Ledger Shaw, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-eight.
BENJAMIN LEDGER (L.S.) SHAW.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of December, in
the
year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid Benjamin Ledger Shaw came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation 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.
Inrolled the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.