IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF VELVETS, VELVETEENS, AND OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Cross, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF VELVETS, VELVETEENS, AND OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS."
Sealed the 31st January 1873, and dated the 7th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Cross at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th December 1872.
I, CHRISTOPHER CROSS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF VELVETS, VELVETEENS, AND OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS,"
to be as follows:-
<<
The velvets and velveteens which are now generally made are the
common tabby velvet," wherein the weft thread passes alternately
under one end (or warp thread) and over five ends, also the velvet known
in the trade as "E",", wherein the weft thread floats alternately under one
end and over seven ends, and the velvet known in the trade as "E","
wherein the weft thread floats alternately under one end and over nine
ends, other velvets are also made wherein the weft thread floats alter-
nately under one end and over eleven ends, These various methods of

page_text: weaving (and all other known methods of weaving such fabrics with
which I am acquainted), when cut. produce a pile of one uniform
length. Now the essential novel feature of my Invention consists in
combining any two or more of these methods of weaving in one and the
same fabric in order to produce a pile of two or more different lengths,
by which means when very long and very short floatings are combined
together in the same fabric the cloth when cut will present an appear-
ance similar to that of seal skin pile or fur.
It will be evident that these separate floatings of weft to form the face
of the cloth of various and different lengths of floatings may be com-
bined together in an almost endless variety of ways or patterns so long
as they are arranged in such a way as to make a piled fabric with
practical "drains within the cloth of sufficient size for the cutter to
cut the pile up, and by placing the centres of the floats opposite to each
other a much more equally distributed pile is obtained than usual, and
the "drains" of the cloth are kept perfect and large.
"
I propose also not only to use regular velvet picks as in the
tabby "E" and "Es" (that is all the floats of one pick the same length)
but to put in what may be called compound picks, for example, a double
compound pick as follows:-Under one over five, under one over nine,
and so on; or a treble compound pick, under one over three, under one
over seven, under one over eleven; or a quadruple compound pick, under
one over four, under one over six, under one over eight, under one over
ten, and so forth, taking care always so to arrange the picks with regard
to each other as to leave proper practical "drains" for the cutting
knife.
With this proviso the relative positions of the various picks may be
varied or transposed at pleasure, so as to distribute the pile more or less
equally, as may be required to produce the desired effect..
The positions of the binding picks may also be varied in various ways,
and the ground or back may be either a plain calico or a twill, or any
other desirable pattern.
Some of the simpler patterns may be produced by means of the
ordinary tappets, but the larger or more compound patterns will require to
be worked by the "index machine," or even by the "jacquard machine."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Christopher Cross in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
CROSS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Christopher Cross, Her special license that
I, the said Christopher Cross, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Christopher Cross, my executors, adminis-
trators, and 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF VELVETS, VELVETEENS, AND OTHER SIMILAR PILED FABRICS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Christopher Cross, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Christopher Cross, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Diagrams (that is to
say):
:
The velvets and velveteens which are now generally made are the
common "tabby velvet," wherein the weft thread passes alternately
under one end (or warp thread) and over five ends, also the velvet known
in the trade as "E¹," wherein the weft thread floats alternately under
one and over seven ends, and the velvet known in the trade as "E³,"
wherein the weft thread floats alternately under one end and over nine

page_text: ends. Other velvets are also made wherein the the weft thread floats alter-
nately under one end and over eleven ends, and even more. These various
methods of weaving (and all other known methods of weaving such
fabrics with which I am acquainted) when cut produce a pile all of one
uniform length. Now the essential novel feature of my Invention con-
sists in combining any two or more of these methods of weaving in one
and the same fabric, in order to produce a pile of two or more different
lengths, by which means, when very long and very short floatings are
combined together in the same fabric the cloth when cut will present an
appearance similar to that of seal skin pile or fur.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the
same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof.
It will be evident that these separate floatings of weft to form the face
of the cloth of various and different lengths of floatings may be com-
bined together in an almost endless variety of ways or patterns so long
as they are arranged in such a way as to make a piled fabric with prac-
tical "drains" within the cloth of sufficient size for the cutter to cut the
pile up, and by placing the centres of the floats opposite to each other a
much more equally distributed pile is obtained than usual, and the
"drains" of the cloth are kept perfect and large.
"
I propose also not only to use regular velvet picks (that is, all the
floats of one pick the same length), as in the "tabby" shown by the
Diagram, Fig. 1 in the Drawings, "E" as shown at Diagram Fig. 2, and
Es" as shown in the Diagram Fig. 3, but to put in what may be called
compound picks, for example, a double compound pick as follows:-Under
one over five, under one over nine, and so on; or a treble compound
pick, under one over three, under one over seven, under one over eleven ;
or a quadruple compound pick, under one over four, under one over six,
under one over eight, under one over ten, and so forth, as shown at
Fig. 4, taking care always so to arrange the picks with regard to each
other as to leave proper practical "drains" for the cutting knife.
With this proviso the relative positions of the various picks may be
varied or transposed at pleasure so as to distribute the pile more or less
equally as may be required to produce the desired effect.

page_text: The positions of the binding picks may also be varied in several ways,
and the ground or back may be either a plain calico or a twill, or any
other desirable pattern, and the face picks may be one or more picks
between every back pick.
Some of the simpler patterns may be produced by means of the
ordinary tappets, but the larger or more compound patterns will require
to be worked by the "index machine" .or even by the "jacquard
machine."
"E¹
Fig. 5 is a Diagram representing a combination of tabby and “
picks worked by a tappet of ten to the round.
"
The first pick is a back pick; 2, 3, 4, and 5 are
"E" picks; 6 is a
back pick; 7, 8, 9, 10 are " tabby" picks, and so on. The arrows show
the drains for the cutting knife, and Fig. 6 shows the pile cut.
Fig. 7 shows a combination of tabby and a very short pile with a
tappet 8 to the round. The first and fifth are back picks; 2, 3, and 4,
tabby; and 6, 7, 8, are three float picks, and so on.
Diagrams 1 to 6 represent only single tie picks, except the 8th, 9th,
and 10th pick of Fig. 5, that is to say, that the weft thread passes
only under one warp thread between each float, but in some cases I
propose to use three tie picks in combination therewith as in the preceding
Fig., and also in Fig. 8, wherein there are nine changes to the round.
1 and 6 are back picks; 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 are compound face picks,
viz., 1 tie and 4 float, then 3 tie and 4 float in the same pick, and
so on.
Fig. 9 (12 to the round) is a combination of one tie and ninc float and
three tie and seven float, producing a longer pile, picks one and seven

page_text: It will be obvious that an almost infinite number of other com-
binations may also be made without departing from the principle of my
Invention.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention the manufacture of velvets, velveteens, plush, and
other similar piled fabrics, with pile of two or more different lengths in
one and the same piece, substantially in the manner and for the
herein-before particularly set forth.
purpose
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Cross, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
CHRISTOPHER CROSS. (L.S.)
Witnessed by,
JOHN HUGHES,
Clerk to George Davies, C.E.,
Patent Office,
St. Ann's Sq., Manchester.