AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, TWISTING, OR DOUBLING COTTON, FLAX, SILK, WOOL, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elias Cocker, of Newton Heath, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Mill Manager, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, TWISTING,
OR DOUBLING COTTON, FLAX, SILK, WOOL, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 7th January 1859, and dated the 3rd September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elias Cocker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd Sep-
tember 1858.
I, ELLAS COCKER, of Newton Heath, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING,
TWISTING, OR DOUBLING COTTON, FLAX, SILK, WOOL, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows:-
It consists in certain variations in the construction of mules, stretchers,
twining jennies, and similar machinery for spinning, twisting, or doubling
fibrous materials. Instead of the single row of spindles used in such machines
I employ two or more rows, one row of spindles standing before the other.
These spindles are so arranged that when in operation the cops formed on the
front row of spindles do not interfere with the threads or rovings which pro-
ceed to the back row or rows. I also make corresponding changes in the
faller and under faller, in order to effect the winding on of the yarn or roving
in a proper manner. The mode of turning or driving the spindles I also vary

page_text: as may be required. By these means I am enabled to compress a greater
number of spindles into a certain space than can be done when only a single
row of spindles is used, at the same time that the full efficiency of the
machinery is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Elias Cocker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIAS
COCKER, of Newton Heath, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mill Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Elias Cocker, Her special license that I, the said Elias Cocker, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Elias
Cocker, my executors, administrators, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, TWISTING, OR DOUBLING COTTON, FLAX, SILK,
WOOL, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition, (amongst others),
that I, the said Elias Cocker, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said Elias Cocker, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and the accompanying Drawing (that is to say):-
:-
Instead of the single row of spindles at present used in mules, stretchers,
twining jennies, and similar machinery for spinning, twisting, or doubling
various kinds of fibrous materials, I use two or more rows of spindles, by

page_text: which great economy is attained in the saving of room, the original cost of the
machinery, the saving of labour, and in the increased size of the cops
produced. In order, however, to make this disposition of the spindles effectual
for the purpose, I combine it with certain variations in the construction and
arrangement of the spindle boxes, the fallers, the faller wires, the under
fallers, and in the mode of banding or conveying motion to the spindles; a part
of these improvements being also applicable to machines with a single row of
spindles. In the accompanying Drawing the same letters of reference, or
letters and figures conjoined, indicate the same parts of the machinery or
apparatus. Fig. 1 represents a section of the carriage of a mule to which my
improvements are applied. A, roller beam; B, B, the carriage, which is of
the ordinary construction, except so far as relates to my present improvements;
C, C, the spindle box, constructed so as to carry in one frame the two rows of
spindles. (For this purpose the ordinary spindle box may be altered by the
application of an additional bolster plate, and a second row of footsteps, as in
the Figure). D, a spindle, being one of the row or set nearest the roller
beam, and D¹, a spindle, being one of the row furthest from the roller beam,
or to the front of the carriage; E, faller axis, on which are the faller fingers
belonging to the row of spindles nearest to the roller beam, one of which is shewn
at E¹; G, the axis which carries the under faller fingers G¹; on this same axis
(G) turn loose the faller fingers, which belong to the front row of spindles D¹;
one of these fingers is shewn at F¹. Underneath these faller fingers and
connected with them, are the two short arms or levers E and F; on these
arms are small pins or studs, on which plays the connecting rod F³. From this
it will be evident that as the faller finger E¹ is moved upwards and down-
wards, so as to direct the thread or yarn to wind on to build the cop on the
spindle D, so the faller finger F is moved at the same time, and in the same
manner to build the cop on the spindle D¹. The motion is communicated
from the shaper or building motion to the faller axis E', in the usual manner.
The under faller axis G is weighted and regulated in the usual manner; and
the two axes E and G, are supported by an adjustable bracket H, as is
common in ordinary machinery. Another mode of mounting the fallers and
under faller is shewn in Fig. 4. Here E and E¹, the faller axis and faller
finger, corresponding to the row of spindles nearest to the roller beam as
before. F, another separate fuller axis, and E³, faller finger fixed upon it
corresponding to the row of spindles furthest from the roller beam, or to the
front of the carriage. The faller axes E and F, are either connected together
or receive motion separately from the shaper or building motion in the same
manner; G, the under faller axis, and G', under faller finger, as before. In

page_text: Fig. 1, the spindles D and D¹ are shewn as being both of the same length, and
in consequence the foot of the spindle has to be raised as shewn in the Figure,
in order to bring the points of both spindles to the same line or direction from
the roller beam. But by making the spindle D slightly longer than the
spindle D 1, as shewn in Fig. 4, the feet of both spindles are brought to the
same level on the lowermost board of the spindle box. Figs. 1 and 2 shew my
improved mode of banding the spindles when two or more rows are used. I, I,
tin roller, the axis of which passes horizontally along the carriage. a, a
wharve or whirl on the spindle D, (shewn also at a, a, a, a, in Fig. 2); b, a
double wharve or whirl on the spindle D 1, (shewn also at b, b, b, b, in Fig. 2);
c, c, the driving band. This band passes first from the tin roller J, round the
uppermost groove in the wharve b, on the spindle D¹; it then passes round the
wharve a, on the spindle D, and thence round the lowermost groove of the
wharve b, of the spindle D', from which it again passes to and round the tin
roller I. By this means motion is communicated to the spindles in the most
effectual manner, at the same time that the bands are put on the spindles with
great facility, and when at work, run clear of all obstruction. When more
than two rows of spindles are used, I follow out the same mode of banding,
which may obviously be varied without departing from the principles of the
method here described.
Fig. 3 shews my improved mode of banding the spindles as applied when
drums, whose axes are vertical, or nearly so, are used; K the drum from
whence the driving band c, c, c, proceeds round the lowermost groove of the
wharve b, thence round the wharve a, from whence it passes round the upper-
most groove of the wharve b, to the uppermost groove of the wharve 6', from
thence round the wharve a' round the lowermost groove of the wharve b¹, and
thence again to and round the drum K. In this case each band drives four
spindles, the arrangement of the band and wharves being in other respects
similar to the case in which only one row of spindles is used. This disposition
of the driving band c, c, may be varied by passing it first over the uppermost
groove of the wharve b, (instead of the lowermost), round the wharve a, thence
round the lowermost groove of the wharve b, to the uppermost groove of the
wharve b¹, and so on as before. The disposition of the band may be varied
further by changing the arrangement of the wharves over which it successively
passes, the same mode of using the bands being still employed.
Instead of using a wire passing through the faller fingers in a state of
tension for the purpose of guiding the thread on to the spindles whilst it is
being wound on, I make use of narrow and thin plates of metal, or knives, a
portion of one of which is shewn in Fig. 5. The plates of this pattern are

page_text: attached to the row of faller fingers nearest the roller beam (one which is
shewn at E 1) and consequently guide in a certain degree the threads which
proceed to the front row of spindles D 1, as well as those which are wound on
to the row D nearest to the roller beam. At the lower edge are a series of
undulations formed by inclined lines, which terminate in gaps or notches at the
bottom. These notches are marked d and e, and into them are received the
threads during the process of winding on; the notches marked d guide the
threads on to the spindles D, and are not so deep as those marked e, which
guide the threads (which proceed to the spindle D 1) laterally, so as to clear
the cops forming on the spindles D 1 during the winding on. These notches,
besides guiding the threads, likewise answer the purpose of removing any
motes or dirt which may adhere to the yarn, and for this purpose are made
of different dimensions, according to the fineness of the yarn to be spun.
Fig. 6 represents a portion of a plate to be attached to the under faller fingers
instead of the wire at present in use. This plate may be notched in a similar
manner to the plate shewn in Fig. 5, for the same purpose of guiding and
clearing the yarn.
I also use similar plates or knives attached to the faller fingers F 1 (to guide
the threads on to the front row of spindles D 1), the notches being arranged to
correspond to the spindles; but if the plates shewn in Fig. 5 are used on the
faller fingers E 1, a simple wire will in general be sufficient.
I do not, however, confine the use of these plates or knives to cases where
two or more rows of spindles are used, but also use them in the case of a
single row of spindles. Fig. 7 represents a portion of a plate adapted for this
purpose; the notches being adapted to the spindles, and are all of the same
size and depth. In other respects the construction and use are the same as
of those shewn in Fig. 5.
It will be observed that those parts of the machine which do not relate to
my Invention are left out, in order to avoid confusion; and also that my
improvements are not only applicable to mules and similar machinery called
self-actors, but also in the case where the attendant assists in the operation of
the machine, suitable changes being made in the machinery for that purpose.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7, are drawn on a scale of full size, and the other Figures on
the scale shewn in the Drawing.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would observe, that I am aware that
attempts have been made to construct machines, such as herein referred to,
with two rows of spindles; but as far as I am informed such attempts have
been entire failures. I therefore do not claim the application of two or more

page_text: rows of spindles absolutely and entirely, but only in conjunction and in com-
nation with my other improvements herein described; that is to say, what I
claim as a new and of my Invention is as follows:-
First, I claim the application of the spindle box C, C, as shewn in Fig. 1,
and herein described.
Second, I claim the mode of banding and driving the spindles, as shewn
in Figs. 1 and 2, and herein described.
Third, I claim the mode of banding and driving the spindles, as shewn in
Fig. 3, and herein described.
Fourth, I claim the mode of arranging and combining the fallers and
under faller, as shewn in Fig. 1, and herein described.
Fifth, I claim the mode of arranging and combining the fallers and under-
faller, as shewn in Fig. 4, and herein described.
Sixth, I claim the application of the knife or faller plate, shewn in Fig. 5,
and herein described.
Seventh, I claim the application of the under faller plate, either as shewn
in Fig. 6, or notched, as described.
Eighth, I claim the application of the faller plate, as shewn in Fig. 7, as
applicable to machines with a single row of spindles, as herein described.
And, lastly, I further claim the application of the whole of the above
improvements to machinery in which the attendant assists the machine in
performing a part of the operations, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elias Cocker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Signed by the within-named Elias
Cocker in the presence of
JOHN POTTER, C. E.,
9, Corporation Street,
Manchester.
ELIAS COCKER. (L.S.)