AMERICAN INDUSTRIES SINCE COLUMBUS. 301 



are equally associated with the evolution of the machine in Eng- 

 land ; while that of Josue Heilmann, an Alsatian, who undoubtedly 

 worked out a combing machine on independent lines, is im- 

 mortalized by his invention, which was patented in France in 

 1845, and in England in 1846. 



The various inventors named created three machines, working 

 upon different principles, all of which are now in use, and each of 

 which has points of superiority in different kinds of work. They 

 are known as the Lister, the Noble, and the square-motion combs ; 

 the French machine, founded upon Heilmann's invention, being a 

 modification of the Lister. In 1843 Mr. Lister succeeded in comb- 

 ing the first fine wool (Botany) ever combed by machinery. After 

 that the use of the machines speedily became general. The Noble 

 comb is in the most common use, perhaps, being found superior 

 for combing the short-stapled wools now largely utilized in the 

 worsted manufacture. The Lister machine is preferred for the 

 long-stapled wools. The picture of the Noble comb conveys a 

 good impression of its general appearance. An intelligible de- 

 scription of its complicated and delicate parts is out of place in 

 a paper of this description. Only when seen in operation can one 

 truly appreciate what a wonderful achievement of the human 

 mind is the combing machine. 



From the comb, the wool intended for worsted yarn, now in 

 the form known as " tops," goes first to a back-washing machine, 

 to eliminate any remaining dirt, and is again gilled. The intro- 

 duction of the gill-box, or drawing machine, now effects another 

 distinction between the worsted and the woolen yarn. It is the 

 beginning of a process of drawing, which continues through 

 many subsequent machines. The worsted yarn is the result of 

 a series of combinations or doublings accompanied by drawing 

 or stretching. The drawing machine combines and reduces the 

 thick sliver, or a number of them, down to a size so small that it 

 can be spun into a thread without an excessive draft, and at the 

 same time levels it so that the thread will be of uniform thick- 

 ness. The sliver is put through six or more machines, each of 

 which combines and draws half a dozen larger slivers more or 

 less according to the size of the yarn to be spun. Thus, in a 

 Botany wool, with nine operations, the number of slivers ordi- 

 narily combined are 8, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, which are equal to the 

 enormous number of 288,000 doublings. There have been at least 

 two doubling operations between the comb and the top, of say 

 ten and six slivers in each case, so that the total doublings from 

 the comb to the spindle amount to 17,280,000. By this process of 

 continued doubling and drawing, it becomes an easy matter to 

 spin worsted yarns of extreme fineness, running in their counts 

 all the way up to 80s, 90s, and even higher, the French particularly 



