OF SAMUEL CROMPTON. 333 



up to 100 or 130 spindles, but this extension 

 again was soon at its limit. The tin rollers 

 which were difficult to make, being ponderous 

 and of great vibration, another contrivance was 

 produced to obviate this inconvenience, viz. by 

 placing vertical cylinders or drums in the car- 

 riage. The first attempt was made by a person 

 at Bury, of the name of Baker, also an inge- 

 nious man. He placed upright pullies in the 

 carriage with nicks to carry six or eight spindles, 

 with the rim-band passing over a pulley upon 

 the vertical shaft, so placed as to give motion to 

 them ; this was soon extended to a cylinder or 

 drum as it is now called, (first made in wood, 

 then in tin) to embrace 24 to 30 spindles, the 

 wharves being put on like the strings of a harp 

 to embrace the whole breadth of the drum. By 

 this means the carriage was soon extended to 

 a much greater length, and the better construc- 

 tion of the rollers and their fixtures on the beam, 

 facilitated the enlargement of the whole machine. 

 The greatest improvement was the giving motion 

 to the rollers by a diagonal shaft from the rim 

 to the rollers, which dropped out of gear at the 

 rim when the rollers were to stop. This was 

 also a contrivance of Baker's.* By this time, 

 (1786,) there was a great variety of methods 



* The bevelled ^ear was at this time made of wood, pro- 

 bably cut by his own pocket knife. 



