OF SAMUEL CROMPTON. 343 



Mr. Owen was then his manager, and they 

 came to see the new machine in 1793. They 

 approved of it and thought it practical. Mr. 

 Humphries of Glasgow, who was a good ma- 

 chanic, and succeeded Mr. Owen as manager 

 also approved of the scheme, and got instructions 

 to apply this system of power to his fine work 

 produced by the mules in Piccadilly mill ; and, 

 to make its advantages available, he coupled 

 these 144 together, so that he saved one half of 

 the steam-gearing, and obtained a reduction in 

 the price of spinning, the spinner having double 

 the number of spindles to operate upon. Mr. H. 

 made an improvement in the four wheels already 

 described, by keeping them always in gear with 

 a loose clutch between the two wheels on the 

 rim shaft, which was alternately fastening the 

 little driving wheel, and then relieving it and 

 fastening the larger, which accelerated the speed 

 of the rim with a loose pulley as already described 

 in my first. This prevailed for some years, when 

 I thought that this might be simplified, which 

 was done by adopting three puUies, namely one 

 on the small wheel, and another on the larger 

 wheel, with a loose pulley; and by removing 

 the driving strap, which was on the loose pulley 

 when the mule was at rest, to the pulley on the 

 smaller wheel when the rollers were to work. 

 Then the strap was removed to the pulley on 



