[ 175 ] 178 



receives its motion from a steam-engine, or other first movei, is placed 

 at the top of the loom; and, by means of cams and tappots affixed to 

 the main shaft, the headles are moved up and down, which open the 

 sheds of the warp; the lay or batten is made to oscillate, and the shut- 

 tle is projected to and fro, at the proper intervals of time. 



This loom is also adapted to the weaving cotton, linen, wool, flax, 

 and hemp, and mixtures thereof. * Plates accompany the specification. 



American Winding, Doubling, and Twisting Machine. 



The Messrs. Terhoeven, brothers, of Philadelphia county, have re- 

 cently invented a simple and ingenious machine, for winding silk from 

 cocoons, and for doubling and twisting the thread at the same time. 

 These operations, it is believed, have never before been united in the 

 samfe machine. It answers the object intended perfectly. A fringe 

 weaver, who has seen the silk thread finished on this machine, pro- 

 nounced it equal to any imported. The Board intrusted with the 

 management of the fund left by the late John Scott, of Edinburgh, 

 to the corporation of Philadelphia, for the distribution of premiums 

 "to mgenious men and women, who make useful inventions and im- 

 provements," have awarded a medal and twenty dollars to the in- 



ventors. 



Recent Jmjjrovement in Silk weaving. 



Stephen Wilson, a silk manufacturer, when examined before the 

 Committee of the House of Commons on the Silk Trade, July 3, 

 1823, stated, that the following improvement had been made in Eng- 

 land and Scotland 



In Scotland and Norwich they have shifting boxes, which save 

 much trouble in changing the shuttles, so that a weaver can shoot dif- 

 ferent colors as fast as he could a single one. They have also lifting 

 boxes. The shifting boxes are generally confined to three or four 

 shuttles; the lifting boxes go as far as twelve or sixteen colors, which 

 the weaver shoots with the fly, one after another. In Scotland they 

 have also many improvements in weaving, which we know very little 

 of in Spitalfields. They have what they call lappets, a quantity of 

 needles that rise near the battens, and serve instead of brocading. 

 They have also another very ingenious plan, which they call circles. 

 In Spitalfields we brocade each of these figures with small shuttles, 

 separately; but in Scotland the circles do all at one time, which is a 

 great improvement in lessening labor. They have also what they call 

 the cylinder or barrel weaving, which enables the weaver to dispense 

 with a draw- boy in heavy works. And they have another method of 

 weaving in the old damask loom, which is a very important one; and 

 which is done by what they call a comb: this species of mounting is 

 very much introduced for cfamask table cloth weaving. A gentleman 



♦ London Journal of Arts and Sciences. By W. Newton. Jvjly, 182T, 



