COTTON-SPINNING 993 



repose, is regulated according to the quality of the cotton wool, and the purpose for 

 which the yarn is spun. For warp yarn of No. 40 or 50, for example, 6 or 8 turns of 

 the rim wheel, that is, from 396 to 528 whirls of the spindles for the whole stretch, 

 therefore from 7 to 9 twists per inch, will be sufficient. The finished yarn thus 

 receives from 40 to 42 twists per inch. 



One spinner attends to two mules, which faco each other, so that he need merely 

 turn round in the spot where he stands, to find himself in the proper position for the 

 other mule. For this reason tho rim wheel and handle, by which he operates, are not 

 placed in the middle of the length of the machine, but about two-fifths of the spindles 

 are to tho right hand and three-fifths to the left ; the rim wheel being towards his 

 right hand. The carriage of the one mule is in the act of going out and spinning, 

 while that of tho other is finishing its twist, and being put up by the spinner. 



The quantity of yarn manufactured by a mule in a given time, depends directly 

 upon the number of the spindles, and upon the time taken to complete every stretch 

 of the carriage. Many circumstances have an indirect influence upon that quantity, 

 and particularly the degree of skill possessed by the spinner. The better the machine, 

 the steadier and softer all its parts revolve, the better and more abundant is its 

 production. When the toothed wheels do not work truly into their pinions, when the 

 spindles shake in their bushes, or are not accurately made, many threads break, and 

 the work is much injured and retarded. The bettor the staple of the cotton wool, 

 and the more careful has been its preparation in the carding, drawing, and roving 

 processes, the more easy and excellent the spinning will become : warmth, dryness, 

 cold, and moisture have great influence on the ductility, so to speak, of cotton. A 

 temperature of 65 F.,"with an atmosphere not too arid, is found most suitable to the 

 operations of a spinning-mill. The finer the yarn, the slower is the spinning. For 

 numbers from 20 to 36, from 2 to 3 stretches of warp may be made in a minute, and 

 nearly 3 stretches of weft; for numbers above 50 up to 100, about 2 stretches; and 

 for numbers from 100 to 150 one stretch in the minute. Still finer yarns are spun 

 more slowly, which is not wonderful, since in the fine spinning-mills of England, the 

 mules usually contain upwards of 500 spindles each, in order that one operative may 

 manage a great number of them, and thereby earn such high wages as shall fully 

 remunerate his assiduity and skill. 



In spinning fine numbers, the second speed is given before the carriage is run out 

 to the end of its railway ; during which course of about 6 inches, it is made to move 

 very slowly. This is called the second stretch, and is of use in making the yarn 

 level by drawing down the thicker parts of it, which take on the twist less readily 

 than the thinner, and therefore remain soft and more extensible. The stretch may 

 therefore be divided into three stages. The carriage first moves steadily out for 

 about 4 feet, while the drawing rollers and spindles are in full play ; now the rollers 

 stop, but the spindles go on whirling with accelerated speed, and the carriage 

 advances slowly, about 6 inches more ; then it also comes to rest, while tho spindles 

 continue to revolve for a little longer, to give the final degree of twist. The accele- 

 ration of the spindles in the second and third stages, which has no other object but 

 to savft time, is effected by the mechanism called the counter, which shifts the driving 

 band, at the proper time, upon the loose pulley, and, moreover, a second band, which 

 had, till now, lain upon its loose pulley, upon a small driving pulley of the rim shaft. 

 At length, both bands are shifted upon their loose pulleys, and the mule comes to a 

 state of quiescence. 



In the machine as thus described the winding-in motion is performed by means of 

 the necessary mechanism, by manual labour. This method is, however, now used only 

 in the spinning of the very finest yams, and the winding-on is performed by an 

 automatic arrangement which gave to the machines to which it was first applied tho 

 name of self-acting mules. Mules of this kind were first constructed, we believe, by 

 Messrs. Eaton, formerly of Manchester, who mounted ten or twelve of them in that 

 town, four at Wiln, in Derbyshire, and a few in France. From their great complexity 

 and small productiveness, the whole were soon relinquished, except those at Wiln. 

 M. de Jong obtained two patents for self-acting mules, and put twelve of them in 

 operation in a mill at Warrington, of which he was part proprietor ; but with an un- 

 successful result. 



The first approximation to a successful accomplishment of the objects in view, was 

 an invention of a self-acting mule, by Mr. Roberts, of Manchester : one of tho principal 

 points of which was the mode of governing the winding-on of the yarn into tho form 

 of a cop ; the entire novelty and great ingenuity of which invention were universally 

 admitted, and proved the main step to the final accomplishment of what had so long 

 been a desideratum. For this invention a patent was obtained in 1825. In 1830, 

 Mr. Roberts obtained a patent for other improvements ; and by a combination of both 

 his inventions, he produced a self-acting mule, which is generally admitted to have 

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