438 



FLAX 



-o- a ' 



endless chain ; c, d, slides placed horizontally over tho gill sheet guiding tho ends 

 of certain bell-cranks c, f, joined at their angle in tho recess /, //, c, of tho gill 

 gg^ bar, and at their other end to 



tho gill or comb o. l>y this 

 arrangement, as long as 



''.P. ,,,,," :""; iHI the bell-cranks are in tho 



parallel parts of tho slides 

 c, d, the gill teeth will bo 

 above tho taller a, b, but 

 when they arrive at tho 

 contracted part tho guidod 

 ends will bo brought into 

 the position Q Q, and conse- 

 quently the gill depressed is 

 G 2 ; this is so timed as to 

 cause them to clear tho draw- 

 ing roller, whon, on again 

 continuing their course, they 

 are again caused to rise and 

 penetrate the sliver by tho 

 reversed inclination of tho 

 slides c, d, at the back 

 roller. 



Tho objection to this in- 

 genious machine was the 

 largeness of tho space sud- 

 denly left open by the de- 

 scent of tho gill, as tho 

 double faller, bell-crank, 

 and gill necessarily occupied great width. 



The screw or spiral movement of the fallors, which was soon afterwards invented, 

 quickly superseded all others in use, as by these means the faller was caused, even in 

 the manner they were first constructed, to approach closer than even in tho most per- 

 fected construction of the others, to the side of the drawing roller, and still maintain 

 the pins in a vertical position. Recently this object has been more perfectly attained 

 by a patented improved construction adopted by Messrs. P. Fairbairn and Co.. whereby 

 the obstacle to the faller wholly touching the roller has been removed, and thus pro- 

 ducing the full holding effect of the gill to the latest possible moment. This is effected 

 by employing a method of supporting the spirals by their working in tubular recesses 

 in the side plate of the machine; along these recesses are longitudinal openings through 

 which the fallor end passes to enter between tho threads of tho spiral, and which servo 



965 



also as slides to support tho faller. As by this means tho supports or plummor blnAs 

 that intervened between the end of tho spirals and tho roller are suppressed, tho faller 



