through it, round which they revolve, in brass bearings fixed near to the middle of 

 the legs B. Upon the middle of the shaft b, a loose ring is hung, shown under c, in 

 Jiff. 1768, to which a light weight d, is suspended, for imparting friction to the reel, 

 and thus preventing it from turning round, unless it be drawn with a gentle force, 

 such as the traction of the thread in the act of winding upon the bobbin. 



Fiff. 1768 is a front view of the engine. B, B, are the legs, placed at their appro- 

 priate distances (scale 1 inch to the foot) ; c, c, are the swifts. By comparing figs. 



1768 



1768 and 1769, the structure of the swifts will be fully understood. From the wooden 

 shaft b, six slender wooden (or iron) spokes c, e, proceed, at equal angles to each other ; 



which are bound together 



1769 by a cord /, near their 



^ ree en ^ s > upon the trans- 

 verse line /, of which 

 cord, the silk thread is 

 wound in a hexagonal 

 form; due tension being 

 given to the circumferen- 

 tial cords, by sliding them 

 out from the centre. 

 Slender wooden rods are 

 set between each pair of 

 spokes, to stay them, and to keep the cord tight. E is one of the two horizontal 

 shafts, placed upon each side of the engine, to which are affixed a number of light 

 iron pulleys g, g (shown on a double scale in fig. 1 769). These serve, by friction, to 

 drive the bobbins which rest upon their peripheries. 



To the table A, fig. 1767, are-screwed the light cast-iron slot bearings, i, i, wherein 

 the horizontal spindles or skewers rest, upon which the bobbins revolve. The spindles 

 (see F, fig. 1771,) carry upon one end a little wooden pulley A, whereby they press and 

 revolve upon the larger driving pulleys g, of the shaft E. These pulleys are called 

 stars by our workmen. The other ends of the spindles, or skewers, are cut into screws, 

 for attaching the swivel-nuts i (fig. 1771), by which the bobbins x, K (fig. 1768), are 

 made fast to their respective spindles. Besides the slots, above described, in which 

 the spindles rest when their friction pulleys h, are in contact with the moving stars 

 g, there is another set of slots in the bearinps, into which the ends of the spindles 

 may be occasionally laid, so as to be above the line of contact of the rubbing periphery 

 of the star g, in case the thread of any bobbin breaks. Whenever the girl has mended 

 the thread, she replaces the bobbin-spindle in its deeper slot-bearings, thereby bringing 

 its pulley once more into contact with the star, and causing it to revolve. 



