SPINNING 



871 



mechanism to touch a single string, which emitted the sound on being struck. The 

 instrument being small, and its mechanism slight and simple, its price was propor- 

 tionately moderate, and the spinet was thus within the reach of those who could not 

 afford the more pretentious and elaborate harpsichord. 



The Clavicord was a similar instrument, but smaller ; and instead of being struck by 

 a jack, the strings were pressed by brass-pins projecting from the end of the keys. 

 It was sometimes called a clai-ichord, and occasionally the manuchord. Under these 

 names, the spinet is often confounded. 



SPINNIWC. The greatest improvement hitherto made in forming textile fabrics, 

 since the era of Arkwright, is clue to Mr. G. Bodmer of Manchester. By his patent 

 inventions, the several organs of a spinning-factory are united in one self-acting and 

 self-supplying body a system most truly automatic. His most comprehensive patent 

 was obtained in 1824, and was prolonged by the Judicial Committee of the Privy 

 Council, for 7 years after the period of 14 years was expired. It contained the first 

 development of a plan by which fibres of cotton, flax, &c., were lapped and unlapped 

 through all the operations of cleaning and blowing, carding, drawing, roving, and 

 spinning ; in the latter, however, only as far as the operation of feeding is concerned. 

 The patent of 1824 was the beginning; the result of which was several other patents 

 for improvements. 



By a machine generally called 1866 



a Devil or Opener ('Wolf,' in 

 German), which consists of a 

 feeding-plate set with teeth, and 

 a roller covered with spikes (see 

 fig. 1866), the cotton is cleared 

 from its heaviest dirt and opened. 

 This machine delivers the cotton 

 into a room or on to a travelling- 

 cloth, from which it is taken, 

 weighed in certain portions, and 

 spread upon cloth in equal por- 

 tions ; this is then rolled up, and 

 placed behind the first blower. 



The first blower has a feeding- 

 plate like fig. 1867 without teeth, 

 and over this plate the cotton is 

 delivered to the operation of the 

 common beaters, from which it is received into a narrow cpmpartment of 4 or 5 

 inches broad, and wound, by means of his lap-machines, upon rollers in beautifully 

 level and well-cleaned lays. Eight of these narrow laps are then placed behind a 

 second blower, of a similar construction to the first. Instead of the common beater, 

 however, a drum with toothed straight edges is used (see Jig. 1868), which opens the 



1867 



1868 



cotton still more, and separates the fibres from one another. The cotton is again 

 formed into similar narrow laps, which are still more equal than the preceding ones, 

 and eight of these laps are then placed behind" the carding-engines. It was only 

 by applying the lap-machine, that he succeeded in forming small laps on the blower ; 

 without this the doffing of the laps without stopping the wire-cloth could not be 

 effected, and in doing this, an irregular lap would be formed, because of the accumu- 

 lating of the falling cotton in one place while the wire-cloth was standing. 



