1176 WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE 



engine, or any other first mover, and passed round the rigger t, fixed on the axle s. 

 Tension is given to this band by a tightening pulley, u, mounted on an adjustable 

 sliding-piece v, which is secured to the standard by a screw ; and this trigger is 

 thrown in and out of gear by a clutch-box and lever, which sets the machine going, 

 or stops it. 



In order to give a drawing stroke to the cutter, which will cause the piece of cloth 

 to be shorn off with better effect, the upper cutter has a slight lateral action, pro- 

 duced by the axle of the cutting cylinder being made sufficiently long to allow of its 

 sliding laterally about an inch in its bearings ; which sliding is effected by a cam ?, 

 fixed at one end. This cam is formed by an oblique groove, cut round the axle 

 (see w,fig. 2142), and a tooth, x, fixed to the frame or standard which works in it, as 

 the cylinder revolves. By means of this tooth, the cylinder is made to slide laterally, 

 a distance equal to the obliquity of the groove w, which produces the drawing stroke 

 of the tipper shear. In order that the rotation of the shearing cylinder may not be 

 obstructed by friction, the tooth ar, is made of two pieces, set a little apart, so as to 

 afford a small degree of elasticity. 



The manner of passing the cloth progressively under the cutters is as follows : 

 On the axle of the wheel s, and immediately behind that wheel, there is a small rigger, 

 from which a band passes to a wheel y, mounted in an axle turning in bearings on the 

 lower side-rail of the standard a. At the reverse extremity of this axle, there is an- 

 other small rigger 1, from which a band passes to a wheel 2, fixed on the axle 3, which 

 crosses near the middle of the machine, seen in jiff. 2141. Upon this axle there is a 

 sliding pulley 4, round which a cord is passed several times, whose extremities are 

 made fast to the ends of the sliding carriage d ; when, therefore, this pulley is locked 

 to the axle, which is done by a clutch box, the previously-described movements of the 

 machine cause the pulley 4 to revolve, and by means of the rope passed round it, to 

 draw the frame, with the cloth, slowly and progressively along under the cutters. 



It remains only to point oxit the contrivance whereby the machinery throws itself 

 out of gear, and stops its operations, when the edge of the cloth or list arrives at tho 

 cutters. 



At the end of one of the habiting rails-, h, there is a stop affixed by a nut and screw 

 5, which, by the advance of the carriage, is brought up and made to press against a 

 lever 6 ; when an arm from this lever 6, acting under the catch 7, raises the catch up, 

 and allows the hand-lever 8, which is pressed upon by a strong spring, to throw the 

 clutch-box 10, out of gear with the wheel 8 ; whereby the revolution of the machine 

 ipstantly ceases. The lower part of the lever 6, being connected by a joint to the top 

 of the lever j, the receding of the lever 6, draws back the lower catch.;', and allows the 

 sliding frame I, I, within the bed k, to descend. By now turning the lower rollers e, c, 

 another portion of the cloth is brought up to be shorn; and when it is properly 

 habited and strained, by the means above described, the carriage is slidden back, and 

 the parts being all thrown into gear, the operation goes on as before. 



Mr. Hirst's improvements in manufacturing woollen cloths, for which a patent was 

 obtained in February 1830, apply to that part of the process where a permanent lustre 

 is given usually by what is called roll-boiling ; that is, stewing the cloth, when tightly 

 wound upon a roller, in a vessel of hot water or steam. As there are many disadvan- 

 tages attendant upon the operation of roll-boiling, such as injuring the cloths, by over- 

 heating them, which weakens the fibre of the wool, and also changes some colours, he 

 substituted, in place of it, a particular mode of acting upon the cloths, by occasional 

 or intermitted immersion in hot water, and also in cold water ; which operations may 

 be performed either with or without pressure upon the cloth, as circumstances may 

 require. 



The apparatus which he proposed to employ for carrying on his improved process 

 is shown in the accompanying drawings. Fig. 2143, is a front view of the apparatus, 

 complete, and in working order ;fig. 2144, is a section, taken transversely through the 

 middle of the machine, in tho direction of fig. 2145; and fig. 2145 is an end view of 

 the same, a, a, a, is a vessel or tank, made of iron or wood, or any other suitable 

 material ; sloping at the back and front, and perpendicular at the ends. This tank 

 must be sufficiently large to admit of half tho diameter of the cylinder or drum, b, b, b, 

 being immersed into it, which drum is about four feet in diameter, and about six feol. 

 long, or something more than the width of the piece of cloth intended to be operated 

 upon. This cylinder or drum, b, b, is constructed by combining segments of wood cut 

 radially on their edges, secured by screw-bolts to the rims of the iron wheels, having 

 arms, with an axle passing through the middle. 



The cylinder or drum being thus formed, rendered smooth on its periphery, and 

 mounted upon its axle in the tank, tho piece of cloth is wound upon it as tightly as 

 possible, which is done by placing it in a heap upon a stool, as at c,fig. 2144, passing 

 its end over and between the tension rollers d, c, and then securing it to the drum ; 



