LINEN MANUFACTURE. 



LINEN MANUFACTURE. 



201 



the cost of linen fabrics ; so that British yarns and cloths are now 

 profitably exported to countries with which the manufacturers of j 

 Great Britain and Ireland were formerly unable to compete, and 

 against which they were protected in the home market by. high duties 

 on importation. 



Of the flax-spinning mills there is one at Leeds, belonging to Messrs. 

 Marshall, which ranks among the largest factories in the world. One 

 particular room is, we believe, the largest in existence devoted to 

 manufacturing purposes ; it covers two acres of ground, the roof 

 is supported by fifty pillars, and lighted by sixty-six large conical sky- 

 lights. 



The flax reaches the spinning-mills in small bundles of a few pounds 



each. The fibres are first scutched out at the ends, by a machine which 

 subjects them to a sort of combing action. They are then broken into 

 three pieces each, the middle section being the best in quality. They 

 are next heckled, or separated, straightened, and cleaned ; this used 

 formerly to be done with the heckle, a sort of large comb with iron 

 teeth ; but it is now effected by a rotating machine, on the periphery 

 of which the flax is fixed, and drawn against or between a series of 

 sharp teeth. The fibres pass through six heckling machines in succes- 

 sion, each having finer teeth than the one which preceded it. The 

 heckled flax is then sorted into portions, according to fineness and other 

 desired qualities. The next process, that of drawing, connects the 

 short fibres of flax into one continuous sliver or riband, nearly in the 



same way as the carding process described in COTTON MANUFACTURE ; 

 the flax is doubled and carded over and over again, until it presents 

 the appearance of a smooth and glossy band, about an inch in width. 

 When flax has been so far prepared, all the good portion receives the 

 name of line ; while the irregular, short, and defective fibres become 

 tow. The tow is, however, susceptible of being drawn, doubled, carded, 



Tig. I. Fhx Drawing. 



hemp. The heckled slivers of flax are next roved, or converted from 



a flat riband to a soft small cylindrical cord. The spinning is the 

 next process; this is done on the bobbin and fly principle, and the 

 flax requires to be wet while under the process, thereby differing from 

 cotton, wool, and silk. The flax used formerly to be wetted with cold 

 water ; but it is now found that finer yarn can be produced when 



Fig. 2 Tow Carding. 



and pun into yarn of coarse quality. Thii tow is not the very rough 

 ubtanc9 usually known by the name; the latter is the refuse of 



Fig. 3. Wet Flax Spinning 



warm water in used. The essential parts of the apparatus are shown 

 in skeleton in fly. 3. 



