WEAVING. 



831 



X X, on which the pace weights W W hang. H H 

 is the beam on which the cloth is wound, as it is 

 wove. T, a toothed wheel fixed on the spindle 

 of the cloth beam, which is driven by a pinion at- 

 tached to the ratch wheel O P R. This ratch 

 wheel is worked by the ratch P, which is acted on 

 by the weight R. This weight is not sufficient of 

 itself to turn round the cloth beam when coun- 

 teracted by the friction cords on the yarn beam, 

 but when the lay strikes home the weft, it must 

 at the same time press forward that portion of the 

 cloth that is woven at each stroke ; which portion, 

 thus relieved, is then taken up by the cloth beam. 

 In order to raise the weight R, as it must fall a 

 little way every stroke the lay makes, there is a 

 pin h, projecting from the sword of the lay which 

 takes hold of the arm S, as the lay moves back- 

 wards, and so lifts the weight up, while at the same 

 time the two stop catches shown, catch the teeth 

 of the ratch wheel, to prevent the cloth beam from 

 unrolling, as it would do when the weight R was 

 being lifted. 



Fig. 3. is a detached view of the protector. As 

 the shuttle often stops short in its progress through 

 the shed, the use of this ingenious contrivance is 

 to prevent the lay from getting forward to the fell 

 unless the shuttle has got fairly across the web 

 and entered the opposite box. In both boxes ot 

 the lay there is a wooden slot, that projects inwards 

 through the side. As the shuttle enters the box, 

 it forces the slot outwards; which acts on the 

 bent lever k, so as to make it lift the catch V. 

 If the shuttle is stopped in the web, it would not 

 then press out the slot, and as the catch V would 

 not be lifted, it would catch on the stop S, and 

 prevent the lay getting forward, the stop S being 

 only allowed to shift so far as to detach the handle , 

 from a notch which confines it, when it immedi- 

 ately (from the spring that it has) acts on the 

 lever f f, and shifts the driving belt on to the 

 loose pulley, and thus stops the loom. When things 

 are put to rights, the attendant takes hold of the 

 handle a, which is best seen in fig. 2. and shifts 

 it back into the notch, and thus sets the loom again 

 to work. 



The motion of the loom begins by the turning 

 of the crank withdrawing the lay from the fell ; 

 and while this is being done the shed is forming 

 by the simultaneous action of the wiper shaft. 

 When the lay has got about an inch and a half 

 from the fell, the wipers for working the shuttle 

 are so placed on the shaft, as .then to strike the 

 shuttle treadle, and by suddenly forcing it down, 

 communicates the impulse by which the shuttle is 

 thrown across the web. By the time, then, that 

 the shuttle gets out of the box, the shed is suffi- 

 ciently formed to receive it, and the lay continues 

 slowly to recede backwards till the shuttle has got 

 to the middle of the shed, when it returns again to 

 the fell to strike up the shot. 



The motions of the loom, as will be seen, are all 

 produced by the rotation of the crank shaft ; 

 and although there is a great difference in the 

 arrangements of the moving parts in the various 

 power looms, there is no difference in the appli- 

 cation of the power. 



The following is a description of a power loom, 

 of a different construction, manufactured by Messrs 

 Sharrocks and Birch, engineers, Manchester, by 

 whose permission the drawing has been made. It 

 is applicable for weaving cloth, either of cotton, 

 silk, or wool. 



Plate XCIV. fig. I. exhibits a front elevation. 

 Fig. 2. is a plan or horizontal view as seen from 

 above, and fig. 3. Plate XCV. is a side elevation 

 of the same. 



This power loom was invented by a native of 

 Saxony, named Schonherr, and was imported into 

 this country, and subsequently protected by letters 

 patent, by Mr Hamer Stansteld of Leeds. 



It will be observed that in the three figures re- 

 presenting the loom in different views, there are 

 similar letters of reference marked upon corres- 

 ponding parts of the machinery, a, a, a, is the 

 cast iron general framing of the loom, b, the 

 beam or roller upon which the warp is wound, 

 called the yarn beam, c, c, the heddles or healds 

 through which the yarn threads are divided or 

 drawn apart, to form a passage for the shuttle, d, 

 d, the lay, containing the reed for beating up the 

 cloth, e, e, the shuttle box containing the shuttle 

 which carries the weft thread, f, the breast beam 

 over which the cloth passes on to g, the cloth or 

 work beam, upon which the cloth is wound as it 

 is made, h, strap for taking up the cloth upon 

 cloth beam, i, main driving pulley for setting the 

 loom in motion, j, shaft and wheels for working 

 the picking and shedding motions, k, cam for 

 giving the shedding motion. I, cam for giving the 

 picking motion, m,. treadles and cams for dividing 

 the heddles. n, spring for bringing back the lay. 

 o, setting on rod for putting strap on fast driv- 

 ing pulley, p, motion for throwing the whole out 

 of gear, and stopping the action of the loom when 

 the shuttle misses its box and does not put in any 

 weft, q, picking stick for throwing the shuttle. 



The patent loom is stated to possess the follow- 

 ing advantages: 



1. Requires hardly half the power, but, by a 

 more appropriate distribution of it, puts in the 

 weft with double the force. It can be worked by 

 the hand, foot, or strap; it has only three wheels 

 and one wrought iron shaft two feet long, and the 

 common power loom has eight wheels and two 

 shafts each four feet. 2. Causes a great saving in 

 friction and tension, the shed being only 3 inches 

 long, and 1^ deep. 3. Takes up less room. 4. 

 Gives out the warp, and takes up the cloth, with 

 a regularity superior to any other mode, and re- 

 quiring no alteration. 5. Causes a great saving in 

 pickers, and no oil for the shuttle box is necessary. 

 6. All the motions are so gentle and steady, that 

 the most delicate article may be woven by this 

 loom, and also the strongest goods. The first 

 view of the loom would lead a person ignorant of 

 its principles to suppose, from its light appearance, 

 that this were impossible ; but the fact of the most 

 difficult quality of linen having been woven by it 

 in a superior manner, and undressed too, proves 

 the correctness of this statement ; a double pres- 

 sure or blow can be given if requisite; fewer 

 threads break, say in the proportion of 1 to 20 ; no 

 thin place occurs when working without weft, and 

 altogether a decidedly superior article is produced ; 

 equal if not greater speed can be obtained, than in 

 ordinary power looms. 



The great object of all mechanical arrangements 

 for weaving is to introduce the shot as rapidly as 

 possible with the least injury to the yarn. This is 

 the great rule that should guide the weaver or the 

 mechanic in all his attempts to deal with this 

 subject. The first consideration is the safety of 

 the yarn. With this view the yarn should be 

 stretched in the loom in such a manner as to 



