18 THE MULTIPLIER. 



circumference as to act as a friction-spring, between the 

 end flanges of the drum and the external plates of the 

 reel, as shown in Fig. 3, where a is the external plate, 

 and b the convex friction-plate placed between it and 

 the end of the drum or barrel of the reel. By this means 

 a constant and uniform pressure will be maintained 

 upon the motions of the barrel, so as to require a slight 

 force to be exerted before the line can be drawn out. 

 And the beauty of this arrangement is, that the mechan- 

 ism by which it is effected is so extremely simple, that 

 it is scarcely possible for it to become deranged under 

 any circumstances. Some arrangement of the kind is 

 almost indispensable to every form of reel, as it not only 

 regulates the flow of line according to the demands of a 

 running fish, and much sooner exhausts him ; but like- 

 wise restrains the line from slacking out while casting, 

 which it invariably does, much to the annoyance of the 

 angler, when no friction apparatus is employed. 



The Multiplier would be a very useful contrivance 

 to reel up the line with rapidity (which on many occa- 

 sions is of paramount importance, when a fish runs in 

 towards the angler, and he is unable to use his legs as 

 well as his hands in retreating backwards, from the 

 nature of the banks), were it not so very liable to clog 

 and cease working altogether, when a strain is put upon 

 it, such as may be produced by the resistance of a head- 

 strong heavy fish. But I will here suggest, that if it 

 were made very narrow, and proportionally wide in dia- 

 meter, so as to allow the pinion on the end of the barrel 

 to be much larger than it is usually made at present ; 



