No. 216.] 119 



•was equal or nearly so, to counterbalance the advantage of the 

 railway, over the labor of changing the cans by the old mode of 

 doing it. 



The exhibitor of the drawing-head on exhibition, overcame the 

 ■defect of the original railway machines by giving to the front 

 rollers a change of speed. For instance if a dozen carders consti- 

 tuted the system of carders belonging to one train of railway, and 

 one of these carders were for any cause suspended from operation, 

 the change of speed in the front roller, (the roller which determines 

 the amount of drawing,) would necessarily be y^" ^^^s, exactly cor- 

 responding with the diminution of the bat by such suspension of 

 one carder: the remaining eleven carders being thus continued in 

 operation, no loss of work or time was suffered. This change of 

 speed has been effected by the inventor, by introducing into his sys- 

 tem of gearing, connecting the front and back pair of rollers of the 

 ■drawing head, a double sliding clutch, which, when applied one way 

 will give the requisite speed for the highest number of carders em- 

 ployed in the system ; but when the same is applied and clutched to 

 its opposite fellow, will give a reduced speed by putting in opera- 

 tion stud gearing corresponding thereto; the sliding of this clutch 

 from one to the other, by a clutch lever for thjt purpose, is but the 

 work of an instant of time, and the stopping of the delinquent car- 

 der, simultaneous with it, the same length of time : and in this way the 

 uniformity of the sliver is preserved and maintained without sus- 

 pending the operation of the machinery, and by which the original 

 conception became useful and truly advantageous. 



To show the importance of this improvement in the drawing 

 head department unconnected with carding and ropeing with which 

 it is usually joined; and to convey an adequate idea of the saving 

 of labor effected, it may be stated that ordinarily twelve' bats (eigh- 

 teen may thus be done,) are passed through the drawing head at 

 once, and these again are multiplied three times over after leaving 

 the carding or railway drawing-head, six of these first bats are 

 passed to the next separate drawing-head without railway, raakino- 

 a sliver of 72 bats; and these again are passed to the next multi- 

 plied by six making 432 bats in a sliver; and these last being again 

 multiplied by six is 2,592 bats in a sliver; this last number being 

 the number passing the railway drawing-head, while all the other mul- 

 tiplications amount only to 516. The result is found to be that the 

 railway drawing-head saves about four-fifths of the whole labor of 

 drawing. 



