288 



COTTON SPINNING. 



Cotton 

 Spinning. 



t)f Mule 

 spinning. 



Prepara- 

 tioD.- 



is used, when doubled and slightly twined, for making 

 stockings, and is denominated stocking yarn. The low- 

 er numbers are sometimes used single, and are called 

 double-spun. Water twist is used of all sizes from No 

 6. to No. 60. 



III. Of Mule Spinning. 



The spinning machine called the mule, most probably 

 derived its name from partaking of the nature both of 

 the jenny and of the water-frame. The invention of the 

 mule may be considered as a new sera in the history of 

 cotton spinning. The combination of the jenny with 

 Sir R. Arkwright's invention of drawing by rollers, forms 

 a method superior to both, at least for fine goods, and 

 much finer yarn has been produced by the mule than is 

 practicable by either of the other methods. 



The preparation for mule spinning is the same, 

 or similar to that for water spinning, only that, in or- 

 der to reduce the rovings for fine yarn to a small 

 enough size, the cotton generally passes through a ma- 

 chine called a stretching frame, which is constructed 

 nearly like a mule, and which will be more easily ex- 

 plained after describing that machine. The rovings 

 taken off the spindles of the stretching jrame are formed 

 into cops, and these rovings so formed are placed in the 

 mule, in order to be spun. 



The mule consists of a system of rollers similar to the 

 spinning-frame, but coupled together instead of having 

 every four or six threads in separate heads, by means of 

 which the rove is drawn, and received on spindles revol- 

 ving like those of the jenny. The carriage on which 

 the. spindles are disposed is moveable, and recedes from 

 the rollers as the thread is delivered. After a certain 

 quantity of the roving is thus given out by the rollers, 

 they are stopped, but the carriage continues to recede a 

 certain distance further, the spindles contiHuing in mo- 

 lion, and by that means stretches the thread still finer. 

 This last part of the operation resembles the effect pro- 

 duced by the jenny. The building of the yarn on the 

 spindles, in the form of cops, during the return of the 

 carriage, is performed in a manner similar to the form- 

 ing of the cops in the roving billy. 



Mules are various in their number of spindles, but 

 since they have been moved by power, 300 spindles in 

 each is not uncommon. Two machines are usually at- 

 tended by one man assisted by children. 



The stretching frame will now be more easily under- 

 stood. It is like a mule, but the spindles are placed at 

 a greater distance from one another. But the name 

 stretching frame seems improper, for it merely reduces 

 the rove by drawing it by the rollers, for the carriage re- 

 cedes at the same rate as the rollers deliver the roves 

 without stretching it. The mule, we have seen, does 

 stretch the thread after the rollers have ceased to move, 

 and generally to a certain degree even during their mo- 

 tion. 



Description of a New Diagonal Mule. 



New dia- The astonishing reduction of labour, which has been 



gsnalmule. effected by the introduction and improvement of the va- 

 rious kinds of machinery for spinning cotton yarn, is cer- 

 tainly the primaiy cause of the incredible extension to 

 which that manufacture has been carried ; and the com- 

 petition among those who have embarked in the business, 

 added to the exclusion from foreign markets, may be re- 



garded as the reasons of the corresponding reduction of 

 the prices of all kinds of manufactured cotton goods. 



The principal difficulty which the spinning trade has 

 now to contend with, is the very large capital which it is 

 necessary to sink in buildings and machinery, before an 

 establishment can be formed capable of contending in the 

 market with those previously erected. To counteract 

 this impediment, in some degree, is the object of the in- 

 vention, or rather improvement, which is here suggested 

 for the consideration of those interested, or who wish to 

 interest themselves in this manufacture. 



As the alteration from the established practice affects 

 no principle, upon which the quality of cotton yarn does 

 or can depend, there is no reason to hope that the article 

 manufactured in this way will be improved, and as little 

 cause to fear that it will be deteriorated by the change. 

 A reduction of the amount of the sunk capital, necessary 

 to put a certain number of spindles in motion, and to 

 manufacture a certain quantity of cotton vara, of a qua- 

 lity equal to what has been hitherto spun, are the only 

 objects in contemplation. 



The expence of erecting a mill or manufactory may 

 be divided into three classes, upon each of which, it is 

 demonstrable, that the use of machinery upon this plan 

 would save much expence in the erection, the necessary 

 repairing, and the working. These are, 



1*/, The expence of erecting suitable buildings t» 

 carry on the business. 



Idly, That of procuring adequate power, whether wa« 

 ter or steam, to put the machinery in motion. 



And, 3dly, The expence of the machinery itself. 



In order to establish these points to the satisfaction of 

 our readers, especially those conversant with the busi- 

 ness, it will be proper to describe the proposed machine, 

 referring to Plate CCXII. for the illustration, and then 

 to,' deduce, from the nature of its construction and opera- 

 tion, a proof of its capability of producing yarn equal to 

 any now spun, with a great reduction on each of the 

 three heads which have been premised. 



Fig. 5. is a horizontal plan of the mule, of which the 

 following are the particulars: 



The length from A to D, and from B to C, ought to 

 be 10 or 12 inches more than that of a mule with a 

 single row of spindles, supposing the length of draught 

 to be the same, because the row of spindles, nearest to 

 the guide H, can never be brought so nigh to the rollers 

 by nearly a foot as in a common mule. The breadth 

 for an equal number of spindles is taken at one-third of. 

 an ordinary mule, supposing 1 2 inches to be allowed for 

 each dozen of spindles, which is very common, except- 

 ing for mules intended for coarse yarn, in which case 

 14 or 15 inches are generally allowed. From the small- 

 ness of the scale upon which the plan is laid down, every 

 third spindle only is represented ; so that each diagonal 

 row of the spindle frame E ought to contain 12 spindles, 

 or IS, if both extreme spindles are counted into one 

 row. These spindles will be one inch asunder, and the 

 whole mule, although only six feet wide between the 

 frames, will contain 2 16 spindles, which, in the common 

 mule, is estimated to be a large number, and requires 

 18 feet within the framing, at one inch asunder. The 

 framing is bounded by ABCD ; the diagonal spindle 

 frame is at E; the rollers, which (if 12 inches between 

 the couplings, will draw for three dozen of spindles each,) 

 are at F ; the frame which contains the roves or rovings, 

 from which the yarn is to be spun, is at G. The guide 



Cottoa 

 Spinning. 



New dia- 

 gonal male., 



Plate 



c\xir. 



F.g. 5. 





