21G 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A SPINNING-ROOM IN A LAWRENCE COTTON MILL 



The cross-threads, or woof, of cotton goods are not twisted as much as the lengthwise, 

 or warp, threads. The function of spinning is to twist the fibers together tight enough to 

 give the yarn or thread the desired strength. If a thread be completely untwisted, it will be 

 found to be nothing more than a series of fibers an inch or an inch and a half long. 



into one, which is wound on bobbins of 

 the "intermediate frames." 



Two of these intermediate rovings in 

 their turn are twisted and stretched into 

 a final roving, which has about the diam- 

 eter of the string which the grocer uses 

 in tying packages. 



Sixteen laps to a sliver, 216 slivers to a 

 roving, 8 rovings to a strand of yarn — 

 27,648 doublings from original lap to 

 unspun yarn ! 



The bobbins containing the final roving 

 are now set up on the creels in the spin- 

 ning frame. A strand of the roving goes 

 through a trumpet and then through a set 

 of three rolls running at different speeds, 

 which still further stretch it, until it be- 

 et lines the size of yarn wanted. Next it 

 passes through a small rounded piece of 

 steel, called the "traveler," which runs at 

 a very high speed — sometimes fifty miles 



an hour — on a ring, in the center of 

 which is the fast revolving spindle. From 

 the traveler the yarn is wound on the 

 bobbin on the spindle and gets the re- 

 quired twist. 



If the yarn is intended for "woof," or 

 across-the-goods thread, it is wound on 

 appropriate bobbins and is ready for the 

 loom. The cotton has passed through 

 fourteen machines to reach the woof 

 stage — seven, up to and including the 

 carding machine, three drawing machines, 

 three roving machines, and the spinning 

 frame. 



MAKING THE WARP THREAD 



But if it is to become "warp" thread, 

 that which runs lengthwise of the goods, 

 the yarn has yet to go a considerable 

 journey. 



The bobbins of warp are taken from 



