THE KINDS OF ELASTIC FABFaC DESCRIBED. 
133 
by the cotton or other kind of spun warp- 
thrcads interposed between them ; and the 
upper and lower web are united, so that the 
woven fabric produced will l)e a double tissue, 
with strings or eords of bare caoutchouc 
included between the two tissues, and running 
in the direction of the warp ; these two 
tissues being sufficiently united and tied 
together by the weft-threads to unite them 
as one, without confining the strings or cords 
of caoutchouc. 
Another kind of elastic fabric may be 
woven according to the said method by arran- 
ging in the loom one or more warps formed 
of cotton, silk, or other like spun yarns, 
and either using bare cords or strings of 
caoutchouc to form the entire weft, or else 
by using two or more shuttles, one contain- 
ing bare cords or strings of caoutchouc, and 
the others containing cotton, or silk, or wool, 
or other like kinds of spun yarns. The loom 
being harnessed and worked in a proper man- 
ner to cause the threads of the warp to cover 
entirely the caoutchouc cords or strings of 
the weft. I sometimes use bare cords or 
strings of caoutchouc, both to form the warp 
and the weft, without any admixture of any 
spun yarns of cotton, silk, or other material. 
The fabric woven by this method will be 
very elastic in every direction, and may, after 
being woven, berendered waterproof, as will 
be hereinafter described. By weaving with 
a double warp (in the way before-mentioned 
as being used to produce a double stuff with 
cords or strings of bare caoutchouc inclosed 
within it), but without uniting the two webs, 
as there descifibed, by all or some of the spun 
warp-thre.ads of each web, passing in and 
out between the weft threads of the other ; 
and by harnessing the loom in the way 
usually practised for weaving tubular webs 
for bolting cloths or sacks without seams, I 
can produce elastic pipes or tubular webs 
without seams ; and if they be woven entirely 
of bare cords or strings of caoutchouc they 
may be rendered waterproof, by the means 
hereinafter described. That is to say. in 
order to render waterproof the elastic fabrics 
woven by the said method with bare cords 
or strings of caoutchouc, without the admix- 
ture of any spun yarns of cottom, silk, or 
other material, I dip them in boiling water, 
or sprinkle boiling water over them, and then 
I subject them to strong pressure. The 
effect of this process is to cause the several 
bare caoutchouc strings dr cords of which the 
woven fabric is composed, to agglutinate 
together, and thus to make it very impene- 
trable to water. Note — The cords or strings 
of bare caoutchouc being strained, as afore- 
said, to their utmost tension before being used 
in the loom for the said method of weaving 
elastic fabrics so as to have lost in great 
part their natural elasticity, the fabric woven 
in the loom will possess but little of the 
intended elasticity immediatelyonquittingthe 
loom ; but it is afterwards rendered again 
elastic by the application of heat, that is to 
say, by ironing the said fabric with a heated 
iron, or passing it around or between heated 
cylinders. The heat thus applied causes the 
caoutchouc strings or eords to shorten. 
Hence, if they form the warp, the stuff’ will 
lose in length by such application of heat ; if 
they form the weft, the stuff will lose in 
breadth ; or, if they form part, or the Avhole, 
of both warp and weft, then the stuff' will 
contract in both length and breadth. The 
amount of contraction of stuff, in any of the 
kinds of weaving above described, should be 
ascertained at first by trial, before com- 
mencing to weave a large quantity of goods, 
and then according to the result observed,,au 
allowance should be made in setting up the 
loom for the particular kind of stuff’, and the 
particular kind and fineness of caoutchouc 
cord or string used therein ; that is, if the 
caoutchouc cords or strings are in the warp 
and not in the weft, the l)eat up of the lay 
should be regulated so as to beat up the 
threads of the weft more or less close together 
according to the contraction that will take 
place in the caoutchouc cords or strings of 
the warp ; and yicc versa, if the caoutchouc 
cords or strings are in the weft only, then 
the threads of the warp should be laid more 
or less close together in the loom, accoding 
to the degree of contraction that will take 
place in the caoutchouc cords or strings of the 
weft. It is obvious that no precise directions 
can be given on this head, but the fact being 
pointed out, it must be in the discretion of 
the weaver to set up and work his loom 
according to the quality of the bare caoutchouc 
cords or strings that he uses, and the pecu- 
liar arrangement that they may be intended 
to have in the stuff that he is going to weave. 
Note — I have sometimes found it advisable, 
in order to give the caoutchouc cords or 
strings an equal degree of tension in the 
loom, instead of winding them on a yarn- 
beam, to wind each separately on a bobbin, 
all the bobbins being loaded with equal 
weights, that they may draw off Avith an equal 
tension in the weaving. Also to prevent the 
puckering, or rucks, or inequalities Avhich 
might arise in the stuff, notwithstanding the 
precautions taken to strain the bare cords 
or strings of caoutchouc equally, I sometimes 
introduce at each selvage a cord or string of 
caoutchouc or India-rubber thicker then those 
contained in the staff; and sometimes a 
wire (which I have found better), which wire 
is withdraAvn as the work advances, but serves 
during the weaving to prevent the India- 
rubber cords or strings from being pressed 
more at one shoot of the w^eft than at another. 
And. note. — ^To cause the bare cords or strings 
of caoutchouc to pass smoothly and freely 
through the dents or spilts of the reed, 
without getting shagged or roughened, which 
they are apt to do if no precaution be taken 
to prevent it, I apply to them in the loom 
when the warp is formed thereof, hogs’ lard, 
or other like greasy material. 
It will be seen by the foregoing descrip- 
tion, that the method of weaving elastic 
fabrics, described therein, is applicable to 
the Aveaving of clastic fabrics of any texture, 
usually wmven in looms of the ox’dinary and 
known constructions ; and it is obvious, that 
various patterns may be produced by varying 
