also the improved apparatus or mechanism, whereby we obtain the same effect, by the revolving or moving shade or reflector surrounding the light, as hereinbefore described. [Inrolled in the Rolls Chapel Office, December, 1839.]

TO WILLIAM NASH, of Budge-row, in the city of London, merchant, for certain improvements in machinery for winding, spinning, doubling, and throwing silk and other fibrous materials,—being a communication from a foreigner, residing abroad.-[Sealed 23rd February, 1839.]

THESE improvements in machinery for winding, spinning, doubling, and throwing silk and other fibrous substances, consists in the construction of four different kinds of machines; first, a peculiar arrangement of spindles, bobbins, and conductors, for the preparation or conversion of silk into the states called organzine or tram; second, certain apparatus to be attached to spinning and doubling machines, for the purpose of suspending the doubling operation in the event of one of the threads breaking; third, a machine for winding long reeled silk; and fourth, an expanding swift for winding raw silk, so as to keep it in constant tension.

In the accompanying drawings, fig. 1, Plate IV., represents an elevation of two bobbins, with their appendages, mounted in certain frame-work, for spinning or twisting, and doubling and throwing silk, at one operation. Fig. 2, a horizontal view of the same. A bracket arm a, affixed to and extending from the longitudinal rail of the machine, confines and steadies the main spindle b, which turns

round freely in a hole formed therein; c, is the warve or pulley fixed upon the spindle to receive the band, which gives rotary motion to the spindle. A circular horizontal plate d, is made fast to the spindle, and consequently turns with it; and in this plate the dead spindles e, e, are affixed, on which the bobbins f, f, are mounted.

A circular frame or ring g, is, with the bracket a, also made fast to the horizontal rail of the machine, in such a position that the main spindle b, shall turn exactly in the centre of the ring; the inner circumference of this ring has a circle of teeth, as shewn in fig. 2, and a boss or socket h, turning loosely upon each dead spindle e, has a pinion or toothed wheel i, i, fixed upon it, which takes into the teeth or inner edge of the ring g. The upper end of each boss or socket h, is wedge formed, fitting into a square central hole in the bottom of the bobbin, so that the bobbin may bear upon and be affixed to the loose socket, and yet turn freely upon the dead spindle. On the top of each bobbin, on the dead spindle, a loose cap piece k, is placed, which carries the hook or thread guider 7; this cap piece is drawn round by the draft of the thread, proceeding from the bobbin to the reel above.

The main spindle b, having been put in rotary motion by the driving band, the plate d, with the bobbins, will be carried round within the ring g; and the pinions i, i, upon the sockets h, being in gear with the teeth of the stationary ring g, will, with the bobbins, be made to rotate upon the dead spindles, and to give an independent rotary motion to each bobbin upon its own axes, in addition to their revolution on the main spindle b.

By these means the threads of silk, drawn from the bobbins, will each be spun separately, and, when combined at the hooks above, will become doubled and thrown,which three processes are thus performed simultaneously by the same operation of the machinery.

The thread or filament, drawn from each bobbin, in proceeding to the receiving or winding bobbin or reel above, passes through the hook or guider 7, into the cap piece, and through the stationary guider m, suspended over the bobbin, and thence under the central hooks n, and o, where the doubling and throwing process commences. The construction of the central hooks, and their mode of operating upon the threads, will be best seen by reference to the auxiliary fig. 3. The hook n, is fixed, and stands firm and erect, but the hook o, is loose, and capable of falling over toward either side, it being kept up by the tension of the threads passing under it. In the event of one of the threads breaking, the centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the spindle, will cause the hook o, to fall over on that side which is not supported, toward the unbroken thread; and then an arm p, extending from the cap piece k, will, as the bobbin revolves, come in contact with the fallen hook, (as shewn by dots in fig. 1,) which will stop the rotation of the cap piece and guider, and necessarily break the other thread, thereby preventing the doubling and throwing operations from being partially and imperfectly conducted.

I have described the rotation of the bobbins upon their dead spindles, as produced by the toothed pinions, acting in the circular rack. I do not, however, intend to confine my improved construction of machinery to that mode of actuating the bobbins, as it must be obvious that a similar rotary motion might be given to the bobbins by friction, or by bands, or by other constructions of toothed gear, in the manner shewn at figs. 4, 5, and 6, or by any other arrangement or means

And I would remark, that though only two delivering bobbins are shewn in the figures, yet I intend to avail myself of similar modes of driving three or more bobbins in

a set, if required; and when tram only is required to be produced, I dispense with the mechanical contrivances by which the bobbins are made to rotate on the dead spindles. When three bobbins are adapted in a set, I construct the thread-breaking apparatus, as shewn at fig. 7.

Figs. 8 and 9, represent, in perspective, two views of the apparatus, to be appended to a machine for spinning and doubling, by which, in the event of one thread breaking, the other thread will immediately be broken by the falling of a bent lever. In fig. 8, the two threads a, and b, are shewn severally, passed round a glass friction stud c, c, and beneath the upper arms of bent lever hooks d, d, and e, e. If the thread a, should become broken, the upper arm of the lever hook d, which is supported by the thread, will immediately fall into the position shewn by dots, and the reverse or lower end of the lever d, will come forward, as shewn by dots, and catch hold of the other thread b, which, by the rotation of the bobbin below, will instantly break, and so cause the operation of the spinning and doubling to be suspended. Fig. 9, shews the position of the apparatus when this has taken place. Two bent wires or levers f, f, are applied for the purpose of raising the lever hooks from the positions shewn in fig. 9, to those in fig. 8.

Fig. 10, represents, in front elevation, part of a machine for winding long reeled silk. Fig. 11, is an end elevation of the same. By means of this machine, long reeled silk (which has heretofore been found so difficult to wind) can, by dividing the hank into several skeins, and folding the skeins over tension rollers into half lengths, be as easily wound as from the short reeled hanks. The skein having been folded into half its length, the two extremities of the skein are passed over the roller a, at top, and the middle part of the skein under the hanging roller b, at bottom,

and having found the end of the thread, conduct that end to the winding roller c, and proceed, as in the ordinary winding process. For lightness, I usually make the rollers, in the lantern, form the upper turning, on fixed axles; the lower on their own pivots, in a lever frame, which is shewn detached, in perspective, at fig. 12. This frame hangs as a lever, and may be weighted for the purpose of keeping the skein of silk always in tension.

The expanding swift, for winding raw silk, is formed by two discs of wood or other fit material A, and в, which being brought together, the arms of the swift c, extend out between them. Fig. 13, shews the swift, so constructed, as it would appear sideways, with the arms extending radially from it; fig. 14, is an edge view of the same; fig. 15, represents the inner surface of one disc A; and fig. 16, of the other disc B. One of the arms c, is shewn detached, in two positions, at figs. 17 and 18. A pin a, fixed near the inner end of the arm c, is intended to be inserted into the disc, as at a, a, a, in fig. 15; and similar pins c, c, c, are fixed in the disc B, fig. 16, which last-mentioned pin, when the discs are brought together, as at fig. 14, passes into the slot b, formed in the arm c, near its inner ends, and then acts as a guide to determine the position of the arm; that is, whether it shall stand radially, as at fig. 13, or approaching to a tangent, as shewn by dots.

In the centre of the disc a, fig. 15, a coiled spring d, is placed, its inner extremity being made fast to the disc a, and the other, or outer extremity, to the disc в, when they are brought together; by then moving back the disc B, upon its centre, that is, causing it to slide round part of a rotation, the pin a, will be brought into the situation, shewn by dots, at fig. 13, whilst the pin c, remains stationary, and acting in the slot b, which throws the arm c,