ing. The travelling carriage and blocks now retire, by the agency of the mangle-wheel and pinion 3, and 4, the pinion being fast upon the end of the shaft 2, and the wheel being fast upon the other shaft 5, in a line with the shaft 2. At this time, another operation of the machine takes place :—

Upon the reverse end of the shaft 5, is a pinion 11, gearing with the spur-wheel 12; and by means of the spurgearing 6, and 13, and counter-shaft 14, the pinion 15, drives the spur-wheel 16, which corresponds to the wheel 12, on the other side of the machine. To one of the arms of these spur-wheels are attached, by bolts, two quadrant levers 17, 17; and as these wheels revolve, by means of the gearing just described, the levers 17, 17, draw down the chains 18, 18, actuate the levers 19, and 20, and thus elevate the whole series of printing blocks in the parallel grooves 21, 21, at the same time pressing or closing them into one mass or block, by expanding the springs 22, 22, and at the next advance of the carriage caused, at the proper interval, by the agency of the mangle-wheel, the blocks are made to impress the pattern upon the surface of the goods, at once, in four or more different colors, and in one, two, or more widths of cloth, at one operation.

The cloth is now drawn forward, for the space of the exact width of one of the blocks or sketch of the design, by means of the spur-wheels and pinions 23, 23, and passed around heated cylinders g, g, if necessary, and between the delivering-rollers, out of the machine. These operations are to be repeated, by the continuous rotation of the main driving-shaft, until the printing is completed, the colors making a single advance upon the pattern at every presentation of the blocks, until the whole number of blocks have been presented to the same space or portion of the goods successively.

It will be observed, that steam-pipes 24, are to be in connection with the printing table and drying cylinders, in order to supply a degree of steam-heat during the operation, which may be regulated at pleasure.

To give suitable intervals of rest and motion to the various parts of the driving gear, an ordinary clutch-box 25,

shewn in the drawing fig. 1, and regulated by suitable stops, fixed to the travelling carriage, is used for throwing the wheel p, in and out of gear with the pinion o;-this is to prevent cloth or colors from being dragged upon the blocks or cloth.

The patentee claims the novel arrangement and construction of mechanism or apparatus, for printing calicoes, muslins, and other fabrics, as exhibited in the drawings, and herein particularly set forth, without being confined to the precise form or dimensions thereof.-[Inrolled in the Rolls Chapel Office, February, 1840.]

Specification drawn by Messrs. Newton and Son.

To GEORGE CLARKE, of Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, manufacturer, for certain improvements in the construction of looms for weaving.-[Sealed 23rd January, 1840.]

THE object of these improvements, is to obtain, by more efficient mechanism than has hitherto been employed, a variety of patterns or devices, in the fabrics woven in looms.

The invention may be said to consist, firstly, in a peculiar and novel construction and arrangement of mechanism, forming an endless and flexible rack of teeth or tappets, to be employed in looms, in place of the ordinary revolving tappet-plates or wheels; and secondly, in the application and use of such apparatus, in combination with certain other arrangements of mechanism.

The variety of patterns is obtained by a greater extent of operations being afforded to such working parts of the loom as are required to shift the healds or shafts, for shedding the warps, in order to work or produce the pattern or figure, without the assistance of the Jacquard machine, or any similar figuring apparatus.

This improved mechanism, which may be readily applied to any fancy or figure loom, is so constructed, that a great variety of shifts, changes, or "numbers to the

round," may be readily accomplished, before it becomes necessary to repeat the order of shedding or recommencing the same pattern or figure, by renewing "the round" (as it is termed by the weaver) and any required alteration in the figure to be produced, may be made with facility and speed; that is, the "reading on" of the tappets or teeth, may be varied to a much greater extent, than can be commonly done by the ordinary tappet wheels.

The patentee remarks, that he is aware of endless chains or ladders having been heretofore employed, for the purpose of changing or shedding the warps, but they are constructed so as to carry rollers, revolving on certain bars, as their axles, and adjustable longitudinally in their situation thereon; which rollers act upon certain vertical levers, and thereby effect the shedding of the warps.

This improved figuring apparatus, or flexible tappet rack, however, is formed by simply providing a given number of bars or ribs of a certain length, according to the number of shafts or healds employed in the loom, or the width they occupy, and placing them at certain distances apart. Upon these bars are mounted, in any convenient manner, teeth, tappets, or studs, capable of being readily adjusted, as the different patterns or devices to be woven may require; the whole are formed into an endless flexible rack or band of tappets, by side bands, belts, or chains, hereafter more particularly detailed.

In order that this invention may be more perfectly understood, two modes of applying the improvements are shewn in the drawings.

Plate X., fig. 1, is a front view of a power loom, representing the application of one description or arrangement of the improved endless belt or chain of tappets to a loom for weaving figured fustians; and fig. 2, is an end elevation of the same. The ordinary framing or loomsides, are shewn at A, A, supporting the warp roller B, from whence the warp threads c, proceed through the heddles D, also through the reed E, of the vibrating lathe F, over the breast beam G, to the cloth or work roller H, as usual. The ordinary crank shaft of the loom is shewn at 1, from

which motion is communicated to the improved mechanism, attached to the side of the loom, and supported in a separate framing a, a, as follows:

Upon the end of the crank shaft 1, is fixed the crank plate b, revolving in the ordinary direction, and actuating the link c, attached at its upper end, by a pin, to the crank plate, and at its lower end to the lever d. This lever d, vibrates upon its fulcrum at e, and carries, at one extremity, a draw catch f. This apparatus is seen detached from the loom in fig. 3, and is designed for the purpose of actuating the catch-wheel g, one tooth at every revolution of the crank shaft; the catch-wheel g, is mounted upon the shaft h, (see detached fig. 4,) and upon this shaft, the notched guide-wheels i, i, i, are also fixed; around and taking into which, the flexible rack or belt of tappets k, k, k, passes; this tappet rack is conducted over similar notched or guide wheels 1, 1, supported at the top by the frame a, a, and around a tension pulley m, placed about midway in the frame, for the purpose of assisting the drag or weight of the tappet-rack.

It will now be seen, that as the travelling tappet-rack proceeds in the direction of the arrows, that the teeth, studs, or tappets,,, of which it is partly composed, (and which it will be evident to the practical weaver, are so placed, arranged, or " read on," according to the pattern or device to be woven,) will strike against the heads of the heddle levers n, n, n, with one of which, each heddle D, is in connection. These levers n, n, n, are all suspended, and vibrate upon the shaft or fulcrum o, and are each connected by means of links or wires p, p, to the hooked lifters q, q, q, for the purpose of throwing the lifters into the position, where they may be acted upon by the rising cross-bar r.

The requisite action of the rising and falling bars r, r*, is effected, simultaneously, with the progressive motion of the tappet-rack k, k, also by means of the link o, vibrating the lever d; on the other extremity of which, the connecting lever s, is attached, which is jointed, at its lower end, to the crank t, fixed upon the roller u, around which a

strap or belt v, v, passes, and over a similar roller u, at top. To this strap v, the bars r, *, are fixed; and it will be seen, that as the strap traverses, by means of the vibrating action imparted to the crank b, the requisite alternate raising and depressing of these bars is accomplished; they are kept in parallel positions, by traversing up and down in mortices, in the frame a, a. The heddle levers n, n, are also brought into the position, where they may be acted upon by the falling bar r*, by means of the weight n*, with which each lever is furnished.

The hooked lifters q, q, are each separately connected by a pin 1, to vibrating treadles w, w, working on their fulcrum shaft x, fixed to the frame a. These treadles w, w, are connected, at their extremities, by means of the wires y, y, y, to the ordinary top and bottom jacks ≈, ≈, ≈, and, by the customary stringing, to the heddles D, and thus, as the tappet-belt or rack revolves, will shed the warp, and consequently work the pattern.

Fig. 5, represents a portion of the tappet-rack detached, upon a larger scale, and fig. 6, the several pieces of which the improved endless tappet-rack is composed. 1, shews a front view, and 2, a back view, of the perforated bar, for receiving the studs, teeth, or tappets 2;-3, the nut, by which the tappets are held, and adjustable in the bar. A number of these bars, placed at suitable distances apart, and furnished with the necessary number of holes for "reading on" the tappet-studs, as the pattern requires, are formed into an endless rack, belt, or chain, by being screwed or otherwise fixed upon a band, composed of canvass, tape, and leather, cemented together by means of a solution of caoutchouc.

At fig. 7, a modification of the improvements, and the mode of applying the same to figure or fancy looms, is shewn. The drawing represents a partial sectional view of the figuring apparatus, attached to an ordinary loom side. An endless belt, or rack of teeth, studs, or tappets a, a, a, passes around, and is progressively actuated by the grooved rollers b, b, b, supported in the framing c, c, c, attached to the side of the loom.

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