378
COURT PLASTER.
driving-pulley of the respective mules, sufficient to maintain the motion of the mulewhilst spinning, which weight, being multiplied by the length of strap delivered by eachrevolution of the pulley, and again by the number of revolutions made by the pulleywhilst spinning, gave the total force in pounds, applied to the respective mules whilstspinning; for instance, suppose a mule to be driven by a pulley 12 inches diameter (3 - 14feet in circumference), such pulley making 58 revolutions during the spinning as above,and that it required a force equal to 30 lbs. weight to maintain the motion of the mule,then 30 lbs. X 3-14 feet circumference of pulley X 58 revolutions in spinning = 5,463 lbs.of force employed during the spinning, to the period of backing off.
Mr. James Smith, of Deanstone cotton works in Scotland , obtained a patent for theinvention of a self-actor, in February, 1834. He does not perform the backing-off byreversing the rotation of the spindle, as in common mules, or as in Mr. Roberts’, hut byelevating the counlerfaller wire, which, being below the ends of the yarn or thread,along the whole extent of the carriage, thereby pulls off or strips the spiral coils at thepoint of the spindle, instead of unwinding them, as of old. This movement he con-siders to be of great importance towards simplifying the machinery for rendering themule self-acting; and the particular way in which he brings the stripper into action isno doubt ingenious, but it has been supposed by many to strain the yarn. He claims ashis invention the application and adaptation of a mangle wheel or mangle rack to themule, for effecting certain successive movements, either separately or in conjunction ; heclaims that arrangement of the carriages of a pair of mules, by which the stretch iscaused to take place over part of the same ground by both carriages, and thereby thespace required for- the working of the pair of mules is greatly diminished; and he claimsthe application of a weight, spring, or friction, for balancing the tension of the ends ofthe threads.
A patent was granted, in April, 1835, to Mr. Joseph Whitworth, engineer in Man-chester, for some ingenious modifications of the mechanism of the mule, subservient toautomatic purposes. His machinery is designed, first, to traverse the carriage in andout, by means of screws or worm-shafts, which are placed so as to keep the carriageparallel to the drawing rollers, and prevent the necessity of squaring bands, hithertouniversally employed : secondly, his invention consists in an improved manner of work-ing the drums of a self-acting mule by gear; thirdly, in the means of effecting tbsbacking off; fourthly, in the mechanism for working the faller-wire in buildingthe cops; and fifthly, in the apparatus for effecting the winding of the yarns uponthe spindles. As regards the throstles and doubling frames, his improvements apPO>first, to the peculiar method of constructing and adapting the flyers and spindles, anproducing the drag; and, secondly, to the arrangement of the other parts of the doublingmachinery. .
See Lace-Making, Singeing, Textile Fabric , Thread Manufacture, anWeaving .
The Imports of Cotton Wool for home consumption into the United Kingdom were,the year ending 5lh January—
1836.
1837.
From the British possessions in America -----
do. do. East Indies - - - -
United States of America -------
Otherwise imported ------------
lbs.
1,346,220
43,404,058
287,346,721
26,879,779
5,184,743
6,789,603
lbs.
1,041,43434,060,055309,027,306
20,822,5097,465,7745,602,602_
Total ---------
370,951,124
378,019^680
The Exports of Cotton Manufactures.
—. Yam - -- -- -- --
£
18,511,692
6,120,366
£
13,625,464
COURT PLASTER is a considerable object of manufacture. It is made as ra _Black silk is strained and brushed over ten or twelve times with the following P 0 ftion:—Dissolve | an ounce of balsam of benzoin in 6 ounces of rectified sp ^wine; and in a separate vessel dissolve 1 ounce of isinglass in as little water as ar t s
Strain each solution, mix them, and let the mixture rest, so that any undisso v roe d
may subside ; when the clear liquid is cold it will form a jelly, which must gt j, e
before it is applied to the silk. When the silk coated with it is quite dry, »