Tho 11ev. Dr. Cartwright, brother of the lath Major Cartwright, happened, in 1734, to be in conversation with some gentlemen, con cerning Arkwright'a spinning machinery. It was observed that, ao soon as Arkwright'a patent expired, so many mills would bo erected, and so much cotton spun, that hands would not be found to weave it. Cartwright remarked that Arkwright mast, in that case, invent weaving machinery ; and the idea, thus suggested by himself, seems to have taken hold of his mind ; for he aeon afterwards endeavoured to form a machine which should imitate the three movements in weaving. He succeeded so far As to produce a machine, which be patented in 1785; and another, for which a patent was obtained in 1787. He tried to establish a power-loom weaving factory at Doncaster, but failed : Messrs. Grineshaw also endeavoured to set Cartwright's machines at work at Manchester, but similarly failed from various causes; and, after many years of labour, many patents, and an expenditure of 40,0001., Dr. Cartwright was compelled, in 1903, to ask for a grant from Parliament as a return for his losses and exertions. Parliament awarded him 10,000/. One cause which thus delayed the adoption of power-looms was the necessity for stopping the machine frequently, in order to dress tho warp as it unrolled from the beam, which operation required a man to be employed for each loom, so that there was no saving of expense. In the year 1802, Mr. Itadcliff'e, a cotton manu facturer of Stockport, aided by a workman, Thomas Johnson, made many contrivances with a view to remedy this inconvenience, and at length produced the admirable dressing-maehine of modern factories, by which the warp is dressed before it goes into the loom. At a sub sequent period Mr. Horrocks and Mr. liaraland, both of Stockport, made other Improvements, which brought the steam-engine fairly into use for weaving operations, and thus power-looms because established. Still more recently, Mr. Hobert.% of the firm of Sharp and Roberta, at Manchester, brought the power-loom to a state of high perfection ; and every year adds more and more to the number of such looms employed in manufacturiug districts.
The application of the power-loom renders necessary the employ ment of other machines likewise, to effect those preparatory operations which, in hand-loom weaving, are effected by very simple means. If we take a piece of calico as the representative of plain fabrics generally, the mode of proceeding in power-loom factories may be shortly sketched as follows :— The varping-fraest, instead of being employed on the acme principle as the warping-mill sketched in a former page, is so arranged as to bo worked by steam-power. Several bobbins, arranged with their axes parallel and horizontal, in a compartment at one end of the Immo, yield the yarn which is to be collected into a warp. The yarns, pro ceeding from the bobbins, pass under some rollers and over others, until all are brought into a parallel layer, a comb of fine wires being employed to separate the yarns equidistantly. Tho yarns are then collected and coiled on a cylindrical beam, which is removed from the socirping-frent, and transferred to the dressing-machine. This latter is a large piece of mechanism, by which the contents of eight rollers from the warping-frame are collected on one roller or beam, which is to form the warp-beam of the loom ; and in their passage the yarn-threads are coated with the paste or mucilage-dressing, and dried. Four of
the rollers are placed at one end of the machine, and four at the other; and the yarns, proceeding from thence, pass between rollers, of which the lowermost dips Into tho paste, end becomes thus coated with it ; they then pass under and over brushes, by which the paste is rubbed into the fibres ; then over a steam-heated copper box, by which they are dried ; and, lastly, are wound on tho warp-beam.
The preparation of tho warp in the loom, comprising what are called the drawing and mounting, is more simple for the power-loom than for the hand-loom, but is still somewhat intricate. When, however, this is effected, steam-power does all the rest : it forms the shed or division of the warp into two parts ; it throws the shuttle ; it drives up the weft with the batten ; it unwinds the warp from the warp-roller; and winds the woven material on the cloth-roller. Part of these operations may bo illustrated by fig. 0, in which some of the mechanism is omitted to render tho rest more clear. The warp, unwinding from the beam A, and bending round the roller B, passes through the two leaves of huddles c c, by which the shed is formed for receiving the shuttle at D; and after the action of the batten (not here shown) the finished cloth s results.
The pressing, finishing, dreeering, &c., which the woven goods receive, whether woven by the power-loom or the hand-loom, depend, of oourae, on the nature of the fabric. One of the most important of these pro ceases, by which the plain goods become diversified with ornament, is described under CALICO l'userixo.
Weaving, like all other parts of textile manufacture, has been marked by the introduction of many new forme of apparatus within the last few years. We will briefly mention the names of a few, as samples of the whole. Messrs. Tatton and Hodgkinaon have a new small-ware loon), for weaving all kinds of narrow work, such as ribbon., galloons, chintz-lace, bed-lace, carpet-binding, tapes, &c. Mr. Somerville has introduced a new form of steam-power loom for twill, diaper, and worsted goods, especially intended for varying the effects in the same 1 web by varying the shod-action. Mr. Macfarlane, of Cowrie, introduced an arrangement In 1853 for enabling a loom to supply its own shuttle with fresh warp when exhausted or broken, and also to stop Itself when any definite number of warp-threads have become broken. Mr. Ingram, of Bradford, patented in 19130 mechanism for obtaining continuous action in looms; that is, a method of supplying the loom with weft without stopping it to change the bobbin or cop ; or of giving an addl. tlonal supply of weft while the loom is in action, and whether the weft be all used up or only broken. Mr. Schwabe has invented an ingenious way of weaving flounced dresses. To effect this there Is an additional warp-beam laid beside the usual ono : the warp from this beam ie brought Into use in producing the body of the dress; but when a fringe, cording, &c., is wanted for a flounce, a portion of the other ware is brought forward by itself; or else this second warp may only be used In the flounce, and cut off at regular intervals.