On the front of the casing e, a alideway is formed parallel to the axis of the roller r, upon which is fitted a slide t carrying a finger u for inserting the new wire, and the pawl v for withdrawing the last wire. The finger is hinged upon the slide t by a spring-joint, as shown in the se,ction, so as to be steadily held when either up or down. When down,. as in Fig. 1484, it slides against the inserting edge of the casing e; and a recess in the extremity of the finger fits over the head of the wire that is being inserted, so that, as the slide t traverses inwards towards the carpet, the finger u pushes the wire forwards into the shed, holding it down into the groove of the roller. When the slide arrives at the inner end of its traverse nearest to the carpet, the pawl v is tripped up by the head of the wire next to be withdrawn, and drops on the inner side of the bead, and the wire is then with drawn by the pawl during the outward traverse of the slide t. In order to prevent the wire, whilst being withdrawn, escap_ ing from the groove in the roller, several curved fingers k are used, jointed to the under side of the casing. The ends of these fingers cover the groove which receives the wire withdrawn, as shown by the dotted lines in the section, and each finger is pressed down upon the roller by a spring acting against the side of the hole through which the finger passes in the casing e. These fingers have to be lifted out of the way successively, in order to allow the head of the wire to pass; and this is done by a double incline / upon the bottom of the slide t, which acts upon the projecting tail of each finger in succession during the traverse of the slide.
The slide receives its traversing motion from a rope x, which is secured in a hole in the slide by a block and set-screws, Fig. 1484 ; this rope passes over guide-pulleys at the ends of the roller easing 8, and then downwards to a larger pulley not shown in the drawings, to which the two ends of the rope are secured. The shaft of this pulley carries a pinion-gearing with a toothed sector, which is centred at the top in the framing of the loom, and is worked backwards and forwards by a drum-cam upon a shaft behind. This cam is shaped to produce a quick forward traverse of the slide t, so as to insert the wire quickly whilst the shed is held open for it; but it gives a slower backward traverse to the slide, so as to withdraw the wire slowly, having more time in which to perform this operation, as a wire is inserted only in every third shed.
After each wire has been inserted, the wire roller r is turned round through rev. in the direction of the arrow, by means of appropriate mechanism. A cam upon the end of the cam-shaft gives motion to a lever, oscillating upon a centre in the framing of the loom ; and the other end of this lever has a forked pawl jointed to it, which is kept pressed by a spring against the pins in the disc n, secured upon the end of the wire roller. The wire is held steady by a T-piece sliding
vertically, and which is pressed upwards by a spring against the pins in the disc n. The wires lying in the grooves of the roller, previous to insertion into the fabric, project 2-3 in. beyond the inner end of the roller ; and if the point of the wire went straight forwards as pushed from the roller groove, it would be impossible to make it enter the shed correctly, as it would then be so close to the fell of the fabric, or junction of the warp threads forming the fell or angle of the shed, that the point of the wire would inevitably catch these threads. The wire is consequently sprung or deflected upwards, as shown at a, Fig. 1485, by means of the short grooved guide z, through which the wire passes as it is pushed out of the roller groove. This guide is fixed upon the top of a vertical rod which is moved up and down by a lever actuated by a cam, and when the wire has been pushed nearly through the shed, the guide is lowered into the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1484, to be out of the way of the wire at the moment of its being driven up by the reed, after which it is lifted again to be ready for the insertion of the next wire. The springing of the wires by the guide in directing them into the shed might at first sight appear objectionable, but the amount of this bending does not exceed what they will recover by their own elasticity, and the experience of working during several years has proved it to be of great advantage, because the bending stiffens the wire and makes its point steadier whilst passing through the shed. Besides this, in consequence of the angle at which the guide causes the wire to enter the shed, the point of the wire comes into a wider part of the shed, the further it passes through the shed ; and thus BS the unsteadiness of the point of the wire increases with the greater length unsupported in the shed, more apace is allowed for its vibration without risk of its catching the threads forming the shed.
Owing to the position of the roller wire-motion at one side of the loom, the shuttle-box on that side has to be made detached from the ordinary sley or batten. It is therefore carried upon separate sley-swords, which oscillate upon a shaft coincidiug with the shaft of the ordinary sley. This loose shuttle-box is actuated by a cam upon the crank-shaft of the loom, which acts upon a roller in a rod jointed at one end to the shuttle-box, the other end of the rod being slotted to slide npon the crank-shaft as a guide. The cam is shaped ao as to actuate the loose shuttle-box in such a manner that it will come opposite to the sley and have a motion identical with it at the time the shuttle is passing into the shed. The description of this ingenious attachment to the carpet-loom is substantially that of the inventor. On good looms, to which it has been added, a production of 42 yd. a day as an average is easily attainable, including stoppages.