This " tumbler " or " latch " needle has since become an important feature in many machines constructed for the manufacture of fancy hosiery. It is now in extensive use, in this country, as well as on the Continent, and in America, to which last country Townahend subsequently emigrated.
Thompson, whose name has been mentioned, in 1853, took out a further patent for improve ments in looped fabrics, made upon the circular ribbing-machine, in conjunction with Hine, Mundella, and Co. By this improvement, the thread from the cop was carried under the frame needle beards by a looping-wheel. As these needles were carried around, they were depressed by the lower part of the collar, thereby bringing their beards to the frame-presser ; after pressing, the work was pushed over by the top of the collar. The work was next drawn back ready for the machine-presser to operate upon it, at which position, a plate drew the machine needles back, and the work was pushed over, the frame needles rising and the machine needles being thrown out, which completed the course.
and patented the improvement in conjunction with Hine, Mundella, and Co. Both frame and attachment wero actuated by rotary motion. Up to that time, only one or two hose of fashioned quality had been made in their widest parta on one machine ; but by thia invention, from two to ten hose wore enabled to be made at once, with leas labour to the workman, at leas cost, and with a greatly increased production. The invention was also applied to the manufacture of other articles, aa shirts, drawers, half-hose, &o.
Several minor inventions, but of a useful character, were brought out under the auspices of the same firm, and also by other individuals. Amongst these, may be mentioned one by Mowbray, of Leicester, which was an arrangement by which a stocking-frame was rendered capable of widen ing or narrowing at will, by the application of a jacquard apparatus. This plan has been used extenaively by the Leicester manufacturers, it being better adapted for the woollen hosiery trade than for cotton and merino, of which the Nottingham trade chiefly consists.
The next inventor who has left an important impression upon the trade is William Cotton, of Loughborough, whose first patent was taken out in 1851, for the widening of the fabric by the action of the machine working upon rotary power. In 1860, he added an arrangement by which it was rendered capable of narrowing as well as widening. In 1863, be effected further improvements on the above, rearranging the parts so as to place them on a horizontal plan, instead of a perpendi cular one, aa previously. The widening and narrowing procesaes are accomplished by the action of ticklers, having one or more points in each, and which are placed on a movable rod so ingeniously and accurately adjusted as to obey a aide movement either way, to the extent of the distance of one needle only, whatever may be the gauge, and to take off, remove, and put on to the next needles, any number of stitches required. The narrowed selvage was perfect; the widened one, though not so
good, was sufficient for the purpose.
A notable improvement in hoaiery machinery was contributed by W. C. Gist, an American, who took out an English patent in 1858 for a circular machine, to be supplied by any number of feeders up to eight, where only one had been worked before. This greatly increased the productive power, and enabled striped work, containing up to 16 colours, to be made at once. With a head of 12 in. circumference, 350 courses, or 1 yd., can be knit in a minute, which is equal to a length of web sufficient to form 150 doz. of women's hose in a week. Hine, Mundella, and Co. secured the patent right of the machine in this country, and while in their hands, it was simplified and improved by Thompson, the inventor of the circular rib-frame. Thompson replaced the ordinary needle by Townabend'a tumbler-needle, and the improvement was so manifest as to secure its immediate and extensive adoption in the Leicester trade.
The name of Moses Mellor is a distinguished one in the annals of invention connected witli hosiery machinery. In 1844, Mellor improved Brunel's round stocking-frame, by placing the needles perpendicularly, instead of in a radial horizontal circle, and operated on them outside by an indented loop-wheel roller. Still further to secure an equal division of the loops, in 1849, he added a second wheel of the same kind to follow the first. In the same year, he devoted his attention to the wide power stocking-frame, into which he introduced a thread layer, by which the yarn was placed between the needles where the selvage had to be formed, without disturbing them, thua dispensing with the plan of raising them out of the way. In 1863, Mellor invented a series of modifications of the round stocking-frame, by which he was enabled to produce plain, striped, and fashioned fabrics. In the same year, he secured a patent for an invention to be applied to a recipro cating straight-bar frame, making one or more breadths at once, or to a reciprocating circular frame making one or more breadths at once, by the application of which, was produced a fabric either plain, or ribbed in one part and with loose loops on the other part, the patterns varying according to the setting of the machine. In 1863, he also constructed a wide or longitudinal fashioning rib frame. This invention, which increased the production more than tenfold over the original Derby rib-frame, he threw open to the trade.