ds
of the fibres whilst under the control of the nipper, after which two
pairs of rollers return a sufficient portion of the previously combed
film to overlap, and to enable the front rollers to engage the fringe.
The rollers then draw a part of the fringe through the teeth of the
top comb, which, as a sequence, treats all but the forward ends of the
fibres. Since one passage through the cylinder and top combs completes
the operation for one set of fibres, this machine gives a higher
production; it also gives a wider range of adaptability, and a lower
percentage of waste than the Heilmann machine.

[Illustration: FIG. 6.]

_The Drawing Frame._--For fine counts the slivers from the comber, and
for low or medium counts those from the card, are passed to the
drawing frame, because in both conditions the material is irregularly
distributed throughout the several slivers, and it is the function of
the drawing frame to eliminate all such irregularities by drawing
several slivers down to the dimensions of one, for here the processes
of combination and attenuation are carried further than in any other
machine. A drawing frame consists of three or four heads, each of four
pairs of drawing rollers (A, B, fig. 6). The lower rollers (B) are
fluted longitudinally and the upper ones (A) are covered with leather,
and weighted as at (H) to give the two a proper hold of the cotton.
Each head contains several deliveries. Six or eight slivers (C) are
put up to each delivery and drawn down into one by causing succeeding
lines of rollers (A, B) to move at an accelerated speed; the front one
revolving about six or eight times faster than the back one. On
leaving the front roller the sliver is conducted to a trumpet-shaped
tube (D), thence between a pair of calender rollers (E), and, finally,
through a diagonal passage in a plate (F); the latter coils the sliver
into a rotating can (G). Back and front devices are provided to arrest
motion in this machine when a sliver fails. At the back, each sliver
passes over and depresses a separate spoon-shaped lever (I), thereby
lifting the hooked lower end of (I) high enough to allow an arm (J) to
vibrate. On the failure of a sliver the hook of (I) engages with (J)
and dislocates the driving gear. In front, the trumpet-shaped tube (D)
is mounted on a lever (K), and so long as a sliver presses down the
mouth of (D), the machine cont