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we feel we have been justified in going to the small expense we have in getting a good card.

Mr. S. N. BOURNE.

I would like to ask Mr. THOMAS how

many cards he runs on each railway head.

Mr. THOMAS. Well, nine cards. There are about eight running all the time.

The PRESIDENT. Eighty-five pounds each card?

Mr. THOMAS. Yes, sir.

Mr. D. M. THOMPSON. Mr. President, I came in late, and have not had the pleasure of listening to the presentation of the subject; but I can see that benefits may be derived from the licker-in and shell-feed system as now applied to cotton cards. It is doubtless an important matter. It occurs to me there may be some members present who have had experience with the shell-feed, under the conditions that existed in reference to its clothing prior to the application of the roll. I think the subject is so important that it ought not to be left without some further information, if it is obtainable. It seems to me that the trial, if made simultaneously with the application of fillet clothing that adds thirty per cent. of wire, would have a tendency to mislead in reference to the merits of a shellfeed. I simply suggest the matter, but do not propose to discuss it. If there are members present who have had that experience, it would be very valuable to the Association if they would present their views

Mr. GARSED. Mr. President, some years ago we imported a large quantity of cards. Their feed was shell-feed, but in watching the operation of the card we found the cotton was torn through by snatches, as we found, in this double-carding yarn. Looking into the matter, we found that there had been no provision made for the accuracy of the roller to fit into the shell when the edge of the shell terminated parallel with the edge of the licker-in. The consequence was that we had very bad work. This was from bad workmanship on the part of the machinist, and not bad principle in the machine itself, and it comes under the same head that you have heard me speak of several times in this room. That is, we do not pay enough

money to have the machine properly made. A shell-feed is very valuable if it is properly made, but it is the most miserable thing in the world if it is badly made; so it comes right back to this, make the machine right, put money into the machine to make it perfect, and you will have the best machine in the world. I think the trouble has been heretofore from want of proper workmanship in making the shell-feed.

Mr. O. S. BROWN. I would like to ask Mг. THOMAS a question in regard to a matter that struck me as being very peculiar. We all know that split laps are very troublesome, and I find he has corrected that on his card. I would like to know if he can give me any idea how that was corrected there. Did he relocate his laps? Why didn't it split, if it split on his old card?

Mr. THOMAS. I do not know that I have ever seen a split lap in the card room to which I referred with the Connelly method in use on these 280 Foss & Pevey cards; whereas before it was a constant and serious trouble.

Mr. BROWN. Do you use a Connelly feed, Mr. Thomas? Mr. THOMAS. Yes.

Mr. BROWN. On all your cards?

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Mr. BROWN. And they split, with Connelly feed?

Mr. THOMAS. Yes, sir. I will state we have used the Connelly method on the English cards with very satisfactory results.

Mr. SOUTHWORTH. Mr. President, in further reply to Mr. Brown's question, I will say I have applied the shell-feed to 45 Foss & Pevey cards, making no other change in those cards excepting to speed the cylinder from 130 to 155; a perceptible advantage in the quality of the work being shown. I am not able to give any figures on it, but it is a matter of judgment.

The PRESIDENT. We changed at one of our mills one section of the breaker cards to shell-feed; I have no figures to present as to the result, but the improvement to the carding was very evident. We intended at that time to apply the shell-feed to all of our common American breaker cards; but, later, we concluded that the cards in this particular mill

should be taken out, and the revolving top card substituted; but I know that the shell-feed is a good thing. How good it is, and how much it did for us, I cannot say.

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, at the time you changed your shell-feed did you change the licker-in?

The PRESIDENT. We applied the licker-in at the same time. Mr. BOURNE. Did you have the licker-in before?

The PRESIDENT. No, sir.

Mr. FLATHER. Mr. President, I would like to ask Mr. THOMAS if he applied the licker-in and perforated screen in addition to what he has already stated.

Mr. THOMAS. We applied all these things to the cards at the same time. The trouble was putting on the perforated screen to the licker-in, and one adjustable knife, so as to be set up closer or further away. The work was done by the Lowell Machine Shop.

Mr. O. S. BROWN. Mr. THOMAS made a great many changes on his card, and they were all good, I have no doubt; but I am very confident that some men have put the shell-feed on their cards, and made no other changes. I trust we shall hear from them. Mr. KENT, do you know of anybody who has tried it?

Mr. HERVEY KENT. If you refer to me, I should say no. One point I would like to have brought out is, what is the cost of simply the shell roll; where you have a licker-in now, and make the change?

The PRESIDENT. I presume Mr. FLATHER could tell us

about that.

Mr. FLATHER. Well, we have nothing definite regarding the cost. We did some work for the Pepperell Mills, and if I remember correctly, it was something between thirty and forty dollars per card; but we never advocated putting them on unless a licker-in screen and knives were also applied, and it is probably doubtful if the desired results would be obtained without them. The shell-feed is very good in itself, but does not add any more than Mr. LEIGH has given it credit for. So as far as being able to run any more through a card, or other advantage, is con

cerned, probably the reclothing of the cards, and putting on filets instead of sheets, had more to do with it than the shellfeed.

The PRESIDENT. When we applied the shell-feed, we also applied the licker-in at the same time. Some of the members may infer that the advantage came from the licker-in rather than the shell-feed; but I do not think so. I am of the opinion that the good results produced are pretty evenly divided between these two appliances.

Mr. BOURNE. Mr. President, I would like to inquire if there is any one who has had the licker-in with the rolls, who has just taken the rolls out and put in the shell-feed with the same licker-in, on breaker card; and if they always had the licker-in with the rolls, and used this saw-tooth fillet.

Mr. A. F. KNIGHT. Mr. President, it seems to me that the use of the shell-feed implies the use of the licker-in. In my experience, on a plain card, and also on a Foss & Pevey card, and on the Foss & Pevey card more particularly, the use of the licker-in without the shell-feed, that is, with the ordinary feed rolls, has caused the cotton to be delivered in bunches. It seems to me that the shell-feed would overcome the delivering of the cotton by the licker-in to the carrier or to the cylinder in bunches; and in that way it becomes an advantage. I would like to ask Mr. THOMAS what was the condition of the cotton on the licker-in, before he adopted the shell-feed.

Mr. THOMAS. I will state to Mr. Knight that we changed our licker-in when we put on the shell-feed, but, on the old system of carding, our licker-in was always jammed up full of clots. It never seemed to take the cotton from the rolls in the condition it should be. By putting a shell-feed in the old licker-in we might have got some little benefit; but certainly experience has shown that the saw-tooth licker-in is one that should be used in connection with a shell-feed, as giving a better result. We now get a very clean surface. The lickers-in are always clean. The leader takes the cotton away from it very nicely. Mr. GARSED. Mr. President, Mr. LEIGH's work on cottoncarding shows that the work can be done as well without a

licker-in as with it. There is no trouble about that; but, from the remarks made here, I think you might be led astray. Some gentleman has stated an increase of cylinder speed would be a benefit. Now, if an increase of cylinder speed would produce the result, there is no necessity of putting a shell-feed on. Do you see the point I try to make, that, if the centrifugal velocity of the cylinder will throw off the fibre of cotton and will make an increase in the production, there is the element of success, or otherwise? It does not follow, that a shell-feed can only be used on a card with licker-in. It can be used on cards without licker-in, by simply turning the plate, or shell, so that the roller, in shell plate, will be under the plate instead of over it. It is illustrated in the books of Mr. and shown in works on carding. Perhaps some gentleman present can tell us whether the increase of speed from 150 to 180 will give his work equally well carded or equally well done; or any other increase in the velocity of the cylinder.

Mr. O. S. BROWN. Mr. President, I cannot answer from personal observation that question; but, talking with a manufacturer a few years ago, he told me he had decreased from 140 or 150 down to 120. He made very much less waste and very much better carding.

Mr. GARSED. That would seem to answer the question. The PRESIDENT. The tendency seems to be to high speed on the cylinder.

Mr. HERVEY KENT. Mr. President, the point to my mind. is the quality of the work. We have some cards, made a good many years ago, and we are obliged to run the cylinder at low speed, because in the first place, the shell is not thick enough. There is not stock enough in the cylinder. We are obliged to run them slow. It seems to me if you are going to accomplish much by the card, you want it so you can run it with some speed, and it has got to be built with express reference to that. With the old appliances you can hardly run it 165 or 175 without confining it in its boxes; as we can in best modern cards.

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