to bake behind, and, at the same time, to boil a kettle, and saucepans above.

The fuel is to be supplied through an opening on the top of the screen, and the heat may be regulated by shutters. A box jack is shewn in fig. 2, to which the spit may be attached, so as to keep the meat turning. There are about ten sauce-pans and kettles of various sizes suited to different culinary purposes, the whole of which pack together with the apparatus as above, and the screens slide into each other.

This apparatus is principally designed to form part of the equipage of a camp, the employment of which, how ever, in time of peace, must be extremely limited; for travellers on expeditions of discovery, it might be found convenient and useful; or, also, for what are termed gypsying parties. We have much pleasure in stating from our personal knowledge, the complete effect of its operation, having, upon one occasion, formed part of a company of six, when a military officer and his servant cooked for us, in this portable kitchen, a very excellent and abundant meal of roast, baked, and boiled meats and vegetables.

Inrolled, November, 1821.

TO JOHN GRIMSHAW, of Bishopwearmouth, in the County of Durham, for an invention of a new and improved method of Stitching, Lacing, or Manufacturing of Flat Ropes by means of certain Machinery connected with and Wrought by a Steam-engine, or other Rotative Power.

FOR the better understanding of this improvement, the patentee describes the modes usually employed in the attachment of several ropes together, for the purpose of

making flat ropes, or rope bands, such as are employed in drawing weights up the shafts of mines, &c. See Harvey's patent for improvements in the manufacture of ropes and belts. Vol. 11. page 6. of this Journal.

Flat ropes are made by placing several round or ordinary ropes side by side, in a parallel direction, and fastening them together by a small cord passing through the ropes, (called lacing), which is generally done in a diagonal direction, cross and cross. For this purpose the several ropes called the strand are confined in a pipe or case, and being there perforated by a needle, the lacing cords are passed through and drawn tight.

This is sometimes done by manual labour, but more frequently by a sort of engine in which the strand of - cords is passed step by step a short distance forward, and the piercers or needles, on opposite sides alternately forced through the several cords by levers worked by toothed wheels; after which, the lacing is introduced by hand, and then drawn tight, so as to effect the attachment by successive diagonal stitches until the whole length of the strand is united..

There are various ways of performing the three ope rations of piercing the holes, drawing the lacings through, and measuring the distance of the stitches; but all of them have been, as the patentee conceives, heretofore effected by manual labour, the distances of the stitches from each other, and the drawing of the lacing being left entirely to the discretion of the workman.

The particular object of this patent is to perform the above operations by the power of a steam-engine, or other first mover, which shall communicate a rotatory motion to certain toothed wheels of a machine, and thus, advance the strand of ropes progressively, and regularly, by which the distances of the lacing holes will be

3

equalized. Plate II. fig. 1, is a horizontal view of the piercing part of the apparatus; a, represents four round. or common ropes, called the strand; which round ropes are separately coiled upon distinct reels, as fig. 2. These reels, instead of being mounted so as to turn upon axles or pivots, have wheels fixed at their ends, the peripheries of which slide in curved grooves, g, g, so as to produce sufficient friction to retard the reels, and keep all the ropes of the strand distended, and with a uniform tension upon each rope. This forms an important part of the improvement: for, "as the strand is drawn off from the reel, in like proportion the friction of the reel upon the curved bearing is lessened by its becoming lighter, and thus, its retardation is equalized throughout the whole length of the rope."

The box for holding the strand of ropes firmly together while the hole is pierced, is capable of variation in its construction, and is not claimed as a new invention; nor are the needles or piercers as shewn at b, b, fig. 1. These are moved by racks and toothed wheels; but the novelty claimed in this part of the machine consists in applying the power of a steam-engine, or other first mover, so as to produce a rotatory motion of the shaft of c, and hence, by means of the pinion d, the cranks, e, e, e, e and connecting rods, f, f, to give a uniform alternating motion to the piercers, instead of working them by manual labour.

The cords for lacing are to be passed through the apertures thus made in the ropes by means of needles by hand; and are each of them caught on the opposite side by a book connected to a roller, which is worked by a band passing from the first mover; the detail of which, as described in the specification, we do not clearly com

prehend, therefore shall describe it in the words of the

patentee.

"I insert the lacing in the ordinary way by a needle with two eyes; the lacing is attached to one eye of this needle, and the needle, when put into the hole made through the strand, is caught by the workman with a hook, x, fig. 3, on the other side of the rope, by the other eye. This hook is fastened to the end of a cord, v, and this cord fastened by its other end to a roller, w, and this roller connected by another cord to y, and my improvement consists in connecting this same roller, y, to the principle rotative movement by means of a strap or belt, z, z; and this strap or belt is loaded, as shewn in the fig. 3, with any determinate weight at t, so as to keep the said strap, or belt, of one uniform tightness to such extent as the workman thinks proper, for drawing the lacing of the same exact tightness at every stitch. This is a very important improvement for drawing the lacing of the same uniform tension, as the strap or belt, thus laden, slides upon the drums or pullies y, u. The moment that the lacing is drawn tight, the strand of ropes is advanced by means of the rollers k, i, h, fig. 4, by which it is firmly held. A purchase is obtained upon these rollers by cogged wheels and pinions, as shewn in the figure in the exact ratio of one revolution of the quickest pinion n, to the length of the stitch required."

66

Upon the axle of the pinion n, a pulley, o, is fixed of about two feet diameter, and about six inches broad, with ledges to protect its strap, or belt, from sliding off; and directly under this pulley there must be a drum, 9, constantly revolving, the periphery of which is going at the rate of about four feet per second." The pulley, o,

and drum, q, are connected by an endless strap or belt p, which hangs upon the pulley and passes under the drum, but is not sufficiently tight to cause the pulley to be turned by it. A jockey pulley or rider is mounted in the frame, r, for the purpose of being pressed against the strap, p, in order to make the strap adhere to the pulley, o, and drum, q, and, by that means, cause the pulley to revolve with the drum, and thus draw the strand of ropes forward." The frame with the jockey-pulley, or rider, r, is made to press against the strap, p, by means of the catch, s, until the pulley, o, has made one revolution, when a small pin, on the side of the pulley, comes in contact with the catch, s, and lifts it up, and the rider, with its frame, r, falls back upon its pivot, by the action of the weight, which relieves the belt and the work stops; thus, one stitch is measured of the length regulated by the work

man.

"The barrel of h, is three feet six inches diameter; the cogged wheel upon its axle has 104 teeth. The barrel of i, is one foot diameter, and the cogged wheel upon one end of its axle has 30 teeth; that upon the other end 54. The pinion m, taking into it, has 13 teeth, and the wheel, upon the same axle, 78 teeth. There is likewise another barrel of fifteen inches diameter, pressing against the rope on the opposite side of the one foot barrel, and which carries a wheel of 40 cogs, taking into that of 30: this is to keep the rope from slipping when drawn forward. The pinion n, with 24 cogs makes a stitch, by this train, of about six inches in length. To lengthen the stitch the pinion must have a greater number of teeth, to shorten it a lesser number."

By means of the apparatus for drawing forward the strand, mathematical accuracy in the length of the stitch is effected; by means of the sliding strap uniformity in