Cheney Stereoviews Collection (38 of
)
Perfect Cloth--Silk Industry, So. Manchester, Conn., U.S.A.
Notwithstanding the fact that a great number of the original cocoon filaments, which are very thin and fragile indeed, have been combined and in reality consolidated in the formation of the silk threads as they are found in the warp which is being passed through the looms, it frequently occurs that threads will break. To keep the cloth in perfect condition it is necessary to rectify at once any fault that would necessarily be caused by this breaking of the threads.
In this picture, then, we have a view of the electric stop motion, a mechanism which enables the weaver to produce perfect cloth. This electric stop motion is part of the equipment of the looms shown in the preceding picture. A row of little metal riders is seen running across the warp threads as they come from the beam, and before they go into the harness. As long as a thread is all right these riders are held up, but when a thread breaks its rider drops down and makes an electric connection in a drop of mercury and the loom is stopped before the broken thread can spoil the cloth. The weaver then has to find the defective thread and repair it before the loom can be started again.
This mechanism just described, in addition to enabling a weaver to make perfect cloth, is very valuable from an economical point of view, for it allows the weaver to run from four to six looms at one time.
For pictures and contemporary information on the Weaving Mill in the
"Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District" page, click here.
