359,617. Vertical multiplex looms. GLEDHILL WEAVING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Station Street Buildings, Huddersfield, and GLEDHILL, W., Wellhouse, Holm. firth, near Huddersfield. Aug. 18, 1930, No. 24629. [Classes 142 (i) and 142 (ii).] A loom wherein the warp threads from one or more beams are led vertically in two or more series through horizontally working healds, above which are mounted two verticallv-movable connected members, between which extend a reed or reeds, is characterized in that above the reeds the vertically movable members carry horizontally movable weft inserting members adapted to draw wefts from stationary supplies and also carry the means for operating said weft inserting members. Warps, tensioning and guiding; shedding motions; beat-up motions; take-up motions.-The warp W, Fig. 2, drawn from a beam 10, is divided into two parts and led about respective rocking tension rolls 14, 14<1>, and then through healds 19, 19<1> each heald serving for both warps and adapted to be operated by levers 20, 20<1>, which receive swinging movements from cams 22, 22<1>, mounted on a shaft 23 driven from a shaft 18. The warps pass from the healds through reeds 32, 32<1>, and thence around tension rollers 34, 34<1> and friction rollers 35, 35<1> to the cloth beams 36, 36<1>, the latter being driven frictionally by the rollers 35, 35<1> which are rotated by gearing 65, 66 and ratchet 69 operated by a pawl 70 on a pivoted lever 71 oscillated by movement of trays 29. The reeds are carried by bars 30, 31, 31<1>, supported by the movable trays 29, one on each side of the loom, mounted on spindles 38, Fig. 1, which are guided by brackets 39, on the frame and are operated by link connections 41 from the bottom shaft 18. Weft, inserting. Each tray 29 is provided with guide rails for rollers 44 mounted on the weft inserting members or carrier bars 45 and in addition each bar is channelled to accommodate rollers 47 mounted on the trays. The outer ends of each pair of carrier bars are connected by a link which in turn is connected by a link 50 to the picking stick 51 which is pivotally connected at 55 to a crank arm 56 associated with a toothed pinion 57 mounted on a stud on a bracket 54 depending from the tray, the lower end of the picking stick being provided with a bowl 52 to work in a slot 53 in the same bracket. A quadrant 58 adapted to mesh with the pinion 57, is also carried by the bracket 54 and is provided with an arm 59 carrying bowls 60, 60<1>, to work in respective cam slots 61, 61<1>, formed in parts secured to the end frame. The cam slots are so fashioned that as the tray moves up and down the quadrant 58 is moved through an arc of the required length and the weft inserting members are moved into and out of the shed. Modification of the carrier bar operating mechanism are also described. Construction and arrangement of grippers. The carrier bars 45 are provided at their inner ends with weft engaging means 45<1>, preferably of the type described in Specification 289,570, [Class 142 (ii), Looms, Kinds &c.], wherein the weft from the supply is carried part way through the shed by a delivery gripper and handed over to a receiving gripper which lays the remainder of the pick. The movable jaws of the grippers are closed upon the weft ends by means of a finger 102 pivoted on the tray 29 and adapted to be engaged by a fixed abutment 103 as the tray begins to rise. Weft, supplying and tensioning. The wefts are led from stationary supplies 84, through adjustable tension members 85, 86, and then through tubular guides 87 which at their inner ends extend through openings in parts movable with the trays and adjacent their outer ends are pivoted to a fixed bracket 88a. Stop motion, weft.-From the tubes 87 the wefts are led to the weft engaging members between fixed grids 88 and pivoted detectors 89, Fig. 5, each detector being provided with a saddle member 90 adapted to ride upon the forked legs 91<1>, Fig. 7, of a rod 92 which at one end is supported by the tray and at the other end is slidably supported in a guide 93 rotatably secured to the end frame. When the weft is absent the detector 89 falls between the grids, and allows the saddle 90 to engage slots 96 in the legs 91<1>, which are slidably supported by the trays, whereupon with the movement of the trays, the rod 92 is caused to engage a finger 97, and operate the stopping mechanism. Weft cutting and selvedge forming devices. As the trays approach the upward limit of their movement, the weft ends extending from the weft engaging means are brought into contact with two rotatable cutting discs 73, Fig. 1, a flexible member passing about pulleys on the discs and having its ends anchored through springs to the cross rail 75 being engaged by an abutment 76 on the tray to cause rotation of the cutters. The weft ends projecting from the edges of the fabric after picking and cutting are whipped around the warp threads to form the selvedge by rotating hooked needles 77 of the type described in Specification 289,570, the needles being rotated clear of the warps during the upward movement of the trays by the engagement of an abutment 79 with the springs and released to form the selvedge during the return movement. Correct timing of the selvedge forming operations is ensured by providing pivoted catch levers 80, Fig. 9, to engage the springs when raised by the abutments 79 and causing an abutment 82 mounted on the trays to effect their release, through a member 831, when the trays are moved downward.