579,040. Spinning flax &c. LINEN INDUSTRY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION, and MATTHEW, J. A. April 11, 1939, No. 3947. [Classes 120 (i) and 120 (ii)] Flax or similar fibres are wet spun with a high draft embodying two or more successive drafts with the application of water to the sliver during each successive draft and without the insertion of any real or false twist between the drafts. As shown the sliver A is drafted between the sets of rollers 1, 1a ... 4, 4a and passes through a trough 38 or is subjected to water from a drip pipe for an initial wetting of the fibres and is subjected to water from drip pipe 41, 43 or passes through troughs, between the sets of rollers ; the water dripping from the rollers drops into longitudinally arranged trays 50, 51 and on to the thread board 45, pipes leading from the trays and channels in the thread boards delivering the water to a main tray 52 from which it is filtered and reheated for reuse. The rollers are preferably provided with fluted bosses and the pairs 3, 3a ; 4, 4a are carried in half bearings mounted on rails 7, 8 carrying split sleeves 9, 10 by which they are adjustably secured to pillars 11 fixed on the machine; screwed rods 13, 14 passing through tapped lugs 15, 16 on the sleeves may be rotated through helical gears 19, 20 to adjust the reaches between the rollers 2, 2a and 3, 3a or between the rollers 3, 3a and 4, 4a. The rollers 1 ... 4 are positively driven at decreasing speeds, the rollers 3, 4 being driven from the roller 1 through chain and toothed gearing and helical gears on a pair of telescopically arranged shafts. The sliver is supported between the rollers 4, 4a and 3, 3a and between the rollers 3, 3a and 2, 2a by breast beams 31, 30, the beam 31 being carried by a bracket 33 pivoted on a slotted member 34 attached to the rail 7 and adjustable by a screw 36 and the beam 31 being eccentrically mounted in a bracket 32 on the member 34 and rotatable to vary the bearing on the sliver. The slivers may be wetted by passage under a roller in a bath having an overflow pipe and a valved flushing pipe leading to a waste pipe which empties into the tray 52 or a floor tank and the rollers are wetted from delivery pipes secured in pairs to valves connected to a fitting, supplied from a water pipe ; the water dripping from the rollers 4, 4a is collected in cups and delivered to cups from which it runs to the rollers 3, 3a and is collected from them for delivery to the rollers 2, 2a from which it drops to the thread plate 45. The roller 4a may be pressed against the roller 4 by a spring 124 disposed in a box 116 and pressing against a square plate 125 loosely fitting the box and connected to a screwed rod 114 carrying a humbug 120 bearing on a pivoted arm 113 hooked over the arbor of the roller 4a. The humbug and nut 121 are rectangular and may be turned to pass through a slot in the arm 113 when it is desired to swivel the arm about its pivot 119. The pressure of the spring is adjusted by turning the rod 114 by a nut 122 and a pin 126 on the plate 125 projects through a slot in the box 116 to indicate the compression of the spring. The roller 3a is shown pressed against the roller 3 by a halfbearing 110 slidable between channel brackets 103 on the rail 7 and engaged by a bridgepiece 111 through which pass rods 108 having wing nuts bearing against the bridge-piece and nuts 107 bearing against a plate 106 engaging a spring 105 disposed between the plate and the rail 7. The arm 90 for applying pressure to the rollers 1a, 2a engages the arbor of the roller 1a and a boss 98 on a pivoted arm 92 hooked over the arbor of the roller 2a and is engaged by a humbug and nut on a screwed spring wire 99. The arm 90 is grooved to engage the boss 98 on the arm 92 to keep the arms in line and the lower end of the arm 98 carries a pin 88 engaging a slot 87 in a bracket 84 on a plate 82 bolted to the beam 83. Condensing conductors 44, 42 are disposed in the nips of the rollers 1, 1a and 2,2a, the conductor 44 being carried by an arm 48 secured to the traverse bar 49 and the arm 47 carrying the conductor 42 being pivoted to the arm 48 and adjustable relatively thereto by a set screw when the reach of the rollers 1, 1a; 2, 2a is altered; the conductors for a pair of adjacent spindles are joined by bridge pieces engaging the respective arms so that they are free to rise and fall while being traversed by the bar 49. The condensing conductor 40 disposed in the nip of the rollers 3, 3a has a tailpiece 66 projecting through a slot in a plate 46 secured to the bracket 103 and the condensing and wetting conductor 38 over the rollers 4, 4a is of tapering, rectangular form and has a hole in the top leading to a groove extending centrally down the front of the conductor to allow any overflow of water to escape.