And what a fine yarn it was!
RAMESH SETH
|
The Spinning Mule could produce fine and even yarn, which was also very strong.
|
Though the Hargreaves' Spinning Jenny resulted in increasing yarn production, Arkwright's machine that was run by waterpower, called Water Frame, produced more yarn than the Jenny. But the quality of the yarn was weak thus causing it to break often. As a result the looms had to stop to mend the breakage. Obviously, the Water Frame machine needed improvement. In 1779, Crompton successfully designed a new spinning machine, which he called the Spinning Mule. His machine combined the best features of both the Jenny and the Water Frame. The Mule produced a very fine and even yarn, which was also strong. It was fine enough to weave even muslin, which was hitherto imported from India at a great cost.
The first Mules were hand-operated. Later, the Mules were driven by the new steam engines that were already being produced by James Watt. The steam engines could provide a high amount of power to run the heavier machines, producing a higher number of yarn strands per machine. By the 1790s larger versions of the Mules were built with as many as 400 spindles.
However, Crompton was poor and did not have enough money to develop his invention in order to patent it. All the inventors of the 18th Century had this problem. Some textile manufacturers tricked Crompton into giving away the secret of his invention. Since, he had not patented the Spinning Mule and was paid very little for divulging its secret to the manufacturers, he did not make any money. All the same, the Mules were widely used all over England and Scotland.
Lack of funds
The Spinning Mule was considered one of the greatest inventions of all time in the textile sector. For the first time it provided the industry with flawless, strong yarn. In the case of the Jenny and the Water Frames, there was a limit to the fineness of yarn that could be produced. Even a 40-count yarn was produced with difficulty. But with the Mule even a 80-count yarn could also be produced.
But by the time Crompton finished his work in 1779, machine-breaking riots erupted in the neighbourhood. Crompton was forced to dismantle his machines and hide the various parts in his house. The people working upon Jennys feared that the Mules would cost them their jobs. As a result, in March 1792, an angry crowd of spinners broke into some of the factories and destroyed all the Spinning Mules installed.
However, the march of progress is difficult to stop. Despite the workers' protests, Mules spread and became the standard spinning machine for the next 150 years all over the world, till the Ring Frames replaced it.
Crompton was a great inventor and his work made fortunes for those who used them but Crompton himself died as poor as his predecessors — Lay and Hargreaves.
Musician inventor
He was born in 1753 on a farm in Bolton, near Manchester. Like his predecessors, Lay and Hargreaves, Samuel Crompton too was of yeoman stock.
He learnt his trade in a spinning mill and while working on the Jenny he noted its drawbacks. It took Crompton more than five years to invent and perfect his spinning machine. However, his wages alone were not enough to support him. So he supplemented his income by playing the violin. All the money he earned he spent on the development of the Spinning Mule.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Young World
