INVENTOR OF SPINNING MULE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 86, 12 April 1927, Page 9

INVENTOR OF SPINNING MULE

Tho iinportanco to Egypt of Boltou is that this Lancashire town is tho greatest user of Egyptian cotton in tho world. Egyptian cotton is of the fino long staple class which has no (Superior for what is known as fine spinning— spinning into the finest counts. Bolton is famous for this class of cotton yarn which is used in the weaving of muslin and other delicate fabrics and also in tho making of cord motor tires. To spin these iino yarns something different and botter than Arkwright's spinning jenny was nccossary, and it was Samuel Crompton who invented tho machine required in tho spinning mule. ' Crompton was born in 1753 at Krwood, near Bolton, and as a boy had to contribute to tho family resources by spinning yarn, for his fathor had died. Tho defects of tho spinning jenny inspired him to devise something better, and for.five or six years effort absorbed all his spare time and monoy, including what ho earned by playing tho violin in tho Bolton theatre. About 1779 ho succooded in producing a machino which spun yarn suitable for uso in tho manufacture of muslin. This was known as tho muslin wlicol or tho Hall-Jn-tho-Wood wheel (from tho names of the house in which he and his family resided). Later it became known as tho spinning mule. After his marriago, in 1780, a good demand arose for tho yarn which he himself mado at Hall-in-tho-Wood, but tho prying to which ho was subjected drove him, in tho abBonco of means to tako out a patent, to tho choice of destroying his mnchine or making it public. He adopted tho lattor alternative on tho promiso of a number of manufacturers to pay him for tho nso of tho mule. All ho received, was about £(>O. In 1800 a sum of £500 was raised for his bonofit by subscription, and in 1809, following tho examplo of Edmund Cartwright, tho inventor of tho power, loom, who had obtained £10,000 from Parliament, lie determined also to apply for a grant. In 1811 Parliament granted him £5000, but ho lost it in business as a bleacher and spinner. Finally, in 1824 some friends, without his knowledge, bought him an annuity of £63. Ho diod at Bolton on 2Cth June, 1827. Substantially, his spinning mule stands as ono of tho world's great revolutionary inventions.