of their every motion.  These chains are so attached that they exert no effort upon the table until the escapement lever is moved, thus permitting the plaiting table to press upward against either one or both of the gripper bars with the full force imparted to it by the weights and levers, G’ G’.  The chains, furthermore, are also threaded over pulleys in such a manner that they adjust themselves automatically to every position of the table and to the different thicknesses which the folded cloth acquires.

It will be obvious from this description that in plaiting there is no more strain put upon the cloth in placing it under the grip than is necessary to draw it over the table from the feed rollers.  This feature insures perfect immunity from the dragging out of grip, as already described, and renders the machine very useful for finishers and makers-up, as the delicacy with which the cloth is handled prevents any damage being done to the finish of the lightest fabrics.  Double cloth can, of course, be plaited by it equally well, and the precision and uniformity with which the cloth is plaited makes the machine thoroughly reliable as a cloth measurer.—­Tex.  Manfr.

* * * * *

SELF-ACTING SHUTTLE GUARD.

[Illustration:  SELF-ACTING SHUTTLE GUARD.]

The annexed illustration shows the essential parts of Hahlo and Liebreich’s improvement, the loom being now at work.  The handrail, shuttle race, and starting handle can be at once recognized, and the shuttle guard will be seen in its proper position, which position it rigidly retains as long as the loom is working, but on a stoppage the rod swings back close underneath the handrail, and quite clear of the reed.  The mode in which this is accomplished we will endeavor to make clear.  The guard is connected to the starting lever by the arrangement shown, consisting of a stud on the handle, on which, with the movement of the slay, lever, a, slides.  This lever, by means of another lever and a link, is attached to the shuttle guard by the crank, b, which, by means of the set screw in the boss, permits the shuttle guard to be adjusted in the most convenient place.  It will be observed that whenever the loom stops working, whether it is stopped by hand or automatically, the hand lever has to be moved, and this movement is communicated to the shuttle guard by the mechanism just described, placing the guard rod beneath the hand rail, and leaving the whole of the shuttle race free and unencumbered.  The act of starting the loom brings the guard again to the working position without any extra act having to be performed by the weaver.  The action is entirely automatic, and the weaver has not anything to do that she has not to do with the present unguarded looms.  The arrangement appeared to ourselves to be a very efficient one, and it has the merit that the length of the guard can be made greater than the width of the cloth, a further advantage that will be recognized by practical weavers.