MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. EVAN LEIGH, Associate of the Institution of Naval Architects. MR. EVAN LEIGH was born at Ashton-under-Lyne, and was the son of the late Mr. Peter Leigh, a cotton spinner, of that town. When eighteen years When eighteen years of age he undertook the management of his father's mill. The intricacies of the cotton machinery seem to have been congenial to the proclivities of the young man, who soon tried experiments with new combinations and adaptations; for, at the early age of twenty-one, he effected one of the most striking improvements, viz., the coupling of hand mules and the "putting-up" motion, which wrought a speedy and complete revolution in hand-mule spinning, and reduced the price of spinning to about one half. Mr. Leigh was the first to practically connect carding engines together. In the year 1835 he connected a number together in a mill at Macclesfield. The slivers from each card were deposited on a railway, which conveyed them to a lap-head. In America this system is now almost in general use. In 1850 he introduced several great improvements in cotton machinery; amongst which may be mentioned a patent for his well-known "Self-stripping Revolving Flat "Carding Engine" and an improved "Derby Doubler." The former he has since at various times considerably improved, having given particular attention to carding cotton; and at the time of his death was engaged with one of his sons, Mr. E. A. Leigh, in completing some great improvements in the carding engine. The improvements in the "Derby Doubler" consisted in adding a taper table to an ordinary lap machine. This table had a pair of callender rollers down each side. These rollers drew the ends from a number of cotton cans, placed in rows; and a metal conductor for each end, being placed behind the callender rollers, deposited the ends neatly side by side as they passed along the table and through the lap machine at the broad end. This machine has not been improved upon to this day. It was about this time that Mr. Leigh retired from the cotton manufacture, and commenced business as a machine maker at Collyhurst Mill, Manchester, owing to the difficulty he experienced in getting machinists to adopt his inventions. Y Y He was very successful in the manufacture of his patents; so much so that, during the time of the American War, he constructed and started the extensive and splendid machine works at Miles Platting, now known under the name of "Evan Leigh, Son and Co. (Limited)." The conversion of the concern into a limited company resulted in a heavy loss to Mr. Leigh, so that in 1869 his connection with it entirely ceased. After a year's unsuccessful experiments, upon which a considerable sum of money was expended, in 1857 he patented the "Loose Boss-Top Roller," now universally used in nearly all cotton mills. This invention proved a most lucrative one. The "Loose Boss-Top Roller," when properly constructed, effects a considerable saving both in oil and leather, and in the better working of the frames. It also saves power and makes more regular yarn, and requires for lubrication but about 5 per cent. of the oil that is necessary for the ordinary roller. In connection with textile machinery he also took out patents for improvements in slubbing and roving frames, paper tubes, throstles, the use of cast iron for spindles, cotton gins, preparing and spinning flax, wool, silk waste, &c. In 1871 Mr. Leigh published a work, in which, as he stated in the preface, he gave the results of nearly half a century of practical experience of mills and mill machinery. It was published in two large volumes, containing forty plates and two hundred and fifty-nine other illustrations, under the title of The Science of Modern Cotton Spinning. This work is one of great authority, and is said to be the best work that has yet appeared on the subject. Much of this book was written after midnight, when the day's work was done. Mr. Leigh held an eminent position in connection with mechanical science and engineering, and his inventions have added appreciably to the list of achievements in that department which has illustrated our time. As the inventor of the "Twin Screw" for steam ships, which has now been extensively adopted both in the mercantile service and in the British and Foreign fleets, Mr. Leigh will be remembered as an important contributor to naval architecture. The following note on this subject is extracted verbatim from one of the many papers and pamphlets relating to mechanical works Mr. Leigh had from time to time put forth :— 66 66 "In the year 1849 I took out a patent (No. 12,708, dated July 18th) for steering ships, by having separate power to each propeller, being twin screws or detached paddles, with the object of turning a vessel more readily out of its course in time of "danger, by reversing one paddle or other propeller, and steering generally by giving more or less steam to one engine or pair of engines. Notwithstanding the common 66 sense of this arrangement, by which all the power on board could be employed in 66 cases of emergency to avoid collisions, &c., I could neither get the Government of the day or any of the shipbuilders to take it up; but I must admit that I received a letter "from the Lords of the Admiralty thanking me for the communication, but nothing Since that time, however, the "Twin Screw" has come into general use, as already stated. In 1861 he first conceived the idea of conveying railway trains across the Straits of Dover, and took out a patent for it, connected with some other nautical matters; and in the following year he exhibited his patent ship in London to the Lords of the Admiralty. In 1867 he patented a plan for shipping and unshipping the trains. He took very great interest in this subject. Mr. Leigh laboured hard, in conjunction with the late Sir William Fairbairn and others, on the Manchester Patent Right Defence Association. He advocated cheap patents, and more facility for obtaining them. He was the President of the Scientific and Mechanical Society of Manchester, and Associate of the Institution of Naval Architects, before which he read Papers on "A Plan for Conveying Railway Trains across the Straits of Dover," and on "The "Steering of Ships." He was an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a Member of the Society of Arts, and of various other Institutions. Mr. Leigh died from heart disease, brought on through chronic bronchitis, on the 2nd of February last, at his residence, Clarence House, Manchester; and his loss will be widely regretted, not only as a man of science, but for his amiable disposition and for the unostentatious benevolence with which he engaged in works of charity. |