,,contributions ,,from ,,the ,,museum   
,,of ,,history ,,and ,,technology3      
,,paper #a     ,,the ,,scholfield       
,,wool-,,carding ,,machines  ,grace ,l4 
,rogers      ,,primitive ,,carding      
#c    ,,the ,,first ,,mechanical ,,cards
              #e    ,,john ,,and        
,,arthur ,,scholfield              #h   
,,the ,,newburyport ,,woolen            
,,manufactory      #i    ,,the          
,,scholfield ,,machines                 
#ab  ,illustration3 ,figure #a4--;,,an  
,,original ,,scholfield ,,wool-,,carding
 ,,machine1 built by ,arthur ,scholfield
 or under his immediate direction       
between #ahjc and #ahad1 as exhibited in
 the hall of textiles of the ,u4,s4     
,national ,museum 7cat4 no4 ,t#aaajj74  
,the exhibits in this hall are part of  
those being prepared for the enlarged   
hall of textiles in the new ,museum of  
,history and ,technology now under      
construction4 7,smithsonian photo       
#decif47     ,by ,grace ,l4 ,rogers     
,,the ,,scholfield ,,wool-,,carding     

,,machines        ,first to appear among
 the inventions that sparked the        
industrial      revolution in textile   
making was the flying shuttle1 then     
various      devices to spin thread and 
yarn1 and lastly machines to card the   
raw fibers so they could be spun and    
woven4 ,carding is thus the             
important first step4 ,for processing   
short-length wool fibers its            
mechanization proved most difficult to  
achieve4       ,to the ,united ,states  
in #agic came ,john and ,arthur         
,scholfield1      bringing with them the
 knowledge of how to build a successful 
wool-carding machine4 ,from this        
contribution to the technology of       
our then infant country developed       
another new industry4       ,,the       
,,author3 ,grace ,l4 ,rogers is curator 
of textiles1 ,museum of      ,history   
and ,technology1 in the ,smithsonian    
,institution's ,united      ,states     
,national ,museum4  ,carding is the     
necessary preliminary step by which     

individual short fibers of wool or      
cotton are separated and cleaned of     
foreign materials so they can be spun   
into yarn4 ,the thoroughness of the     
carding determines the quality of the   
yarn1 while the position in which the   
carded fibers are laid determines its   
type4 ,the fibers are laid parallel in  
order to spin a smooth compact yarn1 or 
they are crossed and intermingled to    
produce a soft bulky yarn4   ,primitive 
,carding  ,the earliest method of       
carding wool was probably one in which1 
by use of the fingers alone1 the tufts  
were pulled apart1 the foreign particles
 loosened and extracted1 and the fibers 
blended4 ,fuller's teasels 7thistles    
with hooked points1 ,dispasacus         
fullonum71 now better known for raising 
the nap on woven woolens1 were also used
 at a very early date for carding4 ,the 
teasels were mounted on a pair of small 
rectangular frames with handles2 and    
from this device developed the familiar 
small hand card 7see fig4 #b71 measuring

 about #h inches by #e inches1 in which 
card clothing 7wire teeth embedded in   
leather7 was mounted on a board with the
 wire teeth bent and angled toward the  
handle4 ,the wool was placed on one card
 and a second card was dragged across   
it1 the two hands pulling away from each
 other4 ,this action separated the      
fibers and laid them parallel to the    
handle1 in a thin film4 ,after the      
fibers had been carded in this way      
several times1 the cards were turned so 
that the handles were together and once 
again they were pulled across each      
other4 ,with the wire teeth now angled  
in the same direction1 the action rolled
 the carded fibers into a sliver 7a     
loose roll of untwisted fibers7 that was
 the length of the hand card and about  
the diameter of the finger4 ,this placed
 the wool fibers crosswise in relation  
to the length of the sliver1 their best 
position for spinning4#a ,until the     
mid-#ahth century hand cards were the   
only type of implement available for    

carding4  ,illustration3 ,figure        
#b4--;,,hand ,,cards ,,used ,,on        
,,plantation ,,of ,,mary ,c4 ,,purvis1  
,,nelson ,,county1 ,,virginia1 during   
early #ahjj's and now in ,u4,s4         
,national ,museum 7cat4 no4 ,t#bhdh2    
,smithsonian photo #cgbeh74             
,illustration3 ,figure #c4--,,the       
,,first ,,machine ,,in ,,lewis ,,paul',s
 ,,british ,,patent #fcf1 ,,issued      
,,august #cj1 #agdh4 ,the treadle moved 
the card-covered board ,b#a1 in a       
horizontal direction as necessary to    
perform the carding operation4 ,with the
 aid of the needlestick the fibers were 
removed separately from each of the #af 
cards ,n4 ,the carded fibers were placed
 on a narrow cloth band1 which unrolled 
from the small cylinder ,g1 on the left1
 and was rolled up with the fibers on   
the cylinder ,i1 at the right4   ,first 
,mechanical ,cards  ,the earliest       
mechanical device for carding fibers was
 invented by ,lewis ,paul in ,england in
 #agch but not patented until ,august   

#cj1 #agdh4 ,the patent described two   
machines4 ,the first1 and less          
important1 machine consisted of #af     
narrow cards mounted on a board2 a      
single card held in the hand performed  
the actual carding operation 7see fig4  
#c74 ,the second machine utilized a     
horizontal cylinder covered with        
parallel rows of card clothing4 ,under  
the cylinder was a concave frame lined  
with similar card clothing4 ,as the     
cylinder was turned1 the cards on it    
worked against those on the concave     
frame1 separating and straightening the 
fibers 7see fig4 #d74 ,after the fibers 
were carded1 the concave section was    
lowered and the fibers were stripped off
 by hand with a needle stick1 an        
implement resembling a comb with very   
fine needlelike metal teeth4 ,though his
 machine was far from perfect4 ,lewis   
,paul had invented the carding cylinder 
working with stationary cards and the   
stripping comb4  ,illustration3 ,figure 
#d4--,,the ,,patent ,,description ,,of  

,,paul',s ,,second ,,machine suggested  
that the fibers be carded by a cylinder 
action1 but be removed in the same      
manner as directed in the first patent4 
,illustration3 ,figure                  
#e4--;,,illustrations ,,from ,,british  
,,patent #fbh1 ,,issued ,,january #bj1  
#agdh1 to ,daniel ,bourn for a roller   
card machine4  ,illustration3 ,figure   
#f4--,,the ,,most ,,important ,,single  
,,feature ,illustrated in ,richard      
,arkwright's ,british patent #aaaa of   
,december #af1 #agge1 provided a crank  
and a frame of iron with teeth to remove
 the carded fibers from the cylinder4   
,another important ,british patent was  
granted in #agdh to ,daniel ,bourn1 who 
invented a machine with four carding    
rollers set close together1 the first of
 the roller-card type 7see fig4 #e74 ,to
 produce a practical carding machine1   
however1 several additional mechanical  
improvements were necessary4 ,the first 
of these did not appear until more than 
two decades later1 in #aggb1 when ,john 

,lees of ,manchester is reported to have
 invented a machine featuring a         
perpetual revolving cloth1 called a     
feeder1 that fed the fibers into the    
machine4#b ,shortly afterward1 the      
stripper rollers#c and the doffer comb#d
 7a mechanical utilization of ,paul's   
hand device7 were added4 ,both ,james   
,hargreaves and ,richard ,arkwright     
claimed to be the inventor of these     
improvements1 but it was ,arkwright who1
 in #agge1 first patented these ideas4  
,his comb and crank 7see fig4 #f7       
provided a mechanical means by which the
 carded fibers could be removed from the
 cylinder4 ,with this1 the cylinder card
 became a practical machine4 ,arkwright 
continued the modification of the       
doffing end by drawing the carded fibers
 through a funnel and then passing them 
through two rollers4 ,this produced a   
continuous sliver1 a narrow ribbon of   
fibers ready to be spun into yarn4      
,however1 it was soon realized that the 
bulk characteristic desired in woolen   

yarns 7but not desired in the compact   
types such as worsted yarns or cotton   
yarns7 required that the wool be carded 
in a machine that would help produce    
this4  ,illustration3 ,figure           
#g4--,,newburyport1 ,,massachusetts1 in 
#agif1 ,,an ,,engraving ,,from ,,john   
,j4 ,,currier',s ,history of            
,newburyport1 ,massachusetts1           
#agfd-aiji1 vol4 #b1 ,newburyport1      
#aijf-ji4  ,in carding wool it was found
 more effective to omit the flat        
stationary cards and to use only rollers
 to work the fibers4 ,the method of     
preparing the sliver also had to be     
changed4 ,since it was necessary to     
remove the wool fibers crosswise in the 
sliver1 a fluted wooden cylinder called 
a roller-bowl was used in conjunction   
with an under board or shell4 ,as a     
given section of the carded wool was fed
 between the fluted cylinder and the    
board1 the action of the cylinder rolled
 the fibers into a sliver about the     
diameter of the finger and the length of

 the cylinder4 ,although these were only
 #bd-;inch lengths as compared to the   
continuous sliver produced by the       
,arkwright cotton-carding machine1#e    
wool could still be carded with much    
more speed and thoroughness than with   
the small hand cards4 ,this then was the
 state of mechanical wool carding in    
,england in the #agij's as two          
experienced wool manufacturers1 ,john   
and ,arthur ,scholfield1 planned their  
trip to ,america4   ,john and ,arthur   
,scholfield  ,the ,scholfields1 however1
 were not to be the first to introduce  
mechanical wool carding into ,america4  
,several attempts had been made prior to
 their arrival4 ,in ,east ,hartford1    
,connecticut1 about #aggj ,elisha       
,pitkin had built a mill on the east    
side of ,main ,street near the old      
meeting-house and ,hockanum ,bridge1    
which was run by water-power1 supplied  
by damming the ,hockanum ,river4 ,here1 
beside grinding grain and plaster1 was  
set up the first wool-carding machine in

 the state1 and1 it is believed1 in the 
country4#f ,samual ,mayall in ,boston1  
about #aghh or #aghi1 set up a carding  
machine operated by horse power4 ,in    
#agia he moved to ,gray1 ,maine1 where  
he operated a shop for wool carding and 
cloth dressing4#g ,of the machines used 
at the ,hartford ,woolen ,manufactory1  
organized in #aghh1 a viewer reported he
 saw two carding-engines1 working by    
water1 of a very inferior construction4 
,they were further described as having  
two large center cylinders in each1 with
 two doffers1 and only two working      
cylinders1 of the breadth of bare       
sixteen inches1 said to be invented by  
some person there4#h ,but these were    
isolated examples2 most of the woolen   
mills of this period were like the one  
built in #agib by ,john ,manning in     
,ipswich1 ,massachusetts1 where all the 
work of carding1 spinning1 and weaving  
was still performed by hand4  ,the      
,scholfields' knowledge of mechanical   
wool-processing was to find a welcome   

reception in this young nation now      
struggling for economic independence4   
,the exact reason for their decision to 
embark for ,america is unknown4         
,however1 it may well be that they1 like
 ,samuel ,slater#i some three years     
earlier1 had learned of the bounties    
being offered by several state          
legislatures for the successful         
introduction of new textile machines4   
,both ,john and ,arthur were experienced
 in the manufacture of woolens4 ,they   
were the sons of a clothier 7during the 
#ahth century1 a person who performed   
the several operations in finishing     
cloth7 and had been apprenticed to the  
trade4 ,arthur was #cf and a bachelor2  
,john1 a little younger1 was married and
 had six children4 ,arthur and ,john1   
with his family1 sailed from ,liverpool 
in ,march #agic and arrived in ,boston  
some two months later4 ,upon arrival1   
their immediate concern was to find a   
dwelling place for ,john's family4      
,finally they were accommodated by      

,jedediah ,morse1 well-known author of  
,morse's geography and gazetteer1 in a  
lodging in ,charlestown1 near ,bunker   
,hill4 ,in less than a month ,john began
 to build a spinning jenny and a hand   
loom1 and soon the ,scholfields started 
to produce woolen cloth4 ,the two       
brothers were joined in the venture by  
,john ,shaw1 a spinner and weaver who   
had migrated from ,england with them4   
,morse1 being much impressed with some  
of the broadcloth they produced1 was    
especially interested to find that ,john
 and ,arthur understood the actual      
construction of the textile machines4   
,morse immediately recommended the      
,scholfields to some wealthy persons of 
,newburyport 7see fig4 #g71 who were    
interested in sponsoring a new textile  
mill4  ,illustration3 ,figure           
#h4--;,,cross-,,section ,,of ,a         
,,scholfield ,,wool-,,carding ,,machine4
 ,the wool was fed into the machine from
 a moving apron1 locked in by a pair of 
rollers1 and passed from the taker-in   

roller to the angle stripper4 ,this     
latter roller transferred the wool on to
 the main cylinder and acted as a       
stripper for the first worker roller4   
,after passing through two more workers 
and strippers1 the wool was prepared for
 leaving the main cylinder by the fancy1
 a roller with longer wire teeth set to 
reach into the card clothing of the     
large cylinder4 ,then the doffer roller 
picked up the carded fibers from the    
main cylinder in #d-;inch widths the    
length of the roller4 ,these sections   
were freed by the comb plate1 passed    
between the fluted wooden cylinder and  
an under board1 where they were         
converted into slivers1 and deposited   
into a small wooden trough4   ,the      
,newburyport ,woolen ,manufactory  ,a   
,newburyport philanthropist1 ,timothy   
,dexter1 contributed the use of his     
stable4 ,there1 beginning in ,december  
#agic1 the ,scholfields built a         
#bd-;inch1 single-cylinder1 wool-carding
 machine4 ,they completed it early in   

#agid1 the first ,scholfield            
wool-carding machine in ,america4 ,the  
group was so impressed that they        
organized the ,newburyport ,woolen      
,manufactory4 ,arthur was hired as      
overseer of the carding and ,john as    
overseer of the weaving and also as     
company agent for the purchase of raw   
wool4 ,a site was chosen on the ,parker 
,river in ,byfield ,parish1 ,newbury1   
where a building #ajj feet long1 about  
half as wide1 and three stories high was
 constructed4 ,to the new factory were  
moved the first carding machine1 two    
double-carding machines1 as well as     
spinning1 weaving and fulling machines4 
,the carding machines were built by     
,messrs4 ,standring1 ,armstrong1 and    
,guppy1 under the ,scholfields'         
immediate direction4 ,all the machinery 
with the exception of the looms was run 
by water-power2 the weaving was done by 
hand4 ,the enterprise was in full       
operation by #agie4  ,john and ,arthur  
,scholfield 7and ,john's #aa-year-old   

son1 ,james7 worked at the ,byfield     
factory for several years4 ,during a    
wool-buying trip to ,connecticut in     
#agih1 ,john observed a valuable        
water-power site at the mouth of the    
,oxoboxo ,river1 in the town 7i4e41     
township7 of ,montville1 ,connecticut4  
,here1 the brothers decided1 would be a 
good place to set up their own mill1 and
 on ,april #ai1 #agii1 they signed a    
#ad-year lease for the water site1 a    
dwelling house1 a shop1 and #ag acres of
 land4 ,as soon as arrangements could be
 completed1 ,arthur1 ,john1 and the     
latter's family left for ,montville4    
,illustration3 ,figure #i4--;,,in ,,the 
,,collection ,,of ,,the ,,henry ,,ford  
,,museum1 ,,dearborn1 ,,michigan1 ,,is  
,,this ,,original ,,scholfield          
,,wool-,,carding ,,machine of the early 
#aith century4 7,photo courtesy of the  
,henry ,ford ,museum47  ,the            
,scholfields quite probably did not take
 any of the textile machinery from the  
,byfield factory with them to           

,connecticut--first because the machines
 were built while the brothers were     
under hire and so were the property of  
the sponsors1 and second because their  
knowledge of how to build the machines  
would have made it unnecessary to incur 
the inconvenience and expense of        
transporting machines the hundred odd   
miles to ,montville4 ,however1 ,john    
,scholfield's sons reported#aj that they
 had taken a carding engine with them   
when they moved to ,connecticut in #agii
 and had later transferred it to a      
factory in ,stonington4 ,the sons       
claimed that the frame1 cylinders1 and  
lags of the machine were made of        
mahogany and that it had originally been
 imported from ,england4 ,however1 it   
would have been most uncommon for a     
textile machine1 even an ,english one1  
to have been constructed of mahogany2   
and having built successful carding     
machines1 the men at ,byfield would have
 found it unnecessary to attempt the    
virtually impossible feat of importing  

an ,english one4 ,if it ever existed and
 was taken to ,connecticut1 therefore1  
this machine was probably not a carding 
machine manufactured by the             
,scholfields4 ,it is more probable that 
the first ,scholfield carding machine   
remained in the ,byfield mill as the    
property of the ,newburyport ,woolen    
,manufactory4  ,illustration3 ,figure   
#aj4--;,,an ,,original ,,scholfield     
,,wool-,,carding ,,machine ,,at ,,old   
,,sturbridge ,,village1 ,,sturbridge1   
,,massachusetts4 ,it is now run by      
electricity4 7,photo courtesy of ,old   
,sturbridge ,village47  ,during the next
 half century1 this mill was held by a  
number of individuals4 ,william         
,bartlett and ,moses ,brown1 two of the 
leading stockholders of the company1    
sold it in #ahjd to ,john ,lees1 the    
,english overseer who succeeded the     
,scholfields1 and he continued to       
operate it for about #bj years4 ,on     
,august #bd1 #ahbd1 the mill was        
purchased at a ,sheriff's sale by       

,gorham ,parsons1 who sold a part       
interest to ,paul ,moody1 a machinist   
from the textile town of ,lowell4 ,moody
 operated the mill for the next #e years
 and at his death in #ahca his heirs    
sold their interest back to ,parsons4   
,in #ahcb it was leased for #g years by 
,william ,n4 ,cleveland and ,solomon    
,wilde under the name of ,william ,n4   
,cleveland  ,co4 ,following the         
expiration of the lease in #ahci1 a     
portion of the mill was occupied for #c 
or #d years by ,enoch ,pearson1 believed
 to have been a descendant of the ,john 
,pearson who had been a clothier in     
,rowley in #afdc1 and subsequently      
various industries occupied other       
portions and later the entire building1 
which burned with all its contents on   
,october #bi1 #ahei4  ,if the first     
,scholfield carding machine remained a  
part of the property1 therefore it must 
have been lost in that fire4 ,however1  
the ,scholfields' importance to         
,american wool manufacture was not      

contingent on the building of one       
successful carding machine1 regardless  
of whether it was the first4 ,it was the
 change in the scope of their business  
ventures after their move to            
,connecticut that synonymized the name  
of ,scholfield with mechanical wool     
carding in ,america4  ,john and ,arthur 
had built their woolen mill at          
,uncasville1 a village in the town of   
,montville1 and there ,arthur remained  
with his brother until #ahja1 when he   
married1 sold his interest to ,john1 and
 moved to ,pittsfield1 ,massachusetts4  
,john and his sons continued to operate 
the mill until #ahjf1 when difficulties 
over water privileges spurred him to    
purchase property in ,stonington1       
,connecticut1 where he built a new mill 
containing two double-cylinder carding  
machines4#aa ,in #ahac1 leaving one son 
in charge at ,stonington1 ,john returned
 to ,montville and purchased another    
factory and water privileges4 ,he       
continued in the woolen manufacture     

until his death in #ahbj4  ,arthur1 soon
 after arriving in ,pittsfield1         
constructed a carding machine and opened
 a ,pittsfield mill4 ,the following     
advertisement appeared in the           
,pittsfield ,sun1 ,november #b1 #ahja3  
,arthur ,scholfield respectfully informs
 the inhabitants of      ,pittsfield and
 the neighboring towns1 that he has a   
carding-machine      half a mile west of
 the meeting-house1 where they may have 
their      wool carded into rolls for   
#ab-a_/b cents per pound2 mixed #ae-a_/b
      cents per pound4 ,if they find the
 grease1 and pick and grease it1      it
 will be #aj cents per pound1 and       
#ab-a_/b cents mixed4 ,they are         
requested to send their wool in sheets  
as they will serve to bind      up the  
rolls when done4 ,also a small amount of
 woolens for sale4  ,the people around  
,pittsfield soon realized that the      
mechanically carded wool was not only   
much easier to spin but enabled them to 
produce twice as much yarn from the same

 amount of wool4 ,although many brought 
their wool to be carded at his factory1 
,arthur was not without problems4 ,these
 were evident in his advertisement of   
,may #ahjb1 in which he stated that if  
the wool was not properly sorted1       
clipped1 and cleansed he would charge an
 extra penny per pound4 ,he also added  
that he would issue no credit4 ,shortly 
after this1 recognizing the need for    
additional carding machines in other    
localities1 ,arthur ,scholfield         
undertook the work of manufacturing such
 machines for sale4 ,through this       
venture he was to spread his knowledge  
of mechanical wool carding throughout   
the country4   ,the ,scholfield         
,machines  ,the first record of         
,arthur's sale of carding machines      
appeared in the ,pittsfield ,sun in     
,september #ahjc4 ,the next year1 in    
,may #ahjd1 his advertisement informed  
the readers that ,a4 ,scholfield        
continued to card wool1 and also that3  
,he has carding-machines for sale1 built

 under his immediate      inspection1   
upon a new and improved plan1 which he  
is determined to      sell on the most  
liberal terms1 and will give drafts and 
other      instructions to those who    
wish to build for themselves2 and       
cautions all whom it may concern to     
beware how they are imposed      upon by
 uninformed speculating companies1 who  
demand more than      twice as much for 
machines as they are really worth4      
,scholfield must have felt that some of 
his competitors were charging much more 
for their carding machines than they    
were worth4 ,also1 others were producing
 inferior machines that did not card the
 wool properly4 ,both factors encouraged
 ,arthur to continue the commercial     
production of wool-carding machines4 ,in
 ,april #ahje he again advertised3      
,good news for farmers1 only eight cents
 per pound for picking1      greasing1  
and carding white wool1 and twelve and a
 half cents for      mixed4 ,for sale1  
,double ,carding-machines1 upon a new   

and improved      plan1 good and cheap4 
,and in #ahjf3       ,double carding    
machines1 made and sold by ,a4          
,scholfield for #bec      each1 without 
the cards1 or #djj including the cards4 
,picking      machines at #cj each4     
,wool carded on the same terms as last  
year1      viz43 eight cents per pound  
for white1 and twelve and a half cents  
for mixed1 no credit given4  ,with both 
carpenters and machinists working under 
his direction1 he soon abandoned        
completely the carding of wool and      
devoted his full time to producing      
carding machines4 ,an advertisement in  
the ,pittsfield ,sun shows ,alexander   
and ,elisha ,ely providing carding      
service there with a ,scholfield machine
 in #ahjf4 ,scholfield machines were    
also set up in ,massachusetts at        
,bethuel ,baker1 ,jr41  ,co4 in         
,lanesborough in #ahje1 at ,walker      
,worthington in ,lenox1 at ,curtis's    
,mills in ,stockbridge1 at ,reuben ,judd
  ,co4 in ,williamstown1 in ,lee at the 

falls near the forge1 at ,bairds' ,mills
 in ,bethlehem in #ahjf1 and by ,john   
,hart in ,cheshire in #ahjg4            
,subsequently many more ,scholfield     
machines were set up in many other      
places as far away as ,manchester1 ,new 
,hampshire1 in #ahji and ,mason         
,village1 ,new ,hampshire1 in about     
#ahaj4  ,one of the difficulties that   
,arthur encountered in building these   
early machines was in cutting the comb  
plates that freed the carded fleece from
 the cylinder4 ,these plates had to be  
prepared by hand1 the teeth being cut   
and filed one by one4 ,in #ahad ,james  
,standring1 an old friend and co-worker1
 smuggled into this country a           
teeth-cutting machine1 which he had     
procured on a trip to ,england4#ab      
,standring kept the machine closely     
guarded1 permitting only ,scholfield and
 one other friend to see it4 ,standring 
used his machine to make new saws of all
 descriptions and to re-cut old ones as 
well as to prepare comb plates for the  

carding machines4 ,but in spite of this 
new simplified method of producing comb 
plates ,scholfield's business did not   
flourish1 for the tremendous influx of  
foreign fabrics after the ,war of #ahab 
greatly damaged the domestic textile    
industries1 including the manufacture of
 carding machines4  ,by #ahah           
,scholfield's friends had persuaded him 
to apply to ,congress for relief4 ,to   
his brother ,john on ,april #bj1 #ahah1 
he wrote3       444 ,i have been advised
 by my friends to apply to ,congress by 
a      petition as we were the first    
that introduced the woolen ,business    
by ,machinery in this country and should
 that plan be adopted ,i have      but  
little hopes of success but they say if 
it does no good it wont      doo any    
harm but at any rate ,i should like your
 opinion and advice      about it4444   
,apparently ,john felt the plan would   
not succeed1 for on the following       
,december #ag ,arthur wrote him again3  
444 ,with regard to applying to         

,congress ,i have given that up for ,i  
am of your opinion that it won't succeed
 what gave me some hopes ,i      was    
advis'd to it by a member of the ,senet 
who is a very      influential man in   
,congress but he is now out and ,i think
 tis best      to drop it4444  ,arthur  
never applied to ,congress for the      
recognition his contemporaries felt he  
deserved4#ac  ,several changes in the   
construction of wool-carding machines   
took place during this period4 ,as early
 as #ahaf ,john ,scholfield1 ,jr41 was  
reported to have in his mill in ,jewett 
,city1 ,connecticut1 a double-cylinder  
carding machine #c feet wide4 ,and in   
#ahbb a ,worcester1 ,massachusetts1     
machine maker advertised that he was    
constructing carding machines entirely  
of iron4#ad ,although a few of these    
iron carding machines were sold1 they   
did not become common until #ej years   
later4#ae  ,there is no record that     
,arthur ,scholfield manufactured carding
 machines of a width greater than #bd   

inches1 or entirely of iron4 ,however1  
little is known of his last business    
years except that he remained in        
,pittsfield until his death1 ,march #bg1
 #ahbg4  ,only three wool-carding       
machines attributed to the hands of the 
,scholfields are known to exist today4  
,all are #bd-;inch1 single-cylinder     
carding machines of the same general    
description 7see fig4 #h74 ,they differ 
only in minor respects that probably    
result from subsequent changes and      
additions4 ,one 7fig4 #i71 now located  
in the ,plymouth ,carding ,house1 at    
,greenfield ,village1 ,dearborn1        
,michigan1 was discovered in ,ware1     
,massachusetts4 ,another 7fig4 #aj71 now
 at ,old ,sturbridge ,village1          
,sturbridge1 ,massachusetts1#af was     
uncovered in a barn in northern ,new    
,hampshire4 ,the third 7fig4 #a71 is in 
the ,u4,s4 ,national ,museum in the     
collection of the ,division of          
,textiles4  ,both it and the ,dearborn  
machine have in former times been       

described as the original ,scholfield   
woolen card4 ,it is a romantic but      
unsubstantiated idea that either of     
these is the first ,scholfield carding  
machine set up in the ,byfield factory  
in #agid4 ,the author's opinion is that 
all three were built by ,arthur         
,scholfield during his years in the     
,pittsfield factory4 ,examination of the
 ,national ,museum machine supports this
 opinion4 ,the woods used are all native
 to the ,new ,england region4 ,the      
frame1 the large cylinder and the roller
 called the fancy are constructed of    
eastern white pine 7the ,sturbridge     
machine is also constructed principally 
of pine74 ,the joints of the main frame 
are mortised and tenoned4 ,at the       
doffing end the main frame and cross    
supports are numbered and matched1 ,i to
 ,,iiii1 and at the feed end they are   
numbered ,v to ,,viii but were          
mis-matched in the original assembly4   
,further rigidity is achieved by means  
of hand-forged lag screws4 ,the arch of 

the frame is birch and the arch arm     
maple4 ,the #ad-;inch doffer roller is  
made of chestnut4#ag ,the iron shafts   
are square and turned down at the       
bearings4 ,the worker rollers are fitted
 with sprockets and turned by a         
hand-forged chain4 ,the comb plate1     
stamped ,standring1 is hand filed1 and  
is undoubtedly one of those made before 
the teeth-cutting machine was smuggled  
from ,england1 for although one-third of
 the plate is quite regular1 the size   
and pitch of the teeth in the remaining 
two-thirds are irregular4 ,part of this 
irregularity might be explained as      
having been caused by the               
hand-sharpening of a plate originally   
cut by machine1 but the teeth in one    
#b-;inch span not only vary in size but 
have a pitch that would have been       
impossible to produce after the original
 plate had been made4#ah  ,there is no  
doubt that this carding machine was made
 by ,arthur ,scholfield1 or under his   
immediate supervision1 sometime between 

#ahjc and #ahad4 ,it may well be one of 
the machines sent to southern ,new      
,hampshire in #ahji or #ahaj1 as it is  
known to have been run in ,nashua and   
,jeffrey1 ,new ,hampshire1 in the       
#ahbj's and #ahcj's1 after which it was 
run by ,james ,townsend in ,marlboro1   
,new ,hampshire1 from #ahcg until #ahij1
 when it was exhibited at the ,mechanics
 ,fair in ,boston4 ,mr4 ,rufus ,s4      
,frost purchased the machine and owned  
it until his death in #ahig4 ,when the  
,frost estate was settled1 the old      
,scholfield wool-carding machine was    
purchased by the ,davis  ,furber        
,machine ,co41 by which in #aied it was 
presented to the ,national ,museum4     
,the disappearance of the original      
,scholfield carding machine is          
regrettable1 but fortunately the        
,scholfields' importance to the         
,american woolen industry does not      
depend on their having produced this one
 machine4 ,these brothers1 arriving here
 at a critical time in our nation's     

history1 made important contributions to
 our economic and to our technological  
progress--,john by his mill operations1 
,arthur by his ultimate work of         
constructing wool-carding machines for  
sale4 ,of these two aspects1 it is the  
contribution of ,arthur that has had the
 more far-reaching effect1 for he spread
 his expert knowledge of mechanical wool
 carding1 in the form of machines1      
throughout the ,new ,england woolen     
centers4 ,his machines now stand as     
monuments to the work of both4          
,,footnotes3  #a ,the same type of hand 
cards were also used for cotton in      
,colonial ,america1 but because the     
cotton fibers were not laid parallel in 
the sliver only coarse yarns could be   
spun4 ,in ancient ,peru the fibers for  
spinning fine cotton yarns were prepared
 with the fingers alone4 ,in ,india the 
cotton fibers were combed with the      
fine-toothed jawbone of the boalee fish 
before the fibers were removed from the 
seed4 7,j4,f4 ,watson1 ,the textile     

manufactures and the costumes of the    
people of ,india1 ,london1 #ahff1 p4    
#fd47  #b ,edward ,baines1 ,history of  
the cotton manufacture in ,great        
,britain1 ,london1 #ahce1 p4 #agf4  #c  
,the wire points of the worker roller   
pick up the fibers from the faster      
moving main cylinder1 carding the fibers
 on contact4 ,a stripping action takes  
place when the wires of the worker      
roller meet the points of the stripper  
roller in a point to back action4 ,this 
arrangement is used to remove the wool  
from the worker and put it back on the  
wire teeth of the main cylinder4        
,illustrated in ,w4 ,van ,bergen and    
,h4,r4 ,mauersberger1 ,american wool    
handbook1 ,new ,york1 #aidh1 p4 #dea4   
#d ,the doffer comb1 a serrated metal   
plate the length of the rollers1 removes
 the carded fibers from the last roller 
or doffer4  #e ,this was no great       
disadvantage at this time1 as wool was  
still being spun on the spinning wheel4 
,the mechanical spinning of woolen yarns

 was an obstinate problem that was not  
solved until #ahae-ahbj4 ,it then was   
necessary to piece these #bd-;inch      
slivers together before they could be   
spun until #ahbf1 when a device for the 
doffing of carded wool in a continuous  
sliver was perfected by an ,american1   
,john ,goulding1 and patented by him4   
#f ,a4,p4 ,pitkin1 ,the ,pitkin family  
of ,america1 ,hartford1 #ahhg1 p4 #ge4  
#g ,from a letter written in #ahhi by   
,mayall's son2 ,a4,h4 ,cole1 ,the       
,american wool manufacture1 vol4 #a1    
,cambridge1 #aibf1 p4 #ij4  #h ,from a  
report of the visit of ,henry ,wansey in
 #agid1 cited by ,w4,r4 ,bagnall1 ,the  
textile industries of the ,united       
,states1 ,cambridge1 #ahic1 p4 #ajg4  #i
 ,slater introduced the ,arkwright      
system of carding and spinning cotton   
into ,america in #agij4 ,bringing       
neither plans nor models with him from  
which to build the machines1 he relied  
instead on his detailed knowledge of    
their construction4 ,england prohibited 

the export of textile machines1 models1 
and plans1 and even attempted to prevent
 skilled artisans from leaving the      
country4 ,george ,s4 ,white1 ,memoir of 
,samuel ,slater1 ,philadelphia1 #ahcf1  
pp4 #cg and #ga4  #aj ,r4,c4 ,taft1     
,some notes upon the introduction of the
 woolen manufacture into the ,united    
,states1 ,providence1 #ahhb1 pp4 #ag-ah4
 ,the ,scholfield sons1 of whom three   
were still living in the #ahhj's1 were  
quite elderly at the time ,taft talked  
to them2 only ,james1 aged #ih1 would   
have been able to remember the          
,connecticut move4  #aa ,there is no    
record of the carding machine made of   
mahogany which ,john's sons reported had
 been transferred to the ,stonington    
mill4  #ab ,this is probably the machine
 that gave rise to stories of a carding 
machine having been smuggled from       
,england during the early ,byfield days4
 ,j4,e4,a4 ,smith1 ,the history of      
,pittsfield1 ,massachusetts1 from the   
year #ahjj to the year #ahgf1           

,springfield1 #ahgf1 p4 #afg4  #ac      
,u4,s4 #aeth ,congress1 #ast and #bnd   
sessions1 ,the debates and proceedings  
in the ,congress1 vols4 for #ahag-ahai  
7#b74  #ad ,worcester ,spy1 ,july #aj1  
#ahbb4  #ae ,a natural delay4 ,although 
the cylinders and the card clothing wore
 out and had to be replaced1 the heavy  
wooden frames of the early machines     
remained long in serviceable condition4 
#af ,once again in use1 it is now       
powered by electricity4 ,a pound of     
slivers from it 7about #bfj7 may be     
purchased for #c4jj4  #ag ,the author is
 indebted to ,william ,n4 ,watkins1     
,u4,s4 ,national ,museum ,curator of    
,agriculture and ,wood ,products1       
,smithsonian ,institution1 for the      
identification of the woods in the      
specimen4  #ah ,the author is indebted  
to ,mr4 ,don ,berkebile of the          
,smithsonian's ,u4,s4 ,national ,museum 
staff for his examination of the metal  
teeth on the comb plate of this machine4