Historical information

These are sales photographs for William Tatham Ltd. of Rochdale. These photographs are taken in the fitting shop at William Tatham Ltd. where final assembly would have taken place.

The Automatic Feeding Machine automatically dispenses wool to a carding machine, so that an even, constant supply is received. This eliminated the manual labour previously needed for the initial weighing and feeding of wool. The photographed machine was made by William Tatham Ltd, a textile engineering company based in Rochdale, UK. Established in 1866, Tatham developed innovative textile machinery and sent their products to Australia and other countries around the world.

Physical description

Two black and white photos of an Automatic Feeding Machine in a landscape format. The first photo is of the front of the machine, the second is of the rear.

Inscriptions & markings

8037.1 - Front - top margin: For description see over.
Front mide right edge - Wm. TATHAM Ltd. ROCHDALE. Machine Maker
Front bottom right corner - 1146

Rear - 78” wide Automatic Feeding Machine having Dual Hoppers in which the first and large section feeds the second Hopper so as to maintain a constant level of material in the latter. The driving of both spiked lattices is by electro-magnetic clutches, the one in the first Hopper being actuated by a sensitive feeler motion in the second, the second spiked lattice however, being controlled, of course, from the Scale Pan. Through a mercury switch. The scale is of our latest super-sensitive pattern mounted diagonally across the Feed. Only the opening doors are used in the actual weighting and the trap doors placed over the scale which close immediately the correct weight is deposited, operate through a solenoid. The machine incorporates many other features and is arranged to divide for facility in cleaning.

8037.2 - Front mide right edge - Wm. TATHAM Ltd. ROCHDALE. Machine Maker
Front bottom right corner - 1147

Rear - Showing opposite side of Dual Automatic Feed illustrated in photo 1146