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Water frame
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The water frame is an extension of the spinning frame, both of which are credited to Richard Arkwright. While Arkwright patented and exploited the technology the actual invention was made by Thomas Highs. John Kay, a clock maker and mechanic who helped Highs build the water frame, was duped by Arkwright into giving up the design.
The water frame is derived from the adaptation of a water wheel to the spinning frame. The water wheel provided more power to the spinning frame than human operators, reducing the amount of human labor needed and increasing the spindle count dramatically. However, unlike the spinning jenny, the water frame could only spin one thread at a time until Samuel Crompton combined the two inventions into his spinning mule
In 1771 Arkwright installed the water frame in his cotton mill at Cromford, Derbyshire, on the River Derwent, creating one of the first factories that was specifically built to house machinery rather than just bringing workers together.
