US Patent No. 141,017, granted July 22, 1873 to John Sault of South Manchester, Connecticut, for a machine that spreads waste silk fibers onto the feeding apron of a drawing machine. The specification describes cross-feeding aprons on a reciprocating frame that receive "books" of fiber and deliver them lengthwise onto the ordinary feed belts. Rods vibrated by a crank loosen the fiber as it is laid down. The patent includes a drawing sheet (side elevation and plan view) and two claims.

US patent specification and drawings for John Sault of South Manchester, Connecticut, for a machine that spreads waste silk fiber onto the feeding apron of a drawing machine. A reciprocating cross-feeding apron receives "books" of fiber laid crosswise and delivers them lengthwise onto the ordinary feed apron. Vibrating rods loosen the fiber so it distributes evenly. This replaces hand-feeding in small handfuls. The document has one sheet of drawings (side elevation and plan view), the specification, and two claims.