Mechanized spinning machines, typically comprising a roving, a pair of drawing-rollers and spindles, a fly, a tube, and a series of drums, designed to produce yarn from cotton fibers and then wind the yarn onto bobbins. The simplest of all spinning machines, these devices are commonly used to spin English worsted yarn, amongst other types of smooth yarn from which sewing thread and durable warps are produced. The design of these spinning machines is a modification of Richard Arkwright's water-frame. The charactetistic feature of these devices is the fact that they are equipped with rows of spindles and their constituent parts on each side, so that the machine is two-sided; the parts on both sides of the machine are connected and simultaneously operated by bands from a tin cylinder lying horizontally under the machine. Unlike the water-frame, which uses a water wheel as a motor, the throstle frame employs a steam engine to facilitate the mass production of large quantitities of yarn. The device dates from the early 19th century and derives its name, throstle, from the humming sound the machine makes while running.
