The apparatus for disposing of a weft (Y₃) piece in a jet loom comprises a pair of weft piece sensors (23A, 24A; 23B, 24B), disposed at the terminal side of weft picking passage. If a weft yarn breaks, the weft piece withdrawing device withdraws one piece (Y₃) of the broken weft with a pair of weft piece withdrawing rollers (27, 29) disposed between said paired weft piece sensors (21A, 22A; 23A, 24A; 23B, 24B).
The withdrawing rollers (27, 28) form, when put together a drum, that serves as a measuring drum for the weft yarn piece when it is wound on that drum. Another weft yarn withdrawing device (8, 9, 11, 12, 17, 16, 17, 18) placed at the entering side of the weft picking passage, provides for withdrawing the weft yarn piece (Y₁) upstream the breaking point of the broken weft (Y). The withdrawing devices generate signals representative for the length of the withdrawn yarn pieces (Y₁, Y₃) of the broken weft. These signals are fet to a computer (C). In this computer (C) the sum of the length of the yarn pieces is compared with the preset nominal weft yarn length. If the sum of the removed yarn pieces is equal or greater than the nominal weft length the loom is automatically restarted; this based on the assumption that the broken weft has been totally removed. If the sum of the pieces is shorter than the nominal weft length, the loom is not restarted and calls for service personnel care.