Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-04-21

The first ma chine for knitting was invented by
William Lee, of WoOdborough, England, about
thirty years after the invention of hand knitting
and about two hundred and eghty-two years
ago.
There is q romance connected with the origin
of this invention. One version of the matter is
that Lee, falling desperately in love while an
under graduate, and marrying pretty girl, was
expelled from college; and that his attention
was turned to the subject by sitting and intently
gazing upon his Young wife at her dim lamp
who, being skillful kuittcr, contributed much
in their poverty to gain them subsistence. This
account Is, however, i'm. robable in some partc-
uars.
The other account runs in this wise Lee
made love to a, pretty girl in his neighborhOod
who received his ardent attentions somewhat
cooly. She was an accomplished knitter, and
in his visits she was careful to display less de-
votion to him than to her hosiery. Disguised
at last with this kind of Entertainment, he res'lv-
ed to devote himself to the invention Of ma
crime 10 superse1e her favorite empoym mt. Ac-
cordngly, laying aside his presty robes, and
relinquisbing his sacredOtal duties, he addressed
himself entirely to his new idea. His sweetheart
changing her mind endeavored IN vain to dis
suade him from his new object Of devotion.
The old stocking weavers used to take delight
In their cups-for they always were a j1val sci
in dilatug upon Lees adventures with his
mistress In his visits he used to watch his
sweetheart with the utmost attention, to devise
If possible. some method of giving The round
shape which the four needles gave to the stock
ing. At last, calling upon her when she was
using only two needles in forming the heel, the
thought flashed upon him in moment to make
his web fiat and by scanning with the needle by
hand, TO make it round After working day aud
night for three years, he at last was successful
in making course upon frame and, after
some years more of anxious and embarrassing
toll, his struggles were finally rewarded in the
production of what among the stocking Weay-
ers, is known as " the old stocking frame"
which, for nearly two hundred and fifty years,
down even To- this generation, continued to be the
only knitting machine in existence, and in near
ly the same condition in which it was left by
the inventor.
Lee was honore3 with permission to exhibit
his invention before Queen Elizabeth, who had
been accustomed to patroni1e whatever minis
tered to her pleasure, her vanity and her ambi-
tiun. But she was now far in her dotage, and
gave him no encouragement He and his broth
er were permitted. also, to wcave pair Of stock
ings upcn the a,achine in the presence OF her
successor. But James withheld h S patronage,
assigning as his reason that the invention was
calculated to deprive the poor hand knitters OF
their labor and their bread n narrow minded
conception Of stupid monarch, which, strange
as it NAV seem. has in our own day impelled the
operatives, upon these very old Lee frames, IN
their turn, to resist the introduction of the still
greater Improvements Of modern times.
Lee, however, nothing disheartened, went
straight Onward in his-enterprise and in 1897
had, at Culvertpn near Nottingham nine frames
in successful operation, each of his weavers
wearing, badge uf honor, a breast-piB COM
posed Of a silver needle, chain aud clasp.
The fame Of his invention and the report OF
the shabby manner in which it had been regard
ed at the English court, having reac ch9d France
~. al,
accordance with the suggestions Of Sully, his
great minister, believing unlike the royal james,
that laborsaying inventions essentially the
means of multiplying the resources OF national
industry, and thus eularging the means OF living
to the poor, solicited Lee to make his kingdom
the theatre Of his enterprise. He had, however,
scarcely become located with his machines in
bis new nuG..a. at ROuen, in Normandy, under
the auspices Of Henry, Nt,c. : his royal patron
fell by the assassin and of Ravaillac bigoted
monk, whose ianaticism had been inflamed bY
the kings enlightened religious libeiaity. This
was in 1910, two hundred and sixty-one years
ago. Lee, soon prescribed for his religion, took
refuge in Paris, and there in a short time, died
in a6ject poverty. This great invention, howev-
er, did not die with him ; for some of his work
men, escaping back into England, and under his
ingenious apprentice, Aston, again mounting the
stocking frame, they restored the invention to
its native country, and thus made Nottingham
shire what it is at the present day-the great
seat of the knitting business in the English
realm.
In the Stocking Weavers' nlll, in Red Cross
Street, London, there is tho portrait of a man
painted in the act of pointing to an iron stocking
frame, and addressing woman who is knitting
with needles by hand. The picture bears the
following quaint inscription In the year 1889
the ingenious William Lee, A. NJ, of st. Johns
College, Cambridge, devised this profitable art
for stockings; but being despised. went to
Frauce--yet of iron to himself, but to us and
to others of gold in memory of whom this is
here painted"
la 1856 about one hundred and fifty years af
ter Lees death, a valuable improvement was
made upon this old frame, bv Jedidiah Strut, a
man of genius and public spirit, OF Derby, Eng
land, who was the patron OF Richard Arkwrght
in his inventive labOrs, and one Of his partners
at later day in his manufacturing enterprises.
This improvement, however, was NO innovation
upon the general features Of the original ma
chine.
1t is to be remembered that this old frame was
hand machine, so heavy and complicated in
its structure as to demand the strong muscular
energies of one long trained to the work, to give
it successful operation. Hence the great OilUrls
and vast sums Of money expended in England
and on the Continent To ad ipt it 10 power, in the
latter part of the eighteenth and in the early
part Of the present century. All experiments
in that direction having, however, proved entire
ly abortive, it had come to be the impression,
almost universally, amorg inventors, that it was
an impossblity. What was thus abandoned as
impossible by European ingenuity, was soon at
ter completely accomplished by the inventive
genius Of America.
The first knitting machine ever operated by
lower in this 0: in any other country is believed
10 have been devised and constructed by Timo-
thy Bailey, in the city of Albany. EgbeTt Egg
berts, DR.. WilliGps and Alfred Cook, were en-
gagged with Bailey 10 the enterprise. Egberts
Hrst suggested the idea Of power machine to
" illianis, and the services Of Bailey, who was
represented by Cook f. be man OF great inven'
tive bowers, were sOlicitAl They took Bailey
to sea one of the Lee francs then in operation
in that city. Bailey, after caNfu examination
aud ono days reflection. decided that he could
do the lob. EgbeTts Immediately lheleunOn sent
Baileyt to Philadelphia with funds, to purchase
an old frame upon which t0 oommince his ex-
periments This was in 1891. Egberts, Viii
iams. Cook ana u tiley entered into partnerships
and employing man by The name of Gleason,
a fter succeeding in operating the old machine
by turning a crank, Bailey commenced in good
earnest to builo now machine TO DO operated
by power But, aftor awhile, the partners, in
ciuding Gleason, who had been received into the
company, all became discouraged aud Egbe"ts
who, by agreement, had advanced Bailey's share
OF tho caplthii cohcludeu 10 pay up tue DHlsI ana
with the rest call the thing bad speculation.
Bailey, however, sill had faith, and the machine
was turned over to him, who said he was not in
the habit of leaving a job until 1t was flushed.
lie went on alone, and in week or two after
ward. Cook and EgberIs, calling on their old
partner to see his operations, We're amazed in
seeing Bailey turn his new machine thirty two
revolutions without missing a stitch. Egbers
offered Bailey five hundred dollars
to put the machine in running order. The prop
psiiion was Immediately accepted, aud with tie
assistance of his brother Joshua, In finishing il
np. the machine was put in operation, by poiosr,
in the attic of a large building then just erected
at Cohoes, in October, 1892. Il was substan-