Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-08-04
THE CITIZEN
An Interview With jacquard Nearly
Century Ago.

An Interview With jacquard Nearly
Century Ago.
The jacquard machine, as is well known,
permits the weaving of the most comp lica-
ted patterns, enabling manufacturers OF
textile fabrics to produce the most tasteful
and elegant goods at price within the
reach OF all classes This most ingenious
machine was the invention of jacquard.
Long years ago, we paid the old man
visit, and he welcomed us with heartiness.
"But," said he, come forth into my vine
yard; let us get among the grapes and sun
shine" So he led the way with totter-
ing steps, and sitting down by his side, l
told him l was an Englishman, and, as he
was most ingenious man, had come to
see him. "Wen, l am proud of a visit
from an Englishman If have done any
real good, I owe the first suggestion to
England. 1t was an English newspaper
that led me to occupy my thoughts with
mechanical improvements, and, but for
that, it is probable l should still have been
poor straw hat maker in some obscure
street in Lyons 1t was during the peace
Amiens that a translated extract from an
English newspaper met my eye offering a
premium, by some society in London, to
to any one who could apply machinery for
the production of nets. After many at
tempts, l made machine which produced
a perfect net and, somehow, thought no
more about it. The net l carried about
with me in my pocket, and one day the
question was put me by friend what
would do with my machine. / gave him
the net as my answer. Time went on, and
l was surprised at receiving an order from
the perfect to see him as soon as possible
l went: he Produced my net and said, Il
have orders from the Emperor to send
your machine to Paris From the En-
peror That's strange You see it is all
in pieces and I must have time to put it
together again Very soon L mana aged
the affair, and irudged off with it and a
half made net to the perfect. l bade him
count the number of loops and then strike
the bar with his foot, when another loop
was added to the number. Great was his
delight-and the interview ended by the
words, 'Yon shall hear more about this
than you are aware of just now; and l did,
in way that perplexed me not little.
The perfect sent for me and said, u ou
must go to Paris, n. jacquard, by his Maj
esty's orders To Paris, sir How the
deuce can II What have I done 2 Not
only must you go to Paris, but to-day, inn
mediately.' Well, then,' answered, Il
will go home, see my wife, pack some
clothing, and You will not go home,
there is a carriage now waiting to take
you; my orders are imperative TO send you
on at once; 1 will provide you with money
and all you require I jumped into the
carriage and away, full gallop to cover the
l50 leagues to Paris. At the first station,
| opened the door 20 step out, but was
stopped by gendarme. Sir, if you please,
you are not to go out of my sight.
found myself prisoner. On
we went, and for the first time in my life,
l found myself in Paris, and strange in
deed, was my introduction there. Having
been taken direct to Napoleon and Carnot,
the latter said to me suddenly, Are you
the man that can do what Omnipotence
cannot Can you tie Knot on string on
the stretch p I was confounded and
could not answer. The Emperor said,
Don't be bashfnl, my man. speak up. l
will protect you In answer l said, Give
me materials and some place as work
shop and / will try what can be done.'
At the time superb shawl
was to be woven for the Empress
Josephine, and for its production they
were constructing very costly and com
plicated loom, upon which the sum of
twenty thousand francs had already been
expended. | recollect having seen a
model by Vaucanson, in which was prin-
ciple l thought might be made to serve a
purpose I had in my mind, and, after in
intense application, l produced the ma
chine bearing my name. The Emperor
conferred this decoration upon me which
you see upon my breast, and pension OF
one thousand crowns. But, on my return
to Lyons, l was received by an infuriated
mob of weavers, who declared that | had
had doomed them and their families to
starvation. Three plots were laid to as
sasinate me, and twice with difficulty, l
escaped with my life, and go strong was
the prejudice against me, that my machines
| were openly destroyed by order of the
public authorities in the great square of
| the city. The iron was sold for scrap, the
wood for fire lighting. Trade declined, ow
ing the successful competition OF foreign.
ers, and, as a last resource, was begged
entreated, and continually snpplicated tC
make another experiment. 1 succeeded;
silks of greater beauty were produced al
lower cost; the dawn of prosperity set in
and continued to shine. / have lived tC
see thousands made. 1t has given labor tC
tens of thousands, and thank God whC
gave me the intellect and preserved my
life to be public benefactor.
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