Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-07
NEW LACE MACHINE.
ity

ploys many thousands of workers in
| E,urope. For many centuries hand
made lace was the only kind in use, and
| it is still esteemed as the finest and
most valuable of such fabrics; but early
| in the last century machinery was in
vented for making certain forms of lace
and these have come with extensive use
to meet the, demands of trade. Now 1t
it announced that further progress is
being made in lace machinery to make
finer fabrics.
Consul S. C. Mcfarland, stationed at
Nottingham, England, devotes re-
cent consular report to a statement OF
facts in regard to a new lace making
machine, which will produce, superior
kind of lace. Nottingham is the seat
of the lace making industry in England,
and, naturally, the new invention at
tracts attention and awakens conjec-
| ture in that quarter, as 1t will else
where. A private exhibition was lately
given of the first working model of this
new lace machine, which is the inven-
| ton of Herr A. Matitsch, of Vienna.
The machine, which in general ap-
| pearance, capacity and economy of pro-
| duct resembles the Levers apparatus,
will, it Is claimed. produce real lace, or
so closely resembling handmade pro-
| ducts of the same patterns as TO be
hardly distinguishable by experts.
Patents have been secured in the
United States and the leading nations
of both continents
The inventor, Herr Matitsch, studied
in technical school at Vienna, and en-
tered-in 1S67--the well known lace
factory of Ludwig Dambock, which OPP
crates about 10 machines. From ma
chine engineer he became technical d.
ctor and, later on, partner, superintend-
ing the building of new machines. AS
the firm also handled handmade laces,
he became practically familiar with all
branches of the trade and conceived the
idea of deyising machine which would
produce a cheap but real" torchon lace,
suitable for washable trimmings. In
1882, he had model constructed which
produced a torchon lace, but it was a
technical, rather than practical, sue
cess. He continued the development of
the idea, and, retiring from the firm in
1895, devoted his whole time to the sub
ject. Going to Nottingham, after COM
pleting model in Vienna, he, after
some effort, made arrangements with
an experienced manufacturer to con-
struct the machine. Herr Matitsch
then returned to Austria and began the
training of three textile designers, in
order to have proper jacquards ready
upon completion Of the apparatus. In
June, 1890, this was roughly capable of
working; the designers taken to Not
tingham and three years of patient de-
velopment followed, the machine today
as it stands in working order represent
ing an outlay of $4,000.
The inventor submits statement
showing the points of difference and
superiority over other machines. which
has technical interest.
Consul Mcfarland says:
Cali other machines for producing the
equivalent of hand made lace, includ-
ing the Birkin machine of England,
are, is is claimed, in construction and
scope similar to the original French
machine of Mathere. When the model
of the Matitsch machine was produced
in Vienna, an exhaustive report upon
1t was made by Prof. Max Kraft, pro-
fessor Of mechanics at the technical high
school of Graz Austria, to the German
Patent Tribunal. In his report at that
time 1Ss7, this expert made the fol-
lowing comparison:
""There are two real torchon- lace ma
chimes already in existence, viz, one by
Hedtmann & Henkels, Langerfeld Ger
man construction), and the other by
| Mathere. Paris F'rench). They do not,
however, answer the purpose thor
oughly, because the first can only make
single interlacing (twisting), and,
consequently, produces the plainest
kind of laces. The Mathere machine is
Well thought out, but it does not work
economically enough, as it can make
but one breadth at one time. The con-
struction and working of these ma
chimes, which leave more or less to be
desired, are improved and entirely SUI
perseded by the Matitsch MACH ne,
which can manufacture at ease at che
| time--i. e., as far as the length of the
machine goes-any number of breadihs
desired, while the Mathere machine is
only able to produce one breadth
AS to the profitableness of the ma
chine statement is submitted show wing
that 200 sixty-m motion machines, at but
a cost Of 1888 each, in a year would
produce net profit of $1,SS0,512, or a
profit of 101 per cent. The inventor is
anxious that others shall take up the
work and construct the machines.
Since the sample production of lace
upon the Matitsch machine began, con-
siderable attention has been paid to the
matter by the Austrian, London, and
Nottingham press, but comment has
been largely speculative and sugges-
tive of a revolution in lace making.
Consul Mcfarland closes by saying:
"The Vienna Neue Freie Presse char
acterizes the invention as epoch max