CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THAT CLASS OF MACHINERY COMMONLY CALLED OR KNOWN BY THE NAME OF WARP MACHINERY, EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF LACE AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN STREETS
the younger, Lace Manufacturer, of Nottingham, for myself and for TOMAS
WHITELEY, Mechanic, also of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS we did, by Petition, humbly represent unto His most Excel-
lent Majesty King William the Fourth, that, after considerable application and
expence, we had invented "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THAT CLASS
OF MACHINERY COMMONLY CALLED OR KNOWN BY THE NAME OF WARP MACHINERY,
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF LACE AND OTHER FABRICS;" and His said
Majesty being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions which
may be for the public good, was graciously pleased, by His Royal Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of January,
last (One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five), in the fifth year of
His reign, for Himself, His heirs and successors, to give and grant unto
us, the said John Streets the younger and Thomas Whiteley, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we or they, by ourselves or themselves, or by our or
their deputies, servants, or agents, or such others as we or they should agrée
with (and no others), during the term of fourteen years from the date of the said
Letters Patent, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend our said
said Invention within that part of His said Majesty's Dominions called England
and Wales and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to us, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, shall seem meet, and as that we or they
shall enjoy the whole profit and advantage arising by reason of the said Inven-

page_text: tion during the said term of fourteen years; and for that end His said Majesty
requires and strictly commands all His subjects whatsoever that they shall not,
neither directly nor indirectly, make, use, or put in practice our said Invention
or any part thereof, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the
same, nor make any addition thereto or subtraction therefrom, whereby to
pretend himself or themselves to be the inventor or inventors thereof; and
whereas the said Letters Patent contain a proviso obliging us, the said John
Streets and Thomas Whiteley, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Streets the younger, for myself and for the said Thomas Whiteley, do
hereby declare that our said Invention is described and ascertained in manner
following, and by the aid of the five Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say-
In order to avoid any misconception respecting the class of machinery to
which our said improvements are applicable, notwithstanding that the name of
warp machinery is sufficiently expressive to persons engaged in a particular
branch of lace manufacturing, we wish it to be understood that by warp
machinery we mean that kind of machinery which is employed in the manu-
facturing of lace which operates with a row of hooked or bearded needles
very similar to those of a
stocking frame, and also with a very similar presser
bar to act on the beards of the needles, and with a row of sinkers somewhat
resembling those of a stocking frame (although differently shaped) interspaced
between the needles, also with a warp roller or rollers having a great number
of warp threads warped upon it or them (and thence the name of the ma-
chinery), in the same manner as the warp roller or beam of a weaving loom,
and having also rows of thread guides applied on what is called a machine in
front of the row of needles, through the eyes of which guides the warp threads
are conducted from the warp roller or rollers, and are by the said thread guides
supplied to the needles at least two threads to each needle, and by suitable
action of the said rows of thread guides the warp threads are lapped over the
several needles, and are occasionally crossed over from one needle to the next,
and interlooped one thread with another in a suitable manner for interrupting
the continuity of the fabric which would be produced if every needle were

page_text: always fully supplied, whereby a recticulated tissue of hexagonal meshes is
produced resembling lace, and hence called lace, the interlooping of the threads
and fabrication of the tissue being produced by the concurrent action of the
needles and of the sinkers and of the pressure, which parts operate somewhat
similarly to the corresponding parts of a stocking frame, and which, by so
operating, would produce a fabric somewhat resembling that of stockings, if
every needle were always fully supplied with thread, but owing to the peculiar
mode of supplying the threads from a warp roller and suitable rows of thread
guides to the needles the said threads are partially distributed to the needles,
some needles having more thread and others less, and such partial distribution
is varied at succeeding times of supplying thread in such manner as to produce
a net work or lace, in lieu of a uniform tissue or fabric, such as is made by a
stocking frame; and further, such warp machinery is supplied with many addi-
tional thick threads called gimp threads or gimps, which are occasionally
distributed over the needles by means of several additional rows of thread
guides, which are actuated with suitable motions for distributing the said
thick threads to the needles at intervals of the operation of making the lace in
such manner as to interweave the said gimps casually, or distributed here and
there in the lace or net work, according to such various patterns and devices
as is requisite for producing imitations of ornamented lace, such as is usually
made by hand with bobbins on a pillow or cushion; and the width of the
tissue of lace which is made in such warp machinery is divided into a number
of narrow breadths or ribbands of lace by removing or omitting some needles
out of the general row of needles at the places where the divisions between
adjacent breadths are to be formed, the warp threads corresponding to
those needles so omitted being also omitted, but in lieu thereof other
threads, called rovings or lacing threads or draw threads, are supplied by
suitable guides, which are distinct from the other rows of guides before
mentioned, and by which such lacing threads are supplied at one time to
the needles which are on one side of those needles which are so omitted,
and then at other times to the needles which are at the opposite side of
the same needles which are so omitted, by which means the said lacing
threads become interlaced between the adjacent edges of the divided breadths,
so as to unite them together into one broad tissue or two broad tissues of lace,
as wide or half as wide as the machinery will contain; but after such tissue is
taken off the machinery, and has been bleached and finished by clear starching
ready for use, the said rovings or draw threads or lacing threads are drawn
out, their connection being purposely made very slight, and thereby the several
breadths become divided and separated one from another into laces, which are

page_text: commonly called tattings. The aforesaid additional thick threads called gimps,
which are worked into such lace or tattings to form the ornaments thereof, are
carried out to the edges or borders of the several breadths so as to form em-
broidered edgings thereto, and by aid of suitable lacing threads suitably
applied the said edgings are kept extended laterally drawn out into vandyked
or scolloped forms, and retained in those forms until the lace is finished, and
the breadths seperated by drawing out the said draw threads. And further, in
part of the ornament of such laces or tattings (in addition to the interweaving
of gimp threads), holes called eyelet holes are left therein at intervils, and dis-
tributed in the lace according as the pattern requires. Such eyelet holes are pro-
duced when required by witholding warp threads from particular needles at the
places where holes are to be made in the net at the time when other needles in
the row are duly supplied with warp threads. For this purpose the rows of thread
guides before mentioned must be affixed to several bars called guide bars, each
bar being capable of all the motions which are requisite for supplying those threads
which are threaded through its guides to their corresponding needles; but each
bar can be made to perform those motions indepently of all the other such bars,
wherefore one or more of the said bars may be rendered inoperative, in order
that the threads which are threaded through its guides may withold threads from
some particular needles, at the same time that other of the bars are operative.
to supply thread to all the other needles (except at the junctions between the
breadths). Those thread guides which correspond to the particular needles at
which eyelet holes are required to be made at any time are affixed to distinct
guide bars from the other guide bars. When no eyelet holes are intended to
be made in the lace, all the guide bars are made operative to supply warp
threads to all the needles (except at the junction between the breadths); and
when eyelet holes are intended to be made at particular places in the width of
the lace, one or more of the said guide bars which carries the guides for the
threads belonging to those particular places is for the time rendered in-
operative, in order that warp threads may be witheld from the needles at those
particular places, and thereby leave eyelet holes thereat; but at another
succeeding time of supplying thread to the needles no eyelet holes may be
required to be left, and therefore the bar and guides which was rendered
inoperative last time may this time be operative, wherefore all the needles will
be supplied with warp threads, and a continuous texture of lace will be
formed, and the same may be continued until so much thereof is made as is
intended to intervene between the succeeding rows of cyelet holes, and then
warp threads are withheld from particular needles, as before; but in case the
eyelet holes then to be made are not intended to be at the same places in the

page_text: width of the net as those places where eyelet holes were made before, then
another different guide bar from that which was rendered inoperative before
must be now rendered so inoperative. Wherefore, according to the distribution
of the eyelet holes in the lace which is suitable for the pattern which is to be
made, so must more or fewer guide bars be provided in the machinary; and in
the same manner, respecting the gimp threads, the guides for those gimp
threads are to be affixed to more or fewer guide bars, according to the
richness and diversity of pattern which is required to be produced. And
respecting the warp machinary employed in the manufacturing of other fabrics
than lace, such fabrics are of the nature and texture of framework knitted
work in pieces, which are afterwards cut up to make elastic garments, such as
stockings, caps, shirts, drawers, or other articles of hosiery similar to those
which are made by ordinary stocking frames, but which may be made by warp
machinery, in which case each needle will be supplied with at least one warp
thread by the row or rows of thread guides fixed on a guide bar or bars,
which is mounted in the machine in front of the row of needles, and those
threads are drawn of a warp roller or rollers in the same manner as herein-
before mentioned respecting warp machinery for manufacturing lace, and the
operation of the said rows of thread guides is very similar, excepting in respec
to simplicity of action, because there is little or none of that diversity of action
of the guide bars which, as before mentioned, is requisite for producing
patterns of gimp threads, and eyelet holeed work in lace, and also because
there is a more uninterrupted continuity of the tissue which is to result from
the interlooping of the said threads, which are supplied to the needles without
so much of that occasional crossing over the warp threads from one needle to
the next as is requisite for making open meshes of lace. There are many
varieties of fabrics which are and may be made by warp machinery which are
not commonly called lace, but some of which are reticulated tissues or open
work; and the said machinery having our improvements or part thereof
applied thereto will have all the same capabilities for making lace or other
fabrics as at presents, but with increased facilities of operation by virtue of the
application of our improvements thereto.
Now our said improvements consist partly in certain means (herein-after
fully described) of conducting the warp threads whereof lace or other fabrics
is to be made by that class of machinery commonly called warp machinery
from those parts of such machinery which are called thread guides or thread
layers to those parts which are called needles, in such manner as to dispense
with any insertion of the ends of the thread guides between the ends of the
needles in the act of laying or lapping the warp threads over the needles by
the thread guides, but by operation of this part of our improvements the

page_text: threads will be conducted to and lapped upon the needles in such manner as
may be required for making lace or other fabrics by such warp machinery,
without inserting the ends of the thread guides between the needles, as is the
case in all warp machinery hitherto constructed, and which insertion occasions
frequent bending and derangement of the needles, and consequent interruption
of the operation of the machinery for repairing such derangements; and by
suitable modification of our said means of so conducting the warp threads we
are also enabled to distribute the threads to the needles in such manner as is
suitable for leaving eyelet holes in the lace made by such machinery for
ornament of that lace, and which is done by withholding the threads from
particular needles (at every place where eyelet holes are intended to be left)
at the time when the other needles are supplied with threads in order to make
lace; and by operation of our said means the threads can be sometimes
withheld from some needles, and then afterwards supplied to all the needles,
and then at other succeeding times withheld from other different needles to
those from which threads were before withheld, in order by so doing to make
cyclet holes at different places in the width of the lace at different succeeding
times of making such holes, and with plain lace intervening between the
eyelet holes which are made at such succeeding times, which effect has
hitherto been attained, as herein-before stated, by employing several guide
bars for the different thread guides or layers, and much complication is
thereby occasioned, which can by this part of our improvement be avoided, as
we are enabled to dispence with a portion of the guide bars usually employed
in warp machinery for making lace ornamented with patterning threads and
eyelet hole work, provided that the same kind of lace with patterning and
cyclet hole work is to be made by the warp machinery which is constructed
according to our improvements as is made by the warp machinery ordinarily
constructed, because we can produce eyelet hole work by operation of our
mode of conducting the threads with fewer additional guide bars than is
usually required; or if as many guide bars as usual are employed in warp
machinery which is constructed according to our improvements for making
lace with eyelet hole work, then that eyelet hole work being produced by
action of this part of our said improvements, the extra guide bars which are
used may be devoted to the purpose of introducing more gimp or figuring
threads than are usually introduced into lace made by warp machinery, so as
to give greater richness to the ornamental patterns of such lace.
And another part of our said improvements is to affix to what is commonly
called the presser bar in warp machinery a row of small prongs, which are
adapted to apply to the eyes of the needles at the moment when what is
termed pressing is to be performed, one such prong to cach needle, in a

page_text: suitable manner for enabling the loops and stitches of the work to be what is
termed landed upon the beards of the needles, instead of applying the edge of
the presser bar upon the said beards to press and close them down when the
loops and stitches of the work are brought forwards by the sinkers along the
stems of the needles, and landed over the depressed beard thereof, according
to the ordinary mode of working warp frames. The said prongs are pointed
at their extremities, and the under side of each prong is grooved near to the
pointed extremity with a very similar groove to that which is termed the eye
of the needle of the warp frame. At the moment of performing the pressing
the said pointed and grooved part of the prong is applied over the extremity of
the beard of the needle, so that the same is received in the groove of the
prong, and with the pointed extremity of the prong entered into the ordinary
eye or groove of the needle, and by pressing the prong slightly downwards
upon the beard of the needle the same is closed a little down into the groove
or eye beneath it, but not so much as is usually done by the ordinary action of
the edge of the presser, and when the sinkers bring forwards the loops and
stitches of the work along the needles in the usual manner, those loops pass
over the pointed extremities of the prongs which are entered into the eyes of
the needles, so that the said loops become landed over the beards, and then
the said prongs are entirely withdrawn from contact with the needles. And
note, for making lace of that kind which is now the most ordinary kind made
by warp machinery, where two successive lapings of the warp threads are
made over the needles before the action of pressing is performed, the said
pressing prongs being put down with their pointed extremities into the
grooves or eyes of the needles immediately after the first one of the said
two lappings of thread has been made over the needles, and then the said
pressing prongs being pushed backwards in the said grooves of the needles
will carry back the said first laps of thread far enough along the stems
of the needles to be out of the way of the beards of the needles, and then the
succeeding or second lappings of thread may be laid over the said stems in
such manner that they will draw under the beards of the needles. Wherefore,
when the pressing is to be performed (by action of the pressing prongs in the
manner above stated), the first laps of thread, together with the loops or
former stitches of the work, will be brought forwards along the stems of
the needles by the sinkers, and landed by aid of the pressing prongs over the
beards of the needles whilst the second lappings of thread are under
those beards. In ordinary warp machinery the said carrying back of
the first lappings of thread along the stems of the needles is usually performed
by a distinct motion of the sinkers, which motion may be dispenced with

page_text: in warp machinery which is constructed according to this part of our
improvements, and the same effect produced more expeditiously by the
aforesaid action of our pressing prongs for putting back the first lappings of
thread.
And for the more complete explanation of the nature of our said improve-
ments, I have hereunto annexed five Sheets of Drawings, wherein is repre-
sented complete warp machinery constructed according to our said improve-
ments for making lace. Sheet 1 contains representations, full size, of the
leads and parts which are immediately operative upon the threads. Sheet 2,
a section, also full size, of the same parts, shewing their relative places in the
machinery, and their connections with the other parts thereof. Sheet 3 con-
tains a horizontal plan of the upper part, and an elevation of the front part of
the complete machinery, drawn one sixth of the real size. Sheet 4 contains
an elevation of the back part and transverse sections and elevations of the
ends of the complete machinery, also drawn one sixth of the real size. And
Sheet 5 contains representations, full size, of the revolving camms or wheels
belonging to the rotary machinery, by which all the operative parts of the
machinery are actuated with the motions which are requisite to be given to
them for the due performance of their respective functions.
Figure A, Sheet 1, represents the leads of needles for warp machinery
which is constructed according to our improvements, and which needles are
very nearly the same as in ordinary warp machinery, but with shorter beards
and longer eyes. Each lead contains three needles, and the eyes or grooves
in the upper sides of the stems of the needles are longer than usual, and the
leads are fastened in the usual manner, side by side, in a row upon the needle
bar L, Sheet II., by means of a prominent verge b on the front edge of that
bar, and with clamp plates a, which are bound down upon the tails of those
leads by two screws for each clamp plate, and with leather interposed, to
make sure of holding every needle lead fast, all which is just as usual in
ordinary warp machinery, and therefore requires no farther explanation.
Figure B, Sheet I., represents the leads of sinkers, which sinkers are inter-
spaced between the needles, one sinker for each needle. The sinkers are cast
firmly in their leads B, and those leads are fastened in a row, side by side, by
screws along the front face of the sinker bar C, Sheet II., the sinkers being
sustained by that mode of fastening alone, without any attachment at their
lower ends, which is rather different from the ordinary mode of sustaining the
sinkers in warp machinery; but such difference does not constitute any part
of our present improvements.
Figure D, Sheet I., represents the leads of our pressing prongs, herein-

page_text: before mentioned, which leads are fastened in a row, side by side, by screws
along the front face of the presser bar E, Sheet II. The leads D of the
pressing prongs stand nearly vertical, containing one prong for each needle,
and the stems or shanks of the prongs stand nearly in the same direction, but
their extremities are bended backwards, so as to incline but little from a hori-
zontal position, with the pointed extremities inclining downwards and back-
wards; and the latter are adapted, when put down in contact with the needles,
to enter into the eyes or grooves of the needles, where the same are prolonged,
as before mentioned, beyond the pointed extremities of their beards; and the
under sides of the bended extremities of the prongs are suitably grooved to fit
upon the upper sides of the beards, by which means the said pointed extremities
(when so put down) enable the loops and stitches of the work to be landed
over the beards, when those loops and stitches are brought forwards along the
stems of the needles by the advancing motion of the sinkers B, and although
the beards of the needles are only slightly bended down towards or into the eyes
of the needles by the descent of the pressing prongs upon the beards, never-
theless the inclined positions of the extremities of the prongs will ensure that
the stiches shall be safely landed over the beards, because the pointed ends of
the prongs are entered into the eyes of the needles at the same time that the
pointed extremities of the beards are entered into the grooves of the under
sides of the pressing prongs. And note, the grooves or eyes at the upper sides
of the stems of the needles are prolonged considerably beyond the pointed
extremities of the beards, in order that the pointed extremities of the pressing
prongs may be inserted therein, and also that they may be slided backwards
therein, so as to carry back those first laps of warp threads, which, as herein-
before explained, are laid over each of the needles, and put the same far
enough back along the shanks of those needles to be quite out of the way of
the beards of the needles, without requiring any action of the sinkers for so
carrying back the said first laps of warp threads. And in order to enable the
said pressing prongs to be put back in such manner and for such purpose, the
centres of motion whereon the presser bar E is mounted (in order that it may
rise and fall as usual) are not fixed centres of motion, as usual, but they are
supported on trucks or rollers which run upon horizontal surfaces or roadways,
and thereby admit of the presser bar being moved backwards or forwards
parallel to itself, in order that the pointed extremities of its prongs may slide
backwards in the grooves of the needles without in any way interfering with
the raising or lowering of the same bar by motion about its centres of motion,
for the purpose of bringing the pointed extremities of the pressing prongs in
contact with the needles, or of removing them therefrom. The mode of

page_text: mounting and actuating the presser bar will be herein-after more fully
explained.
Figure F, Sheet I., represents the leads of thread guides or thread layers,
the guides having eyes for the warp threads to pass through. These parts are
so similar to those used in ordinary warp frames as to require no particular
explanation; but as the ends of the guides are never inserted between the
needles, the stems of the guides do not require to project out so far as usual
from their leads; but that is immaterial. The leads of guides F are fastened
in rows, side by side, by screws upon guide bars G g, H. h, Sheet II., which
are mounted in the machine in front of the needles in the usual manner of
ordinary warp machinery.
Figure I, Sheet I., represents the leads of our new thread conductors,
which are interposed between the ends of the needles and the ends of the
thread guides or layers, for the purpose of conducting the warp threads from
the latter to the former, according to our improvements, as herein-before
mentioned, so as to dispense with the insertion of the ends of the thread guides
amongst the needles.
Our thread conductors are straight stems of wire,
grooved at one side, and cast in leads, one such stem to each needle; and the
leads are fastened side by side in a row by screws along the front face of a
conductor bar K, Sheet II., with the stems of the thread conductors standing
vertical. The thread conductor bar K is capable of being moved upwards
and downwards, and backwards and forwards, with motion parallel to itself,
so that it is always horizontal when the said bar K is raised up. The stems
come opposite to the ends of the needles, and the grooves in those stems
(which are at the back sides of the stems) apply to the ends of the needles,
and receive those ends in such manner as to form a kind of slea for conducting
the warp threads from the thread guides into the spaces between the needles,
with certainty that the said threads will be conducted into the intended spaces
between the needles, the mode of action of the thread conductors being as
follows: When the thread guides have been raised up by the usual tilting
motion of the machine, so as to elevate the threads which proceed from the
guides higher than the needles, and it is intended, according to the usual
action of warp machinery, to apply the threads to the needles by the tilting
down of the guides, in order to cause them to insert the threads into the
spaces between the needles, then in that case, instead of inserting the ends of
the guides between the ends of the needles, according to the usual action of
warp machinery, our thread conductors are previously raised up, and applied
against the ends of the needles in front thereof, the grooves at the backs of the
stems of the conductors receiving the ends of the ucedles, as before mentioned,

page_text: the extremities of our thread conductors standing up a little higher than the
ends of the needles, and those extremities being pointed suitably for gathering
the threads into the spaces between the said stems, when by the tilting down
of the ends of the thread guides the threads are brought downwards upon
the upper ends of the said thread conductors; for the said conductors being
correctly spaced to correspond with the thread guides, will receive the threads
correctly and according to intention, and having so received the threads will
act as a slea to conduct them down into the correct spaces between the needles,
which needles, by the application and contact of the thread conductors, are
kept firm and correctly spaced at their intended distances apart, because the
grooves at the back of the thread conductors tend to gather the needles into
their true positions, even when any of them may have been slightly deflected
therefrom by any casnal knot or burr upon the threads, or by any slight
bending which any particular needles may have undergone, and which from
their very slender size they are liable to undergo from a variety of accidents.
In all such cases the action of our thread conductors tends to restore the
needles to their true places, and ensure correct insertion of the threads
between the needles, when in like case the ordinary action of inserting the
guides themselves between the needles would tend to derange the needles still
further by the guides coming in contact with them, and frequently entering
into the wrong spaces between the needles. Our thread conductors having
more substance than the needles are not so liable to bending and derange-
ment, and as the guides are never inserted between the stems of our con-
ductors, they are not exposed to injury, and at the moment whilst they are
acting as a slea in manner aforesaid they derive some lateral support from
their contact with the ends of the needles, which concur mutually in fortifying
each other to keep their true intended positions without lateral deviation
therefrom, and hence they are well qualified to controul any tendency to
derangement from casual knots or burrs in the thread, and the instant after
the threads have been thus conducted in between the needles our thread
conductors are allowed to drop suddenly down, in order to withdraw them-
selves entirely from between the warp threads, and leave the same at liberty
to be racked as is requisite in order to cross the warp threads, which are to be
again presented to the needles in the usual manner of warp machinery, and
then, immediately after that racking, our thread conductors are raised up
again, and their points penetrate amongst the warp threads which proceed
from the rows of thread guides, so as to become correctly inserted according to
intention amongst the said threads, which being done the thread conductors
rise up, as before mentioned, higher than the row of needles, and apply

page_text: their grooved sides to the ends of the needles, and then by the usual tilting
motion of the machine the guides are raised upwards, together with the
threads which proceed from them, and by guidance of our thread conductors,
which operates like a slea, the said threads, as they rise up, are conducted
with certainty into their proper intended spaces between the needles, which
being accomplished our thread conductors are again allowed to descend so as
to withdraw themselves from between the threads, in order that the same may
be racked as they require to be according to the mode of working warp
machinery, wherefore our thread conductors are caused to operate as a slea to
the needles, and to the threads at the moments when the threads are to be
inserted between the needles, in order to insure correct insertions without
requiring the ends of the guides to be inserted between the needles, but by
the descent and withdrawing of our thread conductors in manner above
mentioned from between the threads the same are left quite at liberty to be
racked as they may require.
The ordinary action of our thread conductors in supplying warp threads to
all the needles in the complete row thereof, except at the junctions of the
breadths, being now understood, we will proceed to explain the modification
thereof, whereby, as herein-before mentioned, they are made to withhold thread
from particular needles, in order to produce eyelet hols in the lace at places
opposite to those needles. For this purpose our thread conductors are provided
with long stems f, see Figure F, Sheet I., which project up considerably
above the other stems before described at every place in the row thereof
where eyelet holes are intended to be made; and when our thread conductors
are raised up in order to penetrate amongst the warp threads in the manner
before mentioned, the said long stems become inserted amongst the warp
threads before the other shorter stems penetrate the same, and in that situation
the long stems will be in contact laterally with those threads which are
intended to be withheld from their corresponding needles in order to make
eyelet holes at those needles, and by racking or moving the rows of thread
guides endways after the said long stems are so inserted, but before the other
shorter stems are inserted, those particular threads which are in contact
with the said long stems will be bended aside thereby, so that when (by the
subsequent rising of the row of thread conductors) the shorter points are
made to penetrate between the same warp threads they will gather two of
those threads (or two pairs of those threads) into those spaces between the
thread conductors which are adjacent to the said long stems, leaving other such
spaces, which are on the contrary sides of the same long stems, without threads
in them, or without a full share of threads, wherefore when by the action

page_text: already explained our thread conductors are applied to the needles, and begin
to act as a slea for conducting the warp threads between the needles, the said
conductors will cause those particular threads which have been (by the afore-
said action of the long stems) gathered into the spaces to which they do not
properly belong to be withheld from lapping over the needles over which they
would otherwise be lapped, in order by so withholding to form eyelet holes.
And note, the said long stems in our thread conductors do not cause any such.
withholding of threads if the row of our thread conductors is racked in the
same manner and to the same extent as the thread guides are racked at that
moment before mentioned when the long stems are inserted amongst the
threads, but before the other shorter stems are so inserted, for in that case
our thread conductors will not collect more threads into some spaces between.
them than into others of those spaces, but the action of our thread con-
ductors, notwithstanding their long stems, will be to distribute and conduct
threads to all the needles uniformly, except at the junctions between the
breadths of lace, the same as before described, or as if no such long stems
were used; and after our thread conductors have operated as aforesaid by
means of their long stems in order to gather the threads into the spaces
between them with unequal distribution, for the purpose of withholding.
thread from particular needles, so as to leave eyelet holes at those needles,
then at succeeding times of supplying thread to the needles our thread
conductors are applied in such manner as is above explained to be proper
for rendering the long stems unoperative, and thereby making an uniform
distribution of threads to all the needles, except at the junctions of the
breadths of lace, in order to make plain lace or net, for intervening between
the eyelet holes last made and those which are next to be made, and when
the time arrives for making the same the long stems of our thread conductors
are rendered operative by the mode before mentioned for making unequal
distribution of thread into the spaces between our thread conductors, for the
purpose of withholding thread from particular needles at the places where
eyelet holes are intended to be made in the width of the lace. But note, our.
thread conductors can be made to operate for so withholding threads from
different needles at succeeding times by merely racking the row of thread
conductors endways, when the same is let down so low that its
as well as short, are quite clear below the warp threads, so as
long stems from beneath those particular needles with which they were in
contact before, and at which needles eyelet holes were then made, and by so
removing to bring the same long stems beneath other needles at places where.
eyelet holes are afterwards required to be made. And note, it has been before
stems, long as
to remove the

page_text: stated that needles are omitted or removed at the junctions between the
several breadths of lace which are made at the same time in the warp
machinery, and our row of thread conductors may by such making as aforesaid
be so placed as to bring some of its long stems beneath the places of the said
needles so omitted or removed, and in that case no eyelet holes will be
produced by those particular long stems at the time when all the other long
stems are made to produce eyelet holes in manner aforesaid, because the said
particular long stems would be then operating for withholding threads from
places where there are no threads to withhold, or needles to withhold them
fron. By these various means of using our said thread conductors the same
may be made to produce eyelet holes in the lace made by warp machinery which
is constructed according to our said improvements, and the distribution of such
eyelet holes in the net may be diversified suitably for giving relief to the
ornamental patterns which are produced in such lace, by the interweaving of
gimp threads in the usual manner of ordinary warp machinery.
Having now explained the action of our said improvements, I shall proceed
to explain how the same may be combined with the parts of warp machinery
in a suitable manner for operating in concert therewith in order to attain
the results already explained, and also to shew how suitable motions may be
given to the parts already described in order that they may perform the
various functions assigned to them. For this purpose I shall select a rotary
warp machine, such as I have constructed and used with advantage, that is,
a machine whereof all the several parts derive their motions from the
continuous rotary motion of one handle or crank axis P, which is turned by
the workman, who has nothing else to do but to keep turning the said handle
continually round with an uninterrupted revolving motion, and the rotary
machinery communicates to all the several parts of the machine the motions
which are proper for them to have, and at the proper intervals, and in the
proper order and succession for making lace by the machine. And note, it
is no part of our Invention to actuate the parts of warp machinery by rotary
machinery, the same having been invented by Simon Orgil, to whom a Patent
was granted by King George the Third, on the Third of February, One
thousand eight hundred and seven, and in the complete machine about to be
described our improvements are confined to out thread conductors and
pressing prongs, together with the several connecting parts and rotary motions
by which those particular parts are actuated, with the pecular motions which
they require to have for the performance of their respective functions, which
have been herein-before described.
Description of a complete Rotary Warp Machine for making Lace, constructed

page_text: according to our Improvements.-The carcase or fixed framing of the machine
consists of two main end standards 1, 1, at each end of the machine, and one
middle standard 2. Those three standards are united by two horizontal rails
or rafters 3, 3, at the back; one above, and the other below; but both formed
in one casting, and united by uprights. They are affixed to the back edges of
the three standards by screws so as to form a firm carcase.
Also a strong
bar 4 is extended horizontally over and across the upper parts of the three
standards 1, 2, 1, and the needle bar L is bedded thereon, and fastened
down by screws.
On each end of the needle bar L a small standard 5, 5,
is erected, to support the centre screws 6, 6, for the spindle bar R, by which
the sinker bar C is suspended, and there is a middle standard 7 for supporting
a centre pin in the same line as the centre screws 6, 6. And note, for
distinction, all the fixed and immoveable parts of the machine are tinted with
indian ink in all the Drawings, but the moveable parts are colored with
different colours, each series or combination of parts which must act in
concert for the performance of a particular portion of the operation being
distinguished with the same colour. The first motion is given by the work-
man turning a crauk axis P, which extends horizontally all along the front of
the machine, being supported in bearings at the top of the front leg of each
end standard 1, 1, and a middle bearing on the middle standard 2. The
axis P is formed with six crank handles P, P, which project out opposite
ways from the axis, and are adapted to be used in pairs by the two hands of
the workman, who can stand opposite to any part of the machine which he
prefers to have for the time under his more immediate inspection. On the
left-hand end of the axis Pa small bevil cog wheel r, with twenty teeth, is
fixed, to turn another bevil wheel of the same size and number of teeth on the
front end of an inclined cross axis Q, which extends backwards, and has a
bevil pinion 7, of twenty teeth, fixed upon the end of it, to turn a large bevil
wheel S, of one hundred teeth, fixed on the end of a long horizontal axis T,
which extends all the length of the machine, and which is supported in
bearings on each end standard 1, 1, and steadied by a middle bearing on the
middle standard 2, wherefore the axis T will make one revolution for five
revolutions of the crank axis T, and a number of camms are fixed on the
axis T, to give suitable and timely motions to all the several parts of the warp
machinery. The forms of the several camms are represented full size in
Sheet Y. The racking motions requisite to be given to the several bars of the
warp machinery are derived from two sets of racking wheels, one set V being
at the left-hand end of the machine for racking those guide bars, which are for
making the network of the lace with their requisite racking motions, and

page_text: another set W at the right-hand end of the machine, called fancy wheels,
which are for racking those guide bars which are for producing the ornamental
pattern of the lace by gimp threads and eyelet hole work. Both set of
racking wheels V and W are turned round by means of ratchet wheels
and m, fixed upon their respective axis, and whereof the teeth are moved
round one at a time by drivers or clawkers, which are actuated at the proper
moments by prominences on the circumference of two wheels X and Y, which
are fixed on the two ends of the long axis T. The wheel X has six such
prominences. They act in succession to press down a roller at the back end of
a lever n, which is poised by its middle upon a fixed centre pin, and to the
front end a driver is jointed to act in the teeth of a ratchet wheel x of thirty-
six teeth, one of which is turned every time that one of the six prominences of
the wheel X presents itself, and operates upon the roller of the lever n.
And in order to explain the exact periods at which the several parts of the
machine are brought into operation by the different camms on the axis T,
the teeth of the bevil wheel S are regularly numbered from 1 to 100. The
six prominences on the wheel X operate to turn the ratchet wheel a one tooth,
when the following teeth of the bevil wheel X come into action with the
teeth of the corresponding bevil pinion 7, viz., the teeth numbered 29, 39, 49,
64, 75, and 94. The ratchet wheel a having thirty-six teeth, it will make
one complete revolution in the time that the main axis T makes six revolu-
tions, and at each one of those six revolutions a row of complete meshes of
lace are made by the machine. On the axis of the ratchet wheel a four racking
wheels are fixed, in order to act by notches on their circumference, to give
appropriate racking motions to as many of the guide bars G, g, H, h. The
fancy racking wheels W at the right end of the machine are of larger size,
and their ratchet wheel m has one hundred and twenty teeth. They are turned
one tooth at a time by a hooked claw suspended from the horizontal arm of
an elbow lever t, which carries a small truck roller at the upper end
of the vertical arm of the same lever, and that truck is acted upon
by five prominences upon the circumference of the wheel Y on the main
axis T. Those prominences come into action and turn the fancy wheels
one tooth, when the following teeth of the bevil wheel S come into
action, videlicet, the teeth numbered 5, 29, 39, 64, and 75; where-
fore, for the most part, the motions given to the ratchet wheel m of the
fancy racking wheels W are simultaneous with the motions given to the
ratchet wheel of the ordinary racking wheels V. And note, in both cases
it is at the commencement of the racking of the several bars that the
said teeth of the bevil wheel S come into action, and about three more of

page_text: those teeth will pass whilst the racking of the bars is taking place, so that
the racking which is commenced at tooth 29 is concluded at tooth 31, and
so on. The racking motions are transmitted from the notches on the edges of
the ordinary racking wheels on the axis of the ratchet wheel a by means of
upright levers v, and horizontal sliding bolts fitted into a box u, fixed on that
part which is termed the machine at one end thereof. The said bolts have
broad flat vertical surfaces at their ends where the upright levers v of the
racking wheels V apply to them, and by that means the bolts will always
receive the endway racking actions of the racking wheels V and their levers v
properly, notwithstanding that the bolts and their box u must accompany the
machine in all its motions backwards and forwards and upwards and down-
wards. The said sliding bolts are each connected with the end of one of the
guide bars, and reacting springs are applied to those bars in the usual manner
of ordinary warp machinery. The large fancy racking wheels W on the
axis of the ratchet wheel m transmit the racking motions which they are
intended to produce by means of horizontal levers k, situated over the wheels
W, and elbow levers 1, which are mounted upon fixed centre pins borne by
brackets fastened to the framing. The upper ends of the upright arms of
those elbow levers act against broad flat vertical surfaces at the ends of
horizontal sliding bolts, which are connected with the ends of the guide bars
which are to be racked by the fancy wheel W, and with the end of our
thread conducting bar K, which is racked by one of those wheels. The
axis of the ordinary racking wheels V and their ratchet wheel a is supported
by two brackets fixed to the end standard 1, and the axis of the large fancy
racking wheels is supported by a suitable bearing bracket affixed to the other
end standard 1. And note, two springs are fixed so as to apply their extremi-
ties laterally against the rim of one of the fancy racking wheels W, to cause
friction, in order to retain the same from moving accidently, but without
hindering the proper intended motion of one tooth of the ratchet wheel m
at every time that a prominence of the wheel Y comes round. The row of
needles A, and the mode of fixing them upon the needle bar L, being the
same as in ordinary warp machinery, will be sufficiently explained by the
Drawings, together with what has been before mentioned; and also the row
of sinkers B, and their sinker bar C, has been sufficiently explained. The
lower ends of the sinkers B are regularly interspaced between the needles A.
The sinker bar C is sustained or suspended, as usual in ordinary warp.
machinery, by top joints w, at the upper ends of hanging cheeks at each
end of the sinker bar C, and also a corresponding joint w at the middle of its.
length, those three joints. being united to the front ends of spindle bar
نا

page_text: arms o, o, o, which are affixed to the spindle bar R, and project forwards
therefrom, being poised on the fixed centre screws 6, 6, of the end standards
5, 5, and the fixed centre pin of the middle standard 7, in such manner
that the weight of the spindle bar R tends to balance the weight of the
sinker bar C. And in order to raise and lower the sinker bar C, a
short lever, called a tail pole, 10, is affixed to the spindle bar R, near
the middle of its length, and to the back end thereof an upright link 11
is jointed, the lower end of the link 11 being jointed to the horizontal
arm of an elbow lever 12, which is moveable about a fixed centre
pin, and the upright arm of the elbow lever 12 has a truck roller to
apply to the edge of a camm 13, which is fixed on the main axis T.
See the form of that camm in Sheet V. When the prominent part
of the camm 13 comes into action, it puts the sinkers B down, in order
to enclose the loops or stitches of the work within the arches of the
sinkers. The circular and concentric part of the camm 13, when in
action, retains the sinkers B in what may be considered as their resting position
when they are put back between the needles into a state of inactivity. The
deficient part of the camm 13 allows the sinkers B to rise up into a suit-
able position for bringing the bellies of the sinkers B into action for what
is termed knocking over the work. Note, in order to raise the sinkers up,
when the deficiencies of the camm 13 will permit them to be raised, a heavy
weight 14 is applied to a cord which passes over a pulley and is tied to the
upper end of the elbow lever 12. And in order to move the sinkers B back-
wards and forwards in their spaces between the needles A, a curved lever arm
15 is fastened by screws to the back face of the sinker bar C, and reaching
back behind the needle bar L, and beneath the same, forms a pendulous
lever, to the lower end of which a horizontal link 16 is jointed, and the other
end thereof is jointed to the lower end of the vertical arm of an elbow lever
17, which is moveable about a fixed centre pin, and the horizontal arm of the
elbow lever 17 has a truck to be acted upon by a camm 18 on the main
axis T. See the form of that camm in Sheet V. When a prominence of the
camm 18 comes into action, it advances the sinkers forwards, and the small
concentric arch of the camm 18 allows the sinkers to remain back in their
resting position. A reacting weight 19 is suspended by a cord from the
elbow lever 17, tending to pull back the sinkers when the camm 18 will per-
mit them to go back. And note, to ensure that the sinkers shall never fail to
be so pulled back, a curved sweep 20 is fixed to the camm 18, and acts to
gather in the roller of the lever 17, and pull back the sinkers, in case the
reaction of the weight 19 should fail or hesitate in doing so. And note, the

page_text: going back of the sinkers is regulated as usual in ordinary warp machinery, by
stop screws applied to the hanging checks of the sinker bar. The principal pro-
minence of the camm 18, which causes the sinkers to be brought forwards in
order to knock over the work, has a notch in it, in order that after the sinkers
have once come forwards to bring the loops and stitches of the work to the
ends of the needles, that the sinkers may go back a little, and then come
further forwards again, in order to complete the knocking over of the work.
The presser bar E is sustained at each end by the presser arms j, which project
out forwards from the back pusher bar J, and the presser bar E is firmly
united to the back presser J by three arched braces or presser bows 22, 22, 22.
The said two bars E and J are thus connected like one, and are poised upon
centre pins which are the axles of small truck wheels 21, 21, which run upon
horizontal surfaces of brackets, which are fixed to the end standards 5, 5, and
project out therefrom, by which means the presser bar E can be moved back-
wards and forwards as before mentioned. And note, in order better to sustain
the two bars J and E, a similar centre pin for a truck wheel is fixed by a
stem 23 to the middlemost of the three presser bows 22, with the centre pin
exactly in the same line with the two end centre pins. The last-mentioned
truck runs upon the horizontal surface at the top of a bearer, which is fixed to
the back of the needle bar, and reaches up over the same. The presser bar
E is raised and lowered by tilting the two bars E and J about the said centre
pins of the trucks 21, 21, and the weight of the two bars tend to balance
each other. The said tilting motion is communicated to the presser bar E by
two upright links 24, which are jointed to the top of the bar E near to each end
thereof; and the links 24 are suspended from the foremost end of two balance.
levers 25, 25, which are poised on fixed centre pins borne by brackets 26, 26,
affixed to the back of the needle bar 4, and rising up therefrom. The hinder
ends of the same levers 25 have links 28, 28, jointed to them and descending
from them to be jointed at their lower ends to levers 29, 29, which have trucks,
to be acted upon by the camms 30, 30, upon the axis T. See the forms of those
cams in Sheet V. When the prominences of the camms 30 come into action
they raise up the presser bar E, and their large concentric circular curved
parts keep the presser bar so raised. The deficient parts of the camms 30,
when they come into action, let down the presser bar E, so that the pressing
prongs D apply their pointed extremities to the eyes or grooves of the needles,
as herein-before explained, and the small concentric circular curved parts of
the camms 30 leave the prongs D resting in the eyes of the needles A. The
presser bar is borne down by weights whenever the camms 30 will permit it
to descend. Those weights are not represented, but they are suspended by

page_text: cords, one from each end, and one from the middle of the pusher bar E.
The presser bar is not confined down otherwise than by the action of those
weights, but, on the contrary, it can be lifted up at any time, so as to remove
the pressing prongs from contact with the eyes of the needles, in order to
introduce a working needle for rectifying any derangements of the threads, or
of the needles or pressing prongs, or of the sinkers. For this purpose links
31, 31, are jointed to two of the presser bows, and go up to pump-handle
levers 32, 32, which are suspended from the ceiling of the apartment, and
from the opposite ends of the said levers cords 27 hang down like bell-pull
handles, so as to come within reach of the workman wherever he may stand
in front of the machine, in order that he may by pulling either of them raise
up the presser bar whenever he requires to do so, and then let it down again
when he has repaired the derangement. The pusher bar E is put forwards
or drawn backwards by means of horizontal links 33, 33, which are jointed to
the back pusher bar J, and which extend backwards to the upper ends of
elbow levers 34, 34, which are mounted on fixed centre pins; and the hori-
zontal arms reach beneath camms 35, 35, on the axis T, with trucks, to be
acted upon by the camms 35, whereof the form is represented in Sheet V.
When the prominent parts of the camms 35 come into action, they bring the
presser bar E forwards, and their large concentric circular curved parts keep
the pressing prongs D forwards. The deficient parts of the camms 35, when
they come into action, allow the presser bar to be drawn backwards by the
action of weights 36, 36, which are suspended by cords passing over pullies,
and tied to the back presser bar J. Note, the connecting links 28, 28, which
raise and lower the presser, and the horizontal links 33, 33, which push it
forwards, are all capable of being adjusted in their length by means of setting
'screws, in order to make them act properly, and the same of the links 16 and
11, by which the sinker bar is actuated. The presser bar is regulated endways
so that the pointed extremities of its prongs will enter exactly into the eyes of
the needles by the guidance of four gage screws, which are borne by fixed
brackets situated opposite to each end of the presser arms j, j, which arms
are included between the points of the said gage screws so as to be confined
from allowing the presser bar to move endways, although they leave it quite at
liberty to move backwards and forwards, as above described. Note, two small
links 37, 37, are jointed to the hanging chinks w of the sinker bar C, and
which extend backwards nearly in a horizontal direction beneath the back
presser bar J, being suspended from loops therefrom; and the backmost ends of
the links 37 turn up behind the back presser bar J, and have gage screws,
whereof the points bear against the back edge of the bar J when the sinkers

page_text: are advancing forwards, and thereby the presser bar is obliged to advance
forwards at the same time. These links 37, 37, are applied in order to ensure
that the sinkers B and the pressing prongs D shall never fail to come forwards
together with precisely corresponding motions at the time when the sinkers
are required to bring forwards the loops and stitches of the work, in order to
be landed over the beards of the needles, by aid of the pressing prongs, as
before explained. The pointed extremities of those prongs must enter a little
way in between the sinkers when they are so coming forwards, in order to
ensure the proper landing of the work over the beards of the needles; but how
much the said prongs shall so enter can be regulated by the gage screws of the
links 37, 37. And note, there is another such link 37 applied to a joint at
the middle of the sinker bar C, to reach back behind the middle of the back
presser bar J, with a gage screw behind the same. And note, although the
said links 37 cause the pressing prongs thus to come forwards with the sinkers
they do not prevent the sinkers going back again without the said prongs.
The camms 18, for bringing forwards the sinkers, and the camm 35, for
bringing forwards the pressing prongs, might be so exactly formed to suit one
to the other as to produce the required action without the said links 37,
but they being applied will render the action certain. The combination
of parts termed the machine, which is applied in front of the needles, in
order to sustain and actuate the guide bars G g, h, is mounted
on horizontal axles or centre pins at each end and one in the middle,
on which centres the whole machine can be tilted, in order to raise
and lower the eyes of the thread guides F, and the said centre pins
are borne in bearing sockets, which are formed in small carriages 38, 38,
which run with trucks or wheels upon fixed roadways or bearing sur-
faces 39, 39, one at each end standard 1, 1, and another in the middle
standard 2, so that by motion of the said carriages 38 on their road-
ways 39 the whole machine can be moved backwards and forwards to and
from the needles as well as tilted up and down. That arrangement is pre-
cisely equivalent to the ordinary mode of mounting and applying the machine
in front of ordinary warp machinery by means of a crank bar.
And note, it
is no part of our improvements to mount and apply the machine in carriages
running on trucks on roadways in that manner, the same being commonly
practised in other rotary warp machines. The machine is composed, as usual
in warp machinery, of a main front bar U, with the arms d, d, projecting out
backwards from each end thereof; and in those arms the centre pins are fixed.
which are received in the said carriages 38, 38, and on which pins the wohle
machine can be tilted. The several guide bars G g, H h, are mounted, one

page_text: above the other in the machine on small axle pins at each end of each bar,
and other like pins for intermediate support of the several guide bars, the said
pins being received into suitable holes in vertical plates s, s, which are fixed to
the front bar U, and project out backwards therefrom; and each of the guide
bars is provided with what are called tipper arms, to regulate the position of
the eyes of the guides which are carried by that bar; all which, being the
same as in ordinary warp machinery, requires no further description. The
four sliding bolts before mentioned in the box u are applied one to each tipper
arm for the purpose of communicating racking motions to the several guide
bars from the racking wheels V. The warp threads of which the lace is to be
made are warped upon several warp rollers Z, placed one above another in the
front of the frame beneath the machine, and are conducted up therefrom over
small conducting rollers z in the machine, and which are supported on pivots
by the same plates s as the guide bars are supported by; and the warp
threads, after passing over those conducting rollers z, are passed through a
slea O, which is fixed with its leads in a row on a slight bar, having its wires
in a vertical position, and they keep the different warp threads separated from
each other in their passage to the eyes of the thread guides F. All these
particulars, being as usual in ordinary warp machinery, requires no further
explanation, and so of the mode of arranging the threads upon the several
warp rollers, and the weighting of those rollers to produce adequate tension on
all the different threads. The machine is tilted upon its centres of motion by
means of upright links 40, the upper ends of which are jointed to the front
bar U near each end thereof, and the lower ends of the links 40 are jointed to
the foremost ends of levers 41, which are poised on fixed centre pins, borne by
the frame; and the levers 41 have trucks at their hinder ends to apply
beneath the edges of camms 42, 42, on the main axis T. The forms of the
camms 42 are represented in Sheet V. Their prominent parts tilt the bar U
upwards, so as to lower the eyes of the thread guides. The deficient parts of
the camms 41 allow the bar U to descend by its weight, and tilt up the eyes
of the guides. The machine is moved backwards and forwards parallel to
itself by motion of its trucks 38 upon their roadway 39, that motion
being communicated by horizontal links 43, 43, the foremost ends of which
are fitted on the extremities of the same centre pins whereon the whole
machine is poised, those extremities projecting out through the carriages
38, 38, in which the said centre pins are supported; and the hinder ends of
the links 43 are jointed to two upright levers 44, which have trucks to be
actuated by camms 45, 45, upon the main axis T, near to each end thereof.
The prominent parts of those camins, when they come into action, push for-

page_text: wards the machine; and their deficient parts, when they come into action,
allow the machine to be drawn backward by the reaction of weights 46, 46,
suspended to cords, which are conducted over pullies, and are tied to the upper
ends of the levers 44, 44. And note, in order to move the middle part of the
machine backwards and forwards just as much as the two ends thereof, a third
camm 45 is fixed on the middle part of the main axis T, to act against a truck
at the upper end of another lever 44, from which a link 43 is extended to the
supporting centre pin at the middle of the machine, which is borne in the
middle carriage 38, which, as before mentioned, runs upon the roadway 39 of
the middle standard 2. The said middle link 43 is bended upwards, so as to
reach over the back presser bar J, and the spindle bar R, and front presser
bar E, but its action is precisely the same as that of the straight links 43 at
each end of the machine, and it tends to render the motion of the machino
accurate. Note, the motion of the machine in going backwards is limited by
three stops, one at each end and one in the middle. The stops at the ends are
gage screws, screwed into the ends of the arms d of the front bar U of the
machine, and their extremities rap against prominent stops fixed against the
front face of the ends of the needle bar L, so as to limit the backwards
motion of the machine when the extremities of the rows of thread guides F
are within a small distance of reaching the ends of the needles, without
allowing the ends of the guides to enter between the needles, as is the case in
ordinary warp machinery, but leaving sufficient space between the ends of the
thread guides F and the ends of the needles A for our thread conductors to be
applied to the ends of the needles, for the purpose of conducting the threads
into the proper spaces between the needles, as before mentioned. When the
three camms 45 present their most deficient parts to the trucks of their
levers 44, then the machine is left with its gage screws resting against its said
stops; but when by the tilting of the machine its thread guides F are put
down so low that by the guidance of the thread conductors the threads are
become quite entered between the needles, then the thread conductors are
suddenly let down so as to lower them quite of the way of the needles and of
the thread guides, and immediately after that the further tilting of the
machine carries its said gage screws below the prominences which are fixed at
the front of the needle bar, and then the machine goes suddenly backwards by
action of its weights 46 until the same gage screws rap against the ends of
the needle bar L, the hollows of the cams 45 permitting of such sudden going
in, and the thread guides F are by so going in carried quite beneath the
needles into a suitable position for drawing the warp threads in backwards
between the stems of the needles. The prominences of the camm 45 come

page_text: 'into action, and bring the machine forwards again, before the machine is
titled upwards, so as to raise up the thread guides and gage screws, and
thereby a sufficient space is opened for our thread conductors to be raised up
in the interval between the ends of the thread guides and the ends of the
needles, in order to be applied to the latter; and it is in so raising up that the
extremities of the thread conductors make their insertions amongst the warp
threads in the manner before explained, and they must do that, and then apply
themselves to the needles, before the thread guides are tilted and raised up so
much as to carry the threads up between the needles, in order that in so
carrying up the threads they may be conducted into the proper spaces between
the needles by the guidance of the thread conductors. There are two deficient
places in each of the camms 42 and 45; and the action above described of
the machine tilting down and then going suddenly back is repeated twice for
each revolution of the axis T, in order to supply two successive lappings of
thread to the needles. And note, the machine is represented in the Drawings
with only four guide bars, one above the other; but a greater number may be
used, according as the pattern of the lace which is to be made may require;
but in order to avoid loading the machine with more guide bars than is abso-
lutely necessary, two of the guide bars which are provided for supplying gimp
threads to the needles may be applied in the interval between the front of the
sinker bar C and the back of the presser bar E. But note, it is no part of
our present improvements to apply gimp guide bars in that manner, the same
having been used by others; nor is it necessary to the working of our improve-
ments that any of the guide bars should be so applied, but all the guide bars
may be mounted in the machine as usual in ordinary warp machinery; never-
theless, as the machines which we have constructed and used contain such
guide bars, and they operate very well, we have represented them in the
Drawings at 48 and 49, one before and above the other. The sinker
bar C is cut away with a rebate in front to make room for the backmost and
lowest 48 of the two bars; and each of the said guide bars 48 and 49 is sus-
pended to the sinker bar C by pivots or axles fixed into supporting cocks 50,
which are affixed to the back of the sinker bar C, and reach over the
same, to suspend the two guide bars 48 and 49 in front thereof. The
said two guide bars are racked by two of the fancy racking wheels W,
and are provided with suitable reacting springs, and with sliding bolts 51, 52,
which are supported in sockets fixed to the sinker bar C, and have broad, flat,
vertical surfaces at their extreme ends, to receive the action of the gage screws
at the upper ends of the vertical arms of the two elbow levers 1, by which
racking motions are transmitted from the two levers I, which are over the two

page_text: fancy racking wheels W, by which the said bars are to be racked. And note,
it is requisite that the gimp guides, which are carried by each of the bars 48
and 49, should range at their lower ends in one row, in order that they may
become inserted between the ends of the needles, when the sinkers, after
having been brought quite forwards, and having knocked over the work, and
completed a row of meshes, are put down in order to enclose the loops and
stitches of the work within their arches, and are then put back in order in
order to carry back the said work along the stems of the needles. By so
putting down the sinkers and then putting them back, the eyes at the lower
ends of the said gimp guides are carried in between the needles, penetrating
their row at the ends of the needles, and laying the gimp threads, which are
guided by such guides, at the under sides of the needles, across which the
said gimp threads are intended to pass, and when the sinkers have gone so far
back that the said gimp threads are so laid beneath the needles, then the
sinker bar C rises so much in going further back as to raise the gimp guides
of the bars 48 and 49 clear above the stems of the needles, leaving their gimp
threads laid under the ends of the needles in proper situations to be interwoven
into the loops and stitches which are about to be formed. And note, it is by
the racking motions which are given to the said two gimp guide bars that they
are caused to pass across so many needles as is required for laying the gimp
threads beneath the same needles; and in performing such racking motions
the gimp guides of the two bars 48 and 49 are occasionally required to pass
one across the other, and thus produce crossings of the gimp threads which are
severally guided by them; and in order to permit of the said gimp guides thus
crossing each other, the frontmost bar 49 is caused to tilt about its pivots by
which it is suspended in front of the sinker bar C, so as to bring forwards the
lower ends of its gimp guides out of the row of the gimp guides which are
affixed to the other bar 48, and so much in front of that row as to permit of
the guides of one bar being racked across the guides of the other bar. For
the purpose of thus tilting the bar 49 at the proper moment previous to
racking the two bars 48 and 49, a short lever arm 53 is affixed to the bar 49,
and rises up therefrom, and the upper end is connected by a short link 54
with the upper end of a lever 55, which is poised by its middle on a fixed
centre pin, and which carries a truck at its lower end, to be acted upon by the
prominence of a camm 56 on the main axis T. The form of the camm 56 is
represented in Sheet Sheet V., and when its prominence comes into action it
brings forwards the frontmost row of gimp guides on the bar 49 out of the row
of the fellow gimp guides on the other bar 48. This is done an instant before
the racking motions of those bars are performed, and after such racking is over,

page_text: the said prominence passing away allows the gimp guides of the frontmost
gimp guides bar 49 to return by action of a suitable spring into the same row
with the guides of the back most bar 48. And lastly, respecting the
motions which are required to be given to our thread conductors I, for
the performance of their intended office, as herein-before explained, the
thread conductor bar K, whereon the row of leads I of conductors is
fastened is attached to a spindle bar M, which is supported in a horizontal
position upon pivots at each end of it, and with a middle bearing for
steadiness, the end pivots being lodged in bearing sockets fixed to hanging
brackets 60, which are affixed to the back of the needle bar bearer 4, and
which descend, and project forwards therefrom, and the middle bearing is
fixed to the middle standard 2. A short tilting arm 57 is fixed to the spindle
bar M near the middle of its length, and reaches out backwards to give the
means of tilting the said spindle bar, in order by that motion to bring the
conductor bar K and its conductors I forwards away from the ends of the
needles in front thereof, or else to allow them to go back in contact with the
ends of the needles by action of suitable springs. The said tilting arm 57 is
actuated by the foremost end of a lever 58, which is poised upon a fixed centre
pin near to the middle of its length, and which carries a truck at its hinder
end, to be acted upon by a camm 59 upon the main axis T. The form of the
camm 59 is represented in Sheet V., and when either of the prominences
thereof comes into action, it advances the thread conductors I forwards; and
the deficiencies of the same camms, when either of them comes into action,
allow the said conductors to be borne backwards by the reaction of suitable
springs. The thread conductor bar K is also lifted up and let down parallel to
itself in order to raise the ends of its conducting stems I into contact with the
ends of the needles. This is done by three lifting levers 64, 64, 64, which are
poised on fixed centre pins at the middle of the length of each one, their fore-
most ends reaching forwards beneath the conducting bar K, one such lever
beneath each end of the bar K, and the other near the middle of its length,
The backmost ends of the same levers have trucks which are acted upon by
three cams 65 fixed on the main axis T, one near to each end thereof, and the
other near the middle. The form of these camms is represented in Sheet V.,
and when their prominences come into action the raise up the conducting
bar K, and when deficiencies of those camms present themselves they allow
the bar to descend by its own weight. And in order to admit of the conductor
bar K rising and falling in that manner, several perpendicular stems 61, 61,
are fixed fast to the under edge of the bar K by screws, and the stems 61 go
down into corresponding mortice openings cut through the spindle bar M, with

page_text: horizontal gage screws tapped through the two cheeks of each of the mortices,
to include the said stems 61 between their opposite points, so as to allow the
stems to slide up and down vertically, without deviation, and also projecting
horns 62, 62, are fixed to the sides of the bar M, and rise up therefrom at each
end thereof, in order to sustain gage screws between the opposite points of
which the ends of the conducting bar K are included; wherefore, by guidance
of the said several horizontal screws, the conducting bar K can be raised up
and let down again in a vertical plane by the simultaneous action of all the three
lifting camms 65, so that it will be raised up or let down equally at each end
and at the middle, and also by the action of the other camms 56, the thread
conductors I can be brought forwards a little from the needles, or allowed to
go back in contact therewith. And note, there are two small prominences on
the circumference of the camm 56, which come into action at those times of
racking when those teeth of the large bevil wheel S which are numbered 29
and 64 are in operation. The said prominences then bring forwards the
thread conductors I a very little, just so as to be clear of contact with the
needles, and that only for an instant whilst the thread conductors I are racked,
and then they are allowed to fall back again to their contact with the needles,
in consequence of the said prominences passing away. And note, the
mode above described of mounting and sustaining the thread conductor bar K,
does not in any way confine the same from racking endways by action of one
of the fancy wheels W which belongs to that bar K.
For this purpose a
racking wheels W.
sliding bolt 47 is connected to the right-hand end of the conducting bar K
and reaches out therefrom through the end standard I, having a broad flat
vertical surface at the end to receive the action of the gage screw at the lower
end of a lever 63, which is poised on a fixed centre pin at the middle of its
length, and the upper end has another gage screw to be acted upon by the
upper end of the vertical arm of an elbow lever l, before mentioned, which is
also mounted on a fixed centre pin, and the end of its horizontal arm bears
upon one of those horizontal levers K, which is over one of the large fancy
The conducting bar K. is provided with reacting springs 66
to draw it to the left. Note, the gimp threads which are guided by guides of the
two gimp guide bars 48 and 48 are supplied from two small gimp rollers 67,
situated over the machine, being mounted in suitable brackets 68, erected
The machine
upon the two end standards 1, 1, and middle standard 2.
represented in the Drawings is adapted to make two wide continuous
tissues of lace, each of them being made in several narrow breadths,
which are dividable by drawing out draw threads in the usual manner
of ordinary warp machines, and in the same manner each of the tissues

page_text: of lace which descends from the needles as fast as it is inade hangs down
in a loop by the weight of an iron rod 69, and is gathered up from time to
time round lace rollers 70 at the back.
And for the more complete explanation of the mode of action of the
complete machine which is constructed according to our said improvements as
herein-before described, I will proceed to describe the actions of the several
parts. Supposing the machine to be in full operation, but to have been
stopped for examination at a particular place which is chosen for the com-
mencement of the description, and when the tooth numbered 0 or 100 of the
large bevil wheel S is in action, and also the teeth numbered 0 of the ratchet
wheels and m of the racking wheels V and W, the relative and actual
position of all the several parts will then be as follows:-The sinkers B have
just completed the knocking over of those stitches and loops of the work which
were last formed, and are beginning to descend in order to take those stitches
and loops into the arches of the sinkers, and the sinkers are also quite
forwards as far as they can come, and are about beginning to go back as well
as to descend; the machine U is quite forwards as far as it can come, and is
tilted so as to put down the eyes of the thread guides F to their lowest
position; the pressing prongs D are raised up out of contact with the
needles A, and are quite forwards as far as they can come; the thread
conductors I are raised up nearly to their highest position, with the pointed
extremities of their short stems nearly level with the eyes at the ends of the
guides F, those stems having been recently inserted amongst the warp threads
which proceed from the guides F with one pair of warp threads in each space
between the stems I, excepting at places where eyelet holes are to be made in
the net, and at those places some pairs of warp threads will be out of those
regular spaces between the stems I to which they correspond; but those
threads so displaced will be lodged in the next adjacent spaces, between the
stems I, in consequence of the previous action (as before explained) of the
prolonged stems of the thread conductors I, when the stems made their
insertion amongst the warp threads. The two guides bars G and H supply
the warp threads which form the plain network or hexagonal meshes of the
lace; the lowermost guide bar H being for guiding those threads which are
to proceed straight and longitudinally along the lace, without ever forming any
loops; the other uppermost guide bar G being for the looping threads which
proceed in parallel zigzag courses along the lace, so as to loop alternately with
the neighbouring straight threads at the right and at the left, and by so looping
to form meshes of net. The lowest guide bar h is for guiding the roving or
draw threads which are to unite the several breadths of lace together, and the

page_text: uppermost bar g is for supplying pearling threads for making pearled edges or
borderings to the right-hand edge of each breadth. This bar g supplies one
snch thread to each breadth. Two needles at each of the junctions of the
breadths are disabled by closing down their beards, one of those disabled
needles being at the interval between the adjoining breadths, and the other
being the third needle therefrom towards the left hand, and that one is to
operate in forming the pearling at the right-hand edge of each breadth.
Two draw threads are supplied for each breadth by guides on the bar h
to those two needles which are between the two disabled needles before
mentioned at each junction. Six guides in the straight thread bar H
are left without warp threads at each junction, and five guides in the looping
thread bar G. The gimp guides on the two bars 48 and 49 supply thick
gimp threads for ornament of the lace. They will lay those gimp threads under
the ends of the needles. The position in which the several bars now stand in
respecting to racking are as follows:-The two guide bars G and H stand
racked in their middle position by their racking wheels V, and they can be
racked one space or interval from needle to needle either way from that
position, so as to move two such spaces in all. The lower or dividing bar
(which is racked by one of the fancy racking wheels W) now stands racked as
far as it can go to the left. It is capable of racking three spaces in all. The
upper or pearling bar 9 (which is racked by one of the wheels V) is also
capable of racking three spaces, and is now as far as it can go to the left.
The frontmost of the gimp guide bars 49 now stands tilted by action of
its camms 56, as before described, so as to bring forwards the lower
ends of its gimp guides clear of those of the other bar 49, but both bars
are now standing tilted forwards with the sinkers conformably thereto;
both these bars are racked by fancy wheels W. The front gimp bar 49
stands racked as far as it can go to the left, and it is capable of being
racked 8 spaces from its present position; and the back gimp guide bar
stands racked in a middle position, from which it can go four spaces
to the left or three spaces to the right. These position of the several
parts being understood, the order of the successive movements of the
various parts is as follows:-The workman resumes turning the crank handles
pon the axis P with a regular and continuous rotary motion, which has been
supposed to be suspended only for examination, and by the connection of
the bevil wheels r, r, axis Q, bevil pinion g, and large bevil wheel S, the main
axis T, with all the several camms upon it, is turned slowly and steadily
round, and those camms in succession produce the requisite movements of all
parts of the machinery. And for designating with precision the periods of

page_text: time when the different actions take place, the teeth of the large bevil wheel
S, being numbered from 0 to 100, as before mentioned, those numbers will be
made the index of succession in the following description, viz.: By the time
that the bevil wheel has turned round two teeth, so as to bring tooth 2 into
action, the thread conductor bar K will have risen to its highest position, ready
for applying to the ends of the needles. The sinkers B, which began to descend
at the commencement, get down with their nibs to the level of the needles 5,
and also at 5 a prominence of the wheel Y causes the large ratchet wheel m
of the fancy racking wheels to be turned one tooth; nevertheless that does not
produce any racking motions of any guide bars. At 10 the sinkers get down
to their lowest position, and having then included within their arches the loops
and stitches of the work which were last formed, the sinkers B begin to go
backwards, carrying those loops and stitches back along the stems of the
needles, sinking or descending only a very little lower in so going back, and at
12 the sinkers will have got so far back that the ends of the needles begin to
project out in front of the sinkers, and by the same time the gimp guides of
both the bars 48, 49, (being now in one row,) will have entered fairly between
the ends of the needles, with the eyes of the gimp guides, and the gimp
threads which are in these eyes, sunk below the needles, which being done the
sinkers then begin to rise up, in order to lift up the gimp guides from between
the needles. At 17, the sinkers will have got quite back, and the gimp guide
will have risen quite clear above the needles. The machine began to go
back at 12, the thread condnctors I following with it, in consequence of
the conductor bar K bearing against a stop which is fixed to the machine, and
at 19 the conductors come in contact with the ends of the needles, the
extremities of the short stems I being about one tenth of an inch above the
needles. The machine goes back only a very little further until 23, when its
gage screws coming in contact with their fixed stops on the ends of the needle
bar limit any farther going backwards, and then the machine begins to tilt up,
so as to raise up the thread guides F in front of the thread conductors I, in
order to draw the threads into the proper spaces between the needles from
below upwards by guidance of the thread conductors I. At 29 a prominence
on the wheel X causes the small ratchet wheel a of the ordinary racking
wheels to be turned one tooth, and that action racks the two guide bars G
and H each one space to the right, their guides being then above the
needles; the fancy racking wheels are turned one tooth of their large ratchet
wheel m at the same time, and they rack the dividing bar h one space
to the right, and also the thread conductor bar K one space to the right,
so that they accompany the threads which are between them. And note,

page_text: at the moment when the thread conductors are thus racked they are
brought forwards from their contact with the needles by a sudden pro-
minence on their camm 59, see Sheet V., and are then let back into
contact again, as before explained. The racking being thus performed,
the machine begins to tilt down the thread guides at 32, and at the
same moment the presser bar begins to descend to bring its prongs D down
into action with the needles, and the front row of gimp guides on the front
gimp guide bar 49 goes back into the same row with the guides on the back
bar 48. At 34 the warp threads which proceed from the guides H are
by the descent of the thread guides thrown down on the upper or pointed
extremities of the stems of the thread conductors I, and by the guidance
thereof the threads are drawn down into the correct intended spaces between
the needles, by the descent of the thread guides, which will have got sufficiently
low at 36 to render the insertions of the threads between the needles quite
secure, and then the thread conductors begin to descend, and they go down
so suddenly as to get quite down at 38, by which time the machine will have
tilted the guides quite down, and its gage screws getting below the fixed
stops for them, the machine will go suddenly backwards in the manner before
explained, in order that the thread guides by going in under the needles may
carry the warp threads back in between the stems of the needles. At 39
the ratchet wheel is turned one tooth, which racks the two guide bars G
and H each one space to the left, and also the uppermost or pearling bar g
one space to the left, and also the large ratchet wheel m is turned one tootli,
which racks the dividing bar h one space to the left, and the thread conductors
bar K one space to the left. Then at 42 the machine begins to come forwards
again, and the pressing prongs, which had got down in contact with the needles
at 38, begin to slide back along the grooves in the stems of the needles, and
at 45 the machine having got sufficiently forwards to take the guides out of
the way of the thread conductors the said conductors begin to rise up. The
machine continues to come forwards, and the conductors to rise up; and at
47 the long stems of the conductors penetrate between the warp threads.
Then at 49 the ratchet wheel x is turned one tooth, but that does not rack
any bars. The ratchet wheel m of the fancy wheels is not turned this time.
The thread conductors I make a kind of pause in rising up, so that it is not
until 55 that their short stems penetrate amongst the warp threads procceding
from the guides of the bar G. Also at 55 the pressing prongs D will have
got quite back, and will have put back the first laps of thread along the stems
of the needles as far as those laps can go without entering in between the
sinkers B. At 57 the short stems of the conductors will have risen to a

page_text: level with the ends of the needles. At 59 the machine begins to tilt up the
thread guides, and at 60 the thread conductors are allowed to fall back in
contact with the ends of the needles, and at 64 the thread guides are quite
raised up to their highest position. At 64 the ratchet wheel a is turned
one tooth, which racks the looping thread guides G one space to the right,
the other guides II standing still, but the pearling guide bar g is racked two
spaces to the right. The large ratchet m of the fancy racking wheels is also
at the same moment turned one tooth, and racks the dividing bar h one
space to the right, and the thread conductor bar K also one space to the
right, accompanying the threads which are to be conducted by it. And note,
that bar was brought forwards for an instant to remove its stems from contact
with the needles until after the racking had been completed. At 68 the
machine begins to tilt the guides downward, and in the course of so descending
at 71 the uppermost G of the rows of guides begin to insert their warp threads
upon the short stems of the thread conductors. Then at 72, the guides
having descended so far as by aid of the thread conductors to have drawn the
warp threads in between the needles in such manner that those threads are
crossed over the said stems from left towards the right, which being done,
the thread conductors begin then to descend, and at 74 they get quite down,
and go backwards in beneath the needles, so as to leave room for the guides
to go in under the needles, which they do all at once by the machine going
suddenly backwards in consequence of its gage screws getting (by the tilting
down) below their stops, and in so going back instantly after the thread
conductors have gone down out of their way the guides draw the threads in
backwards along the stems of the needles behind their beards. Then at 75
the ratchet wheel a is turned one tooth, which racks the straight thread guide
bar II one space to the right, but the other bar G is not racked, and the
pearling bar g is racked one space to the right. The ratchet wheel m is
also turned one tooth, which racks the dividing bar h two spaces to the right,
and the thread conductor bar K four spaces to the left. The machine begins
to come forwards at 75, and to draw the threads out forwards. At 76 the
sinkers B begin to rise up, and they get quite up at 80, with their nibs about
three tenths of an inch clear above the needles, the sinkers still remaining
quite back as they have been since 17. The threads will have become drawn
under the beards of the needles by the coming forwards of the machine after
75, and then at 80 the sinkers B and the pressing prongs D, and also the
two gimp guide bars 48 and 49, begin to come forwards all together with a
simultaneous motion, and in so doing the sinkers bring forward the loops
and stitches of the work, and the first laps of threads along the stems of

page_text: the needles towards the beards thereof, the pressing prongs D resting all
the time by their weight on the needles with the pointed extremities of the
prongs drawing forwards in the long grooves or eyes of the needles, and those
extremities being a little way in between the sinkers, by which action the
first laps of thread which are now over the stems of the needles, together with
the loops of the work which are with them upon those stems, will become
landed over the beards of the needles, although those beards are not closed
down into the eyes of the needles. And note, the pointed extremities of the
pressing prongs enter about one sixteenth of an inch in between the foremost
edges of the bellies of the sinkers during the said coming forwards, and that
makes sure of the landing of the loops and stitches and first laps upon the
beards, when the second laps of the threads are under those beards. And
note, it is by means of the three links 37 from the sinker bar C, which
act by their gage screws in the manner already explained, behind the back
presser bar J, that the motion wherewith the pressing prongs D are brought
forwards is caused to correspond precisely with the coming forwards of the
sinkers B; and the said gage screws 37 can be set so as to determine
how much the pointed extremities of the pressing prongs D shall enter in
between the sinkers B in order to ensure that the landing shall be properly
performed. The pressing prongs having come forwards in that manner until
88, when the needles only project about one tenth of an inch out beyond the
fronts of the bellies of the sinkers, the landing is fully completed, and the
pressing prongs D then begin to come forwards by action of their own
camm 35 so as to withdraw the pointed extremities of the said prongs from
the loops and stitches and first laps in such manner as to quit the same entirely
at 90, and at that moment the frontmost gimp guide bar 49 is tilted forward
by the action of its own camm 56 so as to bring forwards the lower end of the
gimp guides of that bar out of the row of the other gimp guides of the bar 48,
in preparation for racking the gimp guides of one of those rows across the
gimp guides of the other row. Note, the sinkers make a pause in their
coming forwards from 88 to 90, in order to allow the pressing prongs to
complete the landing and get out of the way of the sinkers, which then come
forwards for knocking over the loops and stitches of the work for the first
time at 92. Note, at 89 the thread conductors I began to rise up, having
previously come forwards along with the machine so as to have got more
forwards than the ends of the needles, but the conductors are not so forwards
as they will have to come, for they are still leaning back against the stops
which are provided for them in the machine, their own camm 59 not being
at this moment operative upon them. And note, the machine which

page_text: began to come forwards at 75 continued to advance slowly until 84,
and then it passed until 94, when it resumed its coming forwards. The
thread conductors continue to rise after beginning to rise at 89, and at
93 the upper extremities of their long stems f make their insertion amongst
the warp threads proceeding from the guides of the bar G. At 94 the
ratchet wheel is turned another tooth, which racks the two guide bars
G and H each one space to the left. The pearling bar is not racked. The
fancy racking wheels W are not turned this time. The thread conductors
make a pause in their rising motion from 93 to 98, during which their
long stems stand inserted between the warp threads, but not their other
shorter stems; but as soon as the last-mentioned racking time is passed
the thread conductors resume their ascending motion, and their short stems
penetrate amongst the warp threads at 99. The sinkers, after having
knocked over the work a first time at 92, retreat a little, and then come
forwards again to complete the knocking over by a second action, which takes
place at 100. The axis T of the camms has now gone quite round, and all
the parts have regained the positions which they had at the commencement of
this description, excepting the pearling guide bar g and the dividing bar h, which
stand racked into different spaces to what they stood at that commencement.
The main axis continues to go round regularly for making a second revolution,
during which all the operations above described are repeated in exactly the
same manner, excepting that the racking motions of the several guide bars,
which are produced by the racking wheels at V and at W, are varied at the
repetition suitably for forming the net work according to the usual course of
operations of making lace as in ordinary warp machinery, that is to say, the
principal distinction between the successive courses or repetitions of the opera-
tions being the distinction in which the threads are lapped over the needles,
which is first in one direction from left towards the right, and then at the next
succeeding course or repetition in the contrary direction from right to left.
And note, respecting the action of the long stems f of the thread conductors
for making eyelet holes, whereby they gather the threads unequally into the
spaces between the conductors at the course or repetition, when eyelet holes
are to be made, the thread conductors, being raised at 93 of the above de-
scription, and having inserted their long stems f amongst the warp threads,
but not their short stems, the racking of the guide bars, which takes place im-
mediately after that insertion, carries both guide bars G and H one space to
the right, but iu so racking those pairs of threads which were on the left-hand
side of each long stem will be restrained from accompanying all the other
threads which partake of the racking, but those threads so restrained will bo

page_text: displaced or bended out of their regular spaces amongst the other warp threads,
so that when the thread conductors are raised up, and their short stems
penetrate the warp threads at 99, two pairs of warp threads will be gathered
into each of the spaces at the left-hand side of each long stem f, but there
will be no threads gathered into the spaces at the right-hand side of the same
long stems, which preparation for conducting the threads to the needles being
made, the said threads so displaced will be withheld from the needles to which
they belong, and by so withholding thread eyelet holes will be made at all such
needles, and at different succeeding repetitions or courses the thread conductor
bar K may be racked by its fancy racking wheels W so as to bring its long
stems opposite to different needles to those needles from which thread was
withheld by their aid during the previous courses. And if after the long
stems of the conductors are inserted as above described amongst the warp
threads without inserting the other short stems, the warp threads are not
racked at all, or if the thread conductor is racked so as to accompany them,
then the threads will be gathered regularly into the spaces between the stems,
and the long stems will become quite unoperative, wherefore no cyclet holes
will be made, but a continuous tissue of plain lace, such as is required to
intervene between the eyelet holes which are made at succeeding times. And
note, by racking the thread conductor bar K so that some of its long stems f
will be brought opposite to the disabled needles before mentioned at or near to
the junction between the several breadths of lace, then no eyelet holes will be
made by the said long stems, although all the other long stems may be
rendered operative to produce eyelet holes. The proper order of racking
movements which may be given to the several guide bars and the conducting
bar by the racking wheels at V and at W is explained in Sheet I. of the
Drawings, but that is only by way of example, as the movements must be
varied according to the pattern of the lace which is intended to be made by
the warp machinery. And,
Lastly, respecting other fabrics than lace which may be made by warp
machinery which is constructed according to our said improvements, the
same may be a plain and uniform tissue resembling stocking fabric, which,
being woven in pieces, may be cut up to make various garments for which
elasticity is desirable, and which are commonly made by stocking frames, and
are commonly classed with hosiery goods. The warp machinery which is to be
constructed according to our improvement for this purpose may be constructed
much in the manner herein-before described, but of a coarser gage, suitable
for working stronger thread; and it will be simpler in its structure and operation,
because there will be only one warp roller and one guide bar having a complete

page_text: row of guides upon it, with one guide and one warp thread to cach needle.
For a commencement of the description of the mode of working suppose the
pressing prongs to stand quite raised up above the needles, and the machine
to be quite forwards, and the thread conductors quite down out of the way of
the thread guides. And note, in making this fabric the row of thread
conductors is never racked at all, but the same stems are all applied to the
same needles, and those stems will conduct the warp threads from the eyes of
the row of thread guides to the row of needles in the same manner as herein-
before described, without requiring the guides to be inserted between the
needles, but no long stems are required in the row of thread conductors.
The pressing prongs are to be the same as herein-before described. Suppose,
also, that the sinkers are standing quite forwards, remaining in the position
which they had assumed at the time of knocking over the loops and stitches of
the work which have been recently completed; this position of the several
parts being understood, the mode of working is as follows:-The sinkers are
first brought down, in order to include within their arches the loops and stitches
of the work which were last formed, and then the sinkers are put back, in
order to carry back those loops and stitches along the stems of the needles, and
whilst they are so going back the thread conductors are raised up, and their
stems, after making their proper insertions amongst the warp threads, are
applied to the ends of the needles, as before explained. Also the machine goes
backwards, so as to cause the warp threads to follow after the work, as the
same is carried back by the retreating motion of the sinkers, and also at the
same time the pressing prongs are let down into contact with the needles, so
as to enter their pointed extremities into the eyes of the needles, and then the
pressing prongs are put back so as to go beyond the pointed ends of the beards
of the needles. When the machine is gone back as far as its stopping gage
screws will permit, it is then tilted up in such manner as to raise the eyes of
the guides, and carry up the warp threads (which are already included and truly
distributed in the spaces between the stems of the thread conductors) into the
corresponding spaces between the needles from below upwards, and then, as
soon as the guides have risen sufficiently above the level of the row of needles,
the guide bar is racked one space (or interval between two adjacent needles)
towards the left hand, after which the machine is tilted again, so as to carry
down the guides, and in descending the warp threads proceeding from them
arc duly inserted into the spaces between the stems of the thread conductors,
each thread entering into the adjacent space on the left-hand side of the space
which the same thread occupied before, wherefore, as the guides go down they
will draw the threads down into the corresponding spaces between the needles

page_text: in such manner that each thread will become lapped across its corresponding
needle from the right hand towards the left hand, and, as soon as the threads
are securely laid in that manner across the needles, then the thread conductors
descend in the manner herein-before explained, so as to quit the needles and
go down quite out of the way, and instantly after that is done the machine by
tilting down depresses its stopping gage screws below their fixed stops on the
needle bar, whereby the machine is allowed to go suddenly back, and the
guides going in below the needles in so going back draws the laps of thread.
backwards on the stems of the needles beyond the pointed extremities of their
beards in the same manner as herein-before described, and then the guide
bar is racked one space to the right. The machine is then drawn for-
wards, and in so doing draws the laps of threads under the beards of the
needles, which being done the pressing prongs (whereof the pointed
extremities are already in contact with the needles, but those pointed ex-
tremities are inserted into the eyes or grooves of the needles beyond the
pointed ends of the beards thereof), the said pressing prongs, and also the
sinkers, are brought forwards all at the same time, the pointed extremities of
the pressing prongs being kept down in the eyes or grooves of the needles
in the act of so coming forwards, so as to slide forwards in those grooves, and
come into contact with the pointed ends of the beards as soon as the laps of
thread are drawn quite under the beards of the needles; and after that, as the
bellies of the sinkers bring forwards the loops and stitches of the work along
the stems of the needles, the same are brought over the pointed extremities of
the pressing prongs, and by that means the said loops and stitches become
lauded over the beards of the needles in the same manner as herein-before
described. And note, the said pointed extremities of the pressing prongs are
entered a little way in between the sinkers, as herein-before described, in order
to ensure the complete landing of the loops and stitches of the work over the
beards, which being accomplished the pressing prongs are then drawn for-
wards so much as to take their pointed extremities out of the said loops and
stitches which have been so landed, and the prongs, when withdrawn, are raised
up out of the way of the sinkers, which are then brought forwards in order to
knock over the work either at once or at twice, according as the strength and
closeness of the fabric may require. A course of operations has now been
gone through, and a row of complete stitches made, and the manufacturing of
the fabric is only a continual repetition of what has been described, with the
exception that the racking motions of the guide bar must be made in a con.
trary direction at every succeeding course or repetition; for instance, at the
next repetition which forms the continuance of the operation above described-

page_text: the guide bar will be racked one space to the right when its guides are raised
quite above the level of the row of needles, and then again one space to the
left after its guides have been tilted down, and put back beneath the needles.
And note, the warp machinery which is constructed according to our said
improvements, for the purpose of manufacturing the fabrics of the kind afore-
said, may be furnished with rotary machinery in the manner herein-before
described, and represented in the Drawings, only by omitting those additional
guide bars and accessary parts which are required for manufacturing lace, but
which are not required for manufacturing such fabrics as aforesaid. But note,
the rotary motions form no part of our Invention, excepting those portions
thereof which are for the purpose of actuating the thread conductor bar and
the bar with pressing prongs; and it is in no way essential to the application
of our improvements to warp machinery to employ rotary machinery; but I
have described a machine of that kind by way of example, because the same
is most advantageous, in consequence of the working of the machinery being
greatly facilitated and expedited, so as to admit of the warp machinery being
made of great width, or so as to be capable of making two wide continuous
tissues of lace or other fabric, side by side, in the manner herein-before
described. And note, the particular kind of lace or other fabric which is to
be made by warp machinery which is constructed according to our said
improvements (whether rotary machinery be superadded or not) forms no part
of our Invention; but the texture of such lace or other fabric may be greatly
varied without departing from our Invention; and warp machinery, con-
structed according to our improvements, is capable of making many varities
of textures in the same manner as ordinary warp machinery is capable of
doing, and which textures are well known to persons of competent skill in that
branch of manufacturing; but what has been herein-before described is only
by way of example and full explanation of the mode whereby our improve-
ments are applied to and incorporated with the ordinary warp machinery.
Having now described our said improvements, and the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I, the said John Streets the younger, for myself and for
the said Thomas Whitely, do hereby declare that the new Invention
whereof the exclusive use is granted to us by the said Letters Patent
consists :-
First, in the application to warp machinery employed in the manu-
facturing of lace and other fabrics of the row of parts herein-before described,
and called thread conductors, which are interposed between the ends of the
needles and the ends of the thread guides, in order to act as a slea for con-
ducting the warp threads into the proper spaces between the needles, without

page_text: requiring the guides to be inserted between the needles, and also in the several
parts and combination of parts herein-before described, for the purpose of
sustaining such thread conductors, and actuating the same with the requisite
motions for operating in such manner as aforesaid. And,
Secondly, in the mode herein-before described of applying long and short
stems in the row of such thread conductors, for the purpose of gathering the
warp threads unequally into the spaces between the stems, so as occasionally
to withhold thread from particular needles, in order to leave eyelet holes in
the lace at the places of those needles; and in the mode herein-before
described of actuating the said thread conductors, so as to gather the warp
threads unequally at some occasional times of operating with the thread con-
ductors when cyclet holes are required to be made, and then gathering the
said threads uniformly at other succeeding or intervening times of operating,
in order to make plain lace without eyelet holes for intervening between the
succeeding rows of eyelet holes which are required to be made; and also in
the mode herein-before described of causing the said long stems of the thread
conductors to operate for withholding thread from different needles at different
succeeding times of operating, in order to make the succeeding eyelet holes at
different places in the width of the lace, as may be required. And,
Thirdly, in the application to warp machinery employed in the manu-
facturing of lace and other fabrics of the row of parts herein-before described,
and called pressing prongs, which act as a substitute for the action of the edge
of the presser bar of ordinary warp machinery, in order to land the loops and
stitches of the work over the beards of the needles when the newly-formed
laps of threads are beneath those beards; and also in the several parts and
combinations of parts herein-before described for sustaining and actuating the
said row of pressing prongs with the requisite motions for operating, in the
manner herein-before explained, to carry back the first laps of threads which
are laid over the stems of the needles out of the way of the beards of the
needles, without requiring any action of the sinkers for that purpose. And
note, respecting this third article of our said improvements, we do not claim to
be the Inventors of any other kind of pressing prongs than such as are herein-
before described, which are grooved at their under sides, and operate upon
needles having elastic beards of the usual kind, and which prongs are adapted
to slide backwards along the eyes or grooves in the needles, so as to carry
back such prongs beyond the pointed extremities of the beards of the needles;
and we make no claim to the exclusive use of any substitute for the edge of a
presser bar in ordinary warp machinary, unless the row of pressing prongs

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of July, in the
sixth year ofthe reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said John
Streets the younger came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery,
and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the
fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-five.