718 



CHAINWORK. 



Tambour- of at least three fourths of the whole must be a cer- 

 n g tain source, either of emolument to the adventurers, 



( *^"Y"" 1P ' or of saving to the consumers. If the demand be 

 such, that the former sale prices can be altogether or 

 nearly maintained, while the expense of manufacture 

 is greatcly reduced, the emolument must accrue to 

 the speculators. But if from competition, either of 

 the same or similar manufactures, the sale prices are 

 gnatly reduced, the speculator may barely receive a 

 competent profit, or may sustain an absolute loss, 

 whilst the consumers derive the whole benefit of tha 

 discovery, by a corresponding reduction of price. 

 A third and middle case probably comes nearer to 

 the actual state of this and many other inventions, 

 than either of the preceding. Taken in one point 

 of view, an immense saving may be apparent ; whilst, 

 on the other hand, the manufacture may be so in- 

 volved in contingent expences, and may require so 

 great an extension of capital, as entirely to consume 

 its profits, and leave an ultimate loss. In this case, 

 an establishment was set on foot to occupy 60 of 

 these machines, but only 12 were set to work. The 

 rent, the millwork, and the engine, were all upon the 

 full scale, while the productive part of the machinery 

 was limited to one-fifth part. Against this, how- 

 ever, it is at least matter of serious reflection to con- 

 sider, how far it might have been prudent to embark 

 a sum sufficient to employ the whole establishment 

 in the manufacture of a mere article of fancy, subject 

 to every vicissitude of caprice and fashion. Upon 

 the whole, it seems plain, that the business was either 

 carried by much too far, or not far enough. The 

 expence was incurred, a large capital sunk, and both 

 fortitude and exertion were necessary to require what 

 had been risked. A sudden stop ot every necessary 

 effort at the most critical moment was certain ruin, 

 and that was the policy unfortunately followed. 



Upon the whole, experience has very clearly evin- 

 ced, that large sums cannot be prudently expended 

 upon machinery calculated for articles of mere fa- 

 shion, and that the exercise of mechanical genius 

 will always be better directed to provide for the ac- 

 tual wants and conveniences, than to gratify the 

 whims and caprices of mankind. In a refined state 

 of society, ornamental arts must always exist ; but 

 the establishments for producing these ought ever 

 to be calculated to meet those frequent stagnations 

 of demand, to which they are peculiarly exposed. 

 The power required to drive this machine being very 

 small, and even that capable of great reduction, by 

 judicious alteration, an expensive establishment of 

 mill work, moved by power, is not by any means 

 inherently necessary for the business. The regu- 

 larity of motion, produced by machinery, is indeed 

 desirable ; but the attendant expence is more than 

 equivalent to any advantage gained by its use. It 

 is desirable that one simple rotatory motion should 

 direct the whole, but this might be easily given 

 by the attendant's hand, in a way entirely similar 

 to what is practised in the incle loom. The needle 

 frame is a very expensive part of the apparatus, and 

 this, as well as the whole concomitant machinery, 

 may be easily dispensed with. The pattern wheels, 

 instead of being 18 inches in .diameter, might be 

 reduced to six inches with equal efficiency ; and a 

 pattern might be carried to any extent by construct- 

 ing them as spirals. It is also very practicable to 



make common sewing needles answer the purpose of Tambtur- 

 the perforators, and those may be purchased for 3d. v in g- y 

 per hundred, whereas the former with the sliders, *"Y""" 

 &c. cost upwards of 10 shillings. The quantity of 

 work, upon a plan of this kind, might even be great- 

 ly increased, by working two, four, or six rows at 

 once ; and, at the same time, a machine might be 

 constructed, by simplifying all its parts, certainly 

 for not more than L. 8 or L. 10, and probably for 

 much less. In such a state as this, the trade might 

 easily revert to its natural and legitimate channel ; 

 for the expence being but small, the machines would 

 soon become the property of those who wrought 

 with them. They might be made to occupy so 

 little room, as to be placed easily in an ordinary 

 sized dwelling-house, and the connection between 

 the employers and the employed might be rendered 

 exactly similar to that which at present subsists in 

 the weaving, stocking-weaving, and other branches 

 of manufacture. The pattern wheels alone ought to 

 be the manufacturer's property, and these might be 

 delivered with the goods, and returned when they 

 were finished, like the wheels used in lappet weaving. 

 A sketch of the general principles of a machine of 

 this kind, which embraces no one part of the patent 

 granted for the former, will be found in Plate 

 CXXXVII. 



In this Plate, Fig. 6. represents a profile elevation PLATE 

 of the machine, in every part of which the most n- cxxxvtt- 

 gid attention has been paid to simplicity and cheap- Fig 6, 7. 

 ness of construction. The frame work, which ex- 

 tends from the floor to the ceiling, consists merely 

 of two upright posts of flat plank, represented at A, 

 the dimensions of which may be four inches by one. 

 These posts, one of which only is visible, being firm- 

 ly secured at top and bottom, a single cross rail will 

 be sufficient to connect them, and may be of dimen- 

 sions similar to the posts, and placed upon edge. In 

 Fig. 6. it is not visible, but appears distinctly at N, 

 in Fig. 7. The top of the posts may be bolted to a 

 cross piece of wood at B, nailed to the joists above. 

 The cloth frame of this machine appears at HH, 

 and from the curvature of its shape, the sides may be 

 very conveniently made of cast iron, and the cross 

 connections of well-seasoned wood. Ot these cross 

 connections, the two of principal importance are the 

 triangular pieces at KK ; for the top rail at H i 

 merely used for the two suspensary cords, and if these 

 were attached to the sides, both it and the bottom 

 rail might probably be omitted, without any practi- 

 cal inconveniency. At I, I, are the two rollers for 

 stretching the cloth, which may be made like those 

 of any common tambour frame. In this machine the 

 perforators are placed behind the cloth, upon the 

 frame D. They may be made like common sewing 

 needles, excepting that the eye being in the point, 

 that end ought to be sharpened in finishing them, 

 instead of being blunted to resist the thimble, as in 

 the ordinary way. The other end may be filed into 

 a triangular shape like a glover's needle, and is to 

 be fixed in a socket of tin like a stocking frame 

 needle. This is effected by placing the needle in 

 a mould, and pouring in the tin while in a state 

 of fusion. The shape, both of the needle and the 

 socket, may be accurately seen in Figure 8, together Fig. i. 

 with a section of the bar upon which it is placed, 

 and the means of securing it by a bolt and nut, so 



