SEVERAL MECHANICAL INVENTIONS. 135 



bobbins were returned back between the next two cords, 

 and so on, moving from side to side to tie or form the 

 meshes. 



With this rude apparatus Mr. Heathcoat found that the 

 knots, or intersections of the threads, could be formed of 

 the same kind as those made on the cushions by the hand- 

 workers. 



The next step was to contrive the form of bobbins that 

 would pass back and forth between the threads, placed at 

 the requisite distances apart to form the lace. For this 

 purpose metallic disks were made, with grooves turned in 

 their peripheries to contain the threads to be carried suc- 

 cessively through the warp for weaving the lace. 



The machine for working the bobbins consisted of two 

 bobbin- carriers, one on each side of the warp, mounted 

 and arranged so as to deliver and receive alternately the 

 bobbins of thread from one side of the warp, to the other. 

 The bobbins, or thin disks, being placed in proper recesses 

 in the carrying-frames, the required motions were given to 

 them for conducting back and forth between the threads 

 of the warp the bobbin-threads, and for transferring the 

 bobbins to the opposite carrier-frame, to be again passed 

 back through the warp. In this way the required number 

 of bobbins, being duly arranged in their carrier-frames, 

 were conducted back and forth (from the upper to the 

 under side of the warp, and vice versa) to weave the lace. 



I do not mean to describe here the many ingenious 

 movements employed to effect the operations above men- 

 tioned, and which made them obey continuous rotative 

 action, as they are set forth at large in the specifications of 

 Mr. Heathcoat's patents. 



The great saving of labour effected by the patent ma- 

 chines rendered the bobbin-net trade unprofitable as it 

 had been carried on upon the old system of working, 

 consequently many hands employed therein were thrown 



