254 MR. J. C. DYER ON THE ORIGIN OF 



principles of action were quite distinct, each of the ma- 

 chines was held to be so far a new invention as to render 

 hoth patents good in law. 



A third patent for a nail-making machine was obtained 

 by a Mr. E-eed ; but as this machine consisted of a mere 

 combination of those of Odiorne and Perkins, it could at 

 most be considered as containing some improvements on 

 the former inventions. I understood it was so decided 

 shortly after by the tribunals in some legal contests be- 

 tween the respective patentees. In the year 1810 a com- 

 pany in Boston*, having arranged with the patentees 

 above mentioned, sent out to me in London models and 

 specifications of each of the said nail-machines, with di- 

 rections for patenting them in England, as " a communi- 

 cation from abroad," and for the joint account of the com- 

 pany and myself. 



It will sufl&ce here to explain the main features of the 

 mechanism in each of the above-named inventions, as 

 the details of them may be seen at the Patent Office. The 

 processes are as follows : — 



(i) In feeding the machine, plates of the proper width 

 and thickness to form the nails are pushed endways over 

 the fixed cutter, against a stop-gauge under the traversing 

 cutter, and they are advanced at such an angle with the 

 line of the cutters as to give to the severed pieces the 

 proper taper to form the point and head ends of the nails, 

 and the plates are turned over after each cut, to reverse 

 the angle at the end for the next nail. The plate-iron is 

 first rolled into sheets, some thirty inches Avide, and then 

 sheared transversely into slips to form the nails. By this 

 means the fibres of the iron are lengthwise with the nails, 

 which renders them fliexible. 



(2) To cut ofi* the slips to form the nails (the width of 



* " The Iron Works," on the Charles Eiver, of Messrs. J. and S. Wells & 

 Co., Boston. 



