THE ADVOCATE OF INDUSTRY, AND JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC, MECHANICAL AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
NEW
VOL. XIV. THE
YORK, JUNE 4, 1859. /
NO. 39.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, PUBLISHED WEEKLY At No. 87 Park�row (Park Bulldlng). New Yorl<, BY ll'IUNN
AIKEN'S KNITTING MACHINE.
&
CO.
O. D. MUNN, S. H. WALES, A. E. BEACH. Responsible Agento may aloo be loand 10 all the principal cities and towns of the United StateL Single copies of the paper are on sale It the office of publication, and at all the periodical stores In this city Brooklyn and Jersey C i ty.
I Fig. 1
I he had no)esg than nine knitting-looms in
I
I
eradicated from society. Lea, however, was . , not dismayed at this result, as we read that
Ployment-a stupid notion not yet
would deprive the poor hand-knitters of em�
entirelY
a high honor by every man who was employed
operation in
1597, !!nd that it was esteemed
'
breast-pin. That
ornamented' with a chain and clasp, for a enter prizing monarch, Henr:1 the
by him, inasmuch as each wore a silver needle,
Sampson Low, Son & Co. t/le AII)erican Bookseller.. '7 Ludgate Hill, London, E ng. are the British Agents to receive subscriptions for the OIENTIFIO AMEBIOAN. TERMS-Two Dollars per annum.-One Dollar in advance. and the remainder in six months. .,
Fourth, of France, having heard of Lea's by Queen Bess and her successor, King Jamie,
invention, and how he was so ill-treated both invited him to that country, with all his ma chines and workmen, and Lea soon com menced the business at Rouen, in Normandy.
nr See Prospectus on last page. . Agent. employed.
No Traveling
New Knitting 11lachines.
ful inventions, because it is really the only elastic character can be manufactured.
The art of knitting is one of the most nse
undertaking, but the king, h is patron, having been assassinated by a bigoted monk, he was soon proscribed on account of his religion,
Everything at first promised success to his
method by which textile goods of a truly
and improved knitting machines which illus trate this article, we will give a brief history of the rise of the art. Superficial orators and authors often speak
connection with a description of the beautiful
In
and having been compelled to flee for his life, ward died in great poverty. sought refuge in Paris, where he soon after Such is the brief
history of the inventor of the first knitting race.
machine who was a benefactor to the human
, as father Noah himself; but there is no sub p ra ed prio t he , i q;
and write of this art as if it were as ancient stantial evidence of it having been known or
In
and by enlarging it Guernsey frocks and un' kDit with ' selvages, which had to be closed by hand in forming the seams. The
vented the machine for making ribbed hosiery,
1756 Jediah Strut, of Derby, Eugland, in lAo-m..a.d e. . -An, these
His frame made plain knit fabrics only
teentIl
from which country it soon spread over all Europe. and it was not only eagerly learned by the Its utility was at once appreciated,
in Scotland, thence introduced into France,
,, states that about that time it was invented
l!nrui't:'!$,
L
Savery';
ely l>e,:,., i 'i '1l{{thor,'
ershirts
were
been first iavented in France.
or circular knitting machine is said to have
round
female peasantry of the cottage, but high born dames, in castles and courts, met togeth chatted over the news of the day, each furn ing circle, in the absence of newspapers.
steam-power instead of hand-power were first applied here to operate them, and
our country, but it is claimed that water and that
the first knitting-frames were introduced into
We have not been able to ascertain when
er and knit their husbands' hose, while they
the improvements which have been called made the American machines the best in the world. The two represented by the accompa forth to ada,pt them for such power, have
ishing her quota of information to the charm Prior to the invention of knitting by hand,
the Shetland Isles, with the fine wool which they have at command, knit some very beau
the new fabrics appeared.
cloth; but these were soon discarded after The Datives of
all stockings and hose were made of milled
nying figures are the result of five years'
tory, that one of the girls of that northern
tiful and fine hose; and it is a matter of his
are what are called "self.acting," and the latch-needle invented
the greatest perfection and simplicity.
been spared in bringing them to a state of They
study and experient, and no expense has
terwards presented to George the Fourth, who displayed them at his levees.
were drawn throngh her finger-ring, and af
country had once knit a pair so fine that they
William Lea, of
which we have any record, was invented by its origin is founded on a romantic love affair.
The first machine for knitting stockings of
Woodborough, England, and
with a pretty girl, and being of an ardent tion temperament, he married her, in contraven
While a student in Cambridge he fell in love
chinery on cap foot-piece
the stand, or pillar which supports the ma B'; its base is bolted to the C, on the small shaft, D.
a circular machine for knitting ribbed hosiery, cuffs for shirts, and bands for drawers. A is
patents of recent dates are embraced in vari Fig. 1 is OltS parts and movements in them.
employed in them, and no less than four other
from whom the patent has been purchased, is
by James Hibbard,
Z . �There is a fast and loose pulley, A bifurcated ship
for this cause was expelled by the hard Latin and Greek and but little about an in.
of the statutes of the University, and
hearted old professors, who knew all about The prospects of William Lea's
ventor's love.
advancement in the Church were now cut off, ported by his young wife, who was a most while musing sadly at seeing his yonng wife One evening, and being poor, it is stated that he was sup
skillful knitter of stockings.
working late by the solitary lamp, it occurred to him that iron fingers might be made to do the work imposed on her for him, and that in an instant. quite a number of loops could be made almost
to the construction of iuch a machine, and crowned hi: efforts in the pro-
He at once devoted himself
frame," which was used for two centuries o just about in the same condition a3 he lett it.
duction of what is called
"th'. e old stocking
I
He
Elizabeth, but that haughty dame refused him , patent, on the ground that his invention
eXhibited his knittillg-loom before Queen
K is a metal cone connected to the ringplate, I,1)y a bent arm, J. The plate, I, is revolved' y having a ring-gear on its under
upward on S, the belt is placed on the fast pulley by the hand-lever, 0, in catch, M, and the knitting again proceeds.
the belt on the loose pulley,when the machine stops. After the weight, W, is again moved
reaches the treddle, P, it bears it down, and a rod inside the pillar, connected with a spring, then moves the shipper, and directs
tain length of hosiery, S, is knit; when the weight, W, which feeds off the knit fabric
per, Q, moves the belt from the fast to the loose pulley to stop the machine when a cer
,
the inner end side, matching with a pinion of driving-shaft, D. There IS a cam groove. [Continued on page
?n
8'J S2
,
G----------------------------------------------------------------------
x'o . , ' dY
� 1859 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC
