JACQUARD MACHINE. A most in genious and beautiful piece of mechanism ter producing the pattern in figured weaving, invented by M. Jacquard, of Lyons, France, and since improved by some of the most scientific weavers of Europe and America. The pattern is produced by a series of perforated cards or pasteboard strips, working against parallel rows of needles, placed in a hori zontal position ; these needles having eyes in them, through which pass the wires or cards from which the beadles are suspended. The longitudinal motion of the needles acts on the cords or wires, and causes them to be caught up or missed by a lifting apparatus, and those which are lifted raise the threads of the warp which are in connexion with them, and open the shed for the shuttle to pass. The pattern cards govern the motion of the needles in the following manner. They are connected together so as to form an endless chain, and hung upon what is termed a cylinder, which has an axle hung in a frame in a horizontal position, at right angles to the needles. The cylin der is generally square, each side corres ponding in size with the pattern cards, and is perforated with a number of holes corresponding to the number of needles ; into these holes, on the side opposite the needles, the points of the needles are forced, by springs, to enter, when not prevented by the pattern cards. Each pattern card is perforated with but a cer tain number of holes, these correspond ing, however, with certain of the holes in the cylinder. The cylinder is drawn away from the needles every time it is de sired to open the shed, and before it is returned to its place, is turned by suita ble mechanism, so as to present the next side and a new card to the needles.
Where this new card is perforated, the needles pass through into the cylinder, but where it is uncut the needles are pre vented entering the perforations in the and are pushed back by the card which forces back their springs. All the needles which enter the cylinder, bring the beadle cords or wires which pass through them into such a position as to be caught by the lifters, and raised 1 to make the shed ; and all those which are not allowed to enter, bring their cords or wires into such a position as to be missed by the lifters and not raised. By putting the requisite number of cards in the chain, and perforating each properly, any pattern may be produced, and by working all the cards over and over again, in regular succession, the pattern is ffirm ed upon the cloth, and repeated any num ber of times.
By this machine the patterns in car pets, figured silks, and all kinds of goods may be produced. It is applied to lace machines as well as looms. It is difficult to make it perfectly intelligible to the general reader, without more elaborate drawings than it is possible to give in a work of this description, but it is believed that sufficient has been said to give an idea of the main principles of its opera tion. It may be well to remark that it has contributed more than any other im provement to lessening the labor and cost in the production of figured goods.