When, instead of, or in addition to, a twill, the weaver has to pro duce sprigs, flowers, spots, or any kind of figure, a great increase of complexity occurs. The weft may pass over four and under one at one part of the width of the cloth ; aver two and under two at another ; over one and under four at another—according to the part of the figure which may happen to occur at any particular part of the width of the cloth. Hence the order in which the warp-threads must be depressed or elevated varies continually, and the number of leaves of heddles would become so numerous that the loom could not hold them, nor could the feet of the weaver move the requisite treadles. This diffi culty gave rise to the invention of the draw-loom, in which strings are so arranged that a boy can draw down the requisite warp-threads preparatory to the movement of the shuttle. The warp-threads pass through eyes or loops in vertical strings, each thread having one string ; and these strings are so grouped that the attendant boy, by pulling a handle, draws up all those warp-threads which are necessarily elevated for one particular shoot of waft ; and when a different order of suc cession is required, he pulls another handle. Hence it follows that the arrangement of the strings and handles must be preconcerted with especial reference to one particular pattern ; and this is called cording the loom. The cording would sometimes take one man three or four months, and would then only serve for one particular pattern. Early in the pre sent century two inventions were made with the view of rendering the draw-loom more automatic. One of these, called the draw-boy, not only superseded the necessity of employing a boy to pull the handles, but removed, by the unerring certainty of its operation, all possible chance of mistake in pulling the wrong handle. This was a very inge nious arrangement of mechanism by which a treadle, worked by the foot of the weaver, gave a vibratory motion to a curved lever which drew down some of the warp-threads and elevated others ; and the skill consisted in so causing the lever to travel along a rack or toothed bar as to act upon different warp-threads in succession. The draw-boy has been very much employed; while another invention, equally inge nious perhaps, has, from various causes, failed to come into use. This latter was the automatic carpet-loom of Mr. Duncan. Here the warp threads, instead of being elevated and depressed by the handles as in a draw-loom, or by the reciprocating lever as in the draw-bay, were moved by pins inserted in a rotating barrel, the pins being placed in an order of succession according to the pattern to be produced, just as those on the barrel of a street-organ or a musical-box are disposed according to the tune to be played. But the draw-loom, the draw-boy, and the barrel-loom have been alike eclipsed by the exquisite apparatus of M. Jacquard, which is very properly named after the inventor. [JACQUARD APPARATUS.] Double Wearing.—In all the fabrics hitherto noticed, there is but one layer of threads, formed by the intersection of the weft among tho warp, both weft and warp being individually single. But there has long been practised the weaving of a kind of double cloth, composed of two webs, each consisting of separate warp and weft, but both sets interwoven at intervals. The junction of the two webs is formed by passing each of them occasionally through the other, so that each particular part of both is sometimes above and sometimes below. Kidderminster or Scotch carpeting is one of the few kinds of double fabric now woven in this country; and it will therefore be sufficient for us to refer for details to the article CARPET MANUFACTURE.
Cross Wearing. This term may conveniently be applied to those varieties of woven fabric in which the warp-threads, instead of lying constantly parallel, as in all the cases hitherto noticed, cross over or twist around one another, thus forming a plexus or interlacing inde pendent of that produced by the weft. Clause and bobbin net are perhaps the most remarkable examples of this kind of fabric. [GAUZE;
LACE MANUFACTURE.] Chain it is a term usefully applied to a mode of using threads in which a aeries of loops is formed by a continuous thread, each loop or link being so connected with others as to form a kind of chain ; and this chain work may either be worked upon a ground woven at tho loom, or may constitute the woven material itself. Sampler work, Berlin work, sewed muslin work, tambouring, embroidery, tapestry, pillow lace, and hosiery, are all esomples, more or less varied, of this chain-weaving. [EMBROIDERY; HOSIERY MANUFAOTURE ; LACE MANUFACTURE; TAPESTRY.] Pile Wearing.—lf we examine a piece of silk velvet, or any kind of fustian, such as velveteen, moleskin, or doeskin, or a Turkey or Wilton carpet, we shall find that in any or all of these fabrics the warp and weft threads are almost concealed by a kind of down, nap, or pile, which imparts a peculiarly soft and smooth texture to them. It may seem strange to class together such very different materials as silk velvet, fustian, and Turkey carpeting ; but the classification is strictly correct, because all of them owe their characteristic beauty to the downy sur face which they present. Fustian are in fact a kind of cotton velvet, as Turkey carpeting is a woollen velvet. The weaving of these pile• fabrics, so far as regards the decussation of the warp'and weft threads by means of the shuttle, resembles that of plain fabrics, or of pattern fabrics, according to the nature of the design. But there is, besides the warp and weft properly so called, another kiud of warp, whose threads are left standing in loops above the general surface till cut, and the cutting of which constitutes the pile. In some kinds of fustians the pile is cut so as to give a smooth velvet surface; while in other kinds it is cut into parallel cords, forming corduroy and such like fabrics. Tho cutting used formerly to be done by peculiarly shaped knives held in the hand; but some very ingenious machines have been contrived for effecting it more quickly and correctly. For the applica tion of this peculiar manufacture to different fabrics, see CARPET; FUSTIAN; VELVET.
Power-Weaving.—In all the kinds of weaving hitherto noticed, whether of plain goods, figured goods, double cloth, bobbin-net, stock ings, or velvet fabrics, we have uniformly spoken of the weaving machine as being worked by band, or rather by hand and foot, for the treadle is an almost invariable component of such a machine. We have however now briefly to notice the important steps by which the steam-engine has been brought to bear on this department of industry.
In the ' Philosophical Transactions' for 1078, a loom, invented by M. de Gentles, is described as "a new engine to make linen cloth with out the aid of au artificer," by applying waterpower as the moving forte. The advantages are thus enumerated : " 1, That one mill alone will set ten or twelve of these looms at work ; 2, the cloth may be made of what breadth you please, or at least much broader than any which has been hitherto made ; 8, there will be fewer knots in the cloth, since the threads will not break so fast as in other looms, because the shuttle that breaks the greater part can never touch them. In short, the work will be carried on quicker and at loss expense, since, Instead of several workmen, which are required in making up of very largo cloths, one boy will serve to tie the thread, of several looms as fast as they break, and to order the quills in the shuttle." This de scription remarkably well expresses the excellences of the power-loom of the present day; but we have no evidence that De Gentles' machine 'ever came into use. At various times during the last century M. Dolignon, M. Z'aucanson, Mr. Austin, and Mr. Miller contrived looms which were to be worked by a winch, by water-power, or by some con trivance more expeditious than the common band-weaving. The first power-loom for weaving cotton fabrics was pnt up by Mr. Austin in the factory of Mr. Monteith, near Glasgow, in 1708; but before that time another machine had been Invented, whose history is curious and Interesting.