Endrei Walter szerk.: Textilipari Múzeum Évkönyve 8. 1995 (Budapest, 1995)
Walter Endrei: Some early suggestions of the mechanization of textileprocesses
WALTER ENDREI Some early suggestions of the mechanization of textileprocesses The history of the spirming-frame - sometimes even that of the Industrial Revolution -, is usually begun by quoting the famous open competition "for the best invention of a machine that will spin six threads... one person...to attend it". At the best, the "circular machine, of new design in conic shape" of Wyatt and Paul of 1738 is mentioned. However it appears as if the idea of the multi-spindle spinning frame had been the revolutionary idea of Wyatt or Hargreaves. A neglected French book of machines of the 16th century sets us right in this respect. Jean Errard (1554-1610), its author was an engineer of the Duke of Lorraine and became later the first engineer of Henry IV, who appointed him member of the royal council and - after the peace of Vervins (1598) -, ennobled him. His main job was fortification 1 , but in younger years he published his Premier livre des Instruments mathématiques mechaniques (Nancy 1584), which is not bellicose at all. It is rather a versatile "Theatre of machines" inspired perhaps by Jacques Besson's Theatrum instrumentorum, giving 40 plates of pumps, elevators, mills, hodometers etc. and besides two representing spinning machines (Nr. 25, 26). Though he ensures in the preface, that all shown inventions are his brainchildren he confesses: "Affin d'attribuer a chacun ce qui lui appartient, Tay bien voulu mectre icy c'este figure qui n'est de mon invention, ains de maistre Charles Desrue homme fortentendu, en tel subtiles inventions." 2 The machine on the engraving Nr. 25 shows a frame with five vertical spindles, handdriven from a common horizontal shaft (not visible). On the spindles are put small containers in which the carded wool is kept 3 , which is drawn through a hole up to a reel, winding the prepared yarn: the construction of the container is explained in the foreground by a detailed sketch. It is clearly evident, that Desrue only adapted and simplified the silkthrowing mill of Lucca, but it is also obvious, that his machine would not have worked. The same must be said about the next engraving, the authorship of which is maintained by Errard (Nr. 26), though he only took spindles and cops instead of the reel and placed the whole device into a horizontal plane. He built fortifications of Sedan, Montreuil -sur- Mer, Amiens and his book La Fortification reduicte en art et Demonstré Paris 1600 is the first of his kind in French. Details are given in W. Endrei: Jean Errard (15541610) und sein Maschinenbuch Technikgeschichte 61 (1994) 1 1-10 2 This Ch. Desrue is named as author of a metal-cutting machine (Nr. 29) as well The title of our print speaks about Nova lanam faciendi fabrica
