The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-02-13
WHOLE NUMBER 49l.
IMPORTANT 1NVENTION-AN AUTOM.
ATOM sEAMSTRESS.

ATOM sEAMSTRESS.
Mr.. Allen B. Wilson, Of Pittsfeld, Mass.,
hes recently obtained patent for . ma
chine, by which sewing Of all descriptions
10 executed in 4 very rapid ma nner, and ia
fineness and strength superior to hand work.
The simplicity ofmecha nism. its diminutive-
ness, and the amount Of work which il ae.
complishes, arc truly astonishing. A sin.
gle machine occupies so little space that il
can be put inside Of mans hat, and yet
by the turning Of small crank, the instru.
ment will sew ten times faster than any
seamstress.
Sewing machines have been invented
aud in use in this country for three or four
years past, but none Of them have ever been
Of much benefit, since they could cnly Be
used for coarse work, and were otherwise
SO inconvenisnt as to be only partially able
to compete with hsnd labor.
The invention We are now describing,
obviatss all these difficulties, for il can DO
used for any kind Of sewing, fino or coafse,
embroidery. Every part ofa mans dress
coat, vest and pantaloons button holes ex-
cepted-can be made by this machine, al
90 ladies' dresses, shirt bosoms, caps, col.
lars, &c. In fact, there il scarce a single
branch ofneedle work to which this instru.
ment cannot be applied, sewing ten times
faster, finer and stronger than by hand
The curious may see this invention 10 oper.
alton, BY calling ot No. 1913 Fulton street
up stairs. Il is we'll worthy Of inspection.
To embroidery upon silk, OF whatever Ia
brio, in colors or without, it is admirably a.
dapted, and will be extensively used. So
easy 10 it, movements as 10 be operated byA
child, and not liable to arrangement, the in
vention will doubtless become as indispen-
sable to the female as are now tho scissors
or the thimhle.
TO the poor seamstress, and all who de-
pend upon their needles for support, the in
PRODUCTION Of this invention seems fraught
with the direst mischief Doing away with
their present occupations, as il inevitable
will, il threatens them with utter loss Of EN-
ploymeni, and consequent stsrva.ion.-
Dealers in clothing, who now give employ
ment to thousands Of poor poople-at star.
vation prices, it 10 true, but still employ
mont Twill have no further need Of hand
labor, but use these machines, one Of which
is equal to ten pair Of hands, Families
who now employ poor sesmstresses, will ap-
parently have no use for their services,
since these automatons viii step in! One
machine would do all the sewing Of fam.
lily Of sixteen persons or even more.
What need, then, Of seamstresses any
longer.
But this is not the operation Of this inven.
tion, nor Of labor. r.saving machines general.
", nor Of any thing which permsnently
does away with the necessity Of labor ia
any given field. For every field Of employ
ment thus removed, or rather saved, The
now ones open, 4 grsat demand for labor
springs up. and the poor are
thereby greatly benefited. The printing
business is an Illustration. Previous to the
invention Of steam presses, printing was
done BY hand. Does any doubt that there
are now 4 thousand times more people en-
ployed in The printing business than there
would be if no steam presses were used?-
Every sensible person answers no. And
This will be the operation Of the sewing mn
chine. II takes the needle from the seam,
stress hand, but replaces il with crank,
ind gives her far easier employment, and
better remuneration than she now receives.
N. y Sun.