, 1864-10-24
the ssL0nDOs TIMES" ON
SEWING MACHINES.
4 sTKHLINH BRITISH TRIBUTE
TO AMERICAN INVENTIVE
GENIUS.
The Great Thnnderfr Among the Needle
Wprkefs-A critical Discussion.
MschiDes, S.itcher, Distinctive Fea-
tures-A Humanitarian VieW.

HISTORY OF THE lhfES14Os.
The history Of the Sewing Machine affords
singular instance of the manner IN which
eocial problem, the settlement Of which has
oeen the despair OF philanthropisss, some.
tjmes settles Itself BY the most unexpected
means, and by the most untooked-foT agents.
Willie Hood was composing the "Song OF
The Shirt. and painting with the tlnts OF
despair the poor seanstress elaying In her
galret, mechanic, almost equally poverty
stricken, was working out Ia an American
garrtt the means Of her emancipation.
I'm poverty, hunger, and dirt" Elias
howe, a native sof Massachusetts,,
surrounded BY q 5ouDg family. for whom
ne vas Obliged to labor during the day, de-
voted bis after hours to the construction of 9
sewing machine. This WAS about the year
1s4l, and bis career since that period up to
the present time affords an episode ia the
annals OF intelligent labor pregnant with in
cldehts, and checkered with lights and
shades, which afford another illustration Of
fiction" Judicial investigations have dem
onstrated, In the clearest manner, that to
Howe, and to him alone, belonged the credit
Of inventiDg the first sewing machine, 9th
ers, 1t ia true, hadtried to do what be had
accomplished, but failed; and an Engglishman
msy tasr1y take the credit OF going within an
ace Of the invention, without knowing how
near he Was to fame and fortune.
SOME D1sr1scr1vE cHARAcrEn1s1scs.
The public is so familiar with the Sewing
Machine, consisting OF an iron arm and an ar
r9ngtment Of parts at its extremity which
almost rivals the human hand In delicacy,
that We need not enter into any particular
description Of Its appearance or mode of OPP
e1ation. The method however BY which the
stitch Is made by the various machines no v In
use, and the character of the stitch itself,
vary very much. The majority of these ms
chimes make the "lock STITCH" By far the
most durable method OF 1ipg. The threads
arc made to tnter1ock within the fabric
as the fastening Of the thread il protected
IRON the friction Of wear and washing. ALI
mAchines used in trade where strength Is re-
qu'rfd make this stitch; indeed, cloth and
leather work would not bear the loop-stitch
fastening, which is made outside Of the ma
terial seWed, and forms ridge very liable to
be worn away. Howe's Thomas and Singers
powerful manufacturing machines make the
lock stitch. There is alao aaooher machine
which works it, but in a different manner.
TIE WHEELER d WIL5ON MACHINE,
TED FOR HOUSEHOLD WORK, MAKES
The LOCk-STIrCH By MEANS OF A
ROTATING HOOK, WHICH IN rERLACE3
THE THREAD ON THE UNDER SIDE,
AND. DOES AWAY WITH THE NECE5.
s1TY FOR TIE SHUT lie, WEIGH Is
uNNECESsAR1LY NOISY IN rHE DRAW
other machires which substitute looperfdr
the shuttle. and make single thread loop
stitch which is apt to unraveL SOME OF THE
SEWING MACHINES ARE VERY E1TRAvAGANT
IN 1HEUsE OF THREAD; ONE OF TUE MOST
NOTED OF THOSE MAKING THE DoUBLE.LooP
cHA1ss71TcH, USING sE TARps OF THREAD
TO ONE OF SEWING. This ia q serious mat
ter, looked upon In manufacturers point
Of view, where the great ain Is to econo-
mizc the material.