Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1864-11-29

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Il i q oaes suriess and instructive q
ssfvsy ~ path evsf which ths invsntees q
nany q ~ nost nssfdl adjunsls u civili.
.ation have ben obliged to journey. Ths
ordinary eambfie needle today has il bio.
tory, and Il would b no very dincult thso.
r to establish, that ths inpssvsmsnls i
I'll housshold necsssities, coabining IL
poetry q ~ Beautiful with the prose ofths
Useful, have invariably kept pacs with ths
ise Of . nation, whils the decay Of ornar
ment and convenience have marked the
dewnfall Of state.
The days when poor Tom Hood gave the
Song Of the Shirt to the world, though, still
within the memory Of most middls-sged
people, hsve been to great extent, chang
ed By the various degrees Of success which
have attended the experiments Of mechani.
cal genius in providing : substitute lor hu-
man fingers, which, while more nimble,
should be equally sufficient The nrst ten
dency Of such . desidsratum was, necessari-
y unlavofable to the sempstress the Sec
ondary and moro permanent results have
been beneficial, mot alone in increasing the
productiveness of this branch Of labor, but
removing, to great extent temptations to
the cupidity Of some Of the larges firms to
depress woman's toll still nearer to starvation
point. In conflict between Fingers and
Machinery, the triumph Of the later may
cause for time individual hardships, but
the ultimate result Is the collective good Of
the sewing girls.
And yet, & must Be admitted while rem
dering oil praise to the pioneers IN the sew.
ing machine business, that many il not
most Of the ingenius contriyances for re.
placing hand labor have been open to nu-
merous objections. Some of these were Of
: trivial and others Of graver character.
Liability to get out Of repair, stitches that
ripped almost - rapidly - they were sewn,
gathering (puckcring) ofthe lighter fabrics,
especially when in the hands Of but moder-
ately experienced operators, and bable Of
noise that was more deafening and less en-
livening than the discourse Of IN entire
bevy Of old maids discussing the approach.
ing marriage Of their clergyman's eldest
daughter, are but few Of familiar defects.
In the charming little town of Florence,
Mass, where the silk-factories are daily
proving that America need not, necessarily,
depend on Europe for sewing silk Or twist !;
where the ambrotyps cases that hide 80 ma
ny millions Of III sorts Of faces from charm
ing youth to miserable old age, are manu-
f.ctured and supply half our country; where
Samuel L. Hill, Esq, gave building worth
go, 900 to the educational interests Of his
native town; where industry is unceasing,
and intelligence widely diffused where the
Connecticut river meanders pleasantly in the
summer days and chimes with the August
winds, not two miles distant, there is large
bailding with accessories devoted to the
manufacture Of : machine that is now bs.
coming !. household word throughout the
land, and, which, for family use Is displac-
ing older ones that have outlived their day
and generation.
The gentleman above referred to, Samuel
L. Hill, ESQ.,, is President and one Of the di.
rectors Of the Florence Sewing Machine
Company and it is proposed in this article
to briefly describe this remarkable achieve.
ment Of hui nan handicratt.
The main portion Of the instrument il en-
sembles an old fashioned Engii sh coffee cup,
with silver cover. The machinery is en-
tircly above the stand, rendering It easily
oiled and cleaned without danger Of oiling
the skirts Of the operator. Every part Of
the work is Of the best Of steel, and Il sim.
plicity personified, the entire design SEEM
ing at once to initiate and multiply the work
Of expert fingers. The movements are not
eccentric but positive, thus reducing ffic-
ton, and thereby augmenting both the "a
pidity and durability Of the machine. There
are no wire springs that are always liable,
more or less, TO getting out Of repair. The
only wire used is in the screw that regulates
the tension Of the thread. The "take up''
Of the thread is not.s wire coil but steel
wheel, which secures . precision that no
mere hook can possibly do.
Like most industrious workers this ma
chine Is 50 silent you would scarcely know
it was busy, and It not only points moral
to many busy ladies, but is great relief to
their husbands, who scarcely know whether
the piano Or sewing machine 10 : greater
barrier to domestic felicity, with their con.
tinual ding-dong and rattle rattle. This i
the more remarkable - this 10 shuttle ma
chine. This machine makes four distinct
stitches, the only change necessary being
the movement Of : small steel lever similar
to the break on stage coach. These stitch
es are the Lock Stitch, the Double Lock
Stitch, tho Single Knot and The Double
Knot. Thsss Knot stitches, peculiar to
this machine, are q firm o the overlastine Z
hills. The slack THREADS being pulled out
q the same time ID opposite directions, Il
would seem the shade of some ancient
II H1,e dava svhan warunns,Aa vvnea