The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-01-06
ELI WHITNEY.
ny JAMES PARTON.


One dav. in the Fall of 1902, when
General Washington was President
of the United States, company OF
Georgia planters happened to be as
semblcd at the house, near Sayan-
nah, Of Mrs. Nathaniel Greene, wild
ow of the famous General Greene Of
the Revolution. Several Of these
planters had been officers under the
command Of the General, and they
had called, naturally enough, to pay
their respects to this widow.
The conversation turned upon the
depressed condition Of the Southern
States since the close of the wat
The planters were generally in debt,
their lands were mortgaged, their
products afforded little profit, anil
many OF the younger and more enter
prising people were moving away
The cause of this state of things,
these planters agreed was the lilicul-
ty Of raising cotton with profit, owing
to the great labor required in sepa-
rating the libres of the cotton from
the seeds.
Many Of our readers, we presume,
have never seen cotton growing, nor
even ball, or pod Of cotton. This
pol, which is about rs large as hen :
cgg, bursts when it is ripe, and the
cotton cushcs out at the top in bean
| tiful white flock. II You examine
! this lock closely YOU viii discover
that IL contains eight or ten large
seeds, much resembling, in size and
shane the seeds Of a lemon. Tho
Gbrcs of the cotton adhere so tightly
to the seeds, that TO get one pound %
clean cotton, without wasting any
used to require whole days's labor
1t was this fact that rendered th,
raising of cotton so little profitable
and kept the Southern States from
sharing in the prosperity enjoyed by
the States of the North after the clos'
of the revolutionary war
When the gentlemen had been con
vereing for some time, the idea wa
started that perhaps this work coul,
be done 10y machine. Mrs. Green
then remarked:
"Gentlemen, apply to my youn,
! friend, Mr.. Whitney; he can max
anything"
Few words have ever been spokel
on this globe that have had such i'm
portant and memorable consequence
as this simple observation of Mrs
Nathaniel Greene.
Eli Whitney, of whom she spoke
was a young Massachusetts Yankee
who had come to Georgia to teach
and, having been taken sick, had beer
invited by this hospitable lady to re
side in her house TILL he should re
cover. He was the son of poo
farmer. and had worked his wa,
through college without assistance
rs Yankee boys often do. From ear
llv boyhood he had exhibited wonder
ful skill in mechanics, and in college b
used to repair the philosophical ap
paratus with remarkable niccty-t
the great admiration ofprofessors an
students. During his residence wit
Mrs. Greene he had made tor her Il
ingenious tam bour-framc, on n me-
principle, as well as many curious toy
3 for her children. Hence her advice
"Apply to my young friend, Nj
Whitney; he can make anything"
She now introduced Mr.. Whitne
- h,,. urbA ,1ognptL.1 20 hi
the difficulties under which they Il
bored He told them that he ha
/. never seen pod of cotton in his lif
Without giving them any promise
y he resolved to procure some raw co
ton forthwith, and see what he coul
do with it. Searching about Il
wharves of Savannah, he found,
- length, some uncleaned cotton, an,
taking home a bundle Of it IN !.
hands, he shut himself up in a roo
in the basement, and set to work
invent the machine required.
All the Winter he labored in h
solitary cell. There were no prop
] tools to be had in Savannah.
made his own tools. There was /
wire. lie made his own wire III
children, the servants, the visitors
the house wondered what be cou
: be doing in the basement all alon
= but he said nothing, aad kept {
tinkering, hammering, and thinkin
till, early in the Spring of 1893,
had completed his work. Having S
, up the mysterious machine in She
he invited number Of planters
come and witness its operation.