Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-05-25
A Curiosity for the Ladies'.

We clip the following from the New
York Commercial advertiser;
"Therc is on exhibition ut the sales
room of Messrs. Wheeler Il Wilson,
No. 625 Broadway, the first sewing ma
chine (No. II made by that Company,
the present number being about 90, 900.
Let the interested compare the machine
sold in 1851 for $l2j with those now Of
fered for So. The former owner of this
machine gives its history rs follows;
"This machine was finished early in
1851, and / learned its usc from Mr..
Wilson himself. / was thus, you see,
machine, and learned on the first ma
chine they ever manufactured.
i" In 1854 | earned with the machine
$295, besides doing my own housework
and taking care of my baby. In 1856
we came to Davenport and brought the
machine with us. | believe IL the first
machine ever brought to Iowa
" | run that machine almost constant
ly for more than fourteen years, on all
sorts of work, from the finest dress
making to the heaviest tailoring; I
quilted q full size bed-spread with IL,
which had been exhibited three times
at the fair. 1t took me three weeks to
do it with my other work but It could
not have been done by hand Ia as many
years. / have even stitched leather
with 1t, and at the time l exchanged it
in 1865 for No. l93, 1920, 1t worked just as
well rs when made.
1t IL, perhaps, unnecess9ry..for metO
add, that l believe the Wheeler Il Will
son to be vastly superior to any other
machine made.
"Yours respectfully. R.E.B."
Time tries all things. Use only fur
nishes the final test. Opinions of the
skillful may be Of value, but time Is
needed to confirm them. All failures
have had their advocates. 1t Is note
worthy that the sewing machine for
which the highest premium was award
ed at the Worlds Fair here i'm 1853 long
since sank into merited oblivion. The
past fifteen years have seen numerous
machines, with high sounding preten-
sions, rise with q flourish, confoInd tha
simple, and vanish. So will it be while
credulity lasts.
The Wheeler & Wilson Company fix
ed upon the " Lock Stitch - as the one
best suited to the general purEoses of
sewing, for beauty, permanonce, elas-
ticity and economy Of thread, and expe-
rience has confirmed the preference. 1t
was at liberty, then, as now, to make u
chain-stitch machine; and even now,
NJ cost vi less Cnan ~ cents each GciL
adapt its lock-stitch machine to lnake
tho chaln-stitch as well as the lock-
stitch, but not believing in the stitch,
has steadily refused to give 1t any kind
of Endorsement. ... Ii .-...,
While this Company has given to the
public the best fruits OF Inventive gent
us, 1t has guarded it from multitude
of traps. Attachments have been add-
ed for various purposes, as hemming,
binding, braiding, cording, &C., but 1t
has been kept free OF all useless compli-
cations. Simplicity of parts and adapt
alton to the widest range of work. has
been the constant aim. Instcad of
boasting Of a variety Of useless stitches
and movements, it claims to make but
one kind of stitch, and that with tho
fsWcat movements possible. Hence tho
machine may run constantly for many
years, like the No. l, above mentioned,
or q lifetime, even, and work just a.
well as when new. With n complica-
ton Of parts and movements IL would
require monthly repairs and adjust.
ments. AS the purchase Of q sewing
machine is, or may be, an act for q lifo-
time, care should be had in getting
what time and use have approved.
Chicago Tribune, March 81, 1866.