The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1881-04-15

next day [ weut TO work, aud for many days
worked diligently. My patron was Mrs
Miller, who with womau's hopcfulncss and
won,an's faith, visited mc daily, cncourag.
ing me and making suggestions Finally
completed model machine with six crl;n-
dcrs all armed with small wire hooks
These were placed upon wooden shaft side
by side, and TO one was attached crank
handle, by which motion could be given to
these were attached toothcd cir.ular blocks
This was put into rough fraamc, its wood
en- journals resting in two half circular holes
or notchcs in the franz. just as [ had
progressed this far Mrs Miller came in and
examined it. She turned it some half
dozen tunes then calling to her house maid
TO bling her q handful Of seed cotton, which
etholtS IN hershand 10 tha-tanlh-afL LhAn,.ls
chino, whist turned the shaft, and in
few revolutions che teeth were full of lint
cotton. She looked into my face. and ]
shall never forget that look. o.. she was
Il glorious woman. She exclaimed Per.
feet this and and your fortune is made. =
She explained its defects, saying: you
must devise some means by which the lint
can be taken from the cards, rs she turned
the cylinder holding the teeth. Now you
have to take it off by hand, aud something
must be arranged to hold the cotton to the
cards. All the while Mr.. Miller had laugh,
cd at the cff1rt was making, ard called the
machine mine and his wics folly. lie was
in hi, chamber when his wife ran and fetch.
cl him to see the operation Of the machine.
lie looked on the motion Of the cylinder,
laughing dcrisivcly at first. but as he saw
the teeth filIin! with lint he became thought.
full, and finally said Il believe that some.
thing can come out of it to answer the pur.
pose After Xanining it carefully. he said
seriously Now vou nor Mrs Miller must
speak of this, but try on, and if you can
make it Il success it will not only make ynu
both rich, bat it will make the South the
richest country in the world. If You speak
Of it some ingenious mechanic will take the
idea, and very soon viii complete machine
and will rob you OF your invcntion.' From
that time | proceeded cautiously and in Sc
crct to complete Il model to be patented
From the working of the machine had
made, l SAW Il difficulty to be rcmcdicd with
the circular blocks holding the wires to.
gcthcr, and placed in the new model small,
lcr blocks. These served to separate the
largcr and give room for the cotton to roll,
and | made the teeth holding cards much
thinner, giving them something Of the ap-
pcaran C of Il circular.saw. This completed,
next was the means of sweeping from the
teeth the lint pulled 10y them from the seed.
Mr. Miller was now deeply Interested in my
success, az he fanclcd he saw great wealth
to follow this, and proposed a partnership,
and agreed to furnish the means to secure Il
patent and Introduce to the public the ma
chine. Whilst this discussion was in progress
Mr.. Miller came in and suggest ID a rccding
brush, and exhibited model IN miniature
he had made. At once | saw that this
could be worked by the same means that the
cylinder carrying the teeth could. and went
to work to make this brush Finally the
entire machine was completed and patented
Il coprrtncrship p agreed upon between Miller
and myself and Miller wcat actively to
work to put it into ,pcration. We disagreed
rs to what should be the course to be pur.
sued lDr this purpose. Ii WAS my PROPOSE,
ton to sell the prtcn for 100000 to the
States Of South Carolina and Georgia, but
Miller insisted that this would be to sacri-
flee princc'y fortune, and proposed that
We should erect in each County at the Court
House gin, and either buy the cotton in
the seed, OF gin it upon shares for the plant
crs. So Sanguinc was he of fortune from
the invention that he was willing to furnish
the means to carry ont his plans. | was
young and poor. and fifty thousand dollars
was sach a fortune to me as had never
contemplated owning. 1t was the full mca
sure oi my ambit!rn-with it ! was salts.
fled, bu. | was without any means. Miller
had incurred and paid all expenses up to
that time, and | yielded my opinion aud
wishes to him. and he went to work to carry
out his schemes The practical efficacy of
the machine had been tested in several
places, to the entire satisfaction Of the pub.
lie. and we were progressing rapidly to the
realization Of Miicr's idea Of ginning all
the cotton grown or to bc grown in the
South. At that time it amounted to only
few thousand bales. In the progress Of
our work every one was freely admitted, and
the machine as freely examined. Among
those who came for this purpos, was Il cab.
met workman named Bail. lie was criti.
cal in his examination. lie had in his shop
turning lathe worked by driving and Il
hand wheel quite like that with which our
gin was operated lie came two or three
times to ascertain the working of this gin,
and WIS particular as to tho amount of cot
to cl3ancd or ginncd in Il day.
''lt was not long before We learned he had
constructed gin, retaining the model Of
'u;*, but substituting saws cut from sheet
iron in the place Of our wooden blocks and
wire teeth. We deemed this an invasion of
our patent, and warned him if he attempted
to put his gin int operation We should
bring suit for damages This threat deter
red him, for h. deemed his machine an in
fraction of our patent, and iorb,rc for II
great while to duplicate it, to work or to sell
it. Many who had examined his machine