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

'''S, "iiicr eulploycu David Braule Mitch
ell, of Savannah, to bring suit against Ball
and Fort. The suit was brought in the
District Court of the United States, and af.
ter considerable delay it was tried in Savan.
nah before Judge William johnson, one of
the Judges of the Supreme Court of the
United States. Ball employed Peter Early,
OF Wilkes County, to defend the case. 1t
was ably argued on both sides, for these two
men were men of great abilities, and dee.
ly read in the law. The decision was against
us and we lost our patent.
ut was terrible blow upon me, but Mil
'cr, think. was more affected by it than l
was. In short time thereafter Ball aban
! d1ned the cabinet business and commenced
tho making of gins. Cotton planting now
tinhraAand- ,.--->--.s y4,--i-.---s----s =,
tobacco and indigo declined quite as fast
"Thcse two industries were materially
affected by the cultivation Of indigo in
Guatemala and tobacco in Virginia and
Maryland, and werc ceasing to be profitable
when the gin was invented. l met with
much sympathy from the people, who felt
l was entitled to the invention, and should
reap the reward Of the originator of great
y useful machine. Sympathy was my only
generously donated me $50, 900, and this is
really the only benefit ever derived from
the invention"
At the time I received this narrative
from Mr. Whitney he had in New Haven
a gun shop, and he was experimenting upon
improvements he had made in fire.arms.-
This never came to anything. This was in
1920, but he realized considerable money
from contract for furnishing arms to tho
United St,tcs.
Eli Whitney was born in Massachusetts,
on the 9Th of December, 1864, and died in
New Haven, Connecticut, on the 9Th Of
January, 1928. He was literally educated,
| which was due alone to himself, for he
taught school to obtain the means TO carry
him through college, and he did not grad.
uate until he was considerably advanced in
life. Immediately after graduating he came
to Georgia. He was then in the twenty
ninth year of his age, having arrived in
Savannah in 1878. This was very soon
after the introduction of the green seed or
short staplcd cotton into the United States.
Previous to that time that cultivated for
market was the sea island or long stapled,
black seed cotton. This latter had been.
as it is now, ginncd by the roller gin, which
would not gin the green seed. This variety
grew luxuriantly away from the influence
of the sci breeze, which was essential to the
production of the long stapcd. 1t was, too,
better adapted to domestic purposes, because
it was spun with more facility, aud made n
coarser web, and more enduring one, and
was suited for clothing, to the wants of the
laboring classes, and the common uses of
the people generally.
The first mention of cotton to be found
is in the writings Of Hcrodotus, about 45O
years before the birth of Christ. Cotton
cloth was Introduced from India into Rome
and Greece before the Christian era. 1t
was applied by Veres, in Sicily, for the
c,vering of boats, and as tents, and for the
Latter purpose was used by Julius Cesar
1t is supposed to have originated in Arabia,
and thence found its way to India and
China This is supposition. 1t seems in
some variety or other to have been indigo
nous to all tropical countries. 1t is certain
it was found in the West India Islands,
and, in some varieties, in South America
1t is common error to suppose all created
things to have had their commencement in
pair or single creation, and when VIC
have any olc thing in the animal or vcgeta.
BILE Kingdom to point where it is not irst
seen or known, we at once ascribe its or
their origin to that point or country, forget.
ing that the power to create could produce
many as well as one and locate these at
pleasure over the globe.
The green seed cotton was found grow
ing in the islands surrounding the Carib.
bean sea and on the Bahamas From these
islands it was introduced into the United
States, and in the progress Of It's cultivation
many varieties have been introduced from
different parts of the world. The long sta
pie came from the neighborhood Of Dacus !;
whence first came to this country the IA
nous India musiins, and it was first cult
vated here with the view of initiating these
delicate fabrics in the production of our
own manufactories. This, however, has
never been accomplished or in any Euro
pean country,
In this progress of the human family.
and especially in America, the necessity of
textile Substitute for fax and wool from
which cloth for all IFS purposes could be
made and which cheaper and as enduring
become a desideratum. The green seed
cotton promised this, the only difficulty as
the separating tho lint from the seed rapidly
and without injury to the fiber. This neccs.
sity stimulated the genius of Whitney,
which shaped in his mind the cotton gin,
which grew into practical form under the
manipulation of his cunning hands. At
or about tho samc time the inspiration of
the genius Of an humble barber was fash
ioning another machine for tho rapid spin.
ming Of cotton.
Robert Peel, the grandfather Of the pres
ent Sir Robert Peel, was one OF the first 10
commence the spinning Of cotton in Eng,
land. The process then in use was simple,
IL