Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-10-22
THE SEWING MACHINE.
INTERESTING FACTS AS TO ITS IN.
vENTION AND INvE IToRS
Walter Hunt the Original Inventor In
1882 -Siuger's Suocess-A Compro-
mise b. which High Prices
Were Maintained for Years.

y lPittshurr Chr Sewing Machine Times
AS historical facts are growing more in.
teresting each year concerning the prime
movers of the great sewing machine in.
dustry, | wish 10 give you what know
about the king OF the sewing machine
business. |. VI singer All authorities
give Howe credit for the invention, and the
country blacksmith did well toward that
end, no doubt. but he got his idea from de.
fectiye machine made by Walter Hunt of
New York in $50. lie demonstrated the
fact that machine could take stitch,
but he could = no farther, aud Howe
patented the mode and got an oIer from
a London firm Of corset makers, who
gave him TWO wears in which To perfect
his machine aud adapt il TO their business.
They tied up machine shop and paid
him for his time, but il was a failure. and
he returned To america disconsuInte
SINntR A. 4 wURkM,N.
About forty Years ago a man named
Regan owned WOud.carving establish.
menI on Filll avenue, this CITY Pitts.
burg Anon his wOrkmCn was l. VI
singer. who Ms an expert in making
wooden letters tor signs Mr.. Singer il
those days was hard up in the fullest
sense of that term and WAS somewhat OF
a Bohemian in habits and taste. lie left
this city AID lwmpcd 10 New York,
where lac obmIH,d work in similar
establishment. his new employer
being engaged IN perlectipg ma
chine for saving out wooden letters
"a sort of scroll saw, at any rate Mr.
AinfFnr hal. al him "A TAlata Thu
inventor went 10 Mr. lark, noted law
yer on patents, ia order 10 get his scroll
saw patented lie took Mr. Singer alonS
TO better explain to the lawyer the work
ing. specifications aud plaLs Of the scroll
saw invention.
While there Mr.. Clark spoke incident
ally Of the failure Of Elias Howe 10 per
feet his sewing machine in London. Singer
listened attenti,ey, and 1t is said asked
many Questions concerning the difficulty.
By George. exclaimed Singer, II can
make that hing work.
There is fortune for you if you do
said Mr. lark
Il an do il have the idea now, "en-
Enthusiastically cont nued singer
IIcFi B.rd SulAEh
Then Il is recorded how he looked down
al his shoes. wIth the sole, loose, and his
clothes ia tallGrs aud rags He wllied 50
TO speak aud exclaimed Il AN tai king
wild haven't money enough 10 buy "A
screw.
81 will tell you what will do, " said
Glars I'm III you up a shop in the lott
of my stable fuIn.sh you with everything
you need To- wUrK with aud live upon,
and give you two months TO make it 30 If
you are sue, essIul Will gel all necessary
patents aud laSU naif of my investment
1T Il 20. sud niger.
Inside OF mDn'h hc had his machine
working. using the cyc-puiutel needle
and shuttle invented Iy liunl, bat with
an addition II made continuous stitch.
There WAS one defect, however, His ma.
chime failed 10 draw up the stitches and
left each one with loop on both sides Of
the fabric. Upon this he worked night
and day until the last dag of his time
came lie worked al il until noon and then
started for his dinner \ thought struck
him, and back through the streets he
started on "A run for his shop. lie seized
little piece of wire, "a c Il Sc eral bends.
and inserted Il in the machine This WAS
the little spiral called take up, "
which to-day is found in one form or ar.
other IN every machine Ii was success
WHAT HOWE FOUND.
by the time Elas Howe got back from
Eng aud he found three machines in
America that would sew; all were based
on his palent-the niger the Wheeler n
Wilson, and the Grover " Raker lie
found that Singer had sold 1000
machines. lie brought suit and succeeded
in getting judgment for $50. 900 royalty
Oh those sold, and further established a
royalty OF so on each machine sold by
any Of the three firms After this Howe
got man named Taylor TO work on a
machine and he finally sue eeded N in.
venting an entirely new one, which took
llOwes name
About this time rumors reached the
other firms that models made By Hunt
and antedating liowes were in existence
aud they secured one from baltimore.
They he'd consultation and sent for Mr.
Howe, aud showed him the model and
their proofs that Hunt invented IL long
before his alent was applied for. Howe
was broken up badly and made d clean
breast Of IT, howe left the Office aud
happened 10 meet his lawyer on the street
To him he conlided the whole matter Il
will Tx that said the lawyer, and hey
started back.
now THEY FIXED re-.
Now, gentlemen, be said. addressing
the Sewing.lnachine proprietors, you ARE
simply killing the goose that laid the
golden egg. You let this thing get known
aud refuse to raw Mr. Howe his royalty.
and you will have 10 sell your machine at
So instead of Sl2j. Inside Of year
there will bc l0J sewing machines in the
market, all Of them using the patent you
now hold. They saw the point A com
promise was effected, by which Llias
Howe continued to get a royalty of 81 On
each machine instead If so Two dol
lars also went into general fund to fight
other companies into submission TO their
control. This WAS the famous "combina
ton" which made millions upon millions
Of dollars. aud furnished much cause for
denuncalion on the part of many we'll
meaning IeOple