Morning journal and courier., 1885-09-21
History of sewing-Machines.

lIIttSuulS LcIlST Ill SeNlnS -MdCIluo Hines.
AS historical facts are growing more in
teresting each year concerning the prime
movers of the great sewing machine indus
try, wish to give you what I know about
the king of the sewing machine business, 1.
NJ. Singer. It is said that Elias Howe never
made machine that would sew perfectly,
but that Mr.. Singer did. 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 a defec-
tive machine made by Wslter Hunt, of New
York, in 1882. Hunt invented the paper
collar also. He demonstrated the fact that
machine could take a stitch, but he could go
no farther, and Howe patented the model
and got an offer from London firm of cor
set-makers, who gave him two years in which
to perfect his machine and adapt it to their
business They fitted up a mach1ne-shop
and paid him for his time, but it WAS a fail
ure and he returned to America disconsolate.
The problem was solved thus: About for
ty years ago named Regan owned
wood-carving establishment on Fifth avenue,
this city (Pittsburg), above Market street.
Among his workmen was l. NJ. Singer, who
was an expert in making wooden letters for
signs. Many of these old letters are still to
be found in the rubbish of Pittsburg garrets.
Mr.. Singer in those days was ''hard up' in
the fullest sense of that term, and was some
what of Bohemian in habits and taste. He
left this city and t1amped to New York,
where he obtained work in a similar estab-
lishment, his new employer being engaged
perfecting machine for saving out wooden
letters-a sort of scroll saw; at any rate Mr..
Singer helped him to complete it. The in
ventor went to Mr.. Clark, noted lawyer on
patents, in order to get his scroll-saw patent
ed. He took Mr.. Singer along to better ex-
plain to the lawyer the working, specifica-
tons and plans of the scroll saw invention
Whilst there Mr.. Clark spoke incidentally
of the failure of Elias Howe to perfect his
sewing machine in London. Singer listened
attentively and, it is said, asked many ques-
tions concerning the difficulty.
"By George" exclaimed Singer, ct can
make that thing work"
'.There is fortune for you if you do"
said Mr. Clark
'I can do it. I have the idea now," en-
Enthusiastically continued Singer.
Then it is recorded how he looked down at
his shoes, with the soles loose and his clothes
in tatters and rags. He wilted $50 to speak
and exclaimed: 'T am talking wild; /
haven't money enough to buy screw"
'I will tell you what will do, " said Clark.
''I'll fit you up a shop in the loft of my sta
BILE, furnish you with everything you need to
work with and live upon, and give you two
months to make it 60 If you are successful
[ will get all necessary patents and take half
of my investment"
''It's go!' said Singer.
Inside of a month he had his machine
working, using the eye-pointed needle and
shuttle invented by Hunt, but with an addi-
ton it made continuous stitch. There was
one defect, however. His machine failed to
draw up the stitches and left each one with
loop ON both sides of the fabric. Upon this
1. 10, h. Ia,,
of his time came. He worked at it until
noon and then started for his dinner. A
thought struck him and back through the
streets he started on run for his shop. He
seized a little piece of wire, gave it several
bends and inserted it in his machine This
was the little ''spiral'' called ''take up"
which to-day is found in one form or another
in every machine. It was success!
By the time Elias Howe got back from
England he found three machines in Ameri-
ca that would sew; all were based on his pa
tent: the Singer, the Wheeler & Wilson and
the Grover & Baker. He found that Singer
had sold four thousand machines He
brought suit and succeeded in getting judg-
ment for eighty thousand dollars royalty on
those sold, and further established royalty
of twenty dollars 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 succeed
ed in inventing an entirely new one, which
took Howes name.
About this time rumors reached the other
firms that models made by Hunt and ante
dating Howe's were in existence, and they
secured one from Baltimore. They held a
consultation and sent for Mr.. Howe, and
showed him the model and their proofs that
Hunt invented it long before his patent was
applied for. Howe was broken up badly
and made clean breast of it. Howe left
the Office and happened to meet his lawyer
on the street To him he confded the whole
matter. 81 will fix that said the lawyer,
and they started back
''Now, gentlemen" he said, addressing
the sewing machine proprietors, 'you are
simply killing the goose that lays the golden
egg. You let this thing get known and re-
fuse to pay Mr.. Howe his royalty, and you
will have to sell your machine at twenty five
dollars instead of one hundred and twenty
five dollars. Inside of year there will be a
hundred sewing machines in the market, all
of them using the patent you now hold"
They the point. A compromise was eff
fected, by which Elias Howe continued to
get royalty of two dollars on each machine
instead of twenty dollars. Two dollars also
went into a general fund to fight other COM
panies into submission to their control. This
was the famous Combination" which under
cover of an alleged fraudulent patent made
millions upon millions of dollars, and fur
nished much cause for denunciation on the
part of many well meaning people.
The Howe machine then was really the
Taylor machine, and Singer, who was Pitts
burger, made the first machine that would
sew. He died worth fifteen million dollars,
L