The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-03-03
enthusiastically continued

.now,' 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, Il am talking wild; |
haven't money enough to buy a
screw"
II will tell you what 1 will do"
said Clark. "Ill fit you up a shop
in the loft of my stable, furnish you
with everything you need to work
with and live upon, and give you
two months to make it go. If you
are successful | will get all necessary
patents and take half of my invest
ment.'
"It's a go!" said Singer.
Inside of a month he had his ma
chine working, using the eye-pointed
needle and shuttle invented by
Hunt, but with an addition, it made
a continuous stitch. There was one
defect, however. His machine failed
to draw up the stitches and left
each one with a loop on both sides
of the fabric. Upon this he worked
night and day until the last day 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 a 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 a
take up" which to-day is found in
one form or another in every ma.
chine. 1t was a success! -.4
By the time Elias Howe got back
from England he found three ma.
chimes in America that would sew
all were based on his patent: the
Singer, the Wheeler & Wilson and
the Grover & Baker. He found that
Singer had sold 1000 machines. He
brought suit and succeeded in get
ting Judgment for $4,000 royalty
on those sold, and further established
a royalty Of $40 on each machine
sold by any of the three firms.
About this time. rumors reached
the other firms that models made
by Hunt and antedating Howe's
were in existence, and they secured
one from Baltimore. They held {
consultation and sent. for Mr.. Howe
and showed. him the model, anc
their proofs that Hunt invented i
long before his patent was applied
for. Howe was broken up badly ane
made a clean breast of it. Howe
left the Office and happened to NEE
his lawyer on the street. To him hs
confided the whole matter. II viii
fix that" said the lawyer, and they
started back. aH
"Now, gentlemen he said, ad
dressing the. sewing-machine pro
prietors, "you r simply killing
the goose that lays the golden egg
You let this thing get known, ant
refuse to pay Mr.. Howe his royalty
and you will have to sell your ma
chine at S25 instead of 1925. Insid'
of a year there will be a hundred
sewing machines in the market, al
of them using the patent you nov
hold" They saw the point. A com
promise was effected, by which Eliza
Howe continued to get a royalty o
So on each machine, instead of $40
Two dollars also went into a genera
fund to fight other companies int
submission to their control. This
was the famous combination
which under cover of an alleged
fraudulent patent made millions up
on millions of dollars, and furnished
much cause for denunciation OH thu
part of many well-meaning people.
The Howe machine then was
really the Taylor machine, ane
Singer, who was a Pittsburger
made the first machine hat would
sew. He died worth SIS, ZOO 600
to say nothing of the millions h
squandered.
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