The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-04-08
THE COTTON GIN.
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Phineas Miller purchased a plantation
on Upton creek, nine miles southeast
from Washington, on which there is a
me water power, and set up one OF the
Whitney gins. Many witnesses were at
tracted thither to witness the perform
ance Of the wonderful machine. but only
women were admitted, as a patent had
not been granted. Nathan Lyons donned
a suit Of his wife's clothes, gained ad-
mlttance. and being a tolerably fair me-
chanic, constructed a gin on the same
principle as Whitney's. Miller did at
one time " the Barnett place on Up
ton creek on which he operated a gin,
Dut the latter part of the story Of Lyons
dlsgulsing as a woman, etc, appear TO
Pc apocryphal inasmuch as there is no
dlluslon IN any OF the correspondence or
court records to any such occurrence.
Inc story about some one breaking into
"hltney's gin shops and stealing his
models seems equally without foundation
Tor the same reason.
As TO the o~ft-repeated charge that
whitney was badly treated at the
south, and especially so by Georgia. let
Us, III good conscience. see what founda-
ton exists for the allegation. Whitney
SOLD his patent right to the State OF
south Carolina for $50, 600; from North
carolina and Tennessee he received about
$4,000 and so, 900, respectively. through
arrangements made with the govern
ments of those States, making a total Of
$4,000, which he made from the inven-
tlon in a few years and carried North
with him. He came South without a
dollar.
In Georgia Miller and Whitney re-
served the right Of property in their
gin, at first receiving two-thirds Of the
net proceeds, the expense being divided
equally between the patentee and the
glnners. But, as Governor James Jack
son says in a message to the Georgia
Legislature, November 8, 1900, they
found a defect in the law under which
their patent was obtained and conse-
quently they determined to sell the ma
cnlnes together with their rights vested
IN them for $500 each, and for a license
TO build and operate one at the ginner's
expense. they charged $500. But finding
that the law was generally understood
and that they could obtain no redress In
the courts they concluded to reduce the
price to 5000. Governor Jackson further
says: Il am informed from other sources
that gins have been erected by other
'Ao ' " IohSA III dlu
Whitney's machine for a model, but
which in some small degree resembles
it, and in improvements far surpass it,
Tor 1t has been asserted that Miller and
W~hitney's did not on trial answer the
intended purpose; the rights of these
improvements, however, it appears by
the present act, merged in the rights of
the patentees, who it is supposed, on the
lowest calculation, will make by it in the
two States Georgia and South Carolina)
$500, 600" The act referred to was passed
by congress, doubtless, for the special
purpose of shutting out Halmes' claim
and establishing Whitney's right to the
use 0 fthe saw cylinder instead Of the
spike cylinder which he invented. This
accounts for Holmes not engaging in liti-
cation. His claim had been outlawed by
special legislation and it would have
been Ruthless.
No wonder that Holmes died a heart
broken, mortified and bitterly disappoint-
ed man. He had lived to see the frcsts
of his toll and genius snatched from him
and converted to another's uses. He had
lived to see his wonderful invention
revolutionizing the world, but all the
honor, the glory and the emoluments
given to his hated rival. His name
should appear high up on the roll Of
fame together with Watts, Fulton, Ark
wright, Draper, Marconi and all the great
inventors who have contributed to
science and mechanic arts, thus promot-
ing the worlds progress, for he bestowed
upon mankind the inestimable blessings
Of an epochal labor-saving device, sim
pie, but the more useful because of it's
simplicity. And his services to Georgia
were even more direct and beneficial
than to the world at large, for the i'm
mediate effect Of his invention was to
Illustrate the designs of Miller and Whit
ney, who had determined to monopoliZe
the ginning in this State and were pre-
vented from carrying out their odious
scheme by the prolonged. continuous and
u~navailing lawsuits thflat ensued as a
| result of the attempt.
The honor of the worlds renowned in
vention should be accredited to Georgia
and not to Massachusetts. But this is
not the only instance in which Georgia
has been robbed of what was justly hers.
A great marble shaft set up in Boston
proclaims that Wells was the discoverer
OF anesthesia, whereas indubtable proofs
exist that to DR.. Crawford w. Long, of
Georgia, that honor belongs.
The ashes of Hodgen Holmes repOSe
in an unknown grave in the city Of Au-
gusta.
III 49,