Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-03-15
ri WHITNEY.
One .! ,t: Great Inventors Of Modern
Times.

Few inventors have wrought so
great revolution in any industry as
Eli Whitney wrought in the industry
of growing cotton and preparing it
for market. His cotton gin multi
piled by 1000 the number of pounds
OF cotton slave could clean in day.
The impetus it gave to the produc-
tion of this great staple is shown by
the fact that in 1791, two years
before Whitney applied for his first
patent, the expectation of cotton
from the United States was but
189,500 pounds, while in 1903, ten
years after his first patent was applied
for, the expectation of it was 41,O0O,-
600 pounds. The cotton gin, accord
ing to the decision of Judge Johnson,
paid off the debts of the South, in
creased it's capital and trebled the
value of its lands.
While others were greatly profiting
by his ingenuity, Whitney was gain
ing nothing by it but calumny and
lawsuits. He was ultimately COM
PEELED practically to abandon the
cotton gin an hetake himself to
another line , manufacturing to
make living. Gratitude mas seldom
been more completely overcome by
averice than it was in the case of
those who profted by his genius.
Whitney was native of Massa-
chusetts. His natural aptness as a
mechanic began to show itself early;
at IL years of age he contrived
fiddle which made pretty fair music.
AT about the same age he took his
fathers watch to pieces and put it
together again in the latter's absence.
During the Revolutionary war there
was large demand for nails, and the
elder Whitney, at his sons sugges-
tion, bought kit of tools with which
Eli, then Is or 16 years old, set him
self to nail-making, deriving there
from a good profit. When 10 years
old Eli decided to get liberal edu-
cation, and by teaching school and
exercising his mechanical ingenuity
ne managed to scrape together money
enough to prepare himself to enter
Yale College, from which he gradu-
ated in 1892.
The next fall he was offered a place
as tutor in private family in
Georgia, but when he went there he
found to his chagrin that the place
had been filled. The widow of the
Revolutionary leader, Gen. Nathaniel
Greene, who lived near Savannah,
learned of lis ill-luck and invited him
to make his home at her plantation.
He accepted her invitation and took
up the study of law. While residing
with Mrs. Greene Whitney had sew
eral opportunities to show his in
genuity. One evening a number of
planters who had gathered at the
Greene home were discussing the
prospects of the cotton growing in
dustry. The only thing needed to
make the South prosperous, they
agreed, was some better means for
separating the cotton from the seed.
The possibility was suggested that
this might be done by machinery, if
anybody had the ability to invent it.
"Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, zap
ply to my young friend, Mr.. Whit
ney; he can make anything"
Whitney modestly disclaimed me-
chanical genius and said truly that
he never had seen cotton seed. But
his interest was aroused, and he at
once got some uncleaned cotton, made
a few tools and took up the task of
contrlving the needed machine He
worked all winter. The only persons
who knew what he was about were
Mrs. Greene and neighbor, Phineas
Miller. AS spring approached the
invention neared completion. AS
soon as it was exhibited in action it