Evening journal., 1913-03-14
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How the inventor Of the
Cotton Gin Made His Living
By HoIIsnd

l once passed a very pleasant after
noon in the company of the late Eli
Whitney who was a grandson of the
genius Of that name who had attain
cd permanent fame due to the in
vention OF the cotton gin.
1t was during the course of a walk
with Mr. Whitney at his home at New
Haven Conn. toward the factories
which were established by his grand
father, little over a hundred years
ago. in suburb of New Haven now
known as Whitneyyille.
asked Mr. Whitney how it hap
pened that his grandfather, after hav-
ing invented the cotton gin. which
was the greatest wealth producer oc-
casioned by a single invention until
the development of the steam power,
should have abandoned the manufac-
ture Of the cotton gin and turned his
attention to the manufacture of guns.
Il suppose said Mr. Whteney.
that Eli Whitney's name viii always
be identified with the invention of the
cotton-cleaning machine. while there
viii be practically no knowledge OF
another very important invention of
his
Well, posthumous fame is practi-
cally all my grandfather ever got for
his invention of the cotton Gin. There
were infringements of his patent He
could not manufacture and market
the machine profitably The making
and selling of il became common pro-
perty | have heard it estimated that
within twenty-five years after its in
vention the machine increased the
wealth not only of the South. but Of
the entire United states by more than
Sl00,000000 My grandfather got very
little of that wealth
By the way continued Mr.. Whit
ney 1T has always seemed to me an
extraordinary coincidence that just
about the time of the invention of the
cotton gin. in the first administration
Of President Washington. there
should have come to the United States
a young German weaver who carried
in his head the plan for the building
Of q spindle machine His name was
slater and he was the founder of the
Slater family. He utilized the water
power of Rhooe Island and set up the
machine through specifications he
had committed to memory while a
iovrpeyman in an English factory
within two or three years aftor
Slater first set up his cotton mill my
grandfsthers invention trems sndously
stimulated the manufacture of cotton
cloth in New ENGLAND The Slater
family became one of the richost IN
the United States. Ny grandfather
was compelled to rely upon another
invention for his support and far the
modest fortune which he gainel'
] asked Mr. Whitney what that in
venfiop was and he replied.
"lt was a device for mauufa otrring
interchangeable parts of gun. q
process which greatly cheapened
manufacture of guns and an inven-
tion which has hcen adonted ny gun
manufacturers the world over II
. was this invention which made IL Dos
sibie for nv grandfather. about the
time Of the war of 1872. tn receive a
) cortract from the United States gov
ernmeut for ten Thousand guns"
"Then the inventor Of the cotton
gin" said l. which created vast new
wealth twas compelled m depend for
his income and support upon the in
vention Of apparatus Whereby tho
parts Of the snn could he standardized
and made INTERCHANGEABLE"
''Ycs that Is So" Mr. Whitney re
piled "snd IL is a curious comment
ary IN the fate or destiny of inven
tors"
Copyright. 1913 by p. J. Edwards.
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will toll OF
Robert G. Ingersoll's Description OF
a Born Orator