a chance to introduce the machine. Obtaining a loan from his father, he
built another machine and sent it to England by his brother Amasa. After
many discouraging attempts to interest the British, Amasa met William
Thomas, a manufacturer of umbrellas, corsets, and leather goods. Thomas
employed many workmen, all of whom stitched by hand, and he immediately
saw the possibilities of a sewing machine. He proposed that Howe sell
the machine to him for L250 sterling (about $1250). Thomas further
proposed to engage the inventor to adapt this machine to the making of
corsets, at a salary of L3 a week.
When Amasa Howe returned to Cambridge with the news, Elias was reluctant
to accept Thomas' offer but had nothing better in sight. So the brothers
sailed for London in February 1847, taking with them Howe's first
machine and his patent papers. Thomas later advanced the passage money
for Howe's wife and three children so that they could join Howe in
England.
At this point, historians disagree on how long Howe was in Thomas'
employ and whether he succeeded in adapting the machine to meet Thomas'
needs. He was in England long enough, however, to find himself without
employment in a strange country, his funds nearly exhausted, and his
wife ill. He hoped to profit by the notice that his work had received
and began to build another machine. He sent his family home to reduce
expenses while he stayed on to finish the machine.
After working on it for three or four months, he was forced to sell it
for five pounds and to take a note for that. To collect enough for his
passage home, he sold the note for four pounds cash and pawned his
precious first machine and his patent papers. He landed in New York in
April 1849 with but half a crown in his pocket to show for his labors. A
short time after he arrived, he learned that his wife was desperately
ill. Only with a loan from his father was he able to reach her side
before she died. Friends were found to look after the children, and
Elias returned to work as a journeyman machinist.
Howe discovered, much to his surprise, that during his absence in
England the sewing machine had become recognized in the United States.
Several machines made in Boston had been sold to manufacturers and were
in daily operation. Upon investigating them, he felt that they utilized
all or part of the invention that he had patented in 1846, and he
prepared to secure just compensation for its use. The first thing he did
was to regain his first machine and patent papers from the London
pawnshop. It was no easy matter for Howe to raise the money, but by
summer he had managed. It was sent to London with Anson Burlingame, who
redeemed the loans, and by autumn of the same year the precious
possessions were back in Howe's hands. Though Howe gained nothing by his
English experience, William Thomas by his modest expenditure obtained
all rights to the machine for Great Britain. This later proved to be a
valuable property.
Howe then began writing letters to those whom he considered patent
infringers, requesting them to pay a fee or discontinue the manufacture
of sewing machines which incorporated his patented inventions. Some at
first were willing to pay the fee, but they were persuaded by the others
to stand with them and resist Howe. This action forced Howe to the
courts. With his father's aid he began a suit, but soon found that
considerably more money than either possessed was necessary for such
actions. Howe turned once more to George Fisher, but years of investing
money in Howe's machine without any monetary return had cooled him to
the idea. Fisher, however, agreed to sell his half interest, and in
February 1851 George S. Jackson, Daniel C. Johnson, and William E.
Whiting became joint owners with Howe. These men helped Howe to procure
witnesses in the furtherance of numerous suits, but more money was
needed than they could raise. The following year a Massachusetts man by
the name of George W. Bliss was persuaded to advance the money for the
heavy legal expenses needed to protect the patent. Bliss did this as a
speculation and demanded additional security. Once more Elias'
long-suffering parent came to the rescue and mortgaged his farm to get
the necessary collateral.
Only one of these suits was prosecuted to a hearing, but this one,
relatively unimportant in itself, set the precedent. In it the defense
relied on the earlier invention of Walter Hunt to oppose Howe's claims.
The defendant succeeded in proving that Hunt invented, perfected, and
sold two machines in 1834 and 1835 which contained all the essential
devices in Howe's machine of 1846. But Howe showed that the defendant's
machine (which was a Blodgett and Lerow) contained some features of
Howe's machine which were not in Hunt's. The jury decided the case in
favor of Howe. Howe later fought a vigorous battle with Isaac Singer,
but after much legal controversy the ultimate decision in that case also
was in Howe's favor. The suits and payments to each patent holder for
the right to use his idea were choking the sewing-machine industry. Even
Howe could not manufacture a practical machine without an infringement.
Finally an agreement was reached and a "Combination" was formed by the
major patent holders (see pp. 41-42).
In the meantime, eight years of the first term of Howe's patent had
expired without producing much revenue. This permitted Howe, upon the
death of his partner, George Bliss, to buy Bliss' half interest for a
small sum. He became, then, the sole owner of his patent just as it was
to bring him a fortune. He obtained a seven-year extension for his
patent in 1860 without any difficulty, and in 1867, when he applied for
another extension, he stated that he had received $1,185,000 from it.
Though he endeavored to show that because of the machine's great value
to the public he was entitled to receive at least $150,000,000, the
second application was denied.
During the Civil War, Howe enlisted as a private soldier in the 17th
Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. He went into the field and served as an
enlisted man. On occasion when the Government was pressed for funds to
pay its soldiers, he advanced the money necessary to pay his entire
regiment.
Howe did not establish a sewing-machine factory until just before his
death in 1867. One of his early licensees had been his elder brother,
Amasa, who had organized the Howe Sewing Machine Company about 1853.
When Elias began manufacturing machines on his own, he sunk into the
bedplate of each machine a brass medallion bearing his likeness. Elias
gave his company the same name that his elder brother had used. As this
had been Amasa's exclusive property for many years, he took the matter
to the courts where the decision went against Elias. He then organized
the Howe Machine Company and began to manufacture sewing machines. On
October 3, 1867, Elias died in Brooklyn, New York, at the home of one of
his sons-in-law. The company was then carried on by his two sons-in-law,
who were Stockwell brothers. In 1872 the Howe Sewing Machine Company was
sold by Amasa's son to the Stockwells' Howe Machine Company, which in
turn went out of business in the mid-1880s.
ALLEN BENJAMIN WILSON
Allen B. Wilson was born in the small town of Willett, Cortlandt County,
New York, in 1824. At sixteen he was apprenticed to a distant relative,
a cabinetmaker. Unfortunate circumstances caused him to leave this
employ, and in 1847 Wilson was in Adrian, Michigan, working as a
journeyman cabinetmaker. The place and year are important, for it was at
this time that he conceived his idea of a sewing machine. Because of the
distant location, it is believed that he was not aware of similar
efforts being made in New England. Wilson became ill and for many months
could not work at his trade. By August 1848 he was able to work again
and found employment at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Resolving to develop
his idea of a sewing machine, he worked diligently and by November had
made full drawings of all the parts, according to his previous
conceptions.
In comparison to the monetary returns received by the inventors Howe and
Singer, Wilson himself did not receive as great a monetary reward for
his outstanding sewing-machine inventions. Because of his health Wilson
retired in 1853, when the stock company was formed, but he received a
regular salary and additional money from the patent renewals. Wilson
petitioned for a second extension of his patents on April 7, 1874,
stating that, due to his early poverty, he had been compelled to sell a
half interest in a patent (his first one) for the sum of $200. Also he
stated that he had not received more than his expenses during the
original fourteen-year term. Wilson also stated that he had received
only $137,000 during the first seven-year extension period. These
figures were verified by his partner. The petition was read before both
Houses of Congress and referred to the Committee on Patents.[94] There
was strong feeling against the extension of the Wilson patents. The New
York _Daily Graphic_, December 30, 1874, reported:
[Illustration: Figure 136.--ALLEN BENJAMIN WILSON, 1824-1888. From a
drawing owned by the Singer Mfg. Co. Formerly, the drawing was owned by
the Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. Co. (Smithsonian photo 32066.)]
So valuable has been this latter four-motion feed that few or no
cloth-sewing machines are now made without it. The joint ownership
of this feature of the Wilson patents has served to bind the
combination of sewing-machine builders together, and enabled them
to defy competition by force of the monopoly. It is this feature
which the combination wishes to further monopolize for seven years
by act of Congress. The inventor has probably realized millions for
his invention. Singer admits that his patents, which are much less
important, paid him two millions prior to 1870, since which time he
has not been compelled to render an account. The Wilson patents
with their extended terms were worth a much larger sum. They have
been public property, so far as the feed is concerned, since June
15, 1873, and will remain so if too great a pressure is not brought
to bear on Congress for their extension. A monopoly of this feed
motion for seven years more would be worth from ten to thirty
millions to the owner--and would cost the people four times as
much.
Wilson had not made the millions for he only received a small percentage
of the renewals' earnings plus his salary from the patents' owner, the
Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company.
The Congressional Committee on Patents made an adverse report in 1874
and again in 1875 and 1876, when applications for an extension were
continued
Wilson died on April 29, 1888.
ISAAC MERRITT SINGER
[Illustration: Figure 137.--- ISAAC MERRITT SINGER, 1811-1875. From a
charcoal drawing owned by the Singer Mfg. Co. (Smithsonian photo
32066-B)]
Isaac Singer, whose name is known around the world as a manufacturer of
sewing machines, was the eighth child of poor German immigrants. Isaac
was born on October 27, 1811, in Pittstown, New York, but most of his
early life was spent in Oswego. He worked as a mechanic and
cabinetmaker, but acquired an interest in the theater. Under the name of
Isaac Merritt, he went to Rochester and became an actor. In 1839, during
an absence from the theater, he completed his first invention, a
mechanical excavator, which he sold for $2000. With the money Singer
organized a theatrical troupe of his own, which he called "The Merritt
Players." When the group failed in Fredericksburg, Ohio, Singer was
stranded for lack of funds.
Forced to find some type of employment, Singer took a job in a
Fredericksburg plant that manufactured wooden printers' type. He quickly
recognized the need for an improved type-carving machine. After
inventing and patenting one, he found no financial support in
Fredericksburg and decided to take the machine to New York City. Here,
the firm of A. B. Taylor and Co. agreed to furnish the money and give
Singer room in its Hague Street factory to build machines. A boiler
explosion destroyed the first machine, and Taylor refused to advance
more money.
While Singer was with Taylor, George B. Zieber, a bookseller who had
seen the type-carving machine, considered its value to publishers.
Zieber offered to help Singer and raised $1700 to build another model.
In June 1850 the machine was completed. Singer and Zieber took the
machine to Boston where they rented display space in the steam-powered
workshop of Orson C. Phelps at 19 Harvard Place. Only a few publishers
came to look at the machine, and none wanted to buy it.
Singer, contemplating his future, became interested in Phelps' work,
manufacturing sewing machines for J. A. Lerow and S. C. Blodgett. Phelps
welcomed Singer's interest as the design of the mechanism was faulty and
purchasers kept returning the machines for repairs. Singer examined the
sewing machine with the eyes of a practical machinist. He criticized the
action of the shuttle, which passed around a circle, and the needle bar,
which pushed a curved needle horizontally. Singer suggested that the
shuttle move to and fro in a straight path and that a straight needle be
used vertically. Phelps encouraged Singer to abandon the type-carving
machine and turn his energies toward the improvement of the sewing
machine. Convinced that he could make his ideas work, Singer sketched a
rough draft of his proposed machine, and with the support of Zieber and
Phelps the work began.
Singer continued to be active in the sewing-machine business until 1863.
He made his home in Paris for a short time and then moved to England.
While living at Torquay he conceived the idea of a fabulous Greco-Roman
mansion, which he planned to have built at Paignton. Singer called it
"The Wigwam." Unfortunately, after all his plans, he did not live to see
its completion. Singer died on July 23, 1875, of heart disease at the
age of sixty-three.
FOOTNOTES:
[93] _The Proceedings and Debates of the 43rd Congress_, First Session,
1874 Congressional Record, vol. 2, part 3, petition read to the House by
Mr. Creamer on April 7, 1874. In part 4 of the same, Mr. Buckingham read
a similar petition to the Senate on May 19, 1874. Both were referred to
the Committee on Patents; an extension was not granted.
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_Indexes_
Geographical Index to Companies listed in Appendix II
CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport
D. W. Clark, 67
Jerome B. Secor, 68
Goodbody Sewing Machine Co., 69
Howe Machine Co., 69
Secor Machine Co., 72
American Hand Sewing Machine Co., 72
Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. Co., 74
Bristol
Nettleton & Raymond, 72
Watson & Wooster, 73
Danbury
Bartram & Fanton Mfg. Co., 66
Hartford
Morrison, Wilkinson & Co., 71
Weed Sewing Machine Co., 74
Meriden
Fosket and Savage, 68
Charles Parker Co., 72
Parker Sewing Machine Co., 72
Middletown
Victor Sewing Machine Co., 73
Norwich
Greenman and True Mfg. Co., 69
Waterbury
Waterbury Co., 73
West Meriden
Parkers, Snow, Brooks & Co., 70
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington
Post Combination Sewing Machine Co., 72
ILLINOIS
Belleville
Thomas M. Cochrane Co., 71
J. H. Drew & Co., 71
Belvidere
June Mfg. Co., 70
National Sewing Machine Co., 71
Chicago
Chicago Sewing Machine Co., 67
Eldredge Sewing Machine Co., 68
Free Sewing Machine Co., 69
Scates, Tryber & Sweetland Mfg., 67
Sigwalt Sewing Machine Co., 67, 73
H. B. Goodrich, 69
June Mfg. Co., 70
Rockford
Free Sewing Machine Co., 69
MAINE
Biddeford
Shaw & Clark Sewing Machine Co., 71, 73
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
O. Phelps, 66
J. F. Paul & Co., 66
Boston Sewing Machine Co., 66
Bradford & Barber, mfgs., 66
John P. Bowker, 68
Empire Sewing Machine Co., 68
Finkle & Lyon Sewing Machine Co., 68, 73
Grover and Baker Sewing Machine Co., 69
Nichols and Bliss, 69
J. B. Nichols & Co., 69
Nichols, Leavitt & Co., 69, 70
N. Hunt & Co., 70
Hunt and Webster, 70
Emery, Houghton & Co., 70
Ladd, Webster & Co., 70
Leavitt & Co., 70
Leavitt Sewing Machine Co., 70
Safford & Williams Makers, 71
C. A. French, 72
F. R. Robinson, 72
Howard & Davis, 72
I. M. Singer & Co., 73
Butterfield & Stevens Mfg. Co., 74
Williams & Orvis Sewing Machine Co., 74
Chicopee Falls
Shaw & Clark Co., 73
Chicopee Sewing Machine Co., 73
Florence
Florence Sewing Machine Co., 67, 68
Foxboro
Foxboro Rotary Shuttle Co., 68
Lowell
Aetna Sewing Machine Co., 65
Lynn
Woolridge, Keene and Moore, 67
Orange
Gold Medal Sewing Machine Co., 69
Johnson, Clark & Co., 69, 71, 73
Grout & White, 71
New Home Sewing Machine Co., 71
Springfield
Leader Sewing Machine Co., 70
Springfield Sewing Machine Co., 73
D. B. Wesson Sewing Machine Co.,74
Winchendon
J. G. Folsom, 68, 69, 71
William Grout, 71
Worcester
Goddard, Rice & Co., 66
MICHIGAN
Detroit
Decker Mfg. Co., 67
C. G. Gardner, 69
MISSOURI
St. Louis
Wardwell Mfg. Co., 73
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Dover
O. L. Reynolds Manufacturing Co., 71
Marlboro
Thurston Mfg. Co., 67
Mason Village
Franklin Sewing Machine Co., 68
NEW JERSEY
Elizabethport
Singer Mfg. Co. (manufactory, not office), 73
Paterson
Whitney Sewing Machine Co., 74
NEW YORK
Binghamton
Independent Sewing Machine Co., 70
Brooklyn
J. H. Lester, 70
G. L. Du Laney, 70
Ithaca
Aiken and Felthousen (patentees), 65
American Magnetic Sewing Machine Co., 65
Clinton Brothers, 67
T. C. Thompson, 73