through the loop by means of reciprocating drivers. 

 The cloth was suspended in a vertical position, 

 impaled on pins projecting from a baster plate, which 

 moved intermittently under the needle by means of 

 a toothed wheel. The length of each stitching opera- 

 tion depended upon the length of the baster plate, 

 and the seams were necessarily straight. When the 

 end of the baster plate reached the position of 

 the needle, the machine was stopped. The cloth was 

 removed from the baster plate, which was moved 

 back to its original position. The cloth was moved 

 forward on the pins, and the seam continued. 



In his patent specifications, Howe claimed the 

 following: 



1 . The forming of the seam by carrying a thread 

 through the cloth by means of a curved needle on the 

 end of a vibrating arm, and the passing of a shuttle 

 furnished with its bobbin, in the manner set forth, 

 between the needle and the thread which it carried, 

 under combination and arrangement of parts substan- 

 tially the same with that described. 



2. The lifting of the thread that passes through the 

 needle-eye by means of the lifting-rod, for the purpose 

 of forming a loop of loose thread that is to be subse- 

 quently drawn in by the passage of the shuttle, as herein 

 fully described, said lifting-rod being furnished with a 

 lifting pin, and governed in its motion by the guide-pieces 

 and other devices, arranged and operating substantially 

 as described. 



3. The holding of the thread that is given out by the 

 shuttle, so as to prevent its unwinding from the shuttle- 

 bobbin after the shuttle has passed through the loop, 

 said thread being held by means of the lever or slipping- 

 piece, as herein made known, or in any other manner 

 that is substantially the same in its operation and result. 



4. The manner of arranging and combining the small 

 lever with the sliding box. in combination with the 

 spring-piece, for the purpose of tightening the stitch as 

 the needle is retracted. 



5. The holding of the cloth to be sewed by the use of 

 a baster-plate furnished with points for that purpose, 

 and with holes enabling it to operate as a rack in the 

 manner set forth, thereby carrying the cloth forward and 

 dispensing altogether with the necessity of basting the 

 parts together. 



The five claims, which were allowed Howe in his 

 patent, have been quoted to show that he did not claim 

 the invention of the eye-pointed needle, for which he 

 has so often been credited. The court judgment 34 



34 In the Matter of the Application of Elias Howe, Jr. for an 

 Extension of His Sewing Machine Patent Dated September 10, 1846, 

 New York, 1860, with attachments A and B, U.S. Patent 

 Office. [L.C. call no. TJ 1512.H6265] 



Figure 15. — Howe's patent model, 1846. 

 I Smithsonian photo 45525-B.) 



that upheld Howe's claim to his patented right to con- 

 trol the use of the eye-pointed needle in combination 

 with a shuttle to form a lockstitch was mistakenly in- 

 terpreted by some as verifying control of the eye- 

 pointed needle itself. 



After patenting his invention, Howe spent three 

 discouraging years in both the United States and in 

 England trying to interest manufacturers in building 

 his sewing machine, under license. Finally, for £250 

 sterling, he sold the British patent rights to William 

 Thomas and further agreed to adapt the machine to 

 Thomas' manufacture of umbrellas and corsets. 35 

 This did not prove to be a financial success for Howe 

 and by 1849 he was back in the United States, once 

 again without funds. 



On his return, Howe was surprised to find that 

 other inventors were engaged in the sewing-machine 



35 It is interesting to note that when William Thomas applied 

 for the British patent of the Howe machine (issued Dec. 1, 1846), 

 the courts would not allow the claim for the combination of 

 the eye-pointed needle and shuttle to form a stitch, due to the 

 Fisher and Gibbons patent of 1844. For more details on Howe's 

 years in England see his biographical sketch, pp. 138-141. 



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