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  ANNUAL 
  EEPOKT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  19 
  2 
  9 
  

  

  of 
  his 
  lifelong 
  dream 
  — 
  that 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  recognized 
  as 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  efficient 
  labor-saving 
  inventions 
  of 
  our 
  civilization 
  and 
  

   its 
  manufacture 
  and 
  sale 
  a 
  prosperous 
  business. 
  

  

  WALTER 
  HUNT 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  Thimonnier 
  had 
  so 
  developed 
  his 
  invention 
  

   that 
  80 
  of 
  his 
  machines 
  were 
  sewing 
  for 
  the 
  French 
  Army, 
  an 
  inven- 
  

   tive 
  Quaker 
  genius 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  City 
  was 
  turning 
  his 
  attention 
  to 
  a 
  

   sewing 
  machine. 
  This 
  man, 
  Walter 
  Hunt, 
  was 
  then 
  39 
  years 
  old 
  and 
  

   already 
  had 
  to 
  his 
  credit 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  useful 
  inventions 
  such 
  as 
  

   a 
  flax-spinning 
  machine, 
  a 
  knife 
  sharpener, 
  gong 
  bells, 
  a 
  yarn 
  twister, 
  

   the 
  first 
  stove 
  to 
  burn 
  hard 
  coal, 
  etc. 
  From 
  1835 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1859, 
  

   when 
  he 
  died, 
  Hunt 
  had 
  invented 
  a 
  greater 
  number 
  and 
  a 
  greater 
  

   diversity 
  of 
  fundamental 
  original 
  ideas 
  than 
  any 
  known 
  man 
  of 
  his 
  

   time, 
  which 
  in 
  their 
  original 
  or 
  some 
  modified 
  form 
  are 
  in 
  use 
  to-day. 
  

   Among 
  his 
  inventions 
  of 
  this 
  period 
  were 
  the 
  following: 
  Machinery 
  

   for 
  making 
  nails 
  and 
  rivets, 
  ice 
  plows, 
  velocipedes, 
  a 
  revolver, 
  a 
  re- 
  

   peating 
  rifle, 
  metallic 
  cartridges, 
  conical 
  bullets, 
  paraffin 
  candles, 
  

   a 
  street-sweeping 
  machine, 
  a 
  student 
  lamp, 
  paper 
  collars, 
  and 
  the 
  

   safety 
  pins 
  which 
  mothers 
  find 
  so 
  indispensable 
  in 
  the 
  nursery. 
  His 
  

   friend 
  J. 
  R. 
  Chapin, 
  a 
  draughtsman, 
  who 
  prepared 
  many 
  drawings 
  

   to 
  accompany 
  Hunt's 
  application 
  for 
  patents, 
  says 
  of 
  the 
  safety 
  pin, 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  out,, 
  a 
  model 
  made 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  piece 
  of 
  wire, 
  and 
  the 
  

   idea 
  sold 
  for 
  $400, 
  all 
  within 
  the 
  space 
  of 
  three 
  hours, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   pay 
  a 
  debt 
  of 
  $15 
  which 
  Hunt 
  owed 
  him. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  possessing 
  a 
  marvelously 
  original 
  and 
  inventive 
  turn 
  

   of 
  mind. 
  Hunt 
  was 
  a 
  diligent 
  student 
  and 
  had 
  an 
  extensive 
  acquaint- 
  

   ance 
  with 
  the 
  mechanical 
  and 
  scientific 
  literature 
  of 
  his 
  time. 
  Some- 
  

   where 
  between 
  the 
  years 
  1832 
  and 
  1834, 
  Walter 
  Hunt 
  made 
  in 
  his 
  

   shop 
  on 
  Amos 
  Street, 
  New 
  York 
  City, 
  a 
  machine 
  "for 
  sewing, 
  stitch- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  seaming 
  cloth. 
  " 
  This 
  first 
  machine 
  was 
  quite 
  successful, 
  

   so 
  that 
  others 
  like 
  it 
  were 
  built 
  by 
  the 
  inventor 
  assisted 
  by 
  his 
  brother, 
  

   Adoniram. 
  

  

  Many 
  samples 
  of 
  cloth 
  were 
  sewn 
  by 
  these 
  machines, 
  and 
  friends 
  

   and 
  neighbors 
  of 
  the 
  inventor 
  came 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  work. 
  While 
  Hunt's 
  

   machine 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  do 
  curved 
  or 
  angular 
  work, 
  nor 
  sew 
  

   a 
  continuous 
  seam 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  without 
  removing 
  and 
  

   readjusting 
  the 
  cloth, 
  it 
  was 
  capable 
  of 
  doing 
  certain 
  classes 
  of 
  work 
  

   with 
  speed 
  and 
  accuracy 
  and 
  to 
  that 
  extent 
  must 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  

   practical 
  success, 
  even 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  still 
  incapable 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  

   adaptation 
  which 
  sewing 
  machines 
  afterwards 
  attained. 
  Walter 
  

   Hunt's 
  invention, 
  however, 
  contained 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  essential 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  best 
  modern 
  machines. 
  He 
  used 
  an 
  eye-pointed 
  needle, 
  moved 
  

   by 
  a 
  vibrating 
  arm, 
  working 
  in 
  combination 
  with 
  a 
  shuttle 
  carrying 
  

   a 
  second 
  thread 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  interlocked 
  stitch 
  fully 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

  

  