﻿THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHINE 
  LEWTON 
  563 
  

  

  it 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  our 
  present 
  improved 
  machines. 
  The 
  cloth 
  feed 
  was 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  imperfect, 
  which 
  thus 
  made 
  the 
  machine 
  of 
  little 
  practical 
  

   value, 
  but 
  for 
  all 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  step 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  direction, 
  and 
  was 
  

   undoubtedly 
  the 
  pioneer 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  sewing 
  machine, 
  and 
  far 
  

   in 
  advance 
  of 
  anything 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  before 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  1834, 
  Hunt 
  had 
  sold 
  a 
  half 
  interest 
  in 
  his 
  machine 
  to 
  George 
  

   A. 
  Arrowsmith, 
  a 
  blacksmith, 
  who 
  conducted 
  the 
  Globe 
  Stove 
  Works 
  

   on 
  Gold 
  Street, 
  New 
  York 
  City, 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  employer 
  of 
  Walter 
  

   Hunt's 
  brother, 
  Adoniram 
  F. 
  Hunt. 
  At 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  Arrow- 
  

   smith, 
  Adoniram 
  built 
  a 
  second 
  machine 
  of 
  wood 
  according 
  to 
  Walter's 
  

   plans 
  which 
  so 
  impressed 
  Arrowsmith 
  with 
  its 
  value 
  that 
  he 
  bought 
  

   the 
  other 
  half 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  invention 
  from 
  Walter 
  Hunt, 
  with 
  the 
  

   intention 
  of 
  developing 
  it. 
  Hunt 
  agreeing 
  to 
  assist 
  him 
  in 
  preparing 
  

   drawings 
  for 
  the 
  securing 
  of 
  a 
  patent. 
  Financial 
  difficulties, 
  the 
  

   opposition 
  on 
  religious 
  and 
  moral 
  grounds 
  of 
  friends 
  of 
  the 
  hosts 
  of 
  

   hand 
  sewers, 
  who 
  would 
  thus 
  be 
  deprived 
  of 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  livelihood, 
  

   and 
  the 
  realization 
  of 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  undertaking 
  comprised 
  in 
  manu- 
  

   facturing 
  and 
  selling 
  such 
  a 
  machine, 
  discouraged 
  Arrowsmith 
  from 
  

   doing 
  anything 
  with 
  his 
  purchase 
  from 
  Hunt. 
  In 
  the 
  meantime, 
  in 
  

   1835, 
  Arrowsmith, 
  who 
  had 
  business 
  interests 
  in 
  Baltimore, 
  sent 
  

   Adoniram 
  Hunt 
  there. 
  Adoniram 
  took 
  with 
  him 
  his 
  sewing 
  machine 
  

   and 
  demonstrated 
  it 
  to 
  his 
  friend, 
  Joel 
  Johnson, 
  with 
  whom 
  he 
  was 
  

   staying. 
  The 
  next 
  year 
  he 
  writes 
  to 
  Johnson: 
  "I 
  made 
  that 
  sewing 
  

   machine 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  at 
  your 
  house 
  work 
  to 
  a 
  charm," 
  and 
  adds 
  that 
  

   he 
  desires 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  stronger 
  machine, 
  all 
  of 
  iron. 
  

  

  In 
  1838, 
  Walter 
  Hunt 
  suggested 
  to 
  his 
  daughter 
  Caroline, 
  then 
  a 
  

   girl 
  about 
  15 
  years 
  of 
  age, 
  that 
  she 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  manu- 
  

   facturing 
  corsets 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  made 
  by 
  him. 
  

   After 
  discussing 
  the 
  matter 
  with 
  older 
  women, 
  experienced 
  in 
  the 
  

   business. 
  Miss 
  Caroline 
  declined 
  to 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  business 
  and 
  use 
  the 
  

   new 
  invention 
  to 
  perform 
  the 
  difficult 
  heavy 
  stitching 
  required, 
  for 
  

   the 
  sole 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  machine 
  would 
  be 
  

   injurious 
  to 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  hand 
  sewers, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  unpopular. 
  

  

  The 
  invention 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  dropped 
  completely 
  out 
  of 
  sight 
  

   until 
  the 
  successful 
  introduction 
  of 
  sewing 
  machines 
  drew 
  attention 
  

   to 
  it 
  some 
  15 
  years 
  later, 
  when 
  a 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  old 
  machines 
  resulted 
  

   in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  essential 
  parts 
  of 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  Hunt 
  machines 
  in 
  a 
  

   garret 
  in 
  Gold 
  Street, 
  New 
  York 
  City, 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  thrown 
  

   among 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  rubbish 
  recovered 
  from 
  a 
  fire. 
  

  

  Hunt 
  himself, 
  like 
  most 
  inventors, 
  was 
  then 
  working 
  on 
  other 
  ideas 
  

   and 
  was 
  satisfied 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  invented, 
  built, 
  and 
  put 
  into 
  practical 
  

   operation, 
  a 
  machine 
  capable 
  of 
  doing 
  mechanical 
  sewing 
  with 
  speed 
  

   and 
  precision, 
  and 
  having 
  sold 
  the 
  invention 
  — 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  many 
  

   others 
  — 
  for 
  a 
  mere 
  trifle, 
  felt 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  no 
  further 
  urge 
  to 
  manu- 
  

   facture 
  it. 
  He 
  later 
  bought 
  back 
  from 
  Arrowsmith 
  his 
  entire 
  interest 
  

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