﻿THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHINE 
  LEWTON 
  567 
  

  

  Without 
  the 
  enthusiasm 
  of 
  the 
  inventor 
  or 
  the 
  love 
  given 
  by 
  him 
  

   to 
  his 
  brain 
  child, 
  George 
  Fisher 
  became 
  thoroughly 
  discouraged. 
  

   He 
  had 
  boarded 
  the 
  inventor 
  and 
  his 
  family 
  for 
  nearly 
  two 
  years, 
  

   had 
  furnished 
  the 
  money 
  needed 
  to 
  purchase 
  the 
  tools 
  and 
  materials 
  

   for 
  maldng 
  the 
  two 
  sewing 
  machines, 
  he 
  had 
  met 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  

   obtaining 
  the 
  patent 
  and 
  the 
  trip 
  of 
  Howe 
  and 
  himself 
  to 
  Washington, 
  

   representing 
  in 
  all 
  an 
  outlay 
  of 
  practically 
  $2,000. 
  Since 
  no 
  orders 
  

   had 
  been 
  received 
  from 
  either 
  garment 
  makers 
  or 
  tailors 
  for 
  machines, 
  

   Fisher 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  slightest 
  probability 
  of 
  the 
  machine 
  becoming 
  

   profitable 
  and 
  regarded 
  his 
  advances 
  of 
  cash 
  as 
  a 
  dead 
  loss. 
  

  

  Elias 
  Howe 
  moved 
  back 
  to 
  his 
  father's 
  house 
  and 
  the 
  partnership 
  

   with 
  Fisher 
  was 
  practically 
  at 
  an 
  end. 
  But 
  the 
  inventor 
  did 
  not 
  

   lose 
  faith 
  and 
  decided 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  induce 
  manufacturers 
  in 
  England 
  

   to 
  take 
  up 
  his 
  invention. 
  With 
  a 
  loan 
  from 
  his 
  father, 
  a 
  third 
  

   machine 
  was 
  made 
  which 
  Elias' 
  brother, 
  Amasa 
  B. 
  Howe, 
  took 
  

   with 
  him 
  to 
  London 
  in 
  the 
  steerage 
  of 
  a 
  sailing 
  packet. 
  After 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  discouragements 
  he 
  made 
  the 
  acquaintance 
  of 
  William 
  

   Thomas 
  in 
  his 
  shop 
  in 
  Cheapside. 
  This 
  man 
  claimed 
  to 
  employ 
  

   5,000 
  persons 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  corsets, 
  umbrellas, 
  valises, 
  and 
  

   shoes, 
  and 
  after 
  studying 
  the 
  machine 
  agreed 
  to 
  buy 
  it. 
  According 
  

   to 
  terms 
  of 
  this 
  very 
  one-sided 
  bargain, 
  Amasa 
  Howe 
  sold 
  to 
  William 
  

   Thomas 
  for 
  £250 
  the 
  machine 
  he 
  had 
  brought 
  with 
  him 
  from 
  America 
  

   (the 
  third 
  machine 
  built 
  by 
  Elias 
  Howe), 
  and 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  use 
  as 
  

   many 
  more 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  business 
  as 
  he 
  wished. 
  William 
  Thomas 
  

   proposed 
  further 
  to 
  engage 
  the 
  inventor 
  to 
  adapt 
  his 
  machine 
  to 
  the 
  

   making 
  of 
  corsets 
  at 
  a 
  salary 
  of 
  £3 
  a 
  week, 
  and 
  agreed 
  to 
  furnish 
  

   workshop, 
  tools, 
  and 
  materials. 
  There 
  was 
  also 
  an 
  understanding 
  

   that 
  Thomas 
  was 
  to 
  patent 
  the 
  invention 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  was 
  to 
  pay 
  

   Howe 
  £3 
  for 
  every 
  machine 
  sold 
  under 
  the 
  English 
  patent. 
  Thomas 
  

   did 
  patent 
  Howe's 
  invention 
  but 
  instead 
  of 
  paying 
  him 
  the 
  promised 
  

   royalty 
  he 
  collected 
  for 
  himself 
  a 
  tribute 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  sewing 
  machines 
  

   made 
  in 
  England, 
  or 
  imported 
  into 
  England, 
  during 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  his 
  

   patent. 
  Elias 
  Howe 
  later 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  investment 
  of 
  £250 
  

   yielded 
  Thomas 
  a 
  profit 
  of 
  a 
  million 
  dollars. 
  

  

  Amasa 
  Howe 
  returned 
  to 
  Cambridge, 
  Mass., 
  with 
  Thomas' 
  offer 
  

   which 
  Elias 
  Howe 
  reluctantly 
  accepted, 
  as 
  there 
  seemed 
  no 
  prospect 
  

   of 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  attracting 
  attention 
  in 
  America, 
  and 
  the 
  £250 
  

   were 
  absorbed 
  immediately 
  by 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  his 
  family. 
  

  

  The 
  brothers 
  set 
  sail 
  for 
  London, 
  February 
  5, 
  1847, 
  cooking 
  their 
  

   own 
  provisions 
  in 
  the 
  steerage. 
  Elias 
  took 
  with 
  him 
  his 
  precious 
  

   first 
  machine 
  and 
  his 
  patent 
  papers. 
  William 
  Thomas 
  provided, 
  as 
  

   agreed, 
  a 
  shop 
  and 
  tools 
  and 
  advanced 
  the 
  passage 
  money 
  for 
  the 
  

   wife 
  and 
  three 
  children 
  of 
  Elias 
  Howe 
  to 
  join 
  him 
  in 
  England. 
  

  

  After 
  eight 
  months 
  of 
  hard 
  work 
  the 
  inventor 
  succeeded 
  in 
  adapting 
  

   his 
  machine 
  to 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  Thomas' 
  business 
  when 
  the 
  latter 
  

  

  