﻿THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHHSTE 
  LEWTON 
  571 
  

  

  carry 
  out 
  my 
  plan 
  and 
  make 
  the 
  model 
  in 
  his 
  shop; 
  if 
  successful 
  we 
  were 
  to 
  share 
  

   equally. 
  I 
  worked 
  at 
  it 
  day 
  and 
  night, 
  sleeping 
  but 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  hours 
  a 
  day 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   24, 
  and 
  eating 
  generally 
  but 
  once 
  a 
  day, 
  as 
  I 
  knew 
  I 
  must 
  make 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  $40 
  

   or 
  not 
  get 
  it 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  The 
  machine 
  was 
  completed 
  in 
  11 
  days. 
  About 
  9 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  we 
  

   got 
  the 
  parts 
  together 
  and 
  tried 
  it; 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  sew; 
  the 
  workmen 
  exhausted 
  with 
  

   almost 
  unremitting 
  work, 
  pronounced 
  it 
  a 
  failure 
  and 
  left 
  me 
  one 
  by 
  one. 
  

  

  Zieber 
  held 
  the 
  lamp, 
  and 
  I 
  continued 
  to 
  try 
  the 
  machine, 
  but 
  anxiety 
  and 
  

   incessant 
  work 
  had 
  made 
  me 
  nervous 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  get 
  tight 
  stitches. 
  Sick 
  

   at 
  heart, 
  about 
  midnight, 
  we 
  started 
  for 
  our 
  hotel. 
  On 
  the 
  way 
  we 
  sat 
  down 
  

   on 
  a 
  pile 
  of 
  boards, 
  and 
  Zieber 
  mentioned 
  that 
  the 
  loose 
  loops 
  of 
  thread 
  were 
  

   on 
  the 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  cloth. 
  It 
  flashed 
  upon 
  me 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  forgot 
  to 
  adjust 
  

   the 
  tension 
  on 
  the 
  needle 
  thread. 
  We 
  went 
  back, 
  adjusted 
  the 
  tension, 
  tried 
  

   the 
  machine, 
  sewed 
  five 
  stitches 
  perfectly 
  and 
  the 
  thread 
  snapped, 
  but 
  that 
  

   was 
  enough. 
  At 
  3 
  o'clock 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  the 
  machine 
  was 
  finished. 
  I 
  took 
  it 
  

   to 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  employed 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  M. 
  Keller 
  to 
  patent 
  it. 
  It 
  was 
  used 
  

   as 
  a 
  model 
  in 
  the 
  application 
  for 
  the 
  patent, 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  asked. 
  

  

  Starting 
  with 
  a 
  borrowed 
  capital 
  of 
  $40, 
  this 
  poor 
  mechanic 
  found 
  

   that 
  he 
  was 
  pursuing 
  a 
  difficult 
  road. 
  Discouragements 
  and 
  dis- 
  

   appointments 
  met 
  him 
  at 
  every 
  turn. 
  Persons 
  who 
  had 
  bought 
  

   sewing 
  machines 
  on 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  inventors' 
  statements 
  had 
  been 
  

   obliged 
  to 
  throw 
  them 
  aside 
  as 
  useless, 
  so 
  every 
  man 
  who 
  pretended 
  

   to 
  have 
  a 
  real 
  practical 
  machine 
  was 
  considered 
  an 
  imposter. 
  Singer 
  

   found 
  to 
  his 
  sorrow 
  that 
  whoever 
  attempted 
  to 
  bring 
  out 
  a 
  sewing 
  

   machine 
  was 
  confronted 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  consequences 
  of 
  previous 
  

   failures. 
  

  

  Blodgett, 
  whose 
  rotary 
  shuttle 
  machine 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  

   directing 
  Singer's 
  inventive 
  powers 
  to 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  mechanical 
  sewing, 
  

   told 
  Singer 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  tailor 
  by 
  trade 
  and 
  knew 
  more 
  about 
  sewing 
  

   than 
  Singer 
  possibly 
  could. 
  He 
  advised 
  Singer 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  the 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  manufacture 
  sewing 
  machines 
  and 
  sell 
  territorial 
  rights 
  instead, 
  

   since 
  even 
  though 
  the 
  Blodgett 
  machine 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  leading 
  one 
  

   on 
  the 
  market 
  he 
  felt 
  assured 
  that 
  "sewing 
  machines 
  would 
  never 
  

   come 
  into 
  use." 
  Three 
  factories 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  established 
  to 
  use 
  

   his 
  sewing 
  machines 
  had 
  failed. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  advice 
  from 
  

   all 
  sides, 
  this 
  undaunted 
  mechanic 
  struggled 
  on, 
  fighting 
  poverty, 
  

   determined 
  to 
  force 
  the 
  public 
  to 
  recognize 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  practical 
  

   sewing 
  machine 
  had 
  actually 
  been 
  made. 
  He 
  borrowed 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  

   dollars 
  from 
  friends 
  to 
  enable 
  him 
  to 
  manufacture 
  machines 
  in 
  Boston, 
  

   where, 
  with 
  Phelps 
  and 
  Zieber, 
  he 
  began 
  work 
  under 
  the 
  firm 
  name 
  

   of 
  I. 
  M. 
  Singer 
  & 
  Co. 
  The 
  firm 
  was 
  gaining 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  

   public, 
  when 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  formidable 
  obstacle 
  appeared. 
  The 
  news 
  

   that 
  Singer 
  had 
  made 
  a 
  machine 
  that 
  would 
  actually 
  do 
  continuous 
  

   stitching, 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  defect 
  in 
  the 
  Howe 
  machine, 
  soon 
  

   brought 
  Elias 
  Howe, 
  jr., 
  to 
  his 
  door 
  with 
  a 
  demand 
  that 
  he 
  pay 
  

   $25,000 
  for 
  infringement 
  of 
  the 
  Howe 
  patent, 
  or 
  quit 
  the 
  sewing- 
  

   machine 
  business. 
  It 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  long 
  for 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  recently 
  

   borrowed 
  $40 
  to 
  start 
  his 
  business, 
  to 
  decline 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  $25,000 
  

  

  