﻿THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHINE 
  LEWTON 
  577 
  

  

  WILLIAM 
  O. 
  GROVER 
  

  

  Something 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  another 
  and 
  still 
  different 
  type 
  of 
  sewing 
  

   machine 
  which 
  was 
  developed 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Wilson 
  and 
  

   Singer 
  machines 
  forms 
  a 
  necessary 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  story. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  

   double-locked 
  chain-stitch 
  machine 
  invented 
  by 
  William 
  O. 
  Grover, 
  

   a 
  Boston 
  tailor. 
  Though 
  the 
  machines 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  were 
  not 
  

   very 
  practical 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  

   was 
  going 
  to 
  revolutionize 
  the 
  tailoring 
  trade, 
  and 
  in 
  1849 
  began 
  to 
  

   experiment 
  with 
  the- 
  idea 
  of 
  making 
  an 
  improved 
  stitch. 
  One 
  plan 
  

   was 
  to 
  invent 
  a 
  machine 
  which 
  would 
  take 
  its 
  thread 
  directly 
  from 
  

   the 
  spools 
  and 
  do 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  need 
  of 
  rewinding 
  the 
  under 
  thread 
  

   upon 
  bobbins. 
  After 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  experimenting 
  he 
  finally 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  that 
  two 
  pieces 
  of 
  cloth 
  could 
  be 
  united 
  by 
  two 
  threads 
  

   interlocking 
  with 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  slip 
  knots, 
  but 
  the 
  

   building 
  of 
  a 
  machine 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  difficult 
  task. 
  

   It 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  during 
  his 
  experiments 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  discover 
  the 
  

   single 
  thread 
  chain 
  stitch, 
  later 
  worked 
  out 
  by 
  Gibbs, 
  as 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  

   time 
  this 
  stitch 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  heard 
  of 
  by 
  any 
  sewing-machine 
  inven- 
  

   tors 
  in 
  America. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that, 
  working 
  on 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  

   it 
  was 
  absolutely 
  necessary 
  to 
  use 
  two 
  threads, 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  using 
  one 
  

   thread 
  could 
  not 
  find 
  room 
  to 
  develop 
  in 
  his 
  brain. 
  

  

  Grover's 
  patent 
  was 
  issued, 
  February 
  11, 
  1851, 
  and 
  the 
  original 
  

   model 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  sewing 
  machines 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  

   Museum. 
  Mr. 
  Grover 
  associated 
  with 
  himself 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  

   the 
  business 
  another 
  Boston 
  tailor, 
  William 
  E. 
  Baker, 
  and 
  upon 
  a 
  

   reorganization 
  of 
  the 
  company 
  soon 
  after 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  

   Grover 
  & 
  Baker 
  Sewing 
  Machine 
  Co., 
  took 
  into 
  the 
  firm 
  Jacob 
  

   Weatherill, 
  mechanic, 
  and 
  Orlando 
  B. 
  Potter, 
  lawyer. 
  This 
  company 
  

   built 
  in 
  Boston 
  a 
  most 
  complete 
  factory 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  the 
  

   machines. 
  Mr. 
  Potter, 
  the 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  company, 
  had, 
  through 
  

   his 
  ability 
  as 
  an 
  attorney, 
  secured 
  a 
  one-third 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  

   without 
  an 
  investment 
  at 
  the 
  start, 
  and 
  now 
  obtained 
  patents 
  for 
  

   Grover's 
  inventions 
  and 
  managed 
  all 
  the 
  lawsuits 
  brought 
  against 
  

   the 
  company. 
  He 
  was 
  the 
  promoter 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  trust 
  of 
  any 
  promi- 
  

   nence 
  formed 
  anywhere. 
  It 
  was 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "sewing-machine 
  

   trust," 
  or 
  more 
  popularly, 
  the 
  "combination." 
  

  

  THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHINE 
  COMBINATION 
  

  

  The 
  celebrated 
  suit 
  between 
  Elias 
  Howe, 
  jr., 
  and 
  I. 
  M. 
  Singer 
  & 
  Co., 
  

   was 
  decided 
  by 
  Judge 
  Sprague 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1854, 
  

   a 
  verdict 
  being 
  rendered 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  Howe. 
  This 
  verdict 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  importance, 
  for 
  it 
  covered 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  an 
  eye-pointed 
  needle 
  

   in 
  a 
  sewing 
  machine. 
  Howe's 
  success 
  in 
  the 
  suit 
  against 
  Singer 
  was 
  

   followed 
  soon 
  after 
  by 
  a 
  verdict 
  against 
  the 
  Wheeler 
  & 
  Wilson 
  Co., 
  

  

  