﻿THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHINE 
  LEWTON 
  581 
  

  

  ing 
  machines 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  to-day 
  use 
  the 
  4-motion 
  feed. 
  It 
  was 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  strongest 
  patents 
  of 
  those 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  famous 
  sewing 
  ma- 
  

   chine 
  combination, 
  and 
  enabled 
  that 
  famous 
  monopoly 
  to 
  defy 
  all 
  

   comers 
  until 
  its 
  expiration. 
  

  

  When 
  Wilson 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  double-pointed 
  shuttle, 
  

   although 
  original 
  with 
  him 
  and 
  used 
  in 
  his 
  first 
  patent, 
  was 
  claimed 
  

   by 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  a 
  patent 
  granted 
  to 
  John 
  A. 
  Bradshaw 
  in 
  1848, 
  he 
  

   applied 
  his 
  inventive 
  genius 
  to 
  discover 
  another 
  way 
  to 
  sew. 
  These 
  

   efforts 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  revolving 
  hook 
  for 
  forming 
  

   a 
  lock 
  stitch 
  between 
  an 
  upper 
  and 
  a 
  lower 
  thread, 
  an 
  invention 
  

   involving 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  entirely 
  different 
  mechanical 
  principles. 
  While 
  

   the 
  shuttle 
  system 
  of 
  sewing 
  has 
  been 
  arranged 
  and 
  changed 
  in 
  a 
  

   thousand 
  different 
  ways, 
  the 
  revolving 
  hook 
  system 
  remains 
  in 
  prin- 
  

   ciple 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  Allen 
  B. 
  Wilson 
  devised 
  and 
  left 
  it. 
  He 
  not 
  only 
  

   contributed 
  to 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  devices 
  common 
  to 
  all 
  systems 
  of 
  machine 
  sewing, 
  but 
  

   he 
  was 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  a 
  separate 
  and 
  entirely 
  original 
  system 
  of 
  his 
  own. 
  

  

  A 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  fundamental 
  importance 
  of 
  Wilson's 
  contributions 
  is 
  

   seen 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  sewing 
  machine 
  embodying 
  the 
  form 
  and 
  

   principles 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  type 
  of 
  machine 
  manufactured 
  by 
  the 
  

   Wheeler 
  & 
  Wilson 
  Co. 
  in 
  1852 
  is 
  made 
  and 
  used 
  by 
  its 
  successor 
  to- 
  

   day 
  — 
  77 
  years 
  later. 
  

  

  To 
  Isaac 
  Singer 
  should 
  be 
  given 
  the 
  credit 
  for 
  developing 
  the 
  first 
  

   real 
  practical 
  sewing 
  machine 
  for 
  domestic 
  use. 
  While 
  the 
  yielding 
  

   vertical 
  presser 
  foot 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  work 
  table, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  

   universal 
  use 
  to-day, 
  and 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  wheel 
  feed, 
  an 
  

   important 
  feature 
  of 
  some 
  special 
  machines 
  for 
  factory 
  use, 
  were 
  

   contributed 
  by 
  Singer 
  in 
  his 
  first 
  machine, 
  his 
  real 
  service 
  was 
  in 
  

   bringing 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  into 
  general 
  use. 
  When 
  the 
  competition 
  

   of 
  Singer's 
  machine 
  began 
  to 
  be 
  felt, 
  inventors 
  of 
  machines 
  of 
  an 
  

   earlier 
  date 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  modify 
  their 
  inventions 
  and 
  adapt 
  them 
  

   to 
  meet 
  practical 
  conditions 
  and 
  to 
  please 
  the 
  public. 
  Later 
  Singer 
  

   himself 
  was 
  compelled 
  to 
  do 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  and 
  changed 
  materially 
  

   the 
  heavy 
  cumbersome 
  form 
  of 
  his 
  earlier 
  type 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  competition 
  

   of 
  the 
  smaller, 
  lighter, 
  and 
  easier 
  running 
  Wheeler 
  & 
  Wilson 
  machine. 
  

  

  The 
  principles 
  of 
  William 
  Grover's 
  double-thread 
  chain-stitch 
  

   machine, 
  while 
  no 
  longer 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  present-day 
  sewing 
  machines 
  

   built 
  for 
  domestic 
  sewing, 
  are 
  very 
  extensively 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  

   machines 
  built 
  for 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  manufacturing 
  purposes, 
  especially 
  

   those 
  for 
  making 
  underwear, 
  garments, 
  sewing 
  bags, 
  and 
  shbes. 
  

  

  THE 
  SEWING 
  MACHINE 
  IN 
  THE 
  EARLY 
  DAYS 
  

  

  The 
  early 
  efforts 
  to 
  construct 
  a 
  machine 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  

   human 
  arm 
  and 
  fingers 
  were 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  indifference 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  

   public, 
  but 
  certain 
  groups 
  of 
  workers 
  with 
  the 
  needle 
  saw 
  in 
  these 
  

  

  