38 CROMPTON. 



Shortly before this, Crompton had married Mary Pimlott, the 

 daughter of a gentleman residing at New Keys Hall, near Warring- 

 ton. After his marriage he lived in a cottage attached to the old 

 Hall, though he still continued to occupy part of the mansion, in 

 one of whose large rooms he now operated upon the mule with the 

 utmost secrecy and with perfect success, startling the manufactur- 

 ing world by the production of yarn which both in fineness and 

 firmness had hitherto been unattainable. This seems to have been 

 the happiest portion of Crompton's life. He was then twenty-seven 

 years of age, and the acknowledged inventor of a machine which, 

 from the first hour of its operation, altered the entire system of 

 cotton manufacture in this country. Its merit was universally 

 acknowledged by all engaged in the trade who had an opportunity to 

 examine the yarn spun on it, or the fabrics made from that yarn ; 

 but paradoxical as it may appear, the very perfection of his principle 

 of spinning, was in a measure instrumental in depriving him of the 

 harvest for which he had so laboriously worked. 



The demand for his yarn became so extensive and urgent, that 

 the old Hall was literally besieged by manufacturers and others 

 from the surrounding districts many of whom came to purchase 

 yarn, but many more to try and penetrate the mystery of the new 

 wheel, and to discover if possible the principle of its operations. 

 All kinds of stratagems were practised in order to obtain admission 

 to the house ; and one inquisitive adventurer is said to have en- 

 sconced himself for some days in the cockloft, where he watched 

 Samuel at work through a gimlet-hole pierced through the ceiling. 



Crompton, at length wearied out, and seeing the utter impossi- 

 bility of retaining his secret, or of spinning upon the machine with 

 the undisturbed secrecy he desired, yielded to the urgent solicita- 

 tions, and liberal but deceitful promises of numerous manufacturers, 

 and surrendered to them not only the secret of the principle upon 

 which he spun the much prized yarn, but likewise the machine 

 itself. This he did on the faith of an agreement drawn up by them- 

 selves, in which they promised to subscribe certain sums as a reward 

 for his improvement in spinning. No sooner, however, was the 

 mule given up to the public than the subscriptions entirely ceased, 

 and many of those who had previously put down their names 

 evaded or refused payment; some actually denounced Crompton as 

 an impostor, and when he respectfully put before them their own 

 written agreement, asked him how he dared to come on such an 

 errand 1 



The gross sum of money realized by this subscription amounted 

 to between 50 and 100Z. Mr. Crompton himself says : " I received 

 as much by way of subscription as built me a new machine, with 

 only four spindles more than the one 1 had given up the old one 

 having forty-eight, and the new one lifiy-l\v<> spindles." This 

 shameful treatment rested in Crompton's memory through life, and 



