the age of invention-第12节

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umb　of　Peter　Cooper；　to　the　powerful　〃Mallets〃　of　today；　is　a　long　distancenot　spanned　in　ninety　years　save　by　the　genius　and　restless　toil　of　countless　brains　and　hands。


If　the　locomotive　could　not　remain　as　it　was　left　by　Stephenson　and　Cooper；　neither　could　the　stationary　steam　engine　remain　as　it　was　left　by　James　Watt　and　Oliver　Evans。　Demands　increasing　and　again　increasing；　year　after　year；　forced　the　steam　engine　to　grow　in　order　to　meet　its　responsibilities。　There　were　men　living　in　Philadelphia　in　1876；　who　had　known　Oliver　Evans　personally；　at　least　one　old　man　at　the　Centennial　Exhibition　had　himself　seen　the　Oruktor　Amphibolos　and　recalled　the　consternation　it　had　caused　on　the　streets　of　the　city　in　1804。　It　seemed　a　far　cry　back　to　the　Oruktor　from　the　great　and　beautiful　engine；　designed　by　George　Henry　Corliss；　which　was　then　moving　all　the　vast　machinery　of　the　Centennial　Exhibition。　But　since　then　achievements　in　steam　have　dwarfed　even　the　great　work　of　Corliss。　And　to　do　a　kind　of　herculean　task　that　was　hardly　dreamed　of　in　1876　another　type　of　engine　has　made　its　entrance：　the　steam　turbine；　which　sends　its　awful　energy；　transformed　into　electric　current；　to　light　a　million　lamps　or　to　turn　ten　thousand　wheels　on　distant　streets　and　highways。



CHAPTER　IV。　SPINDLE；　LOOM；　AND　NEEDLE　IN　NEW　ENGLAND

The　major　steps　in　the　manufacture　of　clothes　are　four：　first　to　harvest　and　clean　the　fiber　or　wool；　second；　to　card　it　and　spin　it　into　threads；　third；　to　weave　the　threads　into　cloth；　and；　finally　to　fashion　and　sew　the　cloth　into　clothes。　We　have　already　seen　the　influence　of　Eli　Whitney's　cotton　gin　on　the　first　process；　and　the　series　of　inventions　for　spinning　and　weaving；　which　so　profoundly　changed　the　textile　industry　in　Great　Britain；　has　been　mentioned。　It　will　be　the　business　of　this　chapter　to　tell　how　spinning　and　weaving　machinery　was　introduced　into　the　United　States　and　how　a　Yankee　inventor　laid　the　keystone　of　the　arch　of　clothing　machinery　by　his　invention　of　the　sewing　machine。

Great　Britain　was　determined　to　keep　to　herself　the　industrial　secrets　she　had　gained。　According　to　the　economic　beliefs　of　the　eighteenth　century；　which　gave　place　but　slowly　to　the　doctrines　of　Adam　Smith；　monopoly　rather　than　cheap　production　was　the　road　to　success。　The　laws　therefore　forbade　the　export　of　English　machinery　or　drawings　and　specifications　by　which　machines　might　be　constructed　in　other　countries。　Some　men　saw　a　vast　prosperity　for　Great　Britain；　if　only　the　mystery　might　be　preserved。

Meanwhile　the　stories　of　what　these　machines　could　do　excited　envy　in　other　countries；　where　men　desired　to　share　in　the　industrial　gains。　And；　even　before　Eli　Whitney's　cotton　gin　came　to　provide　an　abundant　supply　of　raw　material；　some　Americans　were　struggling　to　improve　the　old　hand　loom；　found　in　every　house；　and　to　make　some　sort　of　a　spinning　machine　to　replace　the　spinning　wheel　by　which　one　thread　at　a　time　was　laboriously　spun。

East　Bridgewater；　Massachusetts；　was　the　scene　of　one　of　the　earliest　of　these　experiments。　There　in　1786　two　Scotchmen；　who　claimed　to　understand　Arkwright's　mechanism；　were　employed　to　make　spinning　machines；　and　about　the　same　time　another　attempt　was　made　at　Beverly。　In　both　instances　the　experiments　were　encouraged　by　the　State　and　assisted　with　grants　of　money。　The　machines；　operated　by　horse　power；　were　crude；　and　the　product　was　irregular　and　unsatisfactory。　Then　three　men　at　Providence；　Rhode　Island；　using　drawings　of　the　Beverly　machinery；　made　machines　having　thirty…two　spindles　which　worked　indifferently。　The　attempt　to　run　them　by　water　power　failed；　and　they　were　sold　to　Moses　Brown　of　Pawtucket；　who　with　his　partner；　William　Almy；　had　mustered　an　army　of　hand…loom　weavers　in　1790；　large　enough　to　produce　nearly　eight　thousand　yards　of　cloth　in　that　year。　Brown's　need　of　spinning　machinery；　to　provide　his　weavers　with　yarn；　was　very　great；　but　these　machines　he　had　bought　would　not　run；　and　in　1790　there　was　not　a　single　successful　power…spinner　in　the　United　States。

Meanwhile　Benjamin　Franklin　had　come　home；　and　the　Pennsylvania　Society　for　the　Encouragement　of　Manufactures　and　Useful　Arts　was　offering　prizes　for　inventions　to　improve　the　textile　industry。　And　in　Milford；　England；　was　a　young　man　named　Samuel　Slater；　who；　on　hearing　that　inventive　genius　was　munificently　rewarded　in　America；　decided　to　migrate　to　that　country。　Slater　at　the　age　of　fourteen　had　been　apprenticed　to　Jedediah　Strutt；　a　partner　of　Arkwright。　He　had　served　both　in　the　counting…house　and　the　mill　and　had　had　every　opportunity　to　learn　the　whole　business。

Soon　after　attaining　his　majority；　he　landed　in　New　York；　November；　1789；　and　found　employment。　From　New　York　he　wrote　to　Moses　Brown　of　Pawtucket；　offering　his　services；　and　that　old　Quaker；　though　not　giving　him　much　encouragement；　invited　him　to　Pawtucket　to　see　whether　he　could　run　the　spindles　which　Brown　had　bought　from　the　men　of　Providence。　〃If　thou　canst　do　what　thou　sayest；〃　wrote　Brown；　〃I　invite　thee　to　come　to　Rhode　Island。〃

Arriving　in　Pawtucket　in　January；　1790；　Slater　pronounced　the　machines　worthless；　but　convinced　Almy　and　Brown　that　he　knew　his　business；　and　they　took　him　into　partnership。　He　had　no　drawings　or　models　of　the　English　machinery；　except　such　as　were　in　his　head；　but　he　proceeded　to　build　machines；　doing　much　of　the　work　himself。　On　December　20；　1790；　he　had　ready　carding；　drawing；　and　roving　machines　and　seventy…two　spindles　in　two　frames。　The　water…wheel　of　an　old　fulling　mill　furnished　the　powerand　the　machinery　ran。

Here　then　was　the　birth　of　the　spinning　industry　in　the　United　States。　The　〃Old　Factory；〃　as　it　was　to　be　called　for　nearly　a　hundred　years；　was　built　at　Pawtucket　in　1793。　Five　years　later　Slater　and　others　built　a　second　mill；　and　in　1806；　after　Slater　had　brought　out　his　brother　to　share　his　prosperity；　he　built　another。　Workmen　came　to　work　for　him　solely　to　learn　his　machines；　and　then　left　him　to　set　up　for　themselves。　The　knowledge　he　had　brought　soon　became　widespread。　Mills　were　built　not　only　in　New　England　but　in　other　States。　In　1809　there　were　sixty…two　spinning　mills　in　operation　in　the　country；　with　thirty…one　thousand　spindles；　twenty…five　more　mills　were　building　or　projected；　and　the　industry　was　firmly　established　in　the　United　States。　The　yarn　was　sold　to　housewives　for　domestic　use　or　else　to　professional　weavers　who　made　cloth　for　sale。　This　practice　was　continued　for　years；　not　only　in　New　England；　but　also　in　those　other　parts　of　the　country　where　spinning　machinery　had　been　introduced。

By　1810；　however；　commerce　and　the　fisheries　had　produced　considerable　fluid　capital　in　New　England　which　was　seeking　profitable　employment；　especially　as　the　Napoleonic　Wars　interfered　with　American　shipping；　and　since　Whitney's　gins　in　the　South　were　now　piling　up　mountains　of　raw　cotton；　and　Slater's　machines　in　New　England　were　making　this　cotton　into　yarn；　it　was　inevitable　that　the　next　step　should　be　the　power　loom；　to　convert　the　yarn　into　cloth。　So　Francis　Cabot　Lowell；　scion　of　the　New　England　family　of　that　name；　an　importing　merchant　of　Boston；　conceived　the　idea　of　establishing　weaving　mills　in　Massachusetts。　On　a　visit　to　Great　Britain　in　1811；　Lowell　met　at　Edinburgh　Nathan　Appleton；　a　fellow　merchant　of　Boston；　to　whom　he　disclosed　his　plans　and　announced　his　intention　of　going　to　Manchester　to　gain　all　possible　information　concerning　the　new　industry。　Two　years　afterwards；　according　to　Appleton's　account；　Lowell　and　his　brother…in…law；　Patrick　T。　Jackson；　conferred　with　Appleton　at　the　Stock　Exchange　in　Boston。　They　had　decided；　they　said；　to　set　up　a　cotton　factory　at　Waltham　and　invited　Appleton　to　join　them　in　the　adventure；　to　which　he　readily　consented。　Lowell　had　not　been　able　to　obtain　either　drawings　or　model　in　Great　Britain；　but　he　had　nevertheless　designed　a　loom　and　had　completed　a　model　which　seemed　to　work。

The　partners　took　in　with　them　Paul　Moody　of　Amesbury；　an　expert　machinist；　and　by　the　autumn　of　1814　looms　were　built　and　set　up　at　Waltham。　Carding；　drawing；　and　roving　machines　were　also　built　and　installed　in　the　mill；　these　machines　gaining　greatly；　at　Moody's　expert　hands；　over　their　American　rivals。　This　was　the　first　mill　in　the　United　States；　and　one　of　the　first　in　the　world；　to　combine　under　one　roof　all　the　operations　necessary　to　convert　raw　fiber　into　cloth；　and　it　proved　a　success。　Lowell；　says　his　partner　Appleton；　〃is　entitled　to　the　credit　for　having　introduced　the　new　system　in　the　cotton　manufacture。〃　Jackson　and　Moody　〃were　men　of　unsurpassed　talent；〃　but　Lowell　〃was　the　informing　soul；　which　gave　direction　and　form　to　the　whole　proceeding。〃

The　new　enterprise　was　needed；　for　the　War　of　1812　had　cut　off　imports。　The　beginnings　of　the　protective　principle　in　the　United　States　tariff　are　now　to　be　observed。　When　the　peace　came　and　Great　Britain　began　to　dump　goods　in　the　United　States；　Congress；　in　1816；　laid　a　minimum　duty　of　six　and　a　quarter　cents　a　yard　on　imported　cottons；　the　rate　was　raised　in　1824　and　again　in　1828。　It　is　said　that　Lowell　was　influential　in　winning　the　support　of　John　C。　Calhoun　for