the age of invention-第14节

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y　means　of　the　needle：

With　fingers　weary　and　worn；　　　With　eyelids　heavy　and　red；　A　woman　sat　in　unwomanly　rags；　　　Plying　her　needle　and　thread。

Meanwhile；　as　Hood　wrote　and　as　the　whole　English　people　learned　by　heart　his　vivid　lines；　as　great　ladies　wept　over　them　and　street　singers　sang　them　in　the　darkest　slums　of　London；　a　man；　hungry　and　ill…clad；　in　an　attic　in　faraway　Cambridge；　Massachusetts；　was　struggling　to　put　into　metal　an　idea　to　lighten　the　toil　of　those　who　lived　by　the　needle。　His　name　was　Elias　Howe　and　he　hailed　from　Eli　Whitney's　old　home；　Worcester　County；　Massachusetts。　There　Howe　was　born　in　1819。　His　father　was　an　unsuccessful　farmer；　who　also　had　some　small　mills；　but　seems　to　have　succeeded　in　nothing　he　undertook。

Young　Howe　led　the　ordinary　life　of　a　New　England　country　boy；　going　to　school　in　winter　and　working　about　the　farm　until　the　age　of　sixteen；　handling　tools　every　day；　like　any　farmer's　boy　of　the　time。　Hearing　of　high　wages　and　interesting　work　in　Lowell；　that　growing　town　on　the　Merrimac；　he　went　there　in　1835　and　found　employment；　but　two　years　later；　when　the　panic　of　1837　came　on；　he　left　Lowell　and　went　to　work　in　a　machine　shop　in　Cambridge。　It　is　said　that；　for　a　time；　he　occupied　a　room　with　his　cousin；　Nathaniel　P。　Banks；　who　rose　from　bobbin　boy　in　a　cotton　mill　to　Speaker　of　the　United　States　House　of　Representatives　and　Major…General　in　the　Civil　War。

Next　we　hear　of　Howe　in　Boston；　working　in　the　shop　of　Ari　Davis；　an　eccentric　maker　and　repairer　of　fine　machinery。　Here　the　young　mechanic　heard　of　the　desirability　of　a　sewing　machine　and　began　to　puzzle　over　the　problem。　Many　an　inventor　before　him　had　attempted　to　make　sewing　machines　and　some　had　just　fallen　short　of　success。　Thomas　Saint；　an　Englishman；　had　patented　one　fifty　years　earlier；　and　about　this　very　time　a　Frenchman　named　Thimmonier　was　working　eighty　sewing　machines　making　army　uniforms；　when　needle　workers　of　Paris；　fearing　that　the　bread　was　to　be　taken　from　them；　broke　into　his　workroom　and　destroyed　the　machines。　Thimmonier　tried　again；　but　his　machine　never　came　into　general　use。　Several　patents　had　been　issued　on　sewing　machines　in　the　United　States；　but　without　any　practical　result。　An　inventor　named　Walter　Hunt　had　discovered　the　principle　of　the　lock…stitch　and　had　built　a　machine　but　had　wearied　of　his　work　and　abandoned　his　invention；　just　as　success　was　in　sight。　But　Howe　knew　nothing　of　any　of　these　inventors。　There　is　no　evidence　that　he　had　ever　seen　the　work　of　another。

The　idea　obsessed　him　to　such　an　extent　that　he　could　do　no　other　work；　and　yet　he　must　live。　By　this　time　he　was　married　and　had　children；　and　his　wages　were　only　nine　dollars　a　week。　Just　then　an　old　schoolmate；　George　Fisher；　agreed　to　support　his　family　and　furnish　him　with　five　hundred　dollars　for　materials　and　tools。　The　attic　in　Fisher's　house　in　Cambridge　was　Howe's　workroom。　His　first　efforts　were　failures；　but　all　at　once　the　idea　of　the　lock…stitch　came　to　him。　Previously　all　machines　（except　Hunt's；　which　was　unknown；　not　having　even　been　patented）　had　used　the　chainstitch；　wasteful　of　thread　and　easily　unraveled。　The　two　threads　of　the　lockstitch　cross　in　the　materials　joined　together；　and　the　lines　of　stitches

show　the　same　on　both　sides。　In　short；　the　chainstitch　is　a　crochet　or　knitting　stitch；　while　the　lockstitch　is　a　weaving　stitch。　Howe　had　been　working　at　night　and　was　on　his　way　home；　gloomy　and　despondent；　when　this　idea　dawned　on　his　mind；　probably　rising　out　of　his　experience　in　the　cotton　mill。　The　shuttle　would　be　driven　back　and　forth　as　in　a　loom；　as　he　had　seen　it　thousands　of　times；　and　passed　through　a　loop　of　thread　which　the　curved　needle　would　throw　out　on　the　other　side　of　the　cloth；　and　the　cloth　would　be　fastened　to　the　machine　vertically　by　pins。　A　curved　arm　would　ply　the　needle　with　the　motion　of　a　pick…axe。　A　handle　attached　to　the　fly…wheel　would　furnish　the　power。

On　that　design　Howe　made　a　machine　which；　crude　as　it　was；　sewed　more　rapidly　than　five　of　the　swiftest　needle　workers。　But　apparently　to　no　purpose。　His　machine　was　too　expensive；　it　could　sew　only　a　straight　seam；　and　it　might　easily　get　out　of　order。　The　needle　workers　were　opposed；　as　they　have　generally　been；　to　any　sort　of　laborsaving　machinery；　and　there　was　no　manufacturer　willing　to　buy　even　one　machine　at　the　price　Howe　asked；　three　hundred　dollars。

Howe's　second　model　was　an　improvement　on　the　first。　It　was　more　compact　and　it　ran　more　smoothly。　He　had　no　money　even　to　pay　the　fees　necessary　to　get　it　patented。　Again　Fisher　came　to　the　rescue　and　took　Howe　and　his　machine　to　Washington；　paying　all　the　expenses；　and　the　patent　was　issued　in　September；　1846。　But；　as　the　machine　still　failed　to　find　buyers；　Fisher　gave　up　hope。　He　had　invested　about　two　thousand　dollars　which　seemed　gone　forever；　and　he　could　not；　or　would　not；　invest　more。　Howe　returned　temporarily　to　his　father's　farm；　hoping　for　better　times。

Meanwhile　Howe　had　sent　one　of　his　brothers　to　London　with　a　machine　to　see　if　a　foothold　could　be　found　there；　and　in　due　time　an　encouraging　report　came　to　the　destitute　inventor。　A　corsetmaker　named　Thomas　had　paid　two　hundred　and　fifty　pounds　for　the　English　rights　and　had　promised　to　pay　a　royalty　of　three　pounds　on　each　machine　sold。　Moreover；　Thomas　invited　the　inventor　to　London　to　construct　a　machine　especially　for　making　corsets。　Howe　went　to　London　and　later　sent　for　his　family。　But　after　working　eight　months　on　small　wages；　he　was　as　badly　off　as　ever；　for；　though　he　had　produced　the　desired　machine；　he　quarrelled　with　Thomas　and　their　relations　came　to　an　end。

An　acquaintance；　Charles　Inglis；　advanced　Howe　a　little　money　while　he　worked　on　another　model。　This　enabled　Howe　to　send　his　family　home　to　America；　and　then；　by　selling　his　last　model　and　pawning　his　patent　rights；　he　raised　enough　money　to　take　passage　himself　in　the　steerage　in　1848；　accompanied　by　Inglis；　who　came　to　try　his　fortune　in　the　United　States。

Howe　landed　in　New　York　with　a　few　cents　in　his　pocket　and　immediately　found　work。　But　his　wife　was　dying　from　the　hardships　she　had　suffered；　due　to　stark　poverty。　At　her　funeral；　Howe　wore　borrowed　clothes；　for　his　only　suit　was　the　one　he　wore　in　the　shop。

Then；　soon　after　his　wife　had　died；　Howe's　invention　came　into　its　own。　It　transpired　presently　that　sewing　machines　were　being　made　and　sold　and　that　these　machines　were　using　the　principles　covered　by　Howe's　patent。　Howe　found　an　ally　in　George　W。　Bliss；　a　man　of　means；　who　had　faith　in　the　machine　and　who　bought　out　Fisher's　interest　and　proceeded　to　prosecute　infringers。　Meanwhile　Howe　went　on　making　machineshe　produced　fourteen　in　New　York　during　1850and　never　lost　an　opportunity　to　show　the　merits　of　the　invention　which　was　being　advertised　and　brought　to　notice　by　the　activities　of　some　of　the　infringers；　particularly　by　Isaac　M。　Singer；　the　best　business　man　of　them　all。　Singer　had　joined　hands　with　Walter　Hunt　and　Hunt　had　tried　to　patent　the　machine　which　he　had　abandoned　nearly　twenty　years　before。

The　suits　dragged　on　until　1854；　when　the　case　was　decisively　settled　in　Howe's　favor。　His　patent　was　declared　basic；　and　all　the　makers　of　sewing　machines　must　pay　him　a　royalty　of　twenty…five　dollars　on　every　machine。　So　Howe　woke　one　morning　to　find　himself　enjoying　a　large　income；　which　in　time　rose　as　high　as　four　thousand　dollars　a　week；　and　he　died　in　1867　a　rich　man。

Though　the　basic　nature　of　Howe's　patent　was　recognized；　his　machine　was　only　a　rough　beginning。　Improvements　followed；　one　after　another；　until　the　sewing　machine　bore　little　resemblance　to　Howe's　original。　John　Bachelder　introduced　the　horizontal　table　upon　which　to　lay　the　work。　Through　an　opening　in　the　table；　tiny　spikes　in　an　endless　belt　projected　and　pushed　the　work　for　ward　continuously。　Allan　B。　Wilson　devised　a　rotary　hook　carrying　a　bobbin　to　do　the　work　of　the　shuttle；　and　also　the　small　serrated　bar　which　pops　up　through　the　table　near　the　needle；　moves　forward　a　tiny　space；　carrying　the　cloth　with　it；　drops　down　just　below　the　upper　surface　of　the　table；　and　returns　to　its　starting　point；　to　repeat　over　and　over　again　this　series　of　motions。　This　simple　device　brought　its　owner　a　fortune。　Isaac　M。　Singer；　destined　to　be　the　dominant　figure　of　the　industry；　patented　in　1851　a　machine　stronger　than　any　of　the　others　and　with　several　valuable　features；　notably　the　vertical　presser　foot　held　down　by　a　spring；　and　Singer　was　the　first　to　adopt　the　treadle；　leaving　both　hands　of　the　operator　free　to　manage　the　work。　His　machine　was　good；　but；　rather　than　its　surpassing　merits；　it　was　his　wonderful　business　ability　that　made　the　name　of　Singer　a　household　word。

By　1856　there　were　several　manufacturers　in　the　field；　threatening　war　on　each　other。　All　men　were　paying　tribute　to　Howe；　for　his　patent　was　basic；　and　all　could　join　in　fighting　him；　but　there　were　several　other　devices　almost　equally　fundamental；　and　even　if　Howe's　patents　had　been　declared　void　it　is　probable　that　his　competitors　would　have　fought　quite　as　fiercely　among　themselves。　At　the　suggestion　of　George　Gifford；　a　New　York　attorney；　the　leading　inve