the age of invention-第25节

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　was　〃to　substitute　correct　and　effective　operations　of　machinery　for　that　skill　of　the　artist　which　is　acquired　only　by　long　practice　and　experience；〃　in　order　to　make　the　same　parts　of　different　guns　〃as　much　like　each　other　as　the　successive　impressions　of　a　copper…plate　engraving；〃　he　was　laughed　to　scorn　by　the　ordnance　officers　of　France　and　England。　〃Even　the　Washington　officials；〃　says　Roe；　〃were　sceptical　and　became　uneasy　at　advancing　so　much　money　without　a　single　gun　having　been　completed；　and　Whitney　went　to　Washington；　taking　with　him　ten　pieces　of　each　part　of　a　musket。　He　exhibited　these　to　the　Secretary　of　War　and　the　army　officers　interested；　as　a　succession　of　piles　of　different　parts。　Selecting　indiscriminately　from　each　of　the　piles；　he　put　together　ten　muskets；　an　achievement　which　was　looked　on　with　amazement。〃**

*　See　the　letter　from　Jefferson　to　John　Jay；　of　April　30；　1785；　cited　in　Roe；　〃English　and　American　Tool　Builders〃；　p。　129。

**　Roe；　〃English　and　American　Tool　Builders〃；　p。　133。


While　Whitney　worked　out　his　plans　at　Whitneyville；　Simeon　North；　another　Connecticut　mechanic　and　a　gunmaker　by　trade；　adopted　the　same　system。　North's　first　shop　was　at　Berlin。　He　afterwards　moved　to　Middletown。　Like　Whitney；　he　used　methods　far　in　advance　of　the　time。　Both　Whitney　and　North　helped　to　establish　the　United　States　Arsenals　at　Springfield；　Massachusetts；　and　at　Harper's　Ferry；　Virginia；　in　which　their　methods　were　adopted。　Both　the　Whitney　and　North　plants　survived　their　founders。　Just　before　the　Mexican　War　the　Whitney　plant　began　to　use　steel　for　gun　barrels；　and　Jefferson　Davis；　Colonel　of　the　Mississippi　Rifles；　declared　that　the　new　guns　were　〃the　best　rifles　which　had　ever　been　issued　to　any　regiment　in　the　world。〃　Later；　when　Davis　became　Secretary　of　War；　he　issued　to　the　regular　army　the　same　weapon。

The　perfection　of　Whitney's　tools　and　machines　made　it　possible　to　employ　workmen　of　little　skill　or　experience。　〃Indeed　so　easy　did　Mr。　Whitney　find　it　to　instruct　new　and　inexperienced　workmen；　that　he　uniformly　preferred　to　do　so；　rather　than　to　combat　the　prejudices　of　those　who　had　learned　the　business　under　a　different　system。〃*　This　reliance　upon　the　machine　for　precision　and　speed　has　been　a　distinguishing　mark　of　American　manufacture。　A　man　or　a　woman　of　little　actual　mechanical　skill　may　make　an　excellent　machine　tender；　learning　to　perform　a　few　simple　motions　with　great　rapidity。

*　Denison　Olmstead；　〃Memoir〃；　cited　by　Roe；　p。　159。


Whitney　married　in　1817　Miss　Henrietta　Edwards；　daughter　of　Judge　Pierpont　Edwards；　of　New　Haven；　and　granddaughter　of　Jonathan　Edwards。　His　business　prospered；　and　his　high　character；　agreeable　manners；　and　sound　judgment　won。　for　him　the　highest　regard　of　all　who　knew　him；　and　he　had　a　wide　circle　of　friends。　It　is　said　that　he　was　on　intimate　terms　with　every　President　of　the　United　States　from　George　Washington　to　John　Quincy　Adams。　But　his　health　had　been　impaired　by　hardships　endured　in　the　South；　in　the　long　struggle　over　the　cotton　gin；　and　he　died　in　1825；　at　the　age　of　fifty…nine。　The　business　which　he　founded　remained　in　his　family　for　ninety　years。　It　was　carried　on　after　his　death　by　two　of　his　nephews　and　then　by　his　son；　until　1888；　when　it　was　sold　to　the　Winchester　Repeating　Arms　Company　of　New　Haven。

Here　then；　in　these　early　New　England　gunshops；　was　born　the　American　system　of　interchangeable　manufacture。　Its　growth　depended　upon　the　machine　tool；　that　is；　the　machine　for　making　machines。　Machine　tools；　of　course；　did　not　originate　in　America。　English　mechanics　were　making　machines　for　cutting　metal　at　least　a　generation　before　Whitney。　One　of　the　earliest　of　these　English　pioneers　was　John　Wilkinson；　inventor　and　maker　of　the　boring　machine　which　enabled　Boulton　and　Watt　in　1776　to　bring　their　steam　engine　to　the　point　of　practicability。　Without　this　machine　Watt　found　it　impossible　to　bore　his　cylinders　with　the　necessary　degree　of　accuracy。*　From　this　one　fact；　that　the　success　of　the　steam　engine　depended　upon　the　invention　of　a　new　tool；　we　may　judge　of　what　a　great　part　the　inventors　of　machine　tools；　of　whom　thousands　are　unnamed　and　unknown；　have　played　in　the　industrial　world。

*　Roe；　〃English　and　American　Tool　Builders〃；　p。　1　et　seq。


So　it　was　in　the　shops　of　the　New　England　gunmakers　that　machine　tools　were　first　made　of　such　variety　and　adaptability　that　they　could　be　applied　generally　to　other　branches　of　manufacturing；　and　so　it　was　that　the　system　of　interchangeable　manufacture　arose　as　a　distinctively　American　development。　We　have　already　seen　how　England's　policy　of　keeping　at　home　the　secrets　of　her　machinery　led　to　the　independent　development　of　the　spindles　and　looms　of　New　England。　The　same　policy　affected　the　tool　industry　in　America　in　the　same　way　and　bred　in　the　new　country　a　race　of　original　and　resourceful　mechanics。

One　of　these　pioneers　was　Thomas　Blanchard；　born　in　1788　on　a　farm　in　Worcester　County；　Massachusetts；　the　home　also　of　Eli　Whitney　and　Elias　Howe。　Tom　began　his　mechanical　career　at　the　age　of　thirteen　by　inventing　a　device　to　pare　apples。　At　the　age　of　eighteen　he　went　to　work　in　his　brother's　shop；　where　tacks　were　made　by　hand；　and　one　day　took　to　his　brother　a　mechanical　device　for　counting　the　tacks　to　go　into　a　single　packet。　The　invention　was　adopted　and　was　found　to　save　the　labor　of　one　workman。　Tom's　next　achievement　was　a　machine　to　make　tacks；　on　which　he　spent　six　years　and　the　rights　of　which　he　sold　for　five　thousand　dollars。　It　was　worth　far　more；　for　it　revolutionized　the　tack　industry；　but　such　a　sum　was　to　young　Blanchard　a　great　fortune。

The　tack…making　machine　gave　Blanchard　a　reputation；　and　he　was　presently　sought　out　by　a　gun　manufacturer；　to　see　whether　he　could　improve　the　lathe　for　turning　the　barrels　of　the　guns。　Blanchard　could；　and　did。　His　next　problem　was　to　invent　a　lathe　for　turning　the　irregular　wooden　stocks。　Here　he　also　succeeded　and　produced　a　lathe　that　would　copy　precisely　and　rapidly　any　pattern。　It　is　from　this　invention　that　the　name　of　Blanchard　is　best　known。　The　original　machine　is　preserved　in　the　United　States　Armory　at　Springfield；　to　which　Blanchard　was　attached　for　many　years；　and　where　scores　of　the　descendants　of　his　copying　lathe　may　be　seen　in　action　today。

Turning　gunstocks　was；　of　course；　only　one　of　the　many　uses　of　Blanchard's　copying　lathe。　Its　chief　use；　in　fact；　was　in　the　production　of　wooden　lasts　for　the　shoemakers　of　New　England；　but　it　was　applied　to　many　branches　of　wood　manufacture；　and　later　on　the　same　principle　was　applied　to　the　shaping　of　metal。

Blanchard　was　a　man　of　many　ideas。　He　built　a　steam　vehicle　for　ordinary　roads　and　was　an　early　advocate　of　railroads；　he　built　steamboats　to　ply　upon　the　Connecticut　and　incidentally　produced　in　connection　with　these　his　most　profitable　invention；　a　machine　to　bend　ship's　timbers　without　splintering　them。　The　later　years　of　his　life　were　spent　in　Boston；　and　he　often　served　as　a　patent　expert　in　the　courts；　where　his　wide　knowledge；　hard　common　sense；　incisive　speech；　and　homely　wit　made　him　a　welcome　witness。

We　now　glance　at　another　New　England　inventor；　Samuel　Colt；　the　man　who　carried　Whitney's　conceptions　to　transcendent　heights；　the　most　dashing　and　adventurous　of　all　the　pioneers　of　the　machine　shop　in　America。　If　〃the　American　frontier　was

Elizabethan　in　quality；〃　there　was　surely　a　touch　of　the　Elizabethan　spirit　on　the　man　whose　invention　so　greatly　affected　the　character　of　that　frontier。　Samuel　Colt　was　born　at　Hartford　in　1814　and　died　there　in　1862　at　the　age　of　forty…eight；　leaving　behind　him　a　famous　name　and　a　colossal　industry　of　his　own　creation。　His　father　was　a　small　manufacturer　of　silk　and　woolens　at　Hartford；　and　the　boy　entered　the　factory　at　a　very　early　age。　At　school　in　Amherst　a　little　later；　he　fell　under　the　displeasure　of　his　teachers。　At　thirteen　he　took　to　sea；　as　a　boy　before　the　mast；　on　the　East　India　voyage　to　Calcutta。　It　was　on　this　voyage　that　he　conceived　the　idea　of　the　revolver　and　whittled　out　a　wooden　model。　On　his　return　he　went　into　his　father's　works　and　gained　a　superficial　knowledge　of　chemistry　from　the　manager　of　the　bleaching　and　dyeing　department。　Then　he　took　to　the　road　for　three　years　and　traveled　from　Quebec　to　New　Orleans　lecturing　on　chemistry　under　the　name　of　〃Dr。　Coult。〃　The　main　feature　of　his　lecture　was　the　administration　of　nitrous　oxide　gas　to　volunteers　from　the　audience；　whose　antics　and　the　amusing　showman's　patter　made　the　entertainment　very　popular。

Colt's　ambition；　however；　soared　beyond　the　occupation　of　itinerant　showman；　and　he　never　forgot　his　revolver。　As　soon　as　he　had　money　enough；　he　made　models　of　the　new　arm　and　took　out　his　patents；　and；　having　enlisted　the　interest　of　capital；　he　set　up　the　Patent　Arms　Company　at　Paterson；　New　Jersey；　to　manufacture　the　revolver。　He　did　not　succeed　in　having　the　revolver　adopted　by　the　Government；　for　the　army　officers　for　a　long　time　objected　to　the　percussion　cap　（an　invention；　by　the　way；　then　some　twenty　years　old；　which　was　just　coming　into　use　and　without　which　Colt's　revolver　would　not　have　been　practicable）　and　thought