Part 3 (1/2)

a patent pool, which is discussed in es 41 and 42

While new ideas and inventors continued to provide the answers to soan a series of patent suits to sustain the rights that he felt were his Since his interest had never been in constructing machines for sale, it was absolutely essential for Howe to protect his royalty rights in order to realize any return from his patent He was reported[38] to have supervised the construction of 14 sewing machines at a shop[39] on Gold Street in New York toward the close of 1850 Sworn contemporary testimony indicates that the machines were of no practical use[40] Elias stated, in his application for his patent extension,[41] that he made only one hts and machines, but apparently did not realize any financial success until he sold a half interest in his patent to George Bliss in Nove machines that he initially sold as ”Howe's Patent”; however, these machines were substantially different froure 20--BLODGETT & LEROW SEWING MACHINE, 1850, as manufactured by A Bartholf, New York; the serial nuinal brass plate from the same type of machine with needle arm and presser foot and arm, serial number 119; the plate, however, does not fit the machine correctly (Smithsonian photo 48440-D; brass plate: 48440-K)]

On May 18, 1853, Elias Howe granted his first royalty license to Wheeler, Wilson & Coranted to Grover & Baker; A Bartholf; Nichols & Bliss; J A Lerow; Woolridge, Keene, and Moore; and A B Howe, the brother of Elias These licenses granted the ht to use any part of the Howe patent,[44] but it did not mean that the machines were Elias Howe machines When a royalty license was paid, the patent date and sometimes the name was stamped onto the machine For this reason, these ht to be Elias Howe machines They are not

Hoas also prevented fro a practical machine unless he paid a royalty to other inventors Three of the majorthe ”Sewing Machine Co competition for many years, he profited substantially from the royalty terms of the combination In 1860, he applied for and received a seven-year extension on his patent

[Illustration: Figure 21--BLODGETT & LEROW SEWING MACHINE, 1850, staend ”Goddard, Rice & Co, Makers, Worcester, Mass”

and the serial nuinal brass plate marked ”No

38”; this plate fits the machine perfectly (Smithsonian photo 48440-E; brass plate: 48440-J)]

There were Howe fa this period, but these were the ones that A since 1853 The hesttestimonials, at the London International Exhibition in 1862 After the publication of this award the dereatly increased at hoain entry into theAeport, Connecticut, and manufacture the (Amasa) Howe machines Two years passed before the factory was coed The loss could have been regained, but the eport were not of the quality of the earlier eportmachines in New York under his own immediate supervision[45] Elias for machines In 1867 he requested a second extension of his patent, but the request was refused Elias Howe died in October of the sa machine of a different principle had also been patented in 1849 This was the ett, a tailor by trade, as supported financially by John A

Lerow United States patent 6,766 was issued to both men on October 2, 1849 In the patent, theMachine'” The shuttlein a circle, rather than reciprocating as in the earlierthe slack thread from interference with the point of the needle

[Illustration: Figure 22--WILSON'S PREPATENT MODEL for his reciprocating-shuttle ett and Lerow machine was built by several shops One of the earliest was the shop of Orson C Phelps on Harvard Place in Boston

Phelps took the Blodgett and Lerow machine to the sixth exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics association in September 1850 and won a silver medal and this praise, ”This enious and co beautifully and thoroughly”[46] Although Phelps had won the earliest known preh the machine was produced cos 20 and 21), one outstanding flaw in its operation could not be overlooked As the shuttle passed around the six-inch circular shuttle race, it put a twist in the thread (or took one out if the direction was reversed) at each revolution This caused a constant breaking of the thread, a condition that could not be rectified without changing the principle of operation Such required changes were later to lead I M Singer, another well-known na this machine

Also exhibited at the same 1850 mechanics fair was the machine of Allen B Wilson Wilson's enius was to have a far greater effect on the developett and Lerow A B

Wilson[47] was one of the ablest of the early inventors in the field of inal

Wilson, a native of Willett, New York, was a young cabinetan, in 1847 when he first conceived of a machine that would sew He was apparently unaware of parallel efforts by inventors in distant New England After an illness, he moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and pursued his idea in earnest By Noves for a machine that wouldthe cloth, left a loop of thread below the seah the loop, and as the tension was adjusted a co 22)

Wilson's shuttle was pointed on both ends to form a stitch on both its forward and backward motion, a decided improvement over the shuttles of Hunt and Hohich formed stitches in only one direction After each stitch the cloth was advanced for the next stitch by a sliding bar against which the cloth was held by a stationary presser While the needle was still in the cloth and holding it, the sliding bar returned for a fresh grip on the cloth

Wilson made a second machine, on the same principle, and applied for a patent He was approached by the owners of the Bradshaw 1848 patent, who claih this clai the Bradshaw patent specifications, Wilson did not have sufficient funds to fight the claim In order to avoid a suit, he relinquished to A P Kline and Edward Lee, a one-half interest in his US patent 7,776 which was issued on Noveure 23--WILSON'S PATENT MODEL, 1850 (Smithsonian photo 45504-H)]

Inventor Wilson had been associated with Kline and Lee (E Lee & Co) for only a few reed to sell his re interest to his partners for 2,000 He retained only lihts for New Jersey and for Massachusetts The sale was fruitless for the inventor, as no payment was ever made How much money E E Lee & Co realized from the Wilson machine is difficult to determine, but they ran numerous ads in the 1851 and 1852 issues of _Scientific A Machine, justly allowed to be the cheapest and best now in use, patented November 12, 1850; can be seen on exhibition at 195 and 197 Broadway (formerly the Franklin House, Roohts for territory or e R

Chittenden, Agent[48]

[Illustration: Figure 24--WILSON'S PREPATENT MODEL for his rotary hook, 1851 (Sure 25--WILSON'S ROTARY-HOOK PATENT MODEL, 1851

(Smithsonian photo 45505-B)]

Another reads:

A B Wilson's Sewing Machinethe best and only practical sewingsum of 35[49]

Wilson severed relations with Lee and Kline in early 1851 shortly afterNathaniel Wheeler, as to become his partner in a happier,ure 26--WILSON'S stationary-bobbin patent model, 1852; a counmachines the previous year (Smithsonian photo 45504-B)]