The Invention of the Sewing Machine Part 5

[43] See Howe's biographical sketch, p. 141.

[44] Op. cit. (footnote 34). Attachments A and B are copies of Judge Sprague's decisions.

[45] _Sewing Machine Journal_ (July 1887), pp. 93-94.

[46] _Report of the Sixth Exhibition of the Ma.s.sachusetts Charitable Mechanics a.s.sociation, in the City of Boston, September 1850_ (Boston, 1850).

[47] See biographical sketch, pp. 141-142.

[48]_Scientific American_ (Dec. 6, 1851), vol. 7, no. 12, p. 95.

[49] Ibid. (Sept. 20, 1851), vol. 7, no. 1, p. 7.

[50] Ibid. (June 4, 1853), vol. 7, no. 38, p. 298

[51] J. D. VAN SLYCK, _New England Manufactures and Manufactories_, vol.

2, pp. 672-682.

[52] See his biographical sketch, pp. 142-143.

[53] CHESTER MCNEIL, _A History of the Sewing Machine_ in Union Sales Bulletin, vol. 3, Union Special Sewing Machine Co., Chicago, Illinois, pp. 83-85. 1903.

[54] _Sewing Machine Times_ (Aug. 25, 1908), vol. 18, no. 418.

[55] Singer gives this limited description of the first machine, with detailed improvements for which he was then applying for a patent: "In my previous machine, to which reference has been made, the bobbin was carried by the needle-carrier, and hence the motion of the needle had to be equal to the length of thread required to form the loop, which was objectionable, as in many instances this range of motion was unnecessarily long for all other purposes...." Quoted from U.S. patent 8,294 issued to Isaac M. Singer, Aug. 12, 1851. It should be noted that in some instances there was a considerable lapse of time from the date a patent application was made until the patent was issued. In this case the handwritten specifications were dated March 14, 1851, and the formal Patent Office receipt was dated April 16, 1851.

[56] If a patent was not approved, for any reason, the records were placed in an "Abandoned File." In 1930 Congress authorized the disposal of the old "Abandoned Files," requiring them to be kept for twenty years only. There are no Singer Company records giving an account of the first patent application.

[57] Its whereabouts was unknown as early as 1908, as stated in the _Sewing Machine Times_ (Aug. 25, 1908), vol. 18, no. 418. Models of abandoned patents frequently remained at the Patent Office.

Approximately 76,000 models were ruined in a Patent Office fire in 1877.

In 1908 over 3000 models of abandoned patents were sold at auction.

Either incident could account for the machine's disappearance.

[58] The patent model of 8,294 is a machine that bears the serial number 22; it was manufactured before April 18, 1851, the date it was recorded as received by the Patent Office.

[59] William R. Bagnall, in "Contributions to American Economic History," vol. 1 (1908), MS, Harvard School of Business Library.

[60] Singer purchased Phelps' interest in the company in 1851 and sold it to Edward Clark.

[61] This first, family sewing machine should not be confused in name with a model brought out in the sixties. The name of this first, family machine was in the sense of a new "family" sewing machine. In 1859 a "Letter A" family machine was introduced. Thus in 1865 when the Singer Company brought out another family machine they called it the "New"

Family Sewing Machine. Both the first-style Family machine and the Letter A machine are ill.u.s.trated in _Eighty Years of Progress of the United States_ (New York, 1861), vol. 2, p. 417, and discussed in an article, "The Place and Its Tenants," in the _Sewing Machine Times_ (Dec. 25, 1908), vol. 27, no. 893.

[62] A looper on the underside in place of the horizontal needle.

[63] Domestic Sewing Machine Company. See _Union Special Sewing Machine Co. Sales Bulletin_, vol. 3, ch. 15, pp. 58-59.

_Chapter Three_

[Ill.u.s.tration: +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | A PARTIAL STATEMENT FROM RECORDS OF "THE SEWING-MACHINE COMBINATION," | | SHOWING NUMBER OF SEWING-MACHINES LICENSED ANNUALLY | | UNDER THE _ELIAS HOWE_ PATENT. | +-----+--------+---------+---------+---------+------+-------+-------+--------+ |NAME |Wheeler |I. M. |The |Grover & |A. B. |Leavitt|Ladd & |Bartholf| |OF |& |Singer |Singer |Baker |Howe |S. M. |Webster|S. M. | |MANU-|Wilson |& Co. |Manufac- |S. M. Co.|S. M. |Co. |S. M. |Co. | |FACT-|Mfg. Co.| |turing | |Co. | |Co. | | |URER.| | |Co. | | | | | | +-----+--------+---------+---------+---------+------+-------+-------+--------+ |1853 |799 |810 |.... |657 |.... |28 |100 |135 | |1854 |756 |879 |.... |2,034 |60 |217 |268 |55 | |1855 |1,171 |883 |.... |1,144 |53 |152 |73 |31 | |1856 |2,210 |2,564 |.... |1,952 |47 |235 |180 |35 | |1857 |4,591 |3,630 |.... |3,680 |133 |195 |453 |31 | |1858 |7,978 |3,594 |.... |5,070 |179 |75 |490 |203 | |1859 |21,306 |10,953 |.... |10,280 |921 |213 |1,788 |747 | |1860 |25,102 |13,000(a)|.... |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | | |1861 |18,556 |16,000(a)|.... |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | |1862 |28,202 |18,396 |.... |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | |1863 |29,778 |.... |20,030 |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | |1864 |40,062 |.... |23,632 |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | |1865 |39,157 |.... |26,340 |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | |1866 |50,132 |.... |30,960 |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) |(b) | +-----+--------+---------+---------+---------+------+-------+-------+--------+

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | A PARTIAL STATEMENT SHOWING NUMBER OF SEWING-MACHINES LICENSED ANNUALLY | | FROM 1867 TO 1876 INCLUSIVE. | +----------------------------+----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+ | NAME OF MANUFACTURER. | 1867. | 1868. | 1869. | 1870. | 1871. | +----------------------------+----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+ |The Singer Manufacturing Co.|43,053 |59,629 |86,781 |127,833 |181,260 | |Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. Co. |38,055 |(b) |78,866 |83,208 |128,526 | |Grover & Baker S. M. Co. |32,999 |35,000(a)|35,188 |57,402 |50,838 | |Weed Sewing-Machine Co. |3,638 |12,000 |19,687 |35,002 |39,655 | |Howe Sewing-Machine Co. |11,053 |35,000(a)|45,000(a)|75,156 |134,010 | |A. B. Howe " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |20,051 | |B. P. Howe " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Willc.o.x & Gibbs S. M. Co. |14,152 |15,000 |17,201 |28,890 |30,127 | |Wilson (W. G.) " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |21,153 | |American B. H. & S. M. Co. |.... |.... |7,792 |14,573 |20,121 | |Florence S. M. Co. |10,534 |12,000 |13,661 |17,660 |15,947 | |Shaw & Clark S. M. Co. |2,692 |3,000 |.... |.... |.... | |Gold Medal " " " |.... |.... |.... |8,912 |13,562 | |Davis " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |11,568 | |Domestic " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |10,397 | |Finkle & Lyon Mfg. Co. and |2,488 |2,000 |1,339 |2,420 |7,639 | | Victor. | | | | | | |aetna Sewing-Machine Co. |2,958 |3,500 |4,548 |5,806 |4,720 | |Blees " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |4,557 | |Elliptic " " " |3,185 |.... |.... |.... |4,555 | |Empire " " " |2,121 |5,000 |8,700 |.... |.... | |Remington Sewing-Machine Co.|.... |.... |.... |3,560 |2,965 | |Parham " " " |.... |.... |1,141 |1,766 |2,056 | |Bartram & Fanton Mfg. Co. |2,958 |.... |.... |.... |1,004 | |Bartlett Sewing-Machine Co. |.... |.... |.... |.... |614 | |J. G. Folsom |.... |.... |.... |.... |280 | |McKay Sewing-Machine a.s.so. |.... |.... |.... |129 |218 | |C. F. Thompson |.... |.... |.... |.... |147 | |Union b.u.t.tonhole Machine Co.|.... |.... |.... |.... |124 | |Leavitt Sewing-Machine Co. |1,051 |1,000 |771 |.... |.... | |Goodspeed & Wyman S. M. Co. |2,126 |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Keystone Sewing-Machine Co. |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Secor " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Centennial " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | +----------------------------+----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+ | NAME OF MANUFACTURER. | 1872. | 1873. | 1874. | 1875. | 1876. | +----------------------------+----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+ |The Singer Manufacturing Co.|219,758 |232,444 |241,679 |249,852 |262,316 | |Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. Co. |174,088 |119,190 |92,827 |103,740 |108,997 | |Grover & Baker S. M. Co. |52,010 |36,179 |20,000(a)|15,000(a)|.... | |Weed Sewing-Machine Co. |42,444 |21,769 |20,495 |21,993 |14,425 | |Howe Sewing-Machine Co. |145,000(a)|90,000(a)|35,000(a)|25,000(a)|109,294 | |A. B. Howe " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |B. P. Howe " " |14,907 |13,919 |.... |.... |.... | |Willc.o.x & Gibbs S. M. Co. |33,639 |15,881 |13,710 |14,522 |12,758 | |Wilson (W. G.) " " |22,666 |21,247 |17,525 |9,508 |.... | |American B. H. & S. M. Co. |18,930 |14,182 |13,529 |14,406 |17,937 | |Florence S. M. Co. |15,793 |8,960 |5,517 |4,892 |2,978 | |Shaw & Clark S. M. Co. |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Gold Medal " " " |18,897 |16,431 |15,214 |14,262 |7,185 | |Davis " " " |11,376 |8,861 |.... |.... |.... | |Domestic " " " |49,554 |40,114 |22,700 |21,452 |23,587 | |Finkle & Lyon Mfg. Co. and |11,901 |7,446 |6,292 |6,103 |5,750 | | Victor. | | | | | | |aetna Sewing-Machine Co. |4,262 |3,081 |1,866 |1,447 |707 | |Blees " " " |6,053 |3,458 |.... |.... |.... | |Elliptic " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Empire " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Remington Sewing-Machine Co.|4,982 |9,183 |17,608 |25,110 |12,716 | |Parham " " " |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Bartram & Fanton Mfg. Co. |1,000 |1,000 |250 |.... |.... | |Bartlett Sewing-Machine Co. |1,000 |.... |.... |.... |.... | |J. G. Folsom |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |McKay Sewing-Machine a.s.so. |.... |.... |128 |161 |102 | |C. F. Thompson |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Union b.u.t.tonhole Machine Co.|.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Leavitt Sewing-Machine Co. |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Goodspeed & Wyman S. M. Co. |.... |.... |.... |.... |.... | |Keystone Sewing-Machine Co. |2,665 |217 |37 |.... |.... | |Secor " " " |311 |3,430 |4,541 |1,307 |.... | |Centennial " " " |.... |514 |.... |.... |.... | +----------------------------+----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+

(a) Number estimated.

(b) No data.

Figure 37.--TABLE OF SEWING-MACHINE STATISTICS. From Frederick G.

Bourne, "American Sewing Machines" in _One Hundred Years of American Commerce_, vol. 2. ed. Chauncey Mitch.e.l.l Depew (New York: D. O. Haines, 1895), p. 530. (Smithsonian photo 42542-A.)]

The "Sewing-Machine Combination"

With the basic elements of a successful sewing machine a.s.sembled, the various manufacturers should have been able to produce good machines unenc.u.mbered. The court order, however, which restrained several firms from selling Singer machines while the Howe suit was pending, started a landslide; soon Wheeler, Wilson and company, Grover and Baker company, and several others[64] purchased rights from Elias Howe. This gave Howe almost absolute control of the sewing-machine business as these companies agreed to his royalty terms of $25 for every machine sold. In an attempt to improve his own machine, Howe was almost immediately caught up in another series of legal battles in which he was the defendant; the companies he had defeated were able to accuse him of infringing on patents that they owned. To compound the confusion, individual companies also were suing each other on various grounds.

Because of this situation Orlando B. Potter, president of the Grover and Baker company, advanced in 1856 the idea of a "Combination" of sewing-machine manufacturers. He pointed out how the various companies were harming themselves by continuing litigation and tried to convince Howe that all would benefit by an agreement of some kind. He proposed that Elias Howe; Wheeler, Wilson and company; I. M. Singer and company; and Grover and Baker company pool their patents covering the essential features of the machine. The three companies had started production about the same time and approved of Potter's idea; Howe opposed it as he felt that he had the most to lose by joining the "Combination." He finally consented to take part in Potter's plan if the others would agree to certain stipulations. The first requirement was that at least twenty-four manufacturers were to be licensed. The second was that, in addition to sharing equally in the profits with the three companies, Howe would receive a royalty of $5 for each machine sold in the United States and $1 for each machine exported. It has been estimated that, as a result of this agreement, Howe received at least $2,000,000 as his share of the license fees between 1856 and 1867 when his patent expired.[65]

The organization was called the Sewing-Machine Trust and/or the Sewing-Machine Combination. The important patents contributed to it were:

1. The grooved, eye-pointed needle used with a shuttle to form the lockst.i.tch (E. Howe patent, held by E. Howe);

2. The four-motion feeding mechanism (A. B. Wilson patent, held by Wheeler and Wilson company);

3. The needle moving vertically above a horizontal work-plate (Bachelder patent), a continuous feeding device by belt or wheel (Bachelder patent), a yielding presser resting on the cloth (Bachelder patent), the spring or curved arm to hold the cloth by a yielding pressure (Morey and Johnson patent), the heart-shaped cam as applied to moving the needle bar (Singer patent); all these patents, held by the Singer Company.[66]

The Grover and Baker company contributed several patents of relative importance, but its most important claim for admission was the fact that Potter had promoted the idea.

The consent of all four member-parties was required before any license could be granted, and all were required to have a license--even the member companies. The fee was $15 per machine. A portion of this money was set aside to pay the cost of prosecuting infringers, Howe received his initial fee, and the rest was divided between the four parties. The advantage to the licensee was that he was required to pay only one fee.

Most license applications were granted; only those manufacturing a machine specifically imitating the product of a licensed manufacturer were refused.

The "Combination's" three company members each continued to manufacture, improve, and perfect its own machine. Other than the joint control of the patents, there was no pooling of interests, and each company competed to attract purchasers to buy its particular type of machine, as did the companies who were licensed by them.

In 1860, the year Howe's patent was renewed, the general license fee was reduced from $15 to $7, and Howe's special royalty was reduced to $1 per machine. Howe remained a member until his patent ran out in 1867. The other members continued the "Combination" until 1877, when the Bachelder patent, which had been extended twice, finally expired. By that time the fundamental features of the sewing machine were no longer controlled by anyone. Open compet.i.tion by the smaller manufacturers was possible, and a slight reduction in price followed. Many new companies came into being--some destined to be very short-lived.

From the beginning to the end of the "Combination" there was an army of independents, including infringers and imitators, who kept up a constant complaint against it, maintaining that its existence tended to r.e.t.a.r.d the improvement of the sewing machine and that the public suffered thereby. In the period immediately following the termination of the "Combination," however, only a few improvements of any importance were made, and most of these were by the member companies.

FOOTNOTES:

[64] These included the American Magnetic Sewing Machine Co.; A.

Bartholf; Nichols and Bliss; J. A. Lerow; Woolridge, Keene, and Moore; and A. B. Howe. _New York Daily Tribune_, Sept. 3, 1853.

[65] "Who Invented the Sewing-Machine," unsigned article in _The Galaxy_, vol. 4, August 31, 1867, pp. 471-481.

[66] Singer has sometimes been credited as the inventor of the various improvements covered by the patents that the Singer company purchased and later contributed to the efforts of the Combination.