All About Inventions and Discoveries
The Romance of modern scientific and mechanical Achievements

174 All About Inventions might be carried out. He returned to Sholes with the idea, and the two, putting their heads together, effected certain improvements. When they were satis- fied with the idea they repaired to a mechanic’s work- shop in the city and completed arrangements for the manufacture of the parts and their assembling to- gether. But Sholes and Soule speedily discovered that the building of such a machine which should do its work infallibly bristled with unexpected difficulties. So soon as one was overcome another appeared. Now and again they were baffled by a formidable per- plexity. It was only by altering this and re-shaping that piece that progress was achieved. One day, however, they were brought to a complete stop by a difficulty of this nature. Strive how they might, they did not appear to be able to overcome it. They were completely balked. Now it so happened that in this particular work- shop another man was at work upon a device for a different purpose. Mr. Carlos Glidden, whose father owned a highly prosperous ironmonger’s shop in Ohio, had gone up into Wisconsin, attracted by farm- ing. While working with the plough he conceived the idea for an improved appliance for carrying out this work, which he described as a “ mechanical spader.” He committed his ideas to paper and then went to Milwaukee to find someone able to build it. He chanced upon the mechanic who was engaged upon the numbering machine. Glidden was wrestling with his “ spader,” and being an ingenious, hard- working young fellow, an acquaintanceship sprang up between the three toilers. Now and again they would