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

354 All About Inventions an American, Walter Hunt, of New York City, between the years 1832 and 1834. With his machine, the peculiar feature of which was a single needle curved at its lower end, a lock-stitch was formed. The needle, carried in a vibrating arm, was threaded from the reel, penetrated the fabric, and thus formed a loop upon the underside. At this moment a shuttle carrying a coil of thread came into play, and passed through the loop, which, when the needle reascended, was drawn tight. In this manner the ordinary chain- stitch became locked. Hunt succeeded in enlisting the interest of a blacksmith, George A. Arrowsmith, of New Jersey, in his idea. The blacksmith, being asked to furnish funds to enable the machine to be perfected and exploited, and being of a speculative turn of mind, purchased one-half of Hunt’s interest in the invention. Subsequently, by buying the re- maining half of the interest, he secured complete control of the invention, and at a later date even employed Hunt s brother to build machines after this design, in which, however, certain modifications were incorporated. These machines were installed in a New York factory and evidently performed their work satisfactorily. But Arrowsmith was a quaint character, and un- doubtedly possessed strange opinions concerning the commercial exploitation of a new idea. A fortune was well within his reach, but he steadfastly refused to grasp it. He resolutely declined to take out any patents, and when, later, he was asked to explain this inexplicable attitude he replied : “ There are three reasons. In the first place, I had other business to attend to. Secondly, there was