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

3öo All About Inventions the turning-point in Howe’s career. Every lock-stitch machine was condemned as an infringement of his patent, and he received a royalty upon every sewing machine manufactured in the United States, which eventually produced an income of upwards of £50,000 per annum. From poverty Howe was lifted into affluence. He accumulated a fortune of several millions before his patent, which was given an extension of seven years beyond the normal period, expired. The decision in Howe’s favour was so complete as to render it apparently impossible for a rival to enter the field without incurring the grave risk of being regarded as an infringer. As events subsequently proved, this was the stumbling-block to further deci- sive progress for some years. One or two experimenters were decidedly ingenious in their efforts to perfect the sewing machine. There was one journeyman cabinet-maker, living in Pitts- field, Massachusetts, U.S.A,, who, entirely ignorant of what Howe had done, devoted the whole of his spare time to building a machine which would prove successful in sewing pieces of fabric together. After considerable effort he succeeded in his endeavours and proudly exhibited his masterpiece, wrought in wood, to his neighbours. But they laughed at his work, considered him to be wellnigh bereft to attempt to sew by machine, and declared that, even if it did what he claimed, it would be impossible to compete with hand-work. This was certainly cold comfort for such an expenditure of energy and brains, but the wood-worker inwardly cherished diametrically opposite opinions upon the point. One morning this industrious cabinet-maker,