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

368 All About Inventions that a perfect structure was obtained. The patent was granted on August 12th, 1851, and his handiwork so favourably impressed a few friends that they advanced him two or three hundred pounds on loan, to enable him to commence manufacture. There was one feature of the Singer machine which caught the general fancy, so far as it was possible so to do in an age when the American market was flooded with spurious sewing machine claims and “ wild-cat ” schemes for deluding the public. With this machine, although hand-power could be used, it was not necessary. It could be operated by the foot, thus leaving the two hands free to attend to the fabric and actual sewing operations. The means to this end were decidedly novel. The sewing machine was packed in a special box which was designed to serve as a table or cabinet. Within the box, which was stood on one of its sides, was a foot-plate made of wood, hinged at one end and free to move up and down. From the free end of this plate extended a rod or rough wooden pitman, which was connected to the balance-wheel or hand-wheel, which, when revolved, transmitted the power to the mechanism through gearing. This foot action could be brought into use or disconnected in one or two seconds, as desired. Strange to say, although the introduction of the treadle motion to the sewing machine certainly constituted a distinctive characteristic, and is uni- versally used to-day, Singer neglected to cover this action by patent. Singer thought that the public would welcome his idea with open arms. He cherished the opinion that a perfect, reliable, and simple sewing machine,