all the benefit conferred upon the public by the introduction of the
sewing-machine the public are indebted to Mr. Howe." Therefore to him
all inventors or improvers had to pay a royalty on each machine they
made. From being a poor man, living in a garret, Howe became one of the
most noted millionaires in America.

Doubtless many of our readers would be interested in the principles
involved in Mr. Howe's machine; which seem to be essential in all
two-threaded machines. We find that two threads are employed, one of
which is carried through the cloth by means of a curved pointed needle;
the needle used has the eye that is to receive the thread, about an
eighth of an inch from the pointed end. When the thread is carried
through the cloth, which may be done to the distance of about
three-fourths of an inch the thread will be stretched above the curved
needle, something like a bowstring, leaving a small open space between
the two. A small shuttle, carrying a bobbin, filled with thread, is then
made to pass entirely through this open space, between the needle and
the thread which it carries; and when the shuttle is returned the thread
which was carried in by the needle is surrounded by that received from
the shuttle; as the needle is drawn out, it forces that which was
received from the shuttle into the body of the cloth giving the seam
formed the same appearance on each side of the cloth.

Thus, according to this arrangement, a stitch is made at every back and
forth movement of the shuttle. The two thicknesses of cloth that are to
be sewed, are held upon pointed wires which project out from a metallic
plate, like the teeth of a comb, but at a considerable distance from
each other, these pointed wires sustaining the cloth, and answering the
purpose of ordinary basting. The metallic plate, from which these wires
project, has numerous holes through it, which answer the purpose of rack
teeth in enabling the plate to move forward, by means of a pinion, as
the stitches are taken. The distance to which the plate is moved, and,
consequently, the length of the stitches may be regulated at pleasure.

He opened a manufactory for his machines where he could carry on the
business in a small way. From this small beginning his business grew
until, with the royalties he received, his income reached $200,000
annually. Notwithstanding his wealth, he enlisted in the war as a
private, and his principles and sympathy were displayed at one time