Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made | Page 6

success--Discovers the usefulness of sulphur--The
inventor's hope--The revelation--Discovers the secret of
vulcanization--Down in the depths--Kept back by poverty--A
beggar--A test of his honesty--Starvation at hand--The timely
loan--Removal to New York--Difficulties in the way--Death of his
youngest child--Finds friends in New York--His experiments in
vulcanization--Final success--His heart in his work--Fails to secure
patents in Europe--His losses from dishonest rivals--Declaration of the
Commissioner of Patents--Death of Mr. Goodyear--Congress refuses to
extend his patent--His true reward.

CHAPTER XV.
ELI WHITNEY.
The home of General Greene in Georgia--The soldier's widow--An
arrival from New England--The young schoolmaster--A mechanical
genius--Early history of Whitney--Mrs. Greene's invitation--Visit of the
planters--State of the cotton culture in 1792--A despondent
planter--Mrs. Greene advises them to try Whitney--Origin of the cotton
gin--Whitney's first efforts--His workshop--The secret labors--How he
provided himself with materials--Finds a partner--Betrayal of his
secret--He is robbed of his model--He recovers it and completes it--The
first cotton gin--Statement of the revolution produced by the invention
in the cotton culture of the South--Opinion of Judge Johnson--The story
of an inventor's wrongs--Whitney is cheated and robbed of his
rights--The worthlessness of a patent--A long and disheartening
struggle--Honorable action of North Carolina--Congress refuses to
extend the patent--Whitney abandons the cotton gin--Engages in the
manufacture of firearms--His improvements in them--Establishes an
armory in Connecticut, and makes a fortune--Death.
CHAPTER XVI.
CHAUNCEY JEROME.
The old-fashioned clocks--Their expensiveness--Condition of the clock
trade of Connecticut sixty years ago--Early history of Chauncey
Jerome--A hard life--Death of his father--Becomes a farmer's boy--Is
anxious to become a clock-maker--An over-wise guardian--Hardships
of an apprentice--How Jerome became a carpenter--Hires his winters
from his master--Becomes a dial-maker--The clock-making
expedition--Jerome's first savings--Takes a wife--A master
carpenter--Poor pay and hard work--Buys a house--A dull
winter--Enters Mr. Terry's factory--The wooden clock business--Sets
up in business for himself--Industry and energy rewarded--His first
order--Sends his clocks South--Enlarges his business--Improvements in
his clocks--Losses on southern shipments from dampness--Depression

of business--Jerome's anxiety--A wakeful night--Invention of the
brass--A new era in the clock trade--Beneficial effects of Jerome's
invention--Magnitude of the Connecticut clock trade at
present--Growth of Jerome's business--Makes a fortune--Organization
of the "Jerome Clock-making Company"--Practical withdrawal of Mr.
Jerome--Difficulties of the company--Jerome a ruined man--Honest
independence--Finds employment--Becomes the manager of the
Chicago Company.
CHAPTER XVII.
ELIAS HOWE, JR.
The first sewing-machine--Birth of Elias Howe--A poor man's
son--Raised to hard work--His first employment--The little
mill-boy--Delicate health--Goes to Lowell to seek his fortune--Thrown
out of employment--Removes to Cambridge--Works in a machine shop
with N.P. Banks--Marries--A rash step--Growing troubles--A hard
lot--Conceives the idea of a sewing-machine--His first experiments
unsuccessful--Invents the lock stitch and perfects the
sewing-machine--Hindered by his poverty--A hard struggle--Finds a
partner--His winter's task--His attic work-shop--Completion of the
model--Perfection of Howe's invention--Efforts to dispose of the
invention--Disappointed hopes--Popular incredulity--Becomes an
engine driver--Amasa Howe goes to England with the
sewing-machine--Bargain with the London merchant--Elias removes to
London--Loses his situation--The rigors of poverty--Returns to
America--Death of his wife--Fate's last blow--The sewing-machine
becomes better known--Adoption by the public--A tardy
recognition--Elias Howe sets up in business for himself--Buys out his
partner's interest--The sewing-machine war--Rapid growth of the
sewing-machine interest--Earnings of the inventor--A royal
income--Honors conferred upon him--Enlists in the United States
Army--A liberal private--Last illness and death.
CHAPTER XVIII.

RICHARD M. HOE.
Growth of the art of printing--Birth of Richard M. Hoe--Sketch of the
career of Robert Hoe--He comes to America--His marriage--Founds the
house of "Robert Hoe & Co."--The first steam printing presses--He
retires from business--Richard M. Hoe is brought up in the
business--The mechanical genius of the house--The new firm--Richard
Hoe's first invention--Obtains a patent for it--Visits England--Invents
the double-cylinder press--Demand for increased facilities for
printing--Mr. Hoe's experiments with his press--His failures--How the
"Lightning Press" was invented--A good night's work--Patents his
invention--The first "Lightning Press"--Demand for it--Rapid growth of
the business of the firm--Statement of the operations of the
house--Personal characteristics of Richard M. Hoe--The "Lightning
Press" at work.
CHAPTER XIX.
SAMUEL COLT.
Birth and parentage--A restless boy--Dislikes school--Early fondness
for mechanical inventions--Is sent to boarding-school--Runs away to
sea--The story of a boy's invention, and what came of it--Origin of the
revolver--Returns home--His chemical studies--Dr. Coult--The
lecturing tour--His success--Completes his design for the
revolver--Patents his invention--Visits England--Discovery at the
Tower of London--Returns home--Formation of the "Patent Arms
Company"--Objections of the officers of the army and navy to the
revolver--The Florida War--It is decided by the revolver--Triumph of
Col. Colt--Cessation of the demand for arms--Failure of the
company--Beginning of the Mexican War--Action of General
Taylor--No revolvers to be had--A strange dilemma for an
inventor--The new model--Contracts with the Government--Success of
the revolver in Mexico--The demand from the frontier--Emigration to
California and Australia--Permanent establishment of Col. Colt's
business--The improved weapon--Builds a new armory--Description of
his works at Hartford--A liberal employer--Other inventions of Col.

Colt--His submarine telegraph--His fortune--His marriage--Visits to
Europe--Attentions from European dignitaries--Witnesses the
coronation of the Emperor of Russia--His last illness and death.
CHAPTER XX.
SAMUEL F.B. MORSE.
Birth--Parentage--Early education--Graduates at