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Q 11 U563 CRLSSI . e I ^ t UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 218 Papers 1 to 11 Contributions FROM THE Museum OF History and Technology SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION O WASHINGTON. DC. ^ 1959 WS'n NOV 16 1959 ISSUED NOVl 61959 Smithsonian Institution UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM Remington Kellooo Director Smith, Director Trank a. Taylor, Director Albert C. Museum oj jXatural History Afiisfum of ///'A"V 'iiiil Tirhwiliniv Publications of the United States National Museum include two The scientific publications of the United Stales National Museum States National Museum scries, Proceedings oj the United States National Museum and United Bulletin. dealing with the In these series are published original articles and monographs facts in the collections and work of the Museum and setting forth newly acquired Copies of fields of Anthropolog)', Biology, Geolog)', History, and Technology. each publication are distributed to libraries and scientific organizations and to specialists and others interested in the dififerent subjects. separate The Proceedings, begun in 1878, are intended for the publication, in size, with the form, of shorter papers. These are gathered in volumes, octavo in publication date of each paper recorded in the taljle of contents of the volume. separate In the Bulletin series, the first of which was issued in 1875, appear longer, publications consisting of monographs (occasionally in several parts) and volumes either octavo or in which are collected works on related subjects. Bulletins are papers re- qiiarto in size, depending on the needs of the presentation. Since 1902 lating to the botanical collections of the Museum have been published in the Bulletin series under the heading Contributions Jrom the United Stales National Herbarium. John S. Lea Editor, United Stales Motional Museum Ernest E. Biebichauser, Senior Editor Frank Dobias, Art Editor United States Government Printing Office, VVAsiiiNcr(i\. 1059 For sale by the Siipi-rintcndcnt of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Oflice VVashinRt.in .?S. D C. - Piiec S2.50 NOV 10 1959 . Papers Page 1 The Scholfield wool-carding machines 1 Grace L. Rogers 2. John Dccrc's steel plow 15 Edward C. Kendall 3. The beginnings of cheap steel 27 Philip W. Bishop 4. The Auburndale Watch Company 49 Edwin A. Battison 5. Development of the phonograph at Alexander Graham Bell's Volta Laboratory 69 Leslie J. Newville 6. On the origin of clockwork, perpetual inoiioii devices, and the compass . 81 Derek J. de Solla Price 7. Mine pumping in Agricola's lime and later 113 Robert P. Multhai'f 8. The natural philosophy of William Gilbert and Ills jjredccessors .... 121 W. James King 9. Concstoga wagons in Braddock's campaign, 175.S 141 Donald H. Berkebile 10. Old English patent medicines in America 155 George B. Griffeniiagen and James Harvey Young 11. Why Bewick succeeded : A note on the history of wood engraving ... 185 Jacob Kainen 111 Introduction THE STAFF OF THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY, a young Subdivision of the Smithsonian Institution's United States National Museum is pleased to present this its first collection of pul)lished papers. This volume of the United Slates A'alional Museum Bulletin series marks another step in the century-long effort of dedi- cated Smithsonian curators to develop a complete national musuem of the United States—a museum which through its scholarly research and puljlications, as well as through its collections and exhil)its, will increase and diffuse knowledge of the cul- tural, scientific, and technological history of the Nation, including its heritage from older cultures and scholarship. This volume was conceived by Robert P. Multhauf, head curator of the Museum's Department of Science and Technology, as a tribute to Mr. Greville Bathe for his fine contributions to the history of technology. It is equally a recognition of the inspiration which the work of Bathe and other historians of science and engineering has provided, during the past quarter-century, to museum curators collecting and interpreting the objects that record our history. Greville Bathe's stout works on Oliver Evans and Jacob Perkins and his enter- taining Engineer's miscellany comprise in themselves a complete justification for the study of the history of technology. In Oliver Evans the view of the exciting period spanning the transition from American colonies to United States is illuminated as it seldom is in political or narrative history. Insights into the problems of authoring and publishing, the efforts of the colonies to encourage and protect inventors, remon- strances against the threat of technological unemployment, the struggle with the wilderness and all obstacles to communications, the promotion of manufacturies west of the Alleghenies, consultations between the country's leaders and the mecha- nicians, are only a few of the dividends found in this day to day account of great inventor and a daring risk-taker. In Jacob Perkins, Bathe descrilies a surprising export of skill and scientific inquiry from the new world to the old. One cannot read these works—or the papers presented here—without recog- nizing that technological progress is a mainstream of cultural development. It is equally evident that these studies provide background for viewing present day problems in true perspective and that the knowledge they impart helps us to cope more successfully with technology's smashing impact on our lives. It is encouraging that the time was found by the authors of these papers to study and write while they were engaged in planning facilities and exhibits for the new Museum ol History and Technology building now under construction. This promises a program that will accelerate when the building is opened. The imaginative design of this volume of the Bulletin series is the work of the Editorial and Publications Division of the Smithsonian Institution, with the as,sist- ance and cooperation of the Government Printing Office. Frank \. Tavior. Director Museum of History and Technology July 22, 1959 Washington, D.C. Contributions from The Museum of History and Technology: Paper 1 The Scholfield Wool-Carding Machines Grace L. Rogers PRIMITIVE CARDING 3 THE FIRST MECHANICAL CARDS 5 JOHN AND ARTHUR SCHOLFIELD S THE NEV^'BURYPORT WOOLEN MANUFACTORY 9 THE SCHOLFIELD NL-\CHINES U — By Grace L. Rogers THE SCHOLFIELD WOOL-CARDING MACHINES First to appear among the inventions that sparked the industrial revolution in textile making ivas the flying shuttle, then various devices to spin thread and yarn, and lastly machines to card the raiv fibers so they could be spun and woven. Carding is thus the im- portant first step. For processing short-length wool fibers its mechanization proved most dijficult to achieve. To the United States in 1793 came John and Arthur Scholfield, bringing with them the knowledge of how to build a successful wool- carding machine. From this contribution to the technology of our then itifatit country developed another new industry. The Author: Grace L. Rogers is curator of textiles. Museum of History and Technology!, in the Smithsonian Institution' s United States National Museum. CARDING IS THE NECESSARY preliminary step by Primitive Carding which individual short fiiacrs of wool or cotton The earliest method of carding wool was probably are separated and cleaned of foreign materials so they one in which, by use of the fingers alone, the tufts were can be spun into yarn. The thoroughness of the card- |)ulled apart, the foreign particles loosened and ex- ing determines the quality of the yarn, while the posi- tracted, and the fibers blended. Fuller's teasels tion in which the carded fibers are laid determines its (thistles with hooked points, Dispasactis fullomtm). now type. The fibers are laid parallel in order to spin a better known for raising the nap on woven woolens, smooth compact yarn, or they arc crossed and inter- were also used at a very early date for carding. The mingled to produce a soft bulky yarn. teasels were mounted on a pair of small rectangular frames with handles; and from this device developed the familiar small hand card (see fig. 2), measuring . i .\n Scholfifxd Wooi.-Card- Figure Origi.nal about 8 inches by 5 inches, in which card clothing INO Machink, built by .Arthur Scholfield or under (wire teeth embedded in leather) was mounted on a his immediate direction between 1803 and 1814, as board with the wire teeili bent and angled toward the exhibited in the hall of textiles of the U. S. National handle. The wool was placed on one card and a sec- Museum {cat. no. Tiiroo). The exhibits in this ond card was dragged acro.ss it, the two hands pulling hall are part of those being prepared for the enlarged away from each other. This action separated the hall of textiles in the new Museum of History and Technology now under construction. (Smilhsoiiian fibers and laid them parallel to the handle, in a thin in this sev- /i/iolo 45396.) film. After the fibers had been carded wav P.VPF.R 1 : SCHOLFIELD WOOL-CARDLNG M.ACHINES 4712 -50- — Figure 2. Hand Cards "Used on Plantation or Marv C. Purvis," Nelson County, Vir- ginia, during early i8oo's and now in U. S. National Museum {cat. no. T2848; Smitluonian photo 37258). Figure 3. -The First Machine in Lewis Paul's British Patent 636, Issued August 30, 1748. The treadle moved the card-covered board B\ , in a horizontal direction as necessary to perform the carding operation. With the aid of the needlcslick the fibers were removed separately from each of the 16 cards .V. The carded fibers were placed on a narrow cloth band, which unrolled from the small cylinder G, on the left, and was rolled up with the fibers on the cylinder /, at the right. .Miif.r I. 'V I'AI IS SrncniAimN inny oitiit lilt fyti/ulf/ (i FIC I III The uffitr (mil / II., ,,„,tl..l ,1 r,.t ,.