l
Palace Exhibition in London in 1850, but because it was late in arriving
it was overlooked by the judges and not even considered in the
competition. Thimonnier died in poverty at Amplepuis on July 5, 1857.

WALTER HUNT

Walter Hunt was born near Martinsburg, New York, on July 29, 1796.
Although little is known of Hunt's early childhood, we do learn from the
author of his obituary, which appeared in _Scientific American_, July 9,
1860, that even as a child he was more interested in people and what he
could do for them than in what he could do to insure his own welfare. He
is said to have devoted his life to his friends, frequently giving away
his last cent when he did not have enough to provide for himself.

There is no record that Hunt maintained a regular business other than
the occupation of inventor. His interests were numerous and varied. He
received his first patent on June 26, 1826, for a machine for spinning
flax and hemp. During the next 33 years he patented 26 ideas. In
addition he sold or dropped several more. His second patent was for a
coach alarm, and through the years he also received patents for a
variety of things including a knife sharpener, heating stove, ice boat,
nail machine, inkwell, fountain pen, safety pin, bottle stopper, sewing
machine (1854), paper collars, and a reversible metallic heel.

[Illustration: Figure 134.--WALTER HUNT, 1796-1860. From a daguerreotype
owned by his great-grandson, C. N. Hunt. (Smithsonian photo 32066-A.)]

ELIAS HOWE, JR.

Elias Howe, Jr., was born on his father's farm in Spencer,
Massachusetts, on July 9, 1819. This was one of those barren New England
farms with many rock-filled acres. All possible ingenuity was necessary
to secure a living. The elder Howe supplemented his farming by having a
small gristmill, a sawmill, and also by manufacturing cards for the
fast-growing cotton industry of New England. Elias Jr.'s earliest
recollections were of the latter. He worked with his brothers and
sisters sticking wire teeth into strips of leather to make these cotton
cards, but, not being very good at this, his family decided to let him
"live out" with a neighboring farmer. (Children were leased in those
days; they received their board and keep in exchange for chores they
would perform.) After a few years, Elias returned home and worked in his
father's mill until he was sixteen. Then, against the wishes of his
family, he went to Lowell, Massachusetts. Here, he ob