Inventing years Henry Alonzo House

1 inventing years

1.1 automatic buttonhole machine
1.2 sewing machine patent
1.3 steam horseless carriage
1.4 knitting machine
1.5 other inventions
1.6 paper dishes
1.7 hat manufacturing
1.8 fur work
1.9 paper boxes
1.10 metal polishing
1.11 telegraphs , telephones
1.12 flying machine
1.13 boats
1.14 miscellaneous inventions
1.15 shredded wheat

inventing years

ezekiel house left owego in spring of 1854 had taken contract build county court house in suburbs of rockford, illinois. henry , brother went rockford in fall , started in business father. in 1857 henry took position father superintending raising , reconstructing of old city hall in chicago. while working on building in new york, henry had misfortune of having extension muscle of right hand severed chisel dropped scaffold. incapacitated doing carpentry work several months. during enforced idleness, designed , patented automatic gate.

automatic buttonhole machine

when civil war broke out , henry rejected volunteer on account of cripped right hand, turned attention making button hole machine. , brother james entered partnership mr. seaman , in 1862 perfected automatic buttonhole sewing machine. tested in clothing shop in new york on army overcoats , capes, average 1,000 1,200 buttonholes per day. caused hard feelings among hand buttonhole workers, , 1 day during noon hour smashed machine. however, next morning machine working in place. there on 1 hundred thousand button holes made there. patents taken on wheeler , wilson manufacturing company of bridgeport, connecticut. while house in washington d.c. looking after patent application, met abraham lincoln, whom cast first vote.

in november 1862, again returned little meadows , married cousin mary elizabeth house, daughter of william house, miller. mother ill hurried brooklyn mother died on november 28, 1862.

he took bride bridgeport, connecticut engaged wheeler , wilson superintend making of buttonhole machine. in spring of 1863 father ezekiel house died in brooklyn. during year 4 patents issued automatic buttonhole sewing machine. in 1867 house represented company @ paris exposition universelle, opened in france in may 1867.

another sewing machine patent

in 1864 shop moved brooklyn bridgeport, brother james joining him there. perfected attachment used on family sewing machine. system entirely new , since patent issued in 1868, has been adopted throughout world. on february 27, 1865, henry alonzo house jr. born. son, william ezekiel, born on february 22, 1874. on november 21, 1875, daughter, libbie grace, born.

steam horseless carriage

in spring of 1866, henry house, sr. , brother james built steam carriage own amusement , recreation. carried seven, including driver , fireman on seat. developed 15 hp , travel 30 mph on level road. frightened many horses , men, did not use long.

knitting machine

house left wheeler , wilson in 1869 , turned attention developing machine knit various-sized goods, both flat , tubular. @ time, there no machines on market doing type of work. in 1870, armstrong , house manufacturing company organized , shop built produce new knitting machines. 5 patents issued house 1869 1872, among them 1 new system of knitting stockings in continuous tube. process first knit leg, form mitered heal, foot , mitered toe leg, , on. toe separated leg drawing thread leaving loops ready close.

other inventions

house resigned armstrong , house in fall of 1872, , proceeded invent bundling machine kindling wood in 1873.

in 1875 attention called dressing of fur skins, such buffalo hides. using existing processes, took 2 two , half days of hard labor bring large hide down flexiable state. when house claimed make machine dress 4 hides or more day, astonished, claimed no tool stand dry hides ten minutes. meet challenge, house developed rotary plane ring knife fed moved, set of small emery wheels each side of knife sharpened on every revolution. plane universally hung , counterbalanced weighed nothing in hand of operator, though driven power engine. on wager, first operator finished fifty hides in ten hours.

paper dishes

in 1878, president of union paper bag co. of philadelphia called on house, had heard house had developed machine able make sachel-bottom paper bags. house came folding attachment old machines, , although satisfactory degree, machines still old, , not constructed. house designed new machines.

while working attachment in philadelphia, house asked if 1 of union s western branches in making paper dishes, had trouble in drying them. when house produced samples round flange, design accepted , given contract build machine make twenty thousand paper dishes in 10 hours. work required maintain heat @ 800 900 degrees, necessary dry dish in 2 (2) seconds. mr. house involved system of using superheated steam kept dies @ red heat. press first tested @ factory in bridgeport before being shipped clinton, iowa.

hat manufacturing

late in 1878, in collaboration hatter dwight wheeler, house invented , patented machine blocking felt hats in 28 seconds. patents issued on february 25, 1879 , in same year house , wheeler hat flanging co., joint stock company, formed in bridgeport. practical machine built , installed @ marrinet hat co. @ salisbury, connecticut. employees, adverse innovations might reduce value company, went on strike. hat flanging machine fulfilled requirements, , after machine had been working few months strikers ready compromise. in later years hatters union voted against use entirely.

in october 1878, house suffered severe shock accidental death of younger son, william ezekiel house, accidentally shot , killed cousin, alfred bishop beers, jr.

fur work

in 1880, s.d. castle , henry house became interested in picking of furs. buffalo hides getting scarce, , castle wanted use muskrat or beaver, found pelts had picked of outer long hair, tedious job unskilled hand. after few months, house had small machine working pick large or small pelts without missing hair. machine-picked skins shown furriers in new york. few days later, mr. frasure of wall street, new york, called on house @ bridgeport, , 2 reached agreement house develop machine pick bull pelt 6 feet long , 3 feet wide, while being kept moist , warm. patent, first of kind, treating pelts, issued on october 19, 1882 1 month , 5 days after application made.

work on large machine london co. finished in spring of 1882. pelts, after being moistened, went around on drum kept warm circulation of hot water. frasure more satisfied , anxious ship london, england. possible. passage house booked on s.s. adriatic of white star line middle of june.

several weeks of delays after arrival, demonstration performed in secret 1 saturday afternoon. in 3 hours, more work accomplished 1 skilled workman in 2 days. london co. bought patents pertaining fur picking , treating of pelts. boxed , shipped london in 30 days. ironically, these machines never unpacked, leaving entire control of fur picking trade english market.

paper boxes

in 1883, house organized compressed paper box co. , proceeded make seamless paper boxes. invented new form of box termed round square , particularly adapted holding cartrages, corners compressed in, not out, giving strength. machines built make boxes semi-automatic.

at time son henry (harry) alzonzo house, jr. joined him in experimental work.

metal polishing

the deoxidized metal co. of bridgeport in 1885 secured contract bronze balusters required wew treasury building in washington, d.c. these balusters elaborate design incorporating leaves, beads , moulding, intended have bright finish, required great deal of hand work. deoxidized make, not burnish, balusters , sought subcontract work, no 1 took them on offer. @ time there no machinery polishing metals, usual procedure immerse in acid, , hand work costly. contract washington stated acid not used.

the president of deoxidized contacted house, man had done many queer things see if devise way perform polishing. house submitted samples sent washington , accepted. used small cabinet, twice length of baluster, in baluster slipped on shaft , fine, high-velocity sand shot @ baluster, polishing surfaces, both concave , convex.

telegraphs , telephones

in 1885, henry house sr. became stockholder in postal telegraph co. of binghamton, new york , made superintendent of experimental department. during research, house came across patent (u.s. patent 77,882) taken out uncle, royal e. house, in 1866 device called electric phonetic telegraph transmitted messages sound, signals , letters. invention embodied fundamental principle of electric telephone.

its construction of triple-sized modern telephone. hollow ear piece made in such form focus sound waves direct operator s ear. thin metal diaphragm secured opposite end, pair of magnets pivoted armature secured frame of armature, , connected diaphragm means of strut, keeping armature contracting poles of magnets, energized battery current. when current closed, armature held diaphragm in magnetic suspension. slightest change in current manifested upon diaphragm , upon on same line. decided best move in connection developing , manufacturing project house s shop in bridgeport, . taking royal house (who on 70 years old) , wife them.

in due time instruments perfected, adjusted conditions , ready manufacture, misunderstandings directors , stock holders of company in binghamton resulted in lawsuit, stagnated in court process until patents expired.

in 1886–87 when royal e. house telegraph produced printing telegraph, morse telegraph tried enjoin them infringing morse patents. morse claimed sole right of transmitting intelligence electricity (which utilized morse code). courts decided house company did not infringe morse patent in slightest degree, messages using house system printed on slip of paper, while morse signals embosed , in code (dots , dashes) afterwards translated words.

as henry house procured copy of phonetic telegraph patent, saw contained elements , requirements of speaking telephone, , proceeded make set of instruments, patented on dec 14, 1896, electric phonetic telegraph sender. patent shows exact combination , principle of original royal e. house patents of may 12, 1866, years before bell patents issued.

henry house s invention consisted of use of direct current, whereas bell company @ time using alternating current house demonstrated attorneys employed different current bell system , explained bell patent on discovery, , not instrument.

about time royal e. house company , morse company merged , formed great western company.

in meantime henry house invented , produced first liquid door check. basic patent taken out house , son, h.a. house jr. in 1887. devices later manufactured pittsburg co. under license.

in 1888, mr. house entered wood-bundling business using machines had patented in 1873.

the flying machine

following disastrous fire in march 1889, partly destroyed factory, henry house sr. accepted position hiram maxim in england construct 300 horsepower flying machine @ bexley, kent. in november, son henry house jr. joined him assist in work. during time, many patents issued house sr. , assigned maxim syndicate. p.t. barnum, friend of house took famous circus england in 1889 , called on maxim syndicate, expressing interest in investing in flying machine project, maxim objected.

after several tests of maxim flying machine, project abandoned.

boats

in spring of 1891, house left maxim syndicate , started factory, @ teddington on river thames, build fast motor launches using kerosene oil fuel. during trials of first launch, doil, speed caused wake wash on banks of river. henry house summoned appear in court , fined 10 pounds , costs. 1 of witnesses crown swore craft going 26 knots hour, testimony proved advertisement.

after court trial in 1893, decided move works east cowes, on isle of wight, formed liquid fuel engineering co. (lifu) trademark. company built high-speed launches duke of st. albans, prince of wales, german emperor, king of belgium, sir thomas lipton, , many other notables. system used high pressure copper tubular boilers, burning kerosene oil, compound steam engines , specially designed propellers.

in 1894, henry house left son in charge , returned america , @ bridgeport, perfected larger sizes of kerosene burners. ten sizes developed, ranging 1/2 hp 100 hp.

house returned isle of wight in spring of 1896 new patents burners, assigned lifu co. company built house sr. high speed, 40 foot, 35 hp launch brought america in august 1896. expected use launch demonstrating system in forming liquid fuel engineering company in america, on account of death of english associate, sir robert simons, gave launch business.

miscellaneous inventions

from 1898 1904, house worked on horseless vehicles , patented many devices used on motor cars. in 1904, went worcester, massachusetts develop chain baldwin chain company, , while there patented liquid indicator , air pressure , vacuity indicator. in bridgeport (1906–07), developed , patented all-steel barrel , keg. in 1908, again associated son harry house jr., had returned england, in developing metal belt.

in 1909, through george mortson of hartford, whom had been associated on maxim flying machine, house became interested developing parafinized drinking cup. led 2 men form u.s. paper bottle co.

shredded wheat

in 1915 mr. herny house became associated shredded wheat company @ niagara falls, new york. constructed entirely new system baking, handling , packing shredded wheat biscuits. first machine built in shop in bridgeport , accepted shredded wheat co. , shipped niagara falls. further development of system turned on earl webster, had been associated house beginning of project.

it @ time, while travelling niagara falls , rochester, mary house became ill , died @ home of niece, @ forest lawn, near rochester.

several years later, shredded wheat co. erected new factory @ niagara falls, canada, house new automatic oven part of house system. oven produce 456,000 biscuits every 24 hours.

from 1929 house, 89 year sold, spent declining years perfecting metal barrel , flexible stick metal belt.

in all, house estimated had obtained on 300 patents, including taken out in foreign countries, , although developed thirteen basic patents, felt baking process shredded wheat biscuits greatest achievement.

henry a. house died, aged 90, on december 18, 1930, being survived son henry a. house, jr., , 2 daughters, mrs. john binkley , mrs. george mortson.