Westborough High School - Cotton Gin Yearbook (Westborough, MA)

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Zheme Sli Whitney As the years go by, the significance of Eli Whitney and his inventive genius becomes more and more clearly defined. Historians and businessmen are ever realizing more fully the import- ance of his contributions to society, commerce, and the general well-being of mankind. Al- most every day, students of industrial progress are made conscious of the Whitney genius in new applications of manufacturing skill and the processes of mass production. Automobiles, refrig- erators, weapons, and agricultural machinery, among many other things, come forth in a flood in a flood from mass production lines of which Whitney was the originator. Eli Whitney was born in Westboro, Massachusetts, in 1765. His inventive skill was revealed at an early age when he devised a method of making nails. He obtained his education at Yale College and graduated in 1792. He accepted a teaching position in Georgia, but upon arriving he discovered the position already filled. He accepted an invitation from Mrs. Nathanael Greene to remain at her estate while he was finishing his studies of law. Upon the request of some planters, he attempted to develop a machine for removing cotton seeds. Laboring under the disadvantage of having to make his own tools, he succeeded in mak- ing a machine that would clean fifty pounds of cotton a day. This cotton gin was merely a wooden cylinder fitted with strong wire teeth which rotated between vertical wires held in a frame. As th e cylinder revolved, the teeth drew the fiber through the wires; the seeds, being too large to filter through, fell to the ground. But before Whitney could patent the device, van- dals broke into his workshop and stole his model. Soon there were many imitations in use and Whitney could not prove that the cotton gin was his invention. Finally after many law suits and much expense, Eli Whitney was declared the inventor of the cotton gin; but this verdict had come too late and what profit there was to be made from his invention had already been lost. A disheartened Whitney went to Connecticut, established a firearms factory at Whitneyville, and succeeded to obtaining a large government contract. However, he failed to fulfill the terms of the contract because he had spent his time making tools trying to prove that the manufacture of guns could be speeded up if the parts were interchangeable. Whitney eventually proved his point to the members of Congress; mass production had begun. Whitney ' s idea of mass production has been carried down to the modern world. Yes, the genius of Whitney has been realized by many in the past and will be recognized by many more in the years to come.

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