Henry Alonzo House, inventor was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. April 23, 1840, the youngest son of Ezekiel House and Sussannah King. In 1842 his family moved to New York City on Christy St. near the Bowery, which at that time was way up town. His father, Ezekiel House, was an architect and builder and at that time was assisting his brother House in perfecting and getting caiptal interest in his New Printing Telegraph.
In the spring of 1846 the House family moved out to Little Meadows, Susquannah County, Pennsylvania where they built a home which was known as the Castle. It was built on the side of a hill. There was a natural spring near, which was piped into the house to give running water, and unusual thing for those days.
At that time there was no railroad to that part of the country. So in order to move their household goods from New York, they boarded a barge which was towed by steam up the Hudson River to Troy where it was taken through the lock into the Erie Canal and towed by horses to Ithica on Lake Cayuga, N.Y. 40 miles from Little Meadows. The last part of the trip was made by ox teams and the whole journey took over a month.
As there was no school house in Little Meadows the children were taught in a private home. In 1852 the family moved to Oswego where there were better educational facilities. Here they lived by the Susquahanna River, and as the boys James and Henry had had a small boat on their Uncle's mill pond at Little Meadows, they built a larger boat here and rigged it up like the side wheelers they had seen on the Hudson River. The paddle wheels were 5 feet in diameter, the seats were on the sides. This they used to take people up the river on excursions and also to carry produce down the river, thus earning money with which to pay their father for the material used to build the boat.
Ezekiel House left Oswego in the spring of 1854 as he had taken a contract to build a county court house in the suburbs of Rockford, Ill. Henry and his brother went to Rockford in the fall and started in business with their father. The journey took three days.
A few years later, while in Rockford, the brothers played in a brass band called the Rockford Zouaves under Major Ellsworth who was later killed in Baltimore in the early part of the Cilvil War.
In 1857 Ezekiel House was called to superintend the construction of some buildings in Grand Rapids, so Henry took a position with his father in Chicago, Ill. who was superintending the raising and reconstructing of the old city hall there. After this work was completed he returned to the Mange Reaper Co. He went again to Chicago in 1859 and did the clay modeling in the Jesuit Cathedral on the west side of the city. That fall he returned to New York City with his father stopping on the way at their home in Little Meadows, PA.
While working on a building in New York, Henry had the misfortune of having the extension muscle of his right hand severed by a chisel which dropped from a scaffold. This incapacitated his doing any carpentry work for several months. During this enforced idleness, he designed and patented a Automatic Gate. No 29,639, Aug. 21, 1860.
When the Civil War broke out and Henry was rejected as a volunteer on account of his slightly cripped right hand, he turned his attention to making a buttonhole machine. He and his brother James A. House entered into partnership with Mr. Seaman and in 1862 they prefected an automatic button hole sewing machine which was tested in a clothing shop in New York on army overcoats and capes where it average was from 1000 to 1200 button holes per day. This caused hard feelings among the hand button hole workers and one day during the noon hour they smashed the machine. However, the next morning another machine was working in its place. All together there wer over one hundred thousand button holes made there. The patents were taken over by the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Co. of Bridgeport, Conn.
During the year 1862 while Mr. House was in Washington looking after patent application he met Abraham Lincoln for whom he cast his first vote.
In November 1862 he again returned to Little Meadows and married his cousin Mray Elizabeth House, daughter of William House, a miller. As his mother was very ill they hurried to Brooklyn, N.Y. where his mother died Nov. 28, 1862. He then took his bride to Bridgeport, Conn. where he was engaged by the Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machine Co. to superintend the making of his button hole machine.
In the Spring of 1863 his father Ezekiel House died in Brooklyn, N.Y. During that year four patents were issued for the automatic button hole sewing machine.
In 1864 his shop was moved from Brooklyn to Bridgeport, his brother James also coming to Bridgeport at that time. They soon perfected an attatchment to be used on the family sewing machine. This system was entirely new and since the patent was issued in 1868, it has been adopted through the world.
On Feb. 27, 1865, a son, Henry Alonzo House Jr., was born.
In the Spring of 1866, Henry House and his brother James built a steam carriage for their own amusement and recreation. It would carry seven, including the driver and the fireman on the back seat. It could develop 15 hH.P. and could travel 30 miles P.H. on a good level road. It frightened so many horses and even men they did not use it long.
At the Paris Exposition Universal which opened in Paris, France in May 1867, the Wheeler and Wilson Mfg. Co. had a button hole sewing machine on exhibition and Henry A. House, as inventor, was chosen by the company to demonstrate it there. (see newspaper account attached) Mr. House crossed the Atlantic on the S.S. City of Boston, which took 15 days from New York to Liverpool.
Mr. House left the Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machine Mfg. Co. in 1869 and turned his attention to family knitting that could knit all size goods both flat and tubular. At that time there were no machines on the market doing that type of work.
In 1870 when the Armstrong and House Mfg. Co. was organized and a shop was built, they began manufactoring knitting machines. Five patents were issued to Mr. House from 1869 to 1872. Among them a new system of knitting stockings in a continuous tube, first knitting the leg, then forming a mitered heal, then the foot and mitered toe then a leg, and so on. The toe was separated from the leg by drawing a thread leaving all the loops ready to close.
After turning over several inventions to the Armstrong and Howes Mfg. Co., Mr. House resigned in the fall of 1872 and proceeded to invent a bundling machine for kindling wood. This machine, which compressed and tied five bundles of wood a minute, was working in New York City in 1873.
In 1875 his attention was called to the dressing of fur skins, such as Buffalo hides. It took from two to two and a half days of hard labor to bring a large hide down to a flexiable state. When Mr. House made the statement, he could make an instrument that could dress four hides or more a day, they were astonished as they claimed no tool could stand up to those dry hides 10 minutes.
In time, Mr. House invented a rotary plane with a ring knife, that could be fed up as it moved, with a set of samll emery wheels each side of the knife always running which would set the edge of the knife at every revolution. The plane was universallly hung and counter balanced so it wieghed nothing in the hand of the operator, though it was driven by power from the engine. On a wager, the first operator finished fifty hides in ten hours.
In 1875 Nov, 21, a daughter Libbie Grace* was born.
In 1878 Mr. Howlett, president of the Union Paper Bag Co. of Philadelphia, called on Mr. House as he heard he had a machine making sachel bottom paper bags, and had Mr. House come to Philadelphia to make a folding attachment for their old machines. Although this was satisfactory to a degree, it developed the old machines were not properly constructed. Finally Mr. House designed new machines.
While working the attachment in Philadelphia a member of one of the western branches asked Mr. House if he could help them in making the paper dishes, as they had trouble in drying them. When Mr. House produced samples with a round flange the design was accepted and he was given a contract to build a machine that would make twenty thousand paper dishes in 10 hours. Much work was required to maintain the heat at 800 to 900 degrees necessary to dry a dish in 2 seconds Mr.House involved a system of using superheated steam which kept the dies at red heat. The press was first tested at his factory in Bridgeprt before being shipped to Clinton, Iowa.
Late in 1878 in collaboration with Mr. Dwight Wheeler, a hatter, Mr. House invented and patented a machine for blocking felt hats in 28 seconds. The patents were issued in Feb. 25, 1879 and in the same year the House and Wheeler Hat Flanging Co., a joint stock company was formed in Bridgeport, Conn. A pratical machine was built and installed at the Marrinet Hat Co. at Salisbury, Conn. The employees, adverse to any innovations went on strike. The hat flanging machine fullfilled all requirement. After the machine had been working a few months the strikers were ready to compromise. In later years the Hatters Union voted against it use entirely.
In Oct. of 1878, Mr. House suffered a severe shock form the accidental death of his son William Ezekiel, who was born Feb. 22, 1874. (William Ezekiel was accidentally shot and killed by his cousin Alfred Bishop Beers, Jr.)
In 1879, Mr. House was asked if he could eliminate the jingle of the telephone bell. At that time there was no privacy on the lines. Mr. House devised and patented an automatic telephone switch which excluded all objectionable noises. By the use of a small cabinet with a bell on top and a button in front, marked for each station to be pushed and held as desired until the bell rang. The two stations were then automatically connected, cutting out all others, thus insuring privacy. This being the first patent of it kind, Mr. House procured a very broad patent.
This patent was purchased by the Automatic Telephone Call Co. of Chicago.
In 1880, Mr. S.D. Castle and Mr. House became interested in the picking of furs. Buffalo hides were getting scarse, and Mr. Castle wanted to use muskrat or beaver, but he found the pelts had to be picked of the outer of long hair, a tedious job for an unskilled hand. After a few months, Mr. House had a small machine working that would pick large or small pelts without missing a hair. The machine picked skins were shown to furriers in New York. A few days later, Mr. Frasure of Wall St., N.Y. called on Mr. House at Bridgeport. An offer was made and accepted and a check from Mr. Frasure bound the agreement. Arrangements were made to build a machine that would pick a bull pelt 6 feet long and 3 feet wide while kept moist and warm.
This patent, also the first of its kind, for treating pelts No 233,4115 was issued in Oct 19, 1882 just one month and five day after the application was made, when work on the large machine for the London Co was started.
In the meantime the new design paper bag machine was completed and deliverd in Philadelpia. This machine would make 300 bags per minute, with tucked ends forming a square bottom, and printed on one side.
The new model fur picking machine was finished in the spring of 1882. The pelts after being moistened, went round on a drum which was kept warm with circulation of hot water. Mr. Frasure was more than satisfied and was anxious to ship it to London, Eng. as soon as possible. Passage for Mr. House was booked on the S.S. Adriatic of the White Star Line for the middle of June.
On his arrival in London, at Mr. Frasure's suggestion, Mr. House purchased a silk hat, frock coat, gloves and umbrella. In due time he called at the office of the Curtis Lampton Fur Co. Queen St. and produced his letter of introduction, although he was supposed to be an American friend of Sir Curtis Lampton's.
Sir Curtis Lampton, although an American by birth, was knighted by Queen Victoria for having succesfully layed the 2nd Trans Atlantic cable from Ireland to Newfoundland.
The first attempt to lay this cable had been made by Cyrus Field of New York, in 1858.
Sir Curtis placed Mr. House in care of Mr. Goodwin who gave his every assistance. After weeks of delay the demonstation was arranged for in secret one Saturday afternoon. Mr. Lake, Mr. House's assistant, Mr. Goodwin, Sir Curtis and two of his associates, only were present. The demonstation lasted 3 hours and accomplished more work than one skilled workman could do in 2 days. The London Co. bought all the patents pertaining to fur picking and treating of pelts. Every thing was boxed and shipped to London in 30 days.
These machines were never unpacked leaving the entire control of the fur picking trade with the English market.
In 1883, Mr. House organized the Compressed Paper Box Co. and proceeded to make seamless paper boxes. He invented a new form of box termed "a round square", partically adopted for holding cartrages as the corners wer compressed in, not out, giving extra strength. The machines were semi-automatic.
At this time his son Henry Alzonzo House, (Harry) joined him in his experimental work.
The Deoxides Metal Co. of Bridgeport in 1885 secured a contract for the bronze balasters required for the New Treasurey Building in Washington, D.C. These balusters were of the most elaborate design, leaves, beads, and moulding, all to have a bright finish which required a great deal of hand work. The Deoxidized could make but not burnish the balusters and desired to subcontract this work. Presenting samples to various concerns, each declined to under take this difficult work. At that time there was no machinery for polishing metals, the usual procedure was to immerse in acid, and hand work was too costly. The contract from Washington definetely state that acid was not to be used.
Mr. Graves, president of the De-oxidize Co. was sent to Mr. House, "the man who had done so many queer things" to see if he could devise a way to accomadate them with regard to the polishing. If the Smith and Eggo Co. could do the lacquering and buffing. Mr. House submitted samples which were sent to Washington and were finally accepted. He used a small cabinet twice the length of the baluster; the baluster was slipped on the shaft, placed in the cabinet, the doors closed and plolypus sand was thrown against the baluster at a great velocity, thus polishing all surfaces, concave and convex.
In 1885, Mr. Henry House Sr. became stockholder in the Postal Telegraph Co. of Binghamton, N.Y. and was made superintendent of their experimental department. During his research, Mr. House came across a patent taken out by Royal E. House , No. 77,882, May 12, 1866. Electric Phonetic Telegrah, for transmitting messages by sound, signals and letters. This invention embodied the fundamental principal of electric telephone. Its construction was that of a tripled size modern telephone. The hollow ear piece was made in such a form to focus the sound waves direct to the operator's ear. A thin metal diaphram was secured to the opposite end, a pair of magnets with a pivoted armeture was secured to the frame (holding the ear piece and diaphram) of the armeture, connected with the diaphram by means of a strut thus keeping the armiture from contracting poles of the magnets which were energized by a battery current. When the current was closed the armeture held the diaphram in magnetic suspension. The slightest change in the current manifested upon the diaphram and upon all those on the same line.
It was decided best to move everything in connection with developing and manufacturing this project to Mr. Henry House's shop in Bridgeport, Conn. also to take Mr. and Mrs. Royal House with them. Mr. Royal House was then over seventy years old.
In due time the instruments were perfected, adjusted to all conditions and ready to manufactor, but through some mis understandings with the directors and stock holders of the company in Binghamton involving a suit, and held in the courts until the patents expired.
In 1886 - 7 when the Royal E. House Telegraph was produced with the printing telegraph the Morse Telegraph tried to enjoin them from infringing the Morse Patents. Morse claimed the sole right of transmitting intelligence by electrictiy; a combination of dots and dashes. The courts decided the House Co. did not infringe the Morse patent in the slightest degree, so the messages using the House system were all printed on a slip of paper, while the Morse signals were embosed and in code. (dots and dashes) afterwards translated into words.
Later the House Co. and the Morse Co joined and formed the Great Western Telegraph Co.
Mr. Royal E. House had spent 14 year prefecting a printing telelgraph system that would be rapid and also keep a record; his system which is still in use prints a message on slips of paper at the rate of 250 words a minute.
As soon as Mr. Henry House procured a copy of the phonetic instrument patent, he saw it contained all the elements and requirements of the speaking telephone he prceedded to make a set of instruments in a modern design, which he patented on Dec 14, 1896, No. 324--- Electric Phonetic Telegraph Sender. This patent shows the exact combination and principle of the original Royal E. House patents of May 12, 1866, No. 77,882 years before the Bell patents were issued.
Mr. Henry House's invention consisted of the use of the D.C., direct current. Vibratory Current. The Bell Co. at that time were using A.C., alternating current. Magnectic Undulatory current. Mr. House demonstrated to his attorneys that he employed a different current from the Bell system and also explained that the Bell patent was on a discovery, and not an instrument.
About this time the Royal E. House Co and the Morse Co amalgamated and formed the Great Western Co.
In the meantime Mr. Henry Hosue invented and produced the first liquid door checks. This was a basic patent taken out by Mr. House and his son H.A. House Jr. Aug 2, 1887, 367,634. They were later manufactured by the Pittsburg Co. under a liscense.
In 1888, Mr. House entered the wood-bundling business using the machines he had patented in 1873.
Following a disatrous fire in March 1889, which partly distroyed his factory, Mr. Henry House accepted a position with Hiram Maxim in England to construct a 300 H.P. flyming machine at Bexley, Kent. In November his son Harry House Jr. joined him to assist in this work. See "Artificial and Natural Flight: by Sir Hiram Maxim, Page 31, 62, 133-159.
During this time many patents were issued to Mr. House. and assigned to the Maxiam Syndicate.
Mr. P.T. Barnum, a friend of Mr. House took his famous circus to England in 1889 and called on the Maxim Syndicate and wished to buy an interest in the flying machine project but the English capitalist objected.
After a final test of the Maxim flying machine when it actually lifted itself from the tracts the project was abondoned.
In the spring of 1891, Mr. Henry House left the Maxim Syndicate and started a factory, at Teddington on the River Thames, to build fast motor launces using kerosene oil as fuel. During the trials of the first launch, "The Doil" its speed caused a wash on banks of the river; for this Mr. Henry House was summoned to appear in court and fined 10 pounds and costs. One of the witnesses for the Crown swore the craft was going 26 knots an hour. This proved to be a good advertisement.
After the court trail in 1893, it was decided to move the works to East Cowes, on the Isle of Wight where they formed the Liquid Fuel-Engineering Co. (L.I.F.U.) trademark. This Co. built high speed launches for the Duke of St. Albans, Prince of Wales, German Emperor, King of Belgium, Sir Thomas Lipton, and many other notables. This system used high pressure copper tubular boilers, burning kerosene oil, compound steam engines and specially designed propellers.
In 1894, Mr. Henry House left his son in charge and went back to America and at Bridgeprot, Conn. prefected the larger sizes of his kerosene burners which were made in 10 sizes, ranging from 1/2 H.P. to 100 H.P.
Mr. House returned to the Isle of Wight, Eng. in the spring of 1896 with new patents, Improvements on Oil Burners which were bought in by L.I.F.U.Co. The Co. built for Mr. House Sr. a high speed 40 foot 35 H.P. launch which he brought to America in Aug. 1896. He expected to use this launch for demonstrating his system in forming Liquid Fuel Engineering Co., in America, but on account of the death of his English associate, Sir Robert Simons, in London he gave up the launch business.
From 1898 to 1904, Mr. House worked on horseless vehicles and patented many devices used on the earlier motor cars.
In 1904, Mr. House went to Worcester, Mass. to develop a chain for the Baldwin Chain Co. while there he also patented a Liquid Indicator and Air Pressure and vacuity indicator.
In Bridgeport in 1906 & 7, he deveopled and patented an all steel barrel and keg.
In 1908, he was again associated with his son Harry House Jr., who had returned from England, in developing a metal belt.
In 1909 through, Mr. George Mortson, of Hartford, Conn., who had been associated with Mr. House on the Maxim Flying Machine, in England in 1891, he became interested in the making of a parafinized drinking cup. They later formed the U.S. Paper Bottle Co.
In 1915 Mr. Herny House became associated with the Shredded Wheat Co. at Niagara Falls, N.Y. He conctructed an entirely new system for baking, handling and packing the biscuits. The first machine was built in his shop near his home on Wood Av., in Bridgeport and was accepted by the Shredded Wheat Co. and shipped to Niagara Falls. The further developement of the system was turned over to Mr. Earl Webster who had been assocaited with Mr. House from the beginning of the experiment.
It was at this time while travelling with Mr. House to Niagaro Falls and Rochester that Mrs. House was taken seriously ill and died at the home of thier niece, at Forest Lawn, near Rochester, N.Y.
Some years later the Shredded Wheat Co. erected a new factory, at Niagara Falls, Ont., Canada to house the new automatic oven built on the House system. This oven handles some 38,000 dozen biscuits every 24 hours.
From 1929, Mr. House who was then 89 year sold, spent his declining years perfecting his metal barrel and flexible stick metal belt. Patent No 1,625.609 Link-beltings and No 1,458.59 Barrel.
Mr. House estimated he obtained over 300 patents, including those taken out in foreign countries and although he developed thirteen basic patents he felt that the process of baking involved in shredded wheat biscuits to be his greatest achievment. patent No. 1.488.251 and No 1,488.252 March 1924.
Mr. House also spent a great deal of time paintingin water colors, some of which were of his first horseless carriage of 1866, which were placed at the disposal of the Smithsonian Institue.
Mr. Henry A. House died in his 91st year Dec. 18, 1930 and is survived by a son Henry A. House Jr. and two daughters, Mrs. John Binkley, and Mrs. George Mortson.