1840 Indian Rebirth

Chapter 59 [Design Jeans]

The main source of old canvas was tents, and at this time, during the westward movement, the Midwest was still empty, but people were moving in from the east every day.

The west is vast, the railway has not yet been popularized, and the automobile has not yet been invented. During the process of emigration, tents are naturally indispensable in order to avoid eating and sleeping in the open.

Most people in the town have an old tent, which was bought by Mary at a low price. There are about seventy or eighty tents, which are neatly stacked in the utility room in front of them.

And it looks like these old tents have been washed and are very clean.

"Good job." Horse Whistle nodded.

Mary asked, "So, now how are you going to make pants out of them?"

"Call the tailor and I'll tell you how to do it."

After a while, several white women were called over with simple sewing and scissors tools.

The horse whistle suddenly fell silent.

Looking at the simple production tools in the hands of these tailors, he thought of an invention.

sewing machine.

Strictly speaking, there are sewing machines in this era, and they were available decades ago, but because the design is not mature enough, they have not been widely used, and only a small number of people have used them.

Maybe he could improve the sewing machine, as Watt improved the steam engine?

This seems to be completely feasible. After all, a mature sewing machine is not far away from the current era, and there should not be many improvements he needs to make.Moreover, he lived in the countryside in his previous life, so he had close contact with sewing machines and a little experience in using them.

"Do you have sewing machines?" Ma Whistle asked.

A chubby white woman said: "I have one at home, but it doesn't work very well. I feel like sewing by hand."

"When did you buy your sewing machine?"

"half year ago."

"how much did you spend?"

"About fifty dollars—my husband bought it, he must have had too much to drink."

Ma Shuo thought for a while: "If it is not damaged, I want to buy it for thirty dollars, how about it?"

The white woman froze for a moment: "Really?"

"Of course. But let's not rush now, let's discuss the design of canvas pants first." Ma Shao took out a blueprint, on which he drew the most common styles of jeans in later generations.

"You need to use old canvas to make such a pair of trousers." He pointed to the drawings and introduced them to the tailors.

Strictly speaking, there are still some differences between the jeans on the drawing and the common styles of later generations, mainly the zipper.

——There is no zipper in this era.

And Ma Shao didn't intend to invent this thing, because he knew that with the current technical conditions, it is not difficult to invent a zipper, but it is almost impossible, or even impossible, to invent a good, durable and cheap zipper.

The zipper looks inconspicuous, but in fact there are many ways.

In the original history, it was already in the 20th century that this technology really matured.Even into the 21st century, zipper technology is still developing.

Today's jeans, let's use canvas and rivets honestly, this is already a mature design that has been tested by the market.

Ma Shao believes that the jeans he designed will be more popular than the first pair of jeans in history, and Westerners will fall in love with them faster, and even become popular in the East and even the world faster.

Not long after, under his guidance, the first pair of jeans was sewn out.

If the zipper is not counted, its style looks almost the same as that of later generations, but the color is not the most popular blue of later generations, but brown.

"That's it, very good!" Horse Whistle praised, "According to this style, all the old canvas is made into trousers."

Mary asked, "Are you going to apply for a patent?"

Ma Shuo nodded: "It is necessary to apply for a patent. Believe me, this thing will definitely sell well."

"But... you're an Indian." Mary spread her hands. "I'm not even sure you can walk into the patent office."

She was right, after all, Indians were still being offered a bounty for their scalps.To white people, Indians are walking dollars.

The Indians went to the white cities to apply for patents, which was like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth.

Black people can't go there either. Although free black people won't be directly arrested and scalped, it is still extremely difficult to apply for a patent.

The only way it works is to get a white guy to apply.

"I know." Ma Shao thought for a while, "I'm going to let Thomas apply for a patent, and then send Freud to be his bodyguard."

As a white man with a healthy root, it is naturally much easier for Thomas to apply for a patent. Even if he encounters a little trouble, he can spend a few tens of dollars at most to deal with it.

Floyd was naturally trying to restrain him. Although Little Thomas was in the hands of the horse whistle, Thomas should not dare to do anything, but to be on the safe side, it would be safer to find two black people to accompany him.

Mary nodded: "That's the only way."

"By the way, since you want to apply for a patent, what name do you plan to name this kind of pants?"

Ma Shuo pondered for a while: "Let's call it 'Clark Overalls'."

At first he wanted to call it Apache overalls, but on second thought, he felt that he might have trouble applying for a patent with this Indian name, so he gave up.

The horse whistle then went to Floyd Freeman, who was patrolling the town with several black police officers.

Although Floyd had great emotions towards white people, under the repeated emphasis of Horse Whistle and Sheriff Tom, he still maintained restraint and did not take the initiative to retaliate against white people, at least so far.

"Chief." Seeing the horse whistle, the blacks greeted one after another.Naturally, they respected the man who gave them freedom and work.

The horse whistle walked up to Floyd: "How is it, how does it feel to be a deputy sheriff?"

"It's not bad, these white people finally understand humility." Floyd said.

Ma Shuo smiled, and then changed the topic: "I have a task for you. In a few days, I plan to send the mayor Thomas to the city to apply for a patent...but you know, I can't trust white people."

"So, I need you to accompany a black man to monitor and protect Thomas until you return to Clark Town with the patent certificate. Can you do it?"

"Of course not," Floyd replied.

The two then talked for a while, and Floyd said: "Chief, frankly, I don't quite understand why you are so kind to white people. It stands to reason that you should hate them more than we do."

"Indeed." Horse Whistle nodded, "But this is my way of revenge. I believe you will see its effect. For anyone, it is far more meaningful than massacre and looting."

"You must remember what I said to Tom." He finally urged, "You are now a policeman, punishing criminals and protecting law-abiding people."

Leaving Floyd, it was evening.

Ma Shao went to the white woman's house and bought the second-hand sewing machine for thirty dollars.

Then he was bored in the room alone, working on this antique sewing machine.

(End of this chapter)