On July 12th 1859, William Goodall of Massachusetts, USA, patented a machine for the making of paper bags.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,734, dated July 12, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TWILLIAM GooDALE, of Clinton, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Machinery for Making Paper Bags; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, refr erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a central longitudinal section of a machine with my improvements. Fig. 2, is a plan of the same. Fig. 3, is a transverse vertical section of the same in the line ai, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, exhibits the shape of the paper blank of which the bags are formed by the machine, before it is folded. Fig. 5, exhibits the bag folded.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists firstly in making the cutter which cuts the paper from the roll or piece, of the peculiar irregular form hereinafter described, whereby it is caused by the operation by which it cuts the paper from the roll or piece, to give it the form hereinafter specified which permits it without further cutting out to be folded into a bag.

It also consists in the attachment of the former around which the paper is folded to form the bags, to the cutter which cuts it from the roll or piece.

It also consists in a certain mode of applying and arranging a paster in combination with the former attached to the cutter, for the purpose of pasting the lap which closes the bottom of the bag.

It also consists in a certain construction of two side lappers operating in combination with the former to fold the bag, where by the bottom lap is partly folded by the act of folding the side laps.

It also consists in a contrivance applied and operating as hereinafter described to start the folded or partly folded bag from the former.

It also consists in a pair of rollers arf and combination of the several parts of the machinery to operate substantially as hereinafter described. (Machine for makietg paper bags)

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How far we have come….