The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-03 00:00:00

THE STEAM PLOUGH IN AMERICA

The agricultural journals of the United States
report a successful trial of a new steam plough.
The mail from Illinois to-day (a New York paper
says), brings flattering accounts of the success of
an invention which is likely to prove to certain
parts of the West what the cotton gin was to the
South. We refer to Fawkes's steam plough, the
experiments with which at the State Fair at Free-
port have demonstrated that it is capable of plough-
ing 40 acres per day ! The benefit which must
accrue to the prairie lands of the West, especially
those of Illinois, from such a monster labour-saving
machine, cannot easily be over estimated.
The traction of this plough, instead of being
effected, as in the English invention, by wire ropes,
affixed to moveable anchors, is accomplished by
means of a driving drum, which appears, from the
following description, extracted from the same
jonrnal, to be capable of doing a great many more
•feats than drawing a plough :
" An interesting and amusing occurrence recently
took place at the trial of Fawke's steam plough in
Oxford-park, near Philadelphia. After the public
exhibition had been brought to a close, a common
farm or hay waggon was fastened to the engine—a
band, such as is often found in the country, consist- '
in,g of four pieces' was procured, and the ' Stars and
Stripes' unfurled froM the cart. A large party of
jolly and enthusiastic farmers filled the waggon to
overflowing, and the novel train was drawn by the
engine over the turnpike, three miles, to Frankford.
Four miles further, at the Chatham-street station,
where the engine with its train proceeded, a severer
test of the traction power of the machine was
proved. The truck upon`which it was to be trans-
ported over the Pennsylvania Central Railway
to Lancaster, was in waiting, but the question
anxiously discussed was, how the ponderous engine
was to be lifted upon the truck. The crowd in at-
tendance were enthusiastic over the scene, but Mr.
Fawkes WNS at no loss as to how it was to be ac-
complished."
The United States Railroad and Mining Reporter
says :—" He at once announced his intention of
running his engine up an inclined gangway, and
thus making it place itself upon the truck. Many
attempted to dissuade him from what they deemed
a hazardous undertaking, but
.16 insisted it could
be done. 'We accordingly procured two planks, 28
feet long, 6 inches thick, and 14 inches wide, and
with them made an inclined plane from the ground
to the top of the truck. The timbers were separated
about three feet, and securely blocked up, and gave
a united surface adhesion of 28 inches, which,
as his driving roller is six feet long, was but 28-
72nds, or 7-18ths of the usual traction surface.
Starting within five feet of the foot of the plan*, to
show his independence of momentum, the inventor
ascended until near the top, stopped, backed down
the plane several feet, again stopped, started up-
ward and entered upon the truck. Unaided by
momentum, and with less than two-fifths of, his
ordinary surface of adhesion, he ascended a grade
o over 1,000 feet to the mile. Arrived at Lancas-
ter, steam was got up while the machine was on the
truck, and a plane even shorter than that by which
the ascent had been made was constructed. Upon
this the engine placed herself, and descended to the
road."
The journal from which we copy the above
further remarks :
"We regard this performance as unrivalled in
the annals of engineering, and one, moreover, which
assures us that the employment of engines with a
driving drain will not be confined to agriculture,
hut that in the construction of railroads, tunnels,.
and ()the: public works, as well as in mines, they
may be advantageously used in transportation, on
grades hitherto regarded as insurmountable, save,
by animal power or stationary engines. Railroads,
planked like the passenger road to Darby, may be
lakd either temporarily or permanently, over hills,
or up the mountain side, and passengers and freight
—where the amount is yet too small to warrant
the construction of heavy Works—may be carried
l at a profit, by Fawkes's Locomotive, with a driv-',
lug drum."