The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-09-13
GREAT TRIAL OF REAPING AND MOVING
MACHINES.
Translated from L.e Constitutional.
PARIS, AuQuSt 7, 1876!

moving machines In the Exposition, the trial
| accordingly came off ON that day. There were
ten machines IN the Tx, OsltlOn nine OF them
were sent out by the I'm erial Commissioner to
the place of trial, about rty miles distant. 1t
may be here remarked It the machines were
sent out and returned of cost to the ex.
hibitors. On the groun the trial there were
thousands OF people as bled to witness the
novelty of the day; lar snts had been pre-
viously erected, and a, supply of refresh
ments procured for the, aston. The day was
| pleasant, and the excite mt of the immense
| concourse of people intense. The police were
in attendance upon horseback. The militia
were in requision with ssps and bayonets to
keep the crowd of eager ASftators from off the
| grain. Stakes were drivo6 Spto the ground, and
ropes drawn from stake t3ts&Ske, until the entire
| This was field of an ordinary growth of oats,
| and standing up well, and which was divided
| into lots or pieces of about an acre each, by
| swaths being cut through at given distance
parallel with each other-each piece being
| numbered, and one machine allotted to each
| piece. AT the beat Of the drum, three machines
started off together. j. S. Wrght's, of Chicago,
| H., managed by his agent, Mr.. Jewel Patrick
| Bells machine, by Mr.. Fourent and a machine
| from Algiers-these machines being calculated
to do their own raking by machinery. Wright's
| machine cut its piece in twenty-four minutes !;
| Bells, in siXtysiX minutes and the Algi ma
| chine, in seventy-two minutes. The raking or
| dscharging of the grain from all Of the three
machines was badly done, the grain being
| much scattered in its delivery upon the ground
| Wright's doing much the best The cutting,
| however, was we'll done. The mechanical move
| ment of the automaton raker of Wright's ma
chine was truly wonderful. The operation of
the machine was highly successful Bells ma
chine, by Fourent, did the cutting and gathering
| of the grain in a very neat manner the grain
was delivered freely to one side of the machine
for the binders. After the jurors had carefully
noted the trial thus far, the signal again was
| given, and off started three other machines.
| H. Manny's, of Rockford, ILL.,, managed by his
| agent, II. Mabie; Bells machine, by Croskil ;
and French one-horse reaper. Manny's cut
| its piece in twenty-five minutes Bells, by
| Croskill, and the one-horse French reaper, both
| FILLED to cut their pieces while Manny's did
| its work in the most exquisite manner, not
| leaving single stalk ungathered and it dis
| charged the grain in the most perfect shape, as
| if placed by hand for the binders 1t finished
its piece most gloriousy; the jurors themselves
| could not restrain their adq.iratiop, but cried
out, good" "well DONE" The people ap
plauded and hurrahed for Msnny's American
Reaper" that's the machine"
Again, after the jury had taken further notes
Of the triai, TIE signal was given, and three
| other machines started OF on the contest
Husseys Reaper 10y Dray; McCormick's, by
| chine cut its piece in thirty minutes, McCor
mick's in twenty minutes, and Bells failed to
finish its piece. Hussey's machine did its work
remarkably well, cutting clean and smoothly,
| and leaving the grain in the track of the ma
| chine in good condition for the binders. This
machine was conceded to be too heavy and la
borious for the team, and leaving the grain in
| the track Of the machine was found to be an
objection, as it necessarily needed 70 be bound
| and removed fast as the machine did IFS
| work, in order that the machine could pass
around succeeding time; yet this reaper is
unquestionabiy a good one, and may be used
to great advantage, as it would likely prove du-
rable, being very strongly made. Mccormick s
machine performed its task well, cutting close
| ~nd even swath, but the raker or attendant,
who performed tie labor of discharging the
| grain, seemed to be very much strained, te;rg
obliged to ride backward upon the machine at
one end of the reel, having to reach fully across
the entire width af the machine, with a long
handled rake to gather the grain and lay ii OF
of the machine. The horses on this machine
were much troubled by strong lateral pres
sure against their shoulders, occasioned by the
tongue of the machine. This reaper on the
| whole is much too cumbersome and heavy for
two horses. However, it has proven itself vast
" superior to any of the inventions of the Old
&orij, anl from the fact Of its great success
heretofore, particularly at tne London E%hibi-
liz liz. in 1851, it elected good deal OF admi.
ration and curl0o,ty.
The contest was now fairly narrowed down to
three machines-Manny's Wrght's, and McCOr-
mick's. But on starting Wrights again, it broke
down, and left the struggle exclusively to the
two machines, Manny's and McCormck's. The
two machines were then to be changed, in pres
ence of the Jurors, from the capacity OF reapina
to that of moving Manny's made the change
in one minutes Mccormick in twenty minutes,
with three men. Each machine made one cut
through the field of grass and back, Nanny s
machine doing the best of the two Then the
change was made again for reaping, and in the
same time, respectively, as before. Then both
machines were taken into wheat field Man
ny's machine cut three swaths, and with an ease
OF action and perfection of work which fairly
placed it far beyond any further competition I;
though McCormick's Reaper cut two swaths,
| and In workmanlike manner.
| Even If the two machines were equal as to
the quality OF the work, get it was observed
hlanny's would have the advantage of being the
most compact less cumbersome, and of much
less weight than McCormick's; and in Manny's
there is no lateral pressure against the horses,
as by McCormick's; also, of being much the
lightest draft, and more easily adjustable to diff
ferent heights of cutting, and most easily con-
| yertibe for the two purposes of reaping and
| moving. This seemed to be the only machine
| against which there could be no objection urged
| We could give 40 better evidence of the facts
| above, than the fact that Mr.. Mabie had, upon
the conclusion of the trial, several very large
offers for the patents of the machine, two of
| which we heard: for France, one offer was one
hundred thousand francs, and one of one hun
dred and twenty-five thousand francs. We
have since learned that arrangements have
| been made for the manufacture of one thousand
of these machines in this city, for the next har-
| vest.
The decision and report of the Jury will not
be published until the latter part of October yet
all the aurels, we are free to confess, have been
| glowingiy won by Americans; and this achieve
ment cannot be looked upon with indifference,
| as 1T but plainly foreshadOws the ultimate des-
tiny of the New World.
| DR. WAYLAND IN THE L. S. SENATE.-The
following, from the N. Y. Evangelist, we most
heartily endorse:
| ne papers have recently announced the
retirement OF DIR. Wayland from the Presidency
OF Brown University. This has called forth a
general expression of admiration and gratitude
| for his eminent services to the cause of educa-
ton, during the thirty years that he has held
that Office, coupled with an expression of regret
that his great talents are no longer EMPLOYED
I'm O nuhlic capacifv Howeyer waloov,o A..