Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-12-04
Steam Plow Trial, at Decatur. Ill

cutive Board met at Decatur the 10th ult.,
to witness the steam and other Dows.-
But one steam pillow was present, being j.
tralia. The long season OF rainy weather
had completely saturated the ground and
the morning of that day opened rainy and
snowy and continued through the day
During the forenoon, the machine plowed
several burrows, doing its work well, but,
owing to the sleet and snow mixed with
the mud, which was tracked all over the
ground, the driving wheel slipped round
without advancing, while the pillow were
in the ground. When the plows were out
the machine travelled about the fields with
ease, followed by the eager crowd who
were in attendance by thousands. Mr..
tawkes had, unfortunately, not provided
| the surface Of his driving wheel with the
logs or spuds TO hold to the ground, hav-
ing before this had no difficulty in using
the machine from that cause.
The impression made on the people in
attendance was, that the machine would
work when the ground was in blowing
condition.
Thursday morning, Mr. Fawkes again
steamed Up and took the field, when his
success seemed again complete, as no rain
had fallen, he found but little trouble from
! slipping on the ground. By timing and
uot.ng him very carefelly, we have the fol-
lowing results: He made five bouts or
len throughs of six burrows each. The
actual time consumed in blowing and turn
ing at the eals, being nine times, was
twerty minutes, The runs being but 1862
feet long /; the width cut was 81 feet
! making l08 rods. From starting till clos
ing was more than twenty minutes, as the
pIows cIogged on the mold boards very
badly in the adhesive soil and had to be
cleaned at every turn. They were poorly
calculated for it any way, being Eastern
ip.ows and made of common steel.
! After having plowed the ground, Mr.
Fawkes ran his engine over it, crossed and
crossed il, and backed, turned, stopped
and started on The same with perfect ease
This trial was witnessed by perhaps seye :
ty-fiye perhaps, AS it was understood the
| DiOIib ptiOIt tidJ MT. Il d." hcS WOQIt not
try it more, and most people went home,
1t was not made in presence of the Board,
except DR.. FL. G. Johns, the rest of them
having gone to their homes, after having
passed resolutions complimentary to Mr..
'awkes aid donating him five hundred
.oliars as a gFatuity, not deeming it al
| ,isable to give him the five thousand dol.
lar premium. We think, however, had
they waited a day longer AMI not been il
such haste, they would have become con
vinced of the full practicabilitv of the ma
chine, an have awarded him the full prize
| of five thousand lellars, Which we think he
/ richly merits. We believe Mr.. f. is in
angurating on our prairies one OF the gr"a'-
e,t improvements Of the age, and that the
Agricultural Society of the State of Him
DIS could do no greater good or advance
the best interests Of the cause, han by put
] ting the premium into the hands of this
man FawkeS to assist him TO improve and
bring to our pftifies, another sprlng,a more
perfect machine. ,....--.-
+ To aFiSwer some inquiries thai lave Been
made with regard TO fuel water, Nc., we
1 wdttld Iay that while III use On Thursday,
he used from four to five barrels of water
per hour; the quantity of fuel was small
and. we should Judge that half a ton of coal
j and half "a cord of wood would run the en-
CINE ten hours One quart ofoil would be
Il fair allowance.
] Mr. Fawkes estimates the power of the
machine to be that of twenty horse, and the
cost TO the user about $2500; less pow
terful machine of say ten horse power, ST.
200 to $500, and forty horse power
from $4,000 to $4,000. These figures
might be found o vary considerable after
the manufacturing should be once com
menced. 1t is now Mr.. F.'s intention to
manufacture another machine,and to come
to our State in the Spring, when he has
abundant assurance of as much work as he
can do at aying prices, and a good pros
pect of sales of machines. He expects to
| commence blowing one thousand acres foi
| NJ. T. Scott, Esqr., near Chenoa, Mclean
county.
| After the blowing Tie last day, Prof.
Turner was requested to address the PEG
lple before they retired TO their homes
j lie mounted the steam pillow and said, 81
: am happy to be permitted to speak to you
: to-day, and from this steam pillow. | con
t slider it one of thesgreatest triumphs Of my
] life 10 be permitted to ride upon it; how
much more a triumph is it for the tillers Of
. The soil whom it is to benefit, and the IN
S vento. and capitalist who have brought out
D the machine to its present state of pertee-
ton. The time is not far distant when all
! these wide prairies around us will not only
: be plowed and sown by steam, but they will
s be reaped and NOV and the grain thresh-
II ed and delivered into the half bushei ready
) for market. 1t will also saw our wood, dri
/ our wells and pump the water. | said to
+; our English guest and inventor, Mr.. ked
n dy, while we were riding on the steam
+ pillow, that there was more land within the
3 reach of this place lying uacultivated, that
f this pillow might work upon than the Whole
, area of tilable land in England, and that
i