The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-11-05

The second trial of blowing BY steam on
the prairies, is to take place before the Ayr
cultural Society Of Illinois, on the 10th inst.
One of the agricultural papers gives the
following Interesting account OF the first
trial under very disadyantageous eircum-
stances, at Centralia, with Fawkes' steam
plow. The inventor is q mechanic, residing
at Lancaster in that State, and his machine
appears TO have been made by himself, at
Christiana, or under his own immediate SUI
pervision; one which he had constructed
at Philadelphia not answering his purpose.
premium of $1,000 had been offered by
the State Agricultural Society of Illinois,
for plow, worked by steam, which would
perform its work satisfactorily. This APP
pears to have been the inducement which
set the inventor at work. On the fair
grounds he arowed himself to be "self-
taught mechanic, with no pretentions to
science" lie had spent all the money he
had i'll pcrfecting his machine, and if he had
not yet got it to work properly, be would
have, if his life was spared.
AFT hAvn't got it yet, will have II, if
God spares my life. Cheers]. have spent
| all that have III it, aud drawn largely on
the generosity of my friend, Mr.. Dickinson.
| AS for the 5000, We don care much about
that, but you may as well give it to US first
az last, for we are going to stay until we
get it,
The experiment drew 4 vast concourse Of
farmers to witness it. The ground wa.
hard, "s.hard as brick" They started; the
plows would not go in; men mounted the
beams; they started again; the furrow;
rolled off the mould-boards delightfully."-
By altering their position slightly, they
went all right The draught was very little
In ground of the usual blowing condition i
could have drawn twice as many plowS.-
The six burrows were turned straight ant
deep enough, and well laid over. The spec
tators shouted their approval, and Mr.. Dick
inson, friend of Mr.. Fawkes, mounted tn
pillow to give an explanation.
, Fawkes came to me with his invention
in his handkerchief; l took him to my roor
and examined it and told him to go ahea
and would help him through even if
! broke NE. Here it is! We mean to max
it what you want it, / challenge you I
bring anything that will plow better in til
3 same condition Of soil"
S One gentleman present said be had fou
Il hundred acres of prairie near Chicago I
pillow, and if Fawkes would plow it to ii
satisfaction of good judges, he would pa
L all the machine cost and five hundred do
&c lars more. After the experiment, NJ
i, Fawkes to crafty curiosity, engineered h
sc machine out to the plows, turned, backe
up and stationed the engine in front of the
with precision. lie then turned round, al
d set in for u new furrow, turned the bat
y furrow handsomely, as if done by horse
At made the entire turn at the opposite end
:, three quarters of a minute, and plowed Il
~ distance of thirty rods in two minutes, ca
n rying six twelve inch plows. The Illino
DC Central Railroad Company opened their |
to connective shop to enable Mr.. Fawkes to alt
and perfect his machine, preparatory to af,
10 and complete trial in competition with ty
10 other machines, one from Dayton and 0
at from Buffalo.