Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-07-30
Fawkes' Steam Plow---Report of
the State Agricultural Society.

MRssRs. EpiroRs The undersigned, Com
mittee on behalf of the Pennsylvania Agricul
tural Society, at the invitation of Mr. Fawkes,
the inventor of the Steam Pillow, visited Ok
ford Park, near Philadelphia, this afternoon,
Thursday, July 2lst, and witnessed the opera
ton of the pillow. The soil was in good con.
dition, owing to the late rain, which rendered
the experiment more satisfactory. Before
proceeding to pillow about three hundred gal
Ions of water was pumped into the tank by q
donkey engine attached to the machine, and
in u very short time sufficient steam was
raised to prepare it so as to display to
great advantage the ease and grace with
which ii could be moved forward, turned
round, worked, &c.
The engine, which is of thirty horse power,
is adapted to either wood or coal, and when
the latter is used consumes about half ton
a day.
The anxiety and interest of the committee
and a number of visitors now became mani
fest. sympathy with the inventor who had
devoted years of toll and his entire means to
the perfecting of his machine, as well as n
consciousness of the many failures of project
ed agricultural improvements, and of the un-
happy results to the originators, sensibly af
fected the minds of the committee.
All doubts, however, of its success were
speedily removed. The plows, eight in num-
Der, which were suspended by chains in a
frame attached to the rear of the machine,
about eighteen inches above the ground, by
means of a slight adjustment OF crank were
dropped to their proper position for action
and at the sound of the whistle the pillow
moved forward in the most graceful manner,
performing its work with ease, and to the ad-
miration and perfect satisfaction of the most
skeptical.
The soil, which was made to yield to the
united action of the eight mould boards,
each turning furrow slice of fourteen inches
in width and six inches in depth, moving at
the rate of four miles an hour, Cor four acres
an hour,) presented the appearance, in view
ing il from the rear, of the undulations of
wave, hiding the plows entirely from view
The effect was most pleasing, and elected the
of all.
The experiment was made upon a tough tim
othy sod which had not been plowed for some
seven years previously.
The grade was of about seven degrees, |
which tested the powers of the machine to
perform on inclined surfaces. One of the
familiar with prairie blowing, af-
firms that he has never seen level prairie
turned as beautifully by horse power as the
uneven Timothy sod was by the steam plough.
WIS raw Nuo1i SUN " bHoW tHt tu- !
pacity of his machine for easy locomotion
over uneven surfaces propelled it rapidly over
several gullies, one Of which is fully eighteen
inches in depth, while others were very alb
tupt, and this without any apparent detriment
20 the machinery, and also moved it in a cir
lie several times of a diameter of about TWEEN
y-five feet, and passed, by request, across the
round just ploughed, without any difficulty, |
howing conclusively its adaptiveness for all |
agricultural purposes, not only as field pillow
nut as means of propulsion for moving and
Gaping machines.
Your committee are further of opinion that
he engine is applicable to the driving of
hreshing machines, farm mills, circular
avs, &c.
1t may be proper TO add that Mr.. Fawkes
'laced the machinery entirely at the disposal
# the committee, and subjected it to every
est which they suggested.
d 4, ., R K Egssr COMMITTEE.