Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1860-06-09
Steam Flowing Triumphant
The first actual SUCCESS IN Steam Pgou-
ing i~ Americav Seventy acres Of
Illinois prairie broken by iSeona!!

2UJ t?6 1IWo/tCO.. tSeC0fIGy NcFGS u
Illinois prairie broken by ,Teom!!
The above is no sensation heading
to sensation article, but real state.
ment of facts as they exist-in three
sentences. We visited Minooks, in
Grundy county, last Friday, in order
to observe the working of Waters
STEAM PLow in breaking prairie, and
will tell our readers what we saw there
On our arrival at Minooks, we learned
that Mr.. Waters was at work In COM
pany with Mr.. L. Smith, who kindly
volunteered to take us to the field, we
left the station, going North, and pass
cd over a field Of forty acres which had
been broken by Mr.. Waters, with his
pillow. This was his first work. His
plows not being we'll finished up and
polished, the breaking in this field was
somewhat rough and broken, but alto
gether, well done. The undulations
in this field were considerable, giving
both an up and down grade, thus test
ing the capacity of the machine in this
respect.
Passing this ground, and ascending
high roll of prairie, we caught sight
of the plow in the distance, travelling
lcisurely across the prairie, drawing its
gang of six plows, cutting fl'rrow
nine feet in width. The scene was
grand and exciting. AS we approach
ed the machine, we found Waters qui-
city guiding it, with none but the nee
essary attendants about him, and thus
practically testing its ability and pow
er before seeking to place it promi,
nently before the public. We noted
down the operation Of the machine
while we were with it. From Il given
point it travelled twenty-three minutes !;
stopped six minutes for wood; and thir-
teen minutes, and stopped nine minutes
Tor water; then ran nineteen minutes
making fiity-five inmates running
time and fifteen minutes stoppage.-
Had the man whose duty it was to fur
nish water and wood, performed that
duty rs he should, and could nave done.
he would have saved at least five min
utcs OF this time. Estimating the
ground plowed as nearly as we could
without actually measuring it, We found
that during seventy-two minutes Gnclu-
ding stops he had p,owel ? 63lO0
acres. That the machine can plow at
this rate through the day without In
corruption, Is not to be expected, IL It's
present condition. The day previous
to our visit Mr.. W. pIowcd twelve
acres with it. The plovs hal been
put to some very severe tests in field
ti,il Of small oak and hickory stunps ."
"grubS." These were cut Oft without
injury to the plows, and apparently
without effect upon the engine. We
measured one Of these hickory roots
which hal been cut through; its diam
eter was 4. :ichcs.
In this trial NJ Waters used but six
OF his gang of thirteen blows. His trac-
ton power seems sufficient to draw
them all, and when some more c0nven- |
lent mode Of handling them shall be
adopted, he thinks ne will have no dii- |
fcuity in using the full gang.
AS the machine is now arranged, it
requires one and half cords of wood, q
hand and team to supply fuel and wa
ter, (the water in this case being a half |
mile away a fireman, two men to man
age the plows, beside Mr.. Waters-to
which add oil, &c, and Mr.. W. says
the cost to him is less than 5000 per
day.
James Waters, the inventor, deserves
more than a passing notice more than
our space, and the data in our posses
sion will permit US to give. Naturally
very retiring, he has worked quietly
and almost unknown. His mechanical
talcn. and judgment are Of a superior
order So complete were his plans per-
fected iii his own mind, that within
three months from the time the first
blow was struck on his machine in De-
troit, he drove it into the United States
Fair Grounds in this city, amid the
shouts Of the assembled thousands.-
1t there demonstrated its enormous
power, in turning over f;lrrow twenty |
feet wide and from six to eight inches
deep, with its monster gang Of thirteen
plows attached. Unfortunately, before
it could be tested by the Committee,
some portion of the plows gave way
and prevented . thorough trial.
Not at all disheartened, Mr. Waters
repaired up, and visited the Central
portions of the State, exhibited the
pillow in operation, and finally returned
to Detroit, where, during the winter
he has made some slight alterations;
and additions to strengthen and i'm
prove it, have been adopted. He now
appears, unannnunced, on our praiyies,
to claim what he has won-the honor
Of being the first man il. America who
has made practical and paying DEM
onstration OF blowing by steam.
Up to the time we left Minoola he
had plowed about seventy acres, and