, 1860-02-10

tawkes, several members Of the Board returned
nome erect from Freeport, und did not atteut
| Tic Unified States Fair at Chicago.
s.. Mr. Fawkes did stop in Chicago with hi.
'nachipc. The members Of the Board presen
a. the Fair. were informed On the grounds, thu
| Mr. Fawkes desired 10 continue thu trial Con,
mcnccd at Frecport. They attended and wit
nessed the several trials made ut Chicago. The
public through the medium Of the daily and !Ac.
f'cnlturatpress of Chicu.o.
1hc iirst trial WAS made on tue afternoon oi
thc 10th Of September. The result Of this trial
"aa tlat the machine p1owed seeenty-tigAe ond
.ha5 rods Of faad, consuming Thirty one
!ntH"tts of time, nintts:n Of which was consumed
by stops and deteutions to adjust tue machine.
cnds: and nine minutes actually devoted to
2'o~1n.- Soil, sandy prairie with light sol
Length Of the 1urruw, thirty-threc md two
th,r1s rods.
The second trial took placc the morning of
the 18th Of September. Sol! and length of fur
RI" same az before. Started with full head
ot steam. Flowed four rounds. Piowed one
hundrtd and fty.set<n rods Of land; total time
consumed t'rt"ty-tafxs daE { Ha!f 7n;uut6s, nc.
tually plowine strtfss d1I three fourkhs n,iuutts
six and three. fourth minutes consumed in turn
lnE at the ends. Stopped for want Of steam.
Inc third trial took place on the afternoon Of
tle same day. Character fsoii much the same
AZ that Of previous trials. Lengt|, Of furrow
lC0 rods. Amoun: Of land plowed, one Aun3r<d
a"d s1rty:four reds at one bout, consuming forty
1ninntts Of time, actually plowinC sjrlten caI
E!rkt f0nrfhs minutes adjusting ptows (which
ciosgsed soEnc) AID turning at tle ends tzcenty-
5our s'sinutts. Another bout was ploved can
So 'ns more time, and on the last nomc stretch
fae steam became SO low that it rec uired some
minutes to get IN sufficient to ruuI the furrow
through.
3: such we've :be trials and their results, upon
which tte Executive Committee of the Illinois
state Society were to base their award. in con-
nect'on with tacts reported to them by the Com
tnlstee Of ScIcntihc Machsnists. 1t is proper to
examine lh1s report and comrure its conclusions,
based upon The slight trials upon the Fai:
grounds at Freeport under favorable circum-
Stances, With the subsequent actual performance
Ht the plnw under different conditions Of soil.
surface, DC.
1st: The Scientific Committee say "Tberc is
no slipping" Il. G., Of toe driving wheel or
orum II is true, there was none on tue drY,
easo rralFAe where t''ey SEW it operate; tut on
Saturday. ut freeport, there sons slipping after
slight shower; it not only lost its tracton, but
slipped sideways; in neither i,ssanee on "yic.d-
I'M; soil"
end. The Scientific Committee say: 1.-THE
tank holds twelve barrels Of water sufficient
Tor three hours running" Subsequent trials
PROVE that the committee had been deceived in
the amount ii watcr required for .hrsc hours
run.
:rd. The Scientific Committee say: "The
weight Is ten tons, as reported by Mr. Fawkcs."
Here again the committee were deceived. Its
actual weight is about thirteen tons.
zth. At no trial before the Executive Commit
tee has the machine beca able to plow IN acrci in
less han twenty-fouF minutes, including stops:
the shortest running time being seventeen ind
Que fourth nlinutcs to plow one hundred and
slxty-iou rods; while the Scientific Committee
Sta'e that an ncrc CEN be pfowcd in twelyc min-
u'es. They also estimate that it vii, plow from
txeaty live to forty acres per day. and this with
the most liberal allowance for haulin. water and
coal one mile. stoppages. turning, &c. Eut no
trial before the Executive Committee, or uny
trial III tae State, has been an in.
dorscmcnt Of the Scientific Committees state.
nents aud estimates Of the capacity O! Fasykes'
lnacllne rs . traction engine. There Is u,ani-
testify want Of continuous powcr-or capacity
TO perform economically the work necessary il
ahnu'd perform in Grsler to meet the tetttT Or
spirit Of The resolution Of the Doard oGe,ins
the premium.
In mating this assertion, it is not ihc design
Of the Executive Committee to reflect. iu a.1y
way upon the integrity or intelligence Of the
1ncu who composed tLc Scientific Committee;
for we know tho circumstances under which
anccs upon which they based their esli1nntes;
tho pressure Of popular excitensent-not to say
public opiuion-wcrc a!l favorable to such con
c'usions.
6. The position in which the Executive Com
iniltee found tlcE.aercs wns j peculiar und re.
sponsic one. tn tic one hand wus sympathy
lnr Fawkes, awakened ty his struggles and the
degree of his success; tic clall,ors and thought
less rlaudits Of an enthusiastic public; the re.
port Of the Scientific Committee ulrcady publish
I'd, gratui.ously recommending The award, nud
The apparent good nan1e thai nli.ht accrue TO
lie s1c:ety because uf its liberality. On the
oller hand, aid paramount 10 all, was their re-
spousibllty to the puhlic-tiaeir manifest duty
not TO place themselves, Ar. F.awaes, or his in
rcntion, in false position before the world.
The committee could not sar
to tue public that Mr.. Fawkes' Invention lad
TO be wllat il was claimed to be, or what
Inc resolution required it 10 be, incrdcr to merit
the premium offered br the rcso!utinn Of the
Executive board. No member 1.-THE Executive
COMMITTEE could vote for awarding the premium
to the engine Lancaster" upon tue demon
ststiui1s u power Capacity aNd a'fuItati!ity it
had nude. ltwou have been injustice to t;in
society IL other Inventors and to The public. 10
have given it such Endorsement.
Hcucc Ito following preau,tse and resolution
were adopted:
'!h*rta<, j. W. Fawkes, haring exhibited his
steam p'cw Lancaster during the late Stale Fair
nj Fsccport, and by its attractions I1dcd Mate.
rally to the receipts Of the san,e aS well III Civ
Ing general satisfaction 10 the ttous:nis Of Wis
TORS 'ylo think 1t earnest Ct success, though
it does not neet the resolution ftllc Executive
lIaafd, Offering premium for steam plow, yet
believing That it may and will hc greatly im-
proved and for1. valuable addition to our Ia
her .saring machinery: Therefore
H&,{Eta, That We donate to J. ". FlHkcs
fifteen hundred dollars to forward his enterprise,
and that the Secretary draw I'M order on The
Treasurer iur i've hundred dollars in addition
to 15at previously placed in his tFawkcs') hands
1t Frceport-
=. The late day 1t which this report appeurs
is not because Of any design or desire on the
part OF the ~omn,i1tec to wial1luid frum the
public fill knowledge Of the trials before the
committee. or the action uf the same. On tie
contrary. the undersigned was authorized and
Instructed Ut the last n.ge.iuG oi lt.e Beard in
Chicago. to publish the foregoing facts =: once,
aud tic Recording Scc' caary was instructed IL
furnish linn with i copy Of the preamble and
resolution fur that purpose. Circumstances
prevented the Secretary doing so until so,nc
weeks had elapsed, uu1 public attention mad
been diverted firm the subject, when it was
deemed best to defer ii until :.!tcr tue ANNUAL
meeting Of the Doard, aud .wait its final action
in The matter. At that meeting full board
approved and confirmed tho notion Of the COM
mistec ut its meeting at Chicago.
With the foregoing facts before it, The Great
Public is let to judge whether the Executive
Committee Of the Illinois Ssute Agricultural
auciety did Injustice to Themselves, III the So
ciety they represent, to Fawkcs, the inventor,
or to ii, the great public, by their action in re-
f.lsing to award the premium Of three thousand
dollars OF red as above.
1t is respectfully submitted thnt they did not.
LEWIS ELLSWORTH.
Pres. III. State -1y. Society,"
Pixies PEAK.