Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1869-12-03
THE WATER WHEELS.
MIR. suERwOOD AGAIN.

WH. ToMAN, ESQ,
Ed. BUCHANAN Co. BULLETIN,
| Dear SRI notice in your
paper Of Nov. 10th, Messrs. Leffsl / Coz
reply to the proposition which I made then
them some time since through your paper
They misstate it when they intimate that ]
offered or proposed to put up some Of my
water wheels for the purpose Of entering in
to trial to test them with their Wheel
Now will try to explain the matter so that
Leffel Co. cannot misunderstood me in
the future. In the first place, have no
$4,000 to bet with Leffel l. Co., neither have
| any water wheels of any kind to sell. On
the other hand, wish to purchase some
wheels Of Messrs. Leff-l Il Co., if their
wheels will give the best per centage Of pow
er from the water used, and it does really
seem to me that the question can be settled
without following out the John Morrissy bet
ting-on-pr ize-fght-and playing poker-princi-
pie. 1t is said that John has made much
wealth thereby, but must say never had
any taste for doing business in that way,
and that l see no necessity for it in this
case.
Now to come to the point. have all
that own invested in mill at this place,
with a capacity for II run Of stone. Iwant
to place in it the water wheels that will give
the best results according to water used.
Our stream is at times quite low and at 9th.
err times very high, so that we want wheel
or wheels that will do business with or 3
feet of water. We will want wheel for
each run of stone, besides machine wheels.
Now understanding that Leffel & Co. man.
ufacture water wheels for sale, will make
them proposition entirely different from
anything of the Yankee Sullivan or Morris
sy kind /; preliminary to which l will state,
that have never tried the Lefal wheel or
had it in the water since Mr.. Dow and Mr..
Patrick, of Dixon, Ill.,, set it, at the trial
here last summer, neither have ever made
report of the working Of any ofthe wheels
at that time. My proposition is this: If
Messrs. Leffel l. Co. will come on here, in
person or by agent, and set their own wheel
for trial, and demonstrate to the Mill Direc.
tors that their wheel is the best in use as
they claim, will pay them 81 900 and pur.
chase of them all the wheels necessary for
our mill. If by so doing we secured the
best wheel, we should consider the $1,000
we'll laid out, as it is expensive stopping a
mill to change wheels after once started. |
really hope that Letfel l. 20. will look upon
this matter in another light than as a gam.
bling operation, and come right along, as
our mill irons are under contract to be fin.
ished by January 10th, 1870. If their wheel
is the best we will let them the contract for
the water wheels at once. As for my own
wheel, have never made the assertion thro'
the public prints or elsewhere, that l con.
sldered it the best wheel made. All there
is about it, is that it runs better than tn.
common old-fashioned reaction wheels, aud
| paid SO to have it patented. As we must
take steps soon to procure our wheels,
hope that Leffel l. Co. will attend to the
at once.
Now wish it to be distinctly understood,
that the one thousand dollars above offered
is to pay Messrs. Leffel & Co. for their
trouble and expense in coming out to indie
pendence, for the purpose of showing the
Mill Company that they have the best wheel,
and taking the contract for furnishing us
with wheels. The cost of said wheels is an.
other thing altogether.
S. SHERWOOD.