The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-08-06
Communicated
The Trial of Mowers.


RI MEssRs EDITORS ~ Yestcrday ws
the day upon which the great trial {
Moving Machines in Hancock coul
ty came off. The ground selecte,
was a nice little field of about fiv
acres, on the farm Of Mrs. Davis, i
Marion township, four miles nortI
east OF Findlay. The day was pleas
ant and warm, and there must hav,
been from three hundred to five hun
dred persons present; all anxiou
and apparently Interested, one way
or another, in the different Machines
There were eight Machines on til,
ground I; l think, however, the Buck
EYE Machine was not competing; a
all events it was not timed down a
the others were. After some tim,
spent and considerable feeling exhib
tied on the part of some, the follow
ing named gentlemen were elected
Judges: Samuel Myers, of Findlay
.ownship George Slough, of Allen
township, and George w. Stout, o.
Washington township. A machine
used on the farm was sent in TO oper
the road around the field /; and, after
some manuvering, and a round o,
two being moved, the trial commenc
ed, aHd the farce began. The farce
and call it so in regard to the dc,
cision Of the judges only, started
with about twenty five, but in few
minutes there were fifty judges,
tramping along after the machine, in
addition to the three judges selected.
Each one of the numerous judges, as
his feelings or wishes prompted him,
to annoy or aid the particular ma
chimes on trial, would shout to tue
driver Steady ego slow snow go
long" ''stop" ''start on" "choke"
and all conceivable remarks of a
similar nature. The real judges, all
of whom are respectable gentlemen,
seemed unable to stand "the pres
sure" as 81. N" would call it.
As the Sulky, Climax, World,
Kniffen, and Eagle went their trial
rounds, the excitement waxed high,
and feeling of jealousy, which had
been slightly visible from the first,
against the Champion, became quite
plain. Friends of different machines
were heard to say frequently, swell,
don't care SO much which wins, so
tine Champion gets beat" "Any ma
chine but the Champion )" al want
the Champion beat;' and the whole
fear, justly founded, too. was that
the Champion would prove itself
superior to all the others. During
The moving of the round just pre-
eeding the one which the Champion
it was adroitly, although
not Intentionally, so man
iged that quite number of the self
constituted judges above referred to,
walked along "closed in mass'' on
he very ground the Champion had
% NOW over, trampling the grass
lown as fatty as possible.
At last the Champion entered on
ts trial round, when the excitement
1t was apparent that
he friends of the other machines
we're fearful only of this one. The
ystem oftesting adopted by judges,
vas to drive very slowly, and to
top, and start frequently, in order
o test, among ot1er things, which
machine was least liable to choke, as
is called. This, with the judges,
nd among the people present, seem
d to be regarded as a very impor-
ant qualification in a machine. The
cams were driven slowly and the
put to severe tests; and |
'hile the World, the Eagle, the Sui
ey, and others, all showed them
elves capable of doing good work,
he question as which showed the
reatest capabilily was fast ap-
a solution.
The cutter bar of the Champion is
n the left hand side, and all the
ther machines present had the cut
or bar on the right. The machines
II started from the Northeast cor
er of the field or meadow. The
champion started In, driving slowly
own along the north side of the
rass, frequently stopping and start
lg. Turning to the left, it moved |
IOwly along the west side, stopping
nd starting frequently, and still no
hoking. The Southwest corner
ras TUNED and it was coming up the
outh side, being in the meantime
everely tested, but it would not
hoke. This was not going on as the
nemies of the Champion desired,
nd in order to make her choke,
ome four or five of them very inno-
emily and very ndustriously went
D collecting huge armsfull of the
ewly mown grass, giving them a
ort of twist and throwing them
long in the edge of the grass in
.ont of the machine. Some gentle
len, disinterested in the matter, see
lg this contemplate trick, caused
he industrious gentlemen to cease.
till the Champion moved slowly
nd triumphantly along and finished
ne trial round without a single
hoke. This machine was stopped |
lore frequently than any other one,
nd consequently more severely
ss.ed.
The following table as made up by |
ne three judges mean the regu-
lr and not the self-constituted ones
-show plainly the comparative mer
s of the competing machines