Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1871-06-27
Deere q 90. Moline, Ill,

fisiI 10 tne large Pio" mhhuiactory OF Deere
& Co. Moline, and we on'tremember havip,
ever been treated better in our mapy visits
to places of business of all kinda than wa
were By Mr.. Charles Fl. Deere. who showed
US over the entire establishment, and was
never weary of answering our Questions.
John Deere first built his works in the vaar
l847, after which they were rebuilt, and
large additions made to them in 1880 and
again in 1864 and 1866. The founder Jobn
Deere-still takes an active part ia the bus;.
ness, which now employs 800 hands, in Mo.
line, and has branch houses in Kansas CITY
and St. Louis, Mo. The building, compris.
ing the works and Offices, occupies three
sides of quadrangle, covering an area of
three acres. The centre of the quadrangle
ls an open court, through which runs a rail
siding from the Rock Island Railroad. Rail
tramways run through the yards and shops,
for the purpose of moving stock and finished
and unfinished work, from place to place.
The motive power which runs the machine
ry, is the Moline Water Power, which, with
in the last two years, has been reconstructed
by the Government, in contract with the
Moline Water Power Co., who have by this
contract, the free use of certain portion Of
the power developed. By this improvement
ia made the most complete water power
privilege in the country; having the whole
Mississippi for its supply, Only ne fourth Of
this power is yet in use-Deere & Co. using
three gates Mr.. Charles q. Deere is
Vice President of the Water Power Co. The
Works contain two large blacksmith shops
one tempering and hardening room one
grinding and polishing room three making
up rooms, in which the wood and iron work
are fitted and joined together two painting
rooms one drying room for the finished
implements handsome offices, and other
rooms of smaller size and importance. There
are in the Works, thirty-two open and closed
forges, and two elevators. The machinery
includes four "Trip" hammers, Ia fifth is
being put up;l three sets of shears for cut
ting iron and steel one bolt making ma
chine-of remarkable utility two drop press
es, for pressing the moulds and shares
into shape; two punching machines
for iron aud steel; six power drills; two iron
planning machines; four bolt cutting ma
chimes; two nut cutting machines; one iron
lathe; twenty FIVE grindstones, five double
polishing wheels, besides Numerous small
emery wheels for fitting work; and the yat
amount of wheels, sksfting, force pumps etc
necessary in SO large a concern.
Among the workmen perfect order pre-
walls, and they appear to be as accurate IL
, the performance Of their duties as the
machines they severslly attend to; said
machines being SO complete, and varied, as
well as numerous, that We cannot pretend &c
describe their forms and sotions more than
= by saying that the work goes, from one &c
: another, in regular order, until it is finished
and the beautiful glittering plows are ready
for use. The tempering and hardening
room, g very important department in thu
!. manufacture of the plows of our days
! undergoing repairs and refstings, and has I
complete system of water tanks and force
+. pumps connected with it, to supply snC
regulate the temperature of the water re
quired for hardening purposes. In the black
y
/ struck us as being remarkably ingenious
d This is a device of Mr.. Moore ,-Superin
q tendent of the Iron Department,-by which
the smoke from the FORCES, is instantly car
e ried down underground behind the fires, an
:, ! thus the shops are kept perfectly free from
= smoke. 1t is very interesting to see 81
large q numfer of fIrge fires without an,
chimneys. The entire building is heated b
? steam pipes, so that, IN winter, is is warn
y and comfortable, with an equsble tempera
u ture. The protection against fire is mos
complete arrangement, consisting of one G
Is HoLy's force pumps, which will throw sil
9 one inch streams of water, at once, over an
d part of the works, and his system of water
, works, on the premises. Fire buckets ar
l. placed conveniently in all the rooms, an
= = iron doors separate the different depar
i ments, SO that, by these provisions and pre-
Il cautions, damage by FIRE is rendered slmos
impossible. The character Of the wor
!. turned out by Deere and Co. is so well sn
o widely known that we will not attenE
( any critical description Of it. 1t rank
a first IL quality first in quantity and
:, everywhere admitted to be the stsndar
plow of the west. These plows have Jul
been awarded two out of the four first pr
/ miums ct the Texas State Fair, the otht
Y, two being carried of by Louisville and Ma
vile msnuiacturers.) They obtained I'd
bronze medal, OF the first class in Agricu
ture and Industry for steel plows, swsrde
by the international Jury at the Expositit
Universelle at Paris in 1867. And, anon
, their numerous diplomas from the Illino
and lows State Fairs, ever since their col
mencement, are noticeable two, from ii
Iowa State Agricultural Society, 1870,
best Walking twohorse Cultivator, and be
Stubble Plow for general purposes. II
u beautiful and genuine plows manufacture
q, by Deere & Co. are of all sizes, and adapt
nj to every variety of work and character
ID soil. All business men are aware that NJ
Geo. W. Vinton is the outside busine
or manager of the frm. Mr.. Vinton is r
markably live, shrewd, business man; u
az quick as you can pick him up: while
ID the same time he is so genial and pleass
xt that he makes the most enjoyable compa
ion we ever had. The amount of busine
%. which Mr.. Vinton does for Deere & Co.
= something enormous, pointing not only
- the singlar excellence of their piows, but
n. their business managers peculiar ability
making known its merits in such manner
to draw the whole market wherever he &C
Mr.. Velie is the financial manager, aud q
ne through an extraordinary amount Of par
and book work, and the superintendence
the offices, in very able manner. WI
we were talking 10 Mr.. Velie 8 questi
involving an intricate sum in arithme
arose, and ne had ciphered it out and Il
US the answer before we had time to bet
on it. With men of fine ability heads
for each department il is 20 wonder that
of inspection of Deere & Co.'s Plow Mar
ng factory is SO pleasing.
Ioa Walter o. Gates q %.
II viii repay any one TO pay visit to
fc establishment Of Walter Gates & CO.,
Illinois street, Rock Island. The stO
e !