The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-09
Moving Machine Trial ut Triadcl-
phla.
70 tho Editors Of The Intclllgencer:


To tho Editors Of the Intelllgencet:
Being requested to send you some &C.
count Of o moving machine contest in
and near Triadelphia, West a.,-suppos.
ing II TO be Of interest to at least por.
ton Of your readers, we send you the fol.
lowing report, and might add In expla.
nation that II Is not sent at the request OF
any machine manufacturer or agent, but
only OF the request Of persons Interested
In the Introduction OF good machines into
this section Of the country.
This exhibition or contest was gotten
up mainly through the exertions OF ]. P.
Henderson, Esq, Of this borough, dealer
In various kinds Of machines and ma.
chinery-and, by the way, o born ma.
chiniSt-for the purpose Of giving far.
mers and the public generally a chance of
judging OF the merits Of any machine
that might choose to exhibit.
The iorenoon's work was on wet taugl.
ed grass. The Acme was in superb con.
dition and went through in fine style.
The Smith, owing to an accident the
evening before, could not be handled so
well, yet the report shows how she did
her work. The others all "choked"-
although'their representatives had some
reason for this-imperfect working OF the
machinery.
In the afternoon the attendance was
large and everything worked smoothly,
and 1t was impossible to decide which
did the best work, all doing 1t rs well as
any farmer could ask, and passing through
every test the Committee required Of them
although one or two did not seem 10 be
under such perfect control in running up
and down hill.
The Superior seemed to be the most
popular machine, owing TO its secular
beyel and spiral cog gearing, rendering Its
construction very simple. And the
weight oil the Acme seemed against her
although she claimed q light daft and
more merits than either Of the others.
The Smith was handled in q splendid
manner by her exhibitor, Mr.. Hans Wad.
die, and no one seemed to have an obiec.
ton TO urge against her. The Excelsior
did perfect work in the afternoon being
under control Of probably the best driver
in the field. While the Wood came in
on the home stretch, but was sold before
she left the field, as were the crowd, when
ever she came in hearing, by her noisy
CHATTER. The Acme seemed the most pop.
ular machine among agents as she had
numerous representatives on the ground
and had some Of them engaged in the not
laudable employment Of running down
other machines.
The committee chosen was not asked
10 decide upon any of the special merits
Of the machines, but merely to direct the
cutting, and test them in any manner
they deemed necessary TO bring out the
merits, or the defects OF any machine,
before those assembled and before whom
each exhibitor was allowed to state the
merits Of his own machine in his own
manner, and at the close the committee
being requested 10 make report, submit.
ted the following:
TO TIE PUBLIC.
Your committee would report that in
their opinion, in the contest on July 9th,
1872, near Triadelphla, Ohio county, W.
Va, the machines on trial. Acme, Excel.
sior, Smith, Superior and Wood, did about
equally good work. The Acme probably
doing the best general work in the fore.
noon, in wet, tangled grass, over rough
ground and uneven bottom, without
choaktng-the Smith the smoothest
In the afternoon, on time cutting, the
Superior cut over the most surface in a
given time, considering the length OF her
cutter bar, and in the absence OF q dyano.
meter or draft testor, the Superior seemed
the lightest. and certainly possesses pecu-
liar merits in the simplicity Of construc.
ton, In not making mention Of the
other machines, it is not to be supposed
that they did not do good work.
AL OF which most respectfully.
JOHN W. BROWN,
-, JAMES HERVEY,
- id. WHITMAN,
71fadelpaia, July 0, 1879.