Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-02-11
HORSE POWER AND STEAM POWER.

or manufacturing purposes, Water Is tlie
cheapest power in the world. Circumstances
may be such that in particular cases, this
may not be absolutely true. In extreme lati'
tudes water is liable to freeze, and, conse-
quently, may not beavailable fora large period
of the winter months. Again, waterfall
may be inaccessible, or nearly so, or very in
conveniently located, and in consequence Of
this fact be more expensive than some other
motive power The only other motive powers
in use, to any great extent, in this region, are
horsepower and steam. By the term "horse.
power" we include mules and oxen. The
latter are not available for this purpose on ac-
count of their slowness (to any considerable
extent) hence, by "horse-power" we may
simply include horses and mules. Now the
question to which we desire to call public at
tention, is (which is the cheaper for the ordi-
nary manufacturing purposes, horsepower or
steam?" In this country there is little man.
ufacturing done, except the ginning of cotton
and thrashing wheat. The question may then
be put in this way, (which is the cheaper pow
er with which to gin the cotton crop and
thrash the wheat, horses or steam?" Let us
make the calculation. In York county there
are annually produced about seven thousand
bales of cotton. 1t would take four horses or
mules abouttwo thousand eight hundred days
to gin seven thousand bales of cotton. The
gross profits would be, allowing the one four
teenth for ginning, two hundred bales. 1t
would require at least three hands to do the
work. The time consumed would be nearly
nine years. During that time at least three
sets of horses would be killed. Valuing these
animals at one hundred dollars each, and the
food they would consume at seventy-6ve dol
lars each, annually, we have to subtract twen-
ty-one hundred dollars from the gross gain.
The hire of the hands would amount to at
least twenty y-seven hundred dollars. From
the gross income of two hundred bales of cot
ton we would have to subtract four thousand
five hundred dollars.
Now what would it cost to gin the same
cotton with steam? An engine, capable of
ginning as much cotton as eight horses would
cost less than twelve hundred dollars. The
number of hands requisite to manage gin,
run by steam, would be the same as that re-
quired to attend gin run by horses or mules.
The only difference in the expense, in this re-
spect would be the wood. The saving would
be, that the gin, run by steam, would do the
same work, with the same hands, in one half
the time. Properly kept, an engine worth
twelve hundred dollars, would wear out five
thousand dollars worth Of horses. A similar
calculation could easily be made for the
thrashing of wheat. The wear and tear OF
thrashing wheat with horse power is even
greater than in ginning cotton. 1t may be
said that every farmer is not able to purchase
steam engine. This is true, and it is also
true that less than one half Of the farmers
are unable to keep four horses. Only few
farmers have gin-houses. They hire the gin
ming of their cotton and the thrashing of their
wheat. Let those farmers who gin cotton
and thrash wheat for their neighbors, think
about this subject