Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-26

Il IL.
Mccormick
Chicago. Sept. II. 1879
THE M'CORMICK REAPER WORKS.
The space these works occupy comprises
about twenty-five acres, lying on the north
side Of the south branch of the Chicago
River, all of which, excepting about three
acres that are covered by the buildings, is
used for railroad tracks, for stables, and for
piling lumber, pig iron, and other materials
The different manufacturing building are
located III the shape of a rectangle, having
a frontage TO the north and south Of $50
feet, and to the east and west of AGO feet,
covering and inclosing space of over three
acres. Without going further into detail,
it may be observed that tie floor of the sur
face Of these several buildings is 301 $50
square feet, or about seven acres; and in
the several different departments of the fac
tory the firm have kept as many as ] 900
employees at work. The season just closed
has been Il good one. and no less than rs
600 machines have been sold These ma
chimes have been disposed of in all the
great wheat growing States in the Union,
from seaboard to seaboard, from Texas 80
Manitoba. Nothing can better illustrate
the popularity of the Mccormick self-bind
er, and at the same time show the growth
Of the State, than the fact that
5, 492 MACHINES
were sold during the past season in the
State of MINNESOTA. On McCnrmIck's
ledger Minnesota leads the United States
she is to that establishment indeed the ban
ner State. In 1856 Mccormick sold ten ma
chimes in that State one agent writes that
he will sell 1900 the coming year. The
firm are at present employing $40 hands,
and during the busy season have run the
factory night and day. Ii might be inter
esting to note, as an item of news, that the
firm have very extensive trade with Great
Britain and the European countries gener-
ally, as well as with Australia, New Zea-
land, South America, AMI South Africa.
1t will give some idea of the popularity of
the Mccormick machines abroad as we'll as
at home to say that one years shipment to
New Zealand filled 1l6 freight cars-the
largest single shipment of agricultural i'm
elements, we veturc to say, ever made at
one time on single order from any estab-
lishment in the world
Mr. Mccormick in the Worlds Fair at
London, in 1851 made al impression which
has not been erased, which gave Europe an
idea of the characteristic quality-origi
nality-of our inventors. From THAT date
to the Paris Exposition, of 1878, he has TAX
en- the first prize at every one of the worlds
fairs. 1t has been shown above that 10 Mr.
Mccormick was awarded at the recent Pas
is Exposition the highest honors ever givCp
an inventor, ard in the recent severe trial
for the golden medal of the Royal Agricul
tural Society of England, as usual, the Nc
Cormick machine came out ahead and was
awarded the gold medal for it fRlfilled the
conditions laid down.
The Mark Lame Express, of Aug. 12, 1879,
gives the following very interesting and ably
written account of the Mccormick Binder
1T cuts "a breadth of five feet, the cut
grain falling upon horizontal platform of
endless web canvas, or, as the Americans
call it, 'ducking' carrying ribs of wood.
This carries the grain toward the rear side,
where it passes upward at an acute angle
almost perpehdicularly, between endless
webs, to height of nearly five feet, thus
rising over the main wheel, framing and
driving gear and the stuff, delivered in a
continuous stream, fails over upon hor
iZontal table: a binding arm, placed about
midway along the side of the table, advan-
ces toward the falling grain, strikes down
ward through it. separatinga portion for a
sheaf, and at the same time carrying down
the upper ply of wire beneath, and thus en-
compass the sheaf. The arm then retreats,
drawing the girded sheaf toward the side,
and in the course of this movement the
wires are cut off and twisted together by a
rapidly rotating pinion below, named the
whirl. The sheaf remains upon the table
until the next sheaf pushes it off, with de-
liberate, quiet motion. Nothing can ex-
coed the smoothness and unerring perfec.
ton of this arrangement for binding.
The sheaves are dropped with the greatest
regularity, lying in line, longitudinallv, Or
in the direction of the machines course,
with the butt ends foremost, and they are
some feet clear of the horse track. The
wire band is joined by a twist in two
places on opposite sides Of tire sheaf, leaV-
ing the twisted ends sticking out for about
couple of inches. The special merit of
the work WAS in its perfect collection of all
the wheat, scarcely an ear being dropped.
thus absolutely the whole Of the crop is
bound in the sheaves leaving nothing at
all to be raked up, and perhaps not more
than handful uer acre for cleaners