Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-06-29
THE WILEY PLOW.

The Inventor oil Popular Farm implement.
kennett Advance.
The late Bernard Wiley was known
throughout Chester county in connec ton
with the justly celebrated Wiley pillow, which
for many years was the favOrte flrrOw
turner. Many people supposed that MIR.
Wiley WAS the inventor of the plow, but
such is not the fact. The father of Ber-
nard Wiley owned the farm in Kennett
township, on which the late VIM. Cloud
resided. 1t was an entail and had descend
cd toscveral generations. The older brother
of bernard was James, and by the law of
cntailment the property became his on the
death of his father. But James held that
this was un.ju and offered to release all
interest i'm the farm if Bernard would pay
him half its value. This was done and
James left home with his money. lie went
to Peekskill, New York, where he pur-
chased Il foundry, which, among other
things, manufactured plows. An appren-
tcc in the establishment by the name of
Harvey COnkling invented a plow which is
conceded to he better than anything in use
But he was without the means to publish his
claim, and James Wiley took out letters
patent in his own name, and at once began
the manufacture Of the plOws. lie car
ricd Oh the business for Il number of years
and when he died. childleSs, he left his
business to Bernard Wiley and Harvey
Conkling us equal partners. Bernard went
to Peekskill and remained there for sew
cral years and when he sold out his inter
est he came to Kennett and set up in the
same business. But he found that he
could make more money by retailin. the
finished pIows than 10y making them him
self, and, as he controlled all this county
,.,f< Il, Il
any competition. In the meantime Hiram
Hall, who had been plow maker, having
manufactured the bar-share many of them
with wooden mold boards, set up in Ken
nett, where he had formerly worked for
bernard. He was obliged, of course. to
purchase his castings through Bernard.
but as this interfered with the trade of the
latter the castings were very slow at com
ing. Finally MIR. Hallmentioned his trouble
to Henry BrOsius, storekeeper in the
place, and the two men formed an alli-
:lnce and endeavOrcd to buy their
plows directly from the factory at Peek
skill. They called to their aid the
scholarly Samuel Martini whom they
hoped would bc able to write letter that
would bring the manufacturer to terms,
but this failed AS Il last resort Messrs.
Hall and BrOsius raised $500, and giving
into the hands of James Green, directed
him to go to Pcekskill and purchase cast
ings. He did SO and to allay suspicion
had them shipped to Wilmington, where.
however. they unluckily fell into the
hands Of Wiey's agent, who conveyed
them to his own premises. Hiram Hall at
once went to Wilmington and succeeded at
length i'll getting his property. When these
were used up James Green was sent to
Peekskill a second time. He was at once
recognized and closely questioned, and
when the founders discovered that the
Chester county plow makers were deter
mined to have castings they sent Mr..
Green home with the message that Hall
and Brsius might have all the stock they
wanted. Mr.. Hall continued in the trade |
for several years, the best market being in
Lancaster county, where left handed |
plows sold for $12.