The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-04-17
An Acre OF Raw Prairie on the Enp6ria
College Grounds Brok,n in
Twenty-Five Minutes.
[From rhur.dar.. Dnilr

forts been made to stir and break
the soil by means of Its immense power.
N 1869, so sanguine was Francis Moore,
the inventor of steam blowing mac hine,
that he sold all his horses and oxen, and
persuaded his friends to doso, ere great
decline should render their draft ANIMALS
valueless before the triumphant march
of steam. Mcore's enthusiasts, h6wev.
er, exceeded his ability to apply his the
cries to successful results, and
his efforts resulted In failure. In
the same manner ended the under
takings of many who followed in
the attempt to do practical plowIng
through the ageRcy of steam. To brief
ly allude further to the history of steam
blowing it is recorded that the
first reslly successful result
was attained by Heathcoate, a
lace merchant and member of the British
parliament, who patented his machinery
in 1882. By means of a twenty-five
horse power engine he was able to plow
924 acres in day. But after years.
trials, and he had spent 100000, ne
was compelled to abandon his opera
tons aud declare the machinery too
umbersome and expensive.
OF late years steam blowing, IS our
readers may know. has been in very sue
cessfGl operation ia Eogland.
The system there is almost
entirely. If Io; q tie, that which Inyolves
two engines located 1T either side Of
field, connected by cables Ia which the
plows are attached. The expense Of
steam blowing, in this marnar Is so
great that it may re said to have
hardly received trial in this country,
the cost of an outfit on the English sYs-
tenn being about $4,000
The great difficulty has been TO com
bine traction engine that willride over
uneven and soft ground, and pull with
it set of gang plows that will do the
work well, aud keep The cost
of such a combined piece Of machinery
within reasonable amount. To
demonstrate that such result has been
attained was the purpose of the public
and practical exhibition this afternoon
on the new college grounds northwest
of this city.
To-day's test, as fer as we can
learn, is really the first successful public
trial of practical blowing by steam in
this state, and also it is among
the very first IN this coun-
try. The combination of the
machinery operated this afternoon is a
recent one. 1t consists of the traction
engine of fifteen horse power made es-
peciallY for the purpose by Prick s. Co.
al Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. aud the
gang pillow attached to it, manufactured
by Kimmell Bros, of Cambridge City,
Indiana. The combined mlchins con
stItutss
THE STEM PLOw.
The engine is portable with horizontal
boiler, and is built upon a frame
work, to which are attached two front
wheels about three feet IN diam eter, and
and two large rear wheels OF
about twice the diameter, and
having tire with an eighteen-inch face
upon which are arranged a double set
of cleats, one set being sufficient when
the engine is travelling oyer road to
ard from the field, another set forming
projection of about three inch
es is eaisly attached when the
machine is really for actual work. I'm
mediately IN the rear Of the engine, ant
connected with it by compact plat
form, is the gang pillow, a simple anC
solid contrIYance OF framework OF
truck, to which are secured
SIX iron pillow beams, eacl
pillow throwing a twelve inch furrow, ant
the entire gang being in easy control o
the fireman of the engine, who raises o.
lowers the plows by means of larg,
reel.
Aside from the attendant just spoken
of, the entire machine is managed by
the engineer, whose principal duty is Il
steer, which he fulflls with the creates
ease by meaps of simple continuance
THE TRIAL.
This afternoon the very large Grove
of citizens and farmers assemblies
i. at the new college ground, witnessed
the triumph of steam blowing Th
beautiful hill overlooking EmpOria wa
picturesque scene and the larg
number of persons aud vehicle
present gave the locality til
appearance of fair. At ten minute
of two the pillow started to make tn
rounds around the edge of the thirty
eight acre plat. The machinery move
off nicely, the six plows cutting beauti
full burrows, breaking strip just 81.
; feet wide and about thre
inches deep The throng of spectltor
followed at brisk pace and we're oil
ligei 10 keep il up ell around the fielC
The plow went up the side of the "a
vines and down again in a steady course
making the four turns NIGEL
and as quickly as a ploV
team would. At ten miputes past tw
the circuit was completed without
, hitch. The writer estimated The distanc
around to be about $50 rods. Thi
being ths case, the ground broken u
in twenty minutes would be about three
fourths of an acre.
The capacity of the pillow is said to b
8 from twcnty 10 twenty-five acres day
The cost Of running it: An enginee
and assistant, So so per day
coal, 81 so; team aud man t
hsul water aud fuel, So 90; total
SO per day. The cost of the machiE
complete is from $1,000 to $4,000.
The following gentlemen interests
in the manufacturer of the steam ploV
were present: William and DAME
Kimmen, of Cambridge City, l. diana
Edgar Penney, mechanical engineer AM
assistant superintendent of Frick 4
Cos. factory at Waynesboro. Pennylva
, nis, r. F. Foster, general agent, Kan
sas City, Missouri, ]. w. Carpenter
. Dayton, Ohio, snd Mr.. A.
Houck of this city, who
interested in the enterprise
The engincer IN charge of the pillow /
Mr.. VIM. Cole, who was assisted by j.
! siah Kerr, of this county. As we G
! to press the exhibition is stil
going on. 1t will be continue
D to morrow morning about 10 o'clOc
; at the same place as the college is to IL
{ ceive a donation of a certain quantity c
e breaking OF the soil, from the Genileme
e in charge of the steam pillow.
Il