The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1886-09-22
Four Horses and Two NIen TO Accomplish the
Work Of Two Hundred Labores.

Col. A. M. Voolfolk, a former well
known citizen Of Montana, has been en-
gagged for the past two or three years in
perfecting some machines that he fully
expects will revolutionize the world. A
marked copy of the Chicago Times of the
l4th inst, received by the last mail in
forms us that his wonderful machines are
completed and at trial at RaVensWood, a
suburb of Chicago, they accomplished all
that he SO fondly expected, proving an
entire success. The Times has the follow
ing in regard to the machines and the ex-
periments made:
Tho loader is very simple compact and
durable, and can be briefly described as a
largeu curved steel wheel fitted with buck
cts, with some six inches of its circumfer-
ence resting on the ground, the pioW
throwing up the dirt into the outer rim of
the wheel, where it passes into the buck
cts and is elevated some six feet, the earth
falling Oh an inclined plane into the wag-
on box below. The grader is made very
similar with the exception of a side ele
vator Or conveyor in the shape of an apron
or belt eighteen feet long. This takes the
place of the wagon box and is admirably
adapted for grading railroads, streets and
lots, the excavation of canals, the emoank-
ment of rivers, etc. AS soon as the horses
could be attached to the loader and the
driver on his seat the word was given to
start. at once the ploW was sunk six
inches into the heavy soil, the buckets
quickly took up their load, City Engineer
Artingstall took out his watch, and in just
thirty seconds by measurement the wagon
box was found to contain one and one
quarter yards of earth. This was repeated
several times, the ploWing, loading, and
unloading being in each case timed and
found not to exceed the half minute. This
wonderful achievement was especially
gratifying to several Of the railroad con-
tractors present, who promptly offered $50
per day for the use of the machine in case
it could not be purchased. A trial was
then made of the grader. This machine,
when in operation, with its eighteen feet
of a conyeyor, which can be extended to
any reasonable length, reminded one of a
miniature Niagara, the dirt descending
from the conveyor, which was elevated
nine feet, in a perfect shower, filling a
wagon box which was driven alongside
with two and one-half cubic yards of earth
in one minute. One gentleman remarked:
IF De Lesseps had few hundred Of
these graders the Panama canal would be
completed in much less time than he ever
figured on. A comparison of the work
ing of these machines with hand labor
shows that with four horses and two men
in ten hours time the work Of two hum
dred laborers is performed, and that much
more easily and with far less friction.
Col. Voolfolk expects to organize q COM
pany with $l0,000,00O capital to manufac-
ture these machines and place them on the
market. His ideas, like the capital Of his
proposed company, are a little bit exalted
but we hope he will make success of it.
He thinks he will give a great boom to
railroad and canal building and the RIVER
Press will be ali the more pleased if it
strikes northern Montana.