Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-10-22
Steam on n California Farm.
Stockton Mail.

ington, Is u genius IN his line. When
anything new comes out he studies to
soc whether II cannot be adapted 10
use OH his farm.
For one thing, he has applied he'll
met oil cups TO greasing wagon wheels.
He has score Of grain wagons, all Of
them supplied with these cups, and all
OF the wheels can be creased by means
Of them In ten or fifteen minutes-a
job which would require al hour or
more without them.
All the blowing done Oh Chalmers
big ranch Ia done with traction ell
CINE, and during the last blowing sea-
SOP he ran the engine day and night,
having three shifts of men. A loco
motive headlight was employed 10 il.
Illuminate the path ahead and another
was used 10 throw light on the plows.
Now the farmer is hauling wheat TO
town with his engine. lie brought a
load In recently and stored IT at the
Stockton warehouse. There were ninc
wagons IN the train, aud each carried
sixty-cight sacks Of grain. Each sack
weighs OIL all average, 137 pounds, so
each wagon load was 9,3l6 pounds,
and the aggregate Of all the wagon
loads S3,S44, or nearly furty-twO tons.
The farmer has 10000 sacks of
wheat 10 haul, some of II belonging to
neighbors.
ais 1t much cheaper 10 bring the
wheat In this way than II would lie 10
ship by rail ?" asked u Mail reporter
of Mr.. Chalmers.
"Well," was the reply, ~ can't say
positively that il is any cheaper at all,
but l think Il is. You see, this is only
my third trip, and haven't been able
to cast up accounts yet. The wheat
I'm bringing now comes from near
Pennington, which is seventeen miles
from Stockton. and it would cost $l.10
q ton 10 get it here by rail. Some of
the wheat I'm going 10 haul il farther
away, and to transport 1t on the rail-
road would cost $3.50 ton. don't
think il will cost me a dollar a ton on
the longest haul"
"Where does the saving come in 2"
"Well, one has 10 load his wheat
anyhow, and If he ships 1t by ears he
has got to unload and then load 1t on
the cars. That requires men and
time. This way all we've got to do is
to load it IN the field-the warehouse
men do the rest. 1t requires only
three men to take care Of our train-an
engineer, fireman and man 10 look
out for the wagons aud sec that they
don't get 'hot boxes The only ex-
pense Of hauling. therefore, is the
wages of the three men and the cost
OF The coal used"
"Bui," said the reporter, "there's the
interest on the money in the engine,
which COST" ,.
"Four thousand five hundred" |
sand then there are repairs and the
steady wear If the machine; aud |
you've got 10 have Il lni of money in
vested in wagons. You would only
need couple of wagons 10 haul TO the
railroad, but this way you need y
dozem."
ooh, l need the wagons and tho EN-
gine OH the farm, anyhow" was the
reply.
In further conversation Mr.. Chal-
lnrrs said 1t would not he feasible 10
haul grain rs lie Is doing except on
level and good roads. The only |
trouble he experienced was in crossing
small bridges, which he had 10 brace
up on the frat trip. The tender carries
water sufficient for only twelve hours
consumption, hut water Is pumped in
10 il FROM watering IrOughs along the
road.
It might serm foolish 10 say that
the wagons follow one another around
corners IN the same path, since as a
matter Of course they will do so, but
people often ask the farmer what kind
Of gearing hr puts On his wagons to
make them follow tie lead.
The engine cHn haul the train at the
rate 0f four miles aud half al hour,
but to prevent joltirg the speed IL reg
ulated to about three miles AL hour.
There is no nse Of any one suffering
with the cholera when Chamberlain's
~, Do,x.l,, |