The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-06-25
WONDERFUL INVENTION
as Much as Whitney Did for the
South.
Hane0ek'S Rotary Pillow a Wonderful and
Radical Invention and One That
Will Win.
4 Highly Satisfactory Trial Test-Expres.
sions Of Surprise and Approval.

WOhN -
afternoon by Invitation to see a test of a
wonderful plow on the farm of DR.. Haas,
on Clifford avenue, near the Belt road.
Among those present to witness its opera
tons were John Bradshaw, Samuel Han
way. John Landers. E. c. Atkins. S. o
Pickens. Z. E. Busby, S. H. Rsilsback and
L. ID. Railsback. The inventor. NJ. T. Han.
cock. was on hand to direct the work. A
cOlored man seated himself on the pillow
and started to break the ground. 1t was
truly q marvellous performance and marks
a revolution in the pillow. The days of the
heavy draft wedge are numbered.
lhe new plow Is rotary In principle, hav-
ing two rolling discs twelty-fonr inches in
diameter. made of sheet steel. convex on the
are set at an angle. inward to the land,
nearly fOrty-tive degrees, one half its
diameter In advance of the other. Each of
these discs rolls on the same axle and each
cuts ten inches of land. making q total Of
twenty inches. The bearings of the axle
are so shielded as to protect the oiled part
completely from dirt. On the land runs q
cast-lron wheel, and in the furrow at an
angle of forty-fve degrees runs another
light cast-lron wheel bearing against the
land at the bottom of the furrow. The
latter wheel holds the discs to their places.
The plow In motion, cutting twenty
inches in width and eight inches In depth,
showed by the dynamOmeter attached q
draft of 325 10 $50 pounds. There were two
horses attached to the plow, and they car
ried IL along at about the same draft re-
CURED In using an ordinary steel pillow,
cutting twelve inches in width and eight
in depth.
Another important feature of this pillow,
which the inventor has named the Han
cock rotary pillow, Is that, with the rolling
disc, the land is pulverized about equiva-
lent to once going over with the harrow.
1t Is simple in construction, and the
driver rides as on the sulky pillow. but. I'M
like other gang-plows, the Hancock ro-
tary cuts the corners of the land perfectly
at the turn. 1t weighs $50 pounds, and one
thing that VIII specially commend it Is the
more 1t is used the sharper the discs be-
come. and no time 10 spent sending that
plow to be sharpened.
1t will pillow, according to the team, from
three and One-half to five acres q day, and
with perfect ease. Every one who saw 1t
work was delighted. The inventor is from
said to the reporter. land went to WASH
ington q year ago for q patent. My idea
was an arrangement to cut and pillow
pea vines. but the notion came
to n inven shoa and 1 on had that " would mHf ii
the great farms of the North, where you
raise corr aud wheat. Ispent eight months
In Washington perfecting my plan and get
ting my patents. 1t has already created
some surprise among plOw manufacturers,
and several of the largest manufacturer
have made Overtures to me. | believe
there is something better in it tor me to
manufacture myself. and my idea is to
form q company. / have been attracted to
have taken up my residence here"
1t is understood that K. &. Atkins and a
number of other gentlemen have taken
stock, and arrangements are being made to
enter upon the manufacture of the Han.
cock rotary pillow at once. As there will
undoubtedly be q great demand this will
be on important addition to the manu-
featuring. interests of Indianapolis.
Several of those who have seen the pillow
at work are wild to have at least one of
them. MI. Bradshaw was specially
interested yesterday, and expressed
the opinion that in O few
years the rotary will be seen all over the
land. One reason for Mr.. Hancock's com-
used for the discs the same steel used by
Mr.. Atkins in saw-making which fact in.
torested the latter gentleman in the plow
and for the further reason that all the raw
material required In its manufacture can
be obtained here as cheaply as any here
while the facilities here for the shipment
to the country he desires to reach are un'
surpassed.
MIR. Hancock is an active, intellIgen,
man, q true inventor, and enthusiastic upor
his subject which. however. does its work
80 we'll that it needs no advocate.
Every farm Implement, except the plow
has been SO greatly changed and improved
that the farmer of thirty years ago would
not recognize their old implements. and
now here comes q man all the way from
Louisiana to show the Northerners a pillow
they never dreamed of. Whitney. q New
Englander visiting IN the South. invented
the c-OttOn-gIn-and now u man from tn,
far South repays the gift by an invention
that every farmer. from Maine to Cali
fOrnia will appreciate.