The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-19
P PNEUMATIC
CANE CUT TER
inventor Paul Is
Now in the
City.
EXHIBITION AT
THE IRON WORKS
Hawaiian Planters Inspect the Tool
Which Will Be Tried in
Queensland.

day afternoon number of prominent
men more or less interested in the SUI
gar plantations Of Hawaii, watched
with keen interest the working of q
sugar cane cutter just patented at
Washington, the invention of r. II.
Paul, of Brisbane, Queensland, Austria
liza. Then inventor arrived here yes
terday on the Ventura en- route to the
Colonies and will continue on his voy-
age to Brisbane today. He is carrying
home with him some of the cane cutters
and appurtenances and upon his arrival
the invention will be given a practical
demonstration in the cane fields of
Queensland, under the direction of DIR.
| Walter Maxwell, for some time director
of the. Hawaiian Sugar Planters Ex-
pertinent Station. DR.. Maxwell is inter-
Tested In the development of the inven-
ton of Mr.. Paul, and it was at his
solicitation that the inventor went to
Philadelphia armed with specifications
and models to have the invention COM
pleted and patented.
| No other invention of the kind was
/ of the Patent Office
| Inventor Paul claims for his cane
cutter, which is in reality a very sim.
| pie affair. a complete revolution in the
methods of cutting down cane and saw
| ing labor and time. The principle of
his invention was developed as a foil to
the proposed elimination of kanaka and
coloreds cane-f1eld laborers in Queens
land ands the substitution of white la
borers Mr.. Paul states that with the
loss of the colored laborers the sugar
Industry of Queensland is, menaced by
| failure. 1t was for this reason that
several principles OF the use of pneuma-
tic tools were brought into reGuisition,
the result being a tool which will cut
cane with the least expenditure of mus
Gle and time. There has as yet been
no rear demonstration of the qualifica-
tons of the invention of Mr.. Paul as a
substitute for the cane knife in the
hands of a hardy field laborer. but Mr..
Paul believes a step in the right di-
rection has been taken and he has faith
in the future that his cane cutter will
prove the friend of the sugar planter.
| The display of the cane cutter at the
Honolulu Iron Works was witnessed
| by B. F. Dillingham;, F. NJ. Swanzy, E.
E. Paxton, T. Give Davies, L. A. Thurs
ton, H. Focke, Mr.. Dryer, Manager
Hedemann of the Iron Works, w. F.
Dillingham; and others.
| The cutter, which is about three feet
in length and weighs about six pounds,
resembled a huge patent screw driver,
or pneumatic mining drill and is han
n lord xTit n trnv min lsloI H.
| ing from a compressed air chamber was
attached to an overhead beam from
which hung about fifty feet of pliable
fred piping. This was attached directly
to the cutter the vent leading to a
cylinder whence came the power to
operate the cutter Two or three
punches of Lahaina cane of an average
height of ten feet were brought into
the shop and when the air was let into
the pipe the inventor placed the end of
4 the cutter which is keen blade about
two inches In width, upon stick of cane.
a slight pressure upon the blade against
the cane pressed the shank back into
the cylinder; there was sound of es-
Gaping air through a vent hole in a
hilt-like handle, which the inventor
grasped with his right hand, the shank
throbbed under the blows of the piston
at the rate of 5000 per minute, and the
blade cut clearly through the stalk.
The inventor was at a disadvantage in
,,endeavoring to cut cane which was not
rooted or in a natural position. 1t is
claimed by Mr.. Paul that laborer in
field would merely approach each stalk
/ of cane. lunge the cutter forward until
it struck the stalk and the same would
be severed without difficulty.
/ Very little comment was made upon
| the exhibition except that the cutter
appealed to the planters more as
novelty than as useful appurtenance
to well-equipped plantation Most of
them believed that the old way of cut
ting with knife was well enough
without introducing any new tangled
ideas, except when the latter have been
proven successful beyond peradventure
Mr.. Paul deplored the lack of a grow
| ing field of cane in which to demon
strate the qualities of his invention.
However, he had not intended to show
his invention here until the same had
| been tried In Queensland fields by DR..
Maxwell, as the inventor relies upon his
Judgment as to whether the cutter Is
a successful competitor to the cane
knife as at present patented, or wheth-
er it is to be modified. Two years ago
Mr.. Paul conceived the idea of the cut
ter
II saw the loss in labor in swinging
| the cane knife up and down to get
sufficient power to do an inch or two
inches of work." said Mr.. Paul to an
Advertiser reporter after the exhibition.
Il concluded that tool could be made
to do continuous work. went to Phila-
delphia where l had the tool made. +
then obtained patents, having no diff
Guilty in obtaining them
The cutter is what may be termed a
pneumatic tool with reciprocating
piston striking 1900 blows per minute
on a shank having free nlax of ha1f IN