Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-05
INCIDENTS. OF EARLY DAYS RECALLED

complained that the machine in max
ing the loops of thread used what
would amount 10 three threads in
making the seam, while hand sewing
only took one thread, and was more
economical. What housewife of today
is so economical that she would count
the threads of seam?
How Candles Were Dipped.
The first candles | ever saw in An
Galusid or elsewhere, were of the dip
candle variety, they were made i'll
this way. Two or three or more can
die wicks, as long as the candles were
desired, were fastened on il stick
about eight inches long, the wicks
were dipped into a vessel of melted
tallOw, then drawn out and allowed
TO cool, this operation forming coa:-
ing on the candle wicks, then they
would be again dipped into the tai
low, and allowed to cool again, each
dripping forming another coat of ia :
low on the wick. The candle could
be made as large as pencil or d
grubbing hoe handle depending on the
number of times it was dipped. Later
candle molds were brought here from
the east and used in making candles
The lamps used in the early days
of Andalusia were mostly made OF
| tin, the wicks were made of strips Il
cloth and the oil was lard. Thesl
lamps worked reasonably well in sum
mer but in winter the lard would gel
cold and hard and the wick would
not respond when it was necessary tC
raise the wick.
| In an early day there was grea
deal of wheat raised i'll AndaluslS
township, wheat and corn were thet
the principal crops. All the whea
was then cut with an arrangement
called cradle 1t was a sort of scyth'
with a straight handle, and had fou
fingers. These fingers were the sam,
length as the scythe and were AZ
ranged Immediately above it. The.
caught the grain as it was cut an;
placed it in the swath. Later tn
cradle was much improved and had ;
crooked handle. This improved affal
was called the grapevine cradle" Al
the wheat and oats raised in the coul
try was then cut by hand and wit
this implement
First Reaper Described.
The first reaper that came into Al
dalusia township was of the first pa
tern of the Mccormick reaper. 1t ha
large cast iron master wheel, tn
finger beam as it was called, tina
: held the fingers was a wooden bean
about three inches thick and abou
eight inches wide and six feet Ions
Holes were bored in this beam abot
} four inches apart for the insertion {
the fingers. The fingers were of ca
; iron and about eight inches long; the
| were driven into these holes and fastene
| with wooden wedges: the sickle Wa
! enc solid piece of steel the length {
: the finger beam. There were no Sc
: IONS riveted on the sickle as nov
: but there were small file teeth cut
2 the sickle itself, half of the teeth wei
:. slanted towards one end of the sick
. and the other half were slanted
\ wards the other end, the direction
( the slant of the teeth on the sick
: changing about every four inches. I!
7 reel that knocked the grain again
Il the sickle was a huge affair, the arm
o were very long and the fans attach'
o to them were six inches wide; whit
the machine was set up and runnin
= it looked to me to be as high as
IL house. 1t was drawn by four horse
: The driver sat on seat similar to tn
e on reapers of the present day. T.
It man who raked the grain off the pl;
it form sat back of the driver and 70
backwards. He raked the loose bu
IS dies off the platform with long ha
q died four-toothed rake; the bundl
II were bound by from four to six M
'2 following after the reaper. They we
called binders; they bound by S
i, ton, and there was always one S
ID ton less than there were binde
n /, So when binder finished a staff
st he could rest a few minutes befC
II commencing on the next. This W
ip the old way of harvesting with
IL reaper and | will venture to say the
Dr. is not man in this house under
p who can make double band or hi
III a sheaf If wheat properly. That W
:. soon be one of the lost arts.
~ Another Interesting Machine.
VI The first thrashing machine used
II Andalusia township, so far as | RENE
no Der, was one owned | think by Jan
do Robson, father Of Mathew and Rob
;" Robson 1t was The kind of machi
. known as the chaff piler. The only I
chinery about it was a cylinder a
concave, the cylinder was of wood W
III holes bored in it at regular intervS
nj the cylinder teeth were of iron a
d" were put through the holes and fl
II ened on the inside of the cylinder W
ei iron burrs. The iron teeth in the C
III cave, which was also of wood, w
No fastened in the same manner. 1t tt
Gu five men to run the machine, one
"a drive on the horse power, one to pi
nc the wheat to the machine, one to
- bands, one to feed it and another
- pitch the straw out of the way as
20 went through the machine. The str;
- chaff and wheat all went through
-. machine together and all piled up