Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-11-16
STILL ANOTRER VERSION
Who Is the Inventor of the Reaper
Machine ?
Waco. TEXAS. Nov. s, 1910.

West l read with much interest the |
of the question, Who
invented the reaper?" and I rejoice
70 know that even with tardy tread
the facts OF history are at last CON-
ing to light. And yet there is lit
tie bit of fact that can tell that may
be of curious interest, if not OF a
more substantial worth, as a fact OF
history. 1t is this: At the time
Cyrus Mccormick was working on
his invention OF a reaping machine
my grandfather was running q
blacksmith shop at old John Buch-
span home" not far from Cedar
Grove Mill, as it was then called.
The shop vas famous for the manu-
factory Of edge tools, farming i'm
olemen Is. and the like. In the year
1892 Mr.. Cyrus Mccormick cane 10
my grandiather's shop and said:
"J~hr, have come over to take you
into my confidence and get you to
help me in my invention. Then
showing MIR. Buchanan his models
he explained what he wanted made.
MIR. Buchanan thought the models
over, then said, Cyrus, your ideas
are good, but your models will not
work" explaining to him why. MIR.
Mccormick had in plan q cutter bar
designed TO cut while moving in but
one direction only, after the idea OF
the old time sickle with goose
teeth''-the same idea pertains to-
day on the reaper cutter sections. "
But Mr. Buchanan explained that
the blade cutting in but one direc-
ton would choke up while moving
in the opposite direction.
Il see," said Mr.. Mccormick,
you are right; but 1 have studied
over the thing till l am nearly crazy;
think the matter over and give me
an idea" And so Mr.. Buchanan
did think the matter over. and did
give him an idea" He made him
a rough drawing Of his idea of what
would work, as he thought. The
idea he gave him was exactly the
cutter bar" just as used today by
every machine that runs. There
has not been a single improvement
made in the idea of Mr.. Buchanan
except TO make a smooth edged
section" that can be ground and
kept sharp till worn completely out.
Now" said Mr.. Buchanan, get
some good smith to put that into
steel and you will have something
that will work" Mr.. Mccormick
submitted the Idea" to an ack
nowledged genius by the name o
John McKown. He took the subjec
up and brooded over it for some
time. Late one night he found tina
sleep had forsaken his eyelids, while
he meditated over the desired nipple
ment, and away in the late hours O
the night he. like the illustriou
Archimedes OF old, leaped from hi
bed, crying out, I've got it. Nv
got itv' and lie had for Impatient.
he waited for the day TO forge int
steel the idea" of Mr.. John Buch
anan. the result being the identica
and indispensable cutter bar" c
every moving machine that wa
ever put on the market.
At the time Mr.. Mccormick wa
partner with D brotherin-law il
running a smelling furnace at "ol,
Cotopaxi." ! think, the stack c
which is still standing. This gen
tleman suggested to Mr.. McCor
mick that as one of them was givini
his time and thought to the inveu
ton of . reaper the other shoul'
give his time to the moulding OF tn
castings. The moulder at the tim
was Mr.. Ham, the father of Mr.
John Ham, Of the Covington Machin
Works. MIR. Ham did the work c
casting and recastipg the parts c
that epoch making machine as
slowly evolved from the brain c
the inventive genius, OF Mr.. Ham
himself, have this part OF the story
AS for the rest of it, | have from tn
lips OF my father. who was at tn
time an interested youth. standin