Year: 1878

Kate CamerOn-GilmOre's Band.


From our Regular Correspondent


HOTEL DE l. ATHESEE, !


PARIS, July 6, 1878.


| The United States exhibits undoubt-
edly the best and most instructive col
lection of reaping and moving machines
in the Exhibition and this arises to a
great extent from the fact that in the
east of Europe American manufacturers
have established business on so extensive
a scale that English makers are unable
to compete with them. All the great
manufacturers in the United States are
therefore we'll represented, not as stran-
gers but as recognized suppliers of the
ever-increasing demand in the agricul-
tural districts of the South of Russia,
Austria, Hungary, &c. 1t is not surpris
ing that in reapers and mowers the
United States should enjoy so great a
popularity. As much ingenuity and
skill have probably been displayed there
in the improvement of these implements
as in the perfection of sewing machines
and there is scarcely crooked piece of
iron in any one of the reapers that are
on view at Paris that is not the subject
of at least one patent. The American
implements have, moreover, special ad
vantages which recommend them
strongly to the purchasers where the
European trade is largest The corn
growing districts of Hungary and Russia
correspond closely to the great grain
producing areas of the United States so
that the machines perfected for the latter
conditions are of course well suited to
the former, another point much neg
lected by al but American makers of
these implements is the comfort of the
men in attendance. At best English
reapers have seat supported ON long
bracket on one side of the machine out
of the way of the revolving rakes but so
placed that the horses have to be driven
in an inconvenient position. This is not
seen in American machines of any
standard type, comfort to the driver in
charge of the implement being a leading
and very necessary as well as economical
consideration. In the American ma
chimes the rakes do not revolve in fixed
plane but as they rise from the back of
the platform are gathered up into nearly
vertical position so as to be out of the
way of the driver who can therefore sit
fairly behind his horses. Leaving aside,
for the moment the consideration of
comparative ingenuity displayed by
Americans and other makers, of freaping
machines everybody is forcibly brought
to the conclusion that the workmanship
in the former is more suitable and in
many respects far better than in the
latter. For example the same peculiar
skill which is shown in the construction
of American carriage wheels is seen in
the wood work Of reapers especially in
the rakes and platform, the combination
of strength and lightness in which is
remarkable. Lightness in every part
indeed is special characteristic of the
implements as compared with English
and continental machines of the same
class and this specially which perhaps
was first forced upon American builders
to suit the horses of their home farmers
is equally appreciated in Russia and
Hungary where light draught is all
important to conform to the capacity of
the average horses. The special object
of the American builders appears to be
to combine strength and efficiency with
lightness and cheapness of construction
at the expense no doubt to certain
extent of durability but apparently it
suits the American farmers to purchase
machines at moderate price that may
wear out in few years but not before
they have paid for themselves and many
times over and which if they were more
durable would probably become com
paratively absolute long before they were
past service. 1t would seem as though
the American makers have succeeded in
making their European purchasers adopt
the same ideas.


In book printing the United States has
made Its way independently. AS regards
the building of presses, of which there
are several exhibits, stereotype, type
casting, &c, America has paid off the
debt it owed its mother country with
interest, and the latter has frequently
adopted the invention of its offsprings
1t is necessary only to mention the large
printing presses for newspapers with
cylindrical stereotype plates and more
recently those for endless web, as well as
automatic machines for type casting.
On account of the great extent of the
newspaper and job printing business in
North America, inventions and improve
ments concentrate almost exclusively
upon such arrangements as may assist
these branches. No country can pro
duce printed matter as legible, and ap
parently as clear as America In spite OF
the small shanks of letters The variety
of type for job printing, especially man
uscript type in America surpasses that
of England greatly, and therefore Amer
ican and German type boundaries are in
frequent communication, especially ex-
changing matrices.


OF light machinery the United States
departmen. is full ofmarvels, which may
now be seen working. First of all there
is the Westinghouse air brake, which i:
now being very generally adopted in
Europe. 1t may be seen On several o.
! the locomotives in English section de
partment; in the American section how
ever, it can be studied in detail and in
working, being exhibited as applied to &
+ luggage truck of the Chemin de Fer dt
: 7 Quest Near the Westinghouse all
+. brake is the exhibit of the Stow Flexible
Shaft Company, of Philadelphia. Thil
shaft transmits rotary motion in any
, direction from motive power, 50 tina
? power can be taken to the work instead
= Of work TO the power. This invention
is particularly useful for drilling anC
: similar work, and whatever way tn,
shaft may be bent or turned, it works al
: the same. The trail is attached TO the
end and driven by level gearing. Ar
}, equally ingenious and useful invention
is the pneumatic boiler riveting ma
chine Of Allen & Roeder, Of New York
The employment Of air instead of steam
3 gives this machine the same qualities o
d portability as the flexible shaft just men
q toned. 1t may be carried to its worl
{ instead of the work being brought to il
!. which in the case Of boiler work woulC
a be, Of course, impossible ] A Fay 4
Co, Cincinnati, display nineteen woo