Obed Hussey Part 17

"MARLBOROUGH."

Following upon these various successes, an advertis.e.m.e.nt from the proprietors of McCormick's Machine appeared in the public papers, as follows:

MR. M'CORMICK'S AMERICAN REAPER

[Sidenote: The Challenge]

"Public Challenge to Makers and Venders of Reaping Machines: We, the undersigned, agents for Mr. McCormick, having observed sundry advertis.e.m.e.nts and circulars complaining of the decision of the Jurors of the Great Exhibition of 1851 in favor of Mr. McCormick's Reaper, and of the reports given in the public journals of the trials which led to such decision, do hereby give notice to Messrs. Wm. Dray & Co., Messrs.

Garrett & Son, Mr. O. Hussey, and all other makers and venders of Reaping Machines whatsoever, that M'CORMICK'S Reaper will be tried at the Cleveland Society's Show at Marton, Middlesbrough, near Stockton-on-Tees, on the 25th inst., and publicly CHALLENGE them or any of them, to meet us there, with their machines, for the purpose of a comparative trial of the respective merits of each, to be determined by the Chairman and Council of the Cleveland Society, or by such Judge or Judges as the said Society may appoint. BURGESS & KEY, 103 Newgate Street, London."

The Challenge was immediately accepted.

MR. HUSSEY'S AMERICAN REAPER

[Sidenote: The Acceptance]

"In answer to an advertis.e.m.e.nt which appeared in the Times of the 18th, from Messrs. Burgess & Key, giving us a PUBLIC CHALLENGE to a TRIAL of the AMERICAN REAPING MACHINES, we hereby announce that we shall willingly ACCEPT the SAME, and on the 25th inst. we shall be prepared at the Cleveland Society's Show, Marton, Middlesborough, near Stockton-on-Tees, to prove to the Agricultural World the superiority of HUSSEY'S REAPER for general farming purposes. We stipulate, however, that the Machines shall be tested, not only on a particular patch of good upstanding grain, where they might, perhaps, prove equal, but on an average variety of conditions, as to short and laid corn, etc., such as the farmer will usually meet with. Its capabilities for cutting green crops, such as clover, etc., shall also be proved. It must be evident to the Farming Public that the Reaping Machine which will cut a crop of the greatest variety and difference of condition must possess the greatest merit. WM.

DRAY & CO., Agricultural Warehouse, Swan-Lane, London Bridge."

Accordingly the matter was arranged, and the following gentlemen were called upon to act as jurors:

Henry Stephen Thompson, Esq., of Moat Hall, _Foreman_; Mr. Wm.

Lister of Dunsa Bank; Mr. Jno. Booth of Killerby; Mr. John Parrington, of Brancepeth; Mr. Wm. Wetherell, of Kirkbridge, Darlington; Mr. Robert Hymers, of Marton; Mr. Christopher Cobson, Linthorpe; Mr. Robert Fawcitt, of Ormsby; Mr. Joseph Parrington, of Cross Beck; Mr. John Outhwaite, of Bainesse; Mr. Geo. Reed, Hutton Lowcross; Mr. Thomas Phillips, of Helmsley, and Mr. Thomas Outhwaite, of Bainesse.

The following were the conditions to be submitted by the representatives of the respective machines:

The machines to be tried on wheat and barley in such order, and for such lengths of time, as the jurymen may direct. The jury to have full power to use any means they deem advisable in order to put the machines to the severest trial. The jury in deciding on the merits of the two machines, to take into their consideration:

[Sidenote: Conditions of the Contest]

1st. Which of the two cuts corn in the best manner.

2d. Which of the two causes the least waste.

3d. Which of the two does the most work in a given time.

4th. Which of the two leaves the corn in the best order for gathering and binding.

5th. Which of the two is the best adapted for the ridge and furrow.

6th. Which of the two is the least liable to get out of order.

7th. Which of the two at first cost is least price.

8th. Which of the two requires the least amount of horse labor.

9th. Which of the two requires the least amount of manual labor.

As no report was made of the trial on the first day, the following may be relied upon:

From the Gateshead Observer, September 27, 1851.

"It was curious to see on the soil of a Cleveland farm two implements of agriculture lying side by side in rivalry, respectively marked, 'McCormick, inventor, Chicago, Illinois,' 'Hussey, inventor, Baltimore, Maryland'--America competing with America, on English soil.

"Mr. Hussey led off. An attempt was made to keep back the eager crowd; but their curiosity was irrepressible; they flocked in upon the machine so that the experiment could not be properly performed, nor could the jury duly discharge their duties. P. C. Thompson did his very best; he was all but everywhere at once; but what avails a police force, _one_ strong, against a concourse of Yorkshire yeomanry and clowns?

It was requisite that he should have recruits, and a body of self-elected 'specials' came to his aid, who succeeded in procuring approach to a clear course. Mr. Hussey then took his seat anew, and his machine cut down a breadth of wheat from end to end of the field. It seemed to us to do its work neatly and well. The wheat was cleverly delivered from the teeth of the reaper, and handed over to the binders by the rake."

To William Dray and Company.

"Stockton-on-Tees, September 27th, 1851.

"Sir--Having been in communication with you relative to the trial of your Reaper against McCormick's, and feeling deeply interested in the introduction of the new implement into this district, particularly one of so much importance as a Reaping Machine, I think it is not probably out of place in me if I give you the result of my observations during the two trials which have taken place. From the fact that McCormick's Machine obtained the prize at the Great Exhibition (though I do not _pin my faith_ upon awards made by Agricultural and other societies) the letter of Mr. Pusey's, in the _Royal Agricultural Society's Journal_, the various newspaper reports, etc., etc., it was natural for me to be predisposed in favor of McCormick's Machine; indeed Mr. M.

had a prestige in his favor, which of course operated against the 'Little Hussey.' Previous to starting, at Marton, on Thursday, the gentlemen representing McCormick's machine expressed themselves desirous of testing the machines early in the morning when the dew was on, believing that their machine would cut the grain under such circ.u.mstances, and that yours would not. Well, on Thursday we had a deluge rain, the surface of the land was very soft, and the corn very wet. Everybody there was astonished to see your machine brought up the field at a trot, cutting its way to the admiration of all present; it not only cut _to_ the leaning corn, but it cut cross over the corn leaning to the left of the postillion (I presume I must call him). McCormick's machine then _attempted_ to start (he made two or three attempts) but the attendant confessed it was impossible to do so. That there might be no mistake about it, your representatives proposed that their machines should go up again; the jury said 'No! we are satisfied that your machine can cut it under the present circ.u.mstances,' and so ended Thursday's trial."

From the Gateshead Observer, October 4.

"We left the members and friends of this society, on Friday, the 26th ult. on the Show-ground at Middlesbrough, immersed in rain. The scene now shifts to the Townhall, where, in a handsome and s.p.a.cious apartment, we find them a.s.sembled in the evening, to dinner, to the number of 150, with the Earl of Zetland in the chair, and in the vice-chair Mr. John Vaughan, of the firm of Bolckow & Vaughan, iron-masters and manufacturers. His lordship was supported by the Rev. W. F. Wharton, of Birmingham, and Messrs. J. T. Wharton, Henry Pease, G. D. Trotter, Isaac Wilson, George Coates, J. W. Pease, George Reade, John Pierson, etc.; and the vice-chair by Messrs. C. Dryden, W. Fallows, R. Chilton, etc. In the body of the hall were the leading inhabitants of the town and neighborhood; also, Mr.

Burgess and Mr. Samuelson (who had come to the meeting with Mr.

McCormick's reaping machine), Mr. Hussey, the inventor of the reaper which bears his name, and Mr. Pierce and Mr. Stevens (on the part of Messrs. Dray & Co., agents for Mr. Hussey).

"On the removal of the cloth, the n.o.ble Chairman (behind whose seat was inscribed on the wall in conspicuous characters, 'Success to the Cleveland Agricultural Society--Eighteenth Anniversary') gave the customary loyal toasts, and took occasion to observe that had it not been for the Exhibition of Industry, projected by Prince Albert, the 'Reaping Machine,' from which he antic.i.p.ated great benefits to agriculture, would not have been introduced into this country. (Applause.)

"The Earl of Zetland again referred to the reaping machine. Such an aid to agriculture, his lordship observed, was needed in Cleveland and elsewhere.

"Mr. J. T. Wharton, of Skelton Castle, said he had never witnessed so much enthusiasm in an agricultural district as was displayed in connection with the reaping machine. Had the day been fine the number of spectators present yesterday (Thursday) would have been at least fourfold what it was. Bad as the weather was, not only was there a large muster of members of the society, but 803 persons, many of them from a considerable distance, paid sixpence each for admission to the ground. The trial of the rival machines was, unfortunately, so short, and conducted under such adverse circ.u.mstances, that it was impossible to p.r.o.nounce any opinion as to their relative merits; but what he saw of Hussey's was as satisfactory as he could expect. (Applause.)

"Mr. George Reade, of Hutton Lowcross, said, had it not been for the boisterous weather, the receipts of the Society at Ormesby and Middlesbrough would have been marvelous. As it was, there was a large a.s.semblage to witness the trial of the American reaping machines, and they were regarded with an anxious desire that they might succeed.

Indeed, let any ingenious mechanic--he cared not whether he was English, Scotch, Irish, American or German--come before a jury of the farmers of Cleveland with an implement or machine for the improvement of Agriculture, and it would be judged with candor, impartiality and uprightness, and the inventor should go home satisfied that he had experienced fair play. (Applause.)

"Mr. Isaac Wilson proposed the health of 'The Strangers.' To those gentlemen the members were greatly indebted for their attendance. Had the weather permitted, they would all have experienced much pleasure from an inspection of the celebrated reaping machines in action, and the ingenious draining plough of Mr. Fowler, which did him very much credit.

(The toast was drank with musical honors.)

"Mr. Pierce, the representative of Dray & Co., being called upon to respond, rose and said, bad as the weather had been, he had been delighted with his visit to Middlesbrough. The kindness of the inhabitants soon made him no stranger. He was not four and twenty hours in the place before he fraternized with the whole parish. (Laughter.) He rejoiced that Mr. Hussey's reaping machine was now in the hands of a jury of Cleveland farmers. It would have a fair, honest, impartial trial; and what more could an Englishman desire. (Applause.) He thanked the company for the honor which they had conferred upon their visitors from a distance, and wished continued success to their flourishing society.

(Applause.)

[Sidenote: Mr. Hussey's Toast to England]

"Mr. Hussey was next called upon, and said that he had for many years been building machines in America. If he had had the least idea of the interest which England would take in the reaping of crops by machinery, it would have been a difficult thing to keep him on the other side of the Atlantic; and he knew not, now, after the reception which he had met with, how he should ever get home again. (Applause and laughter.)

"Mr. Steevens, Dray & Co.'s engineer, was also called upon to rise, and stated that his employers had purchased Mr. Hussey's machine because they saw it to be the best, and they would meet every compet.i.tor in the three kingdoms, fearless of the result. (Cheers.)

"[It should be stated that Messrs. Fowler, Burgess, Samuelson,[9] etc., had by this time left the hall, and therefore could not be called upon.]