Obed Hussey, Who, of All Inventors, Made Bread Cheap
History
Obed Hussey, Who, of All Inventors, Made Bread Cheap
Harvesting machinery; Hussey, Obed, 1792-1860
"At this time I was about seven years of age, having been born in 1824.
Although very poor at the time, he was a man of education, upright and
honorable, and so very gentle in both speech and manner that I never
knew fear or awe of him. I do not know for a certainty how long he
remained there,--several years, at the least, I think, but of his
connection with the reaper, I am _positive_, for it was talked of
morning, noon and night. To this day, my brother bears on his finger a
scar, made by receiving a cut from one of the teeth of the machine.
When, finally, the model was completed, it was brought out into the yard
of the factory for trial. This trial was made on a board, drilled with
holes, and stuck full of rye straws. I helped to put those very straws
in place. Mr. Hussey, with repressed excitement, stood watching, and
when he saw the perfect success of his invention, he hastened to his
room too moved and agitated to speak. This scene is vividly impressed on
my mind, as is also a remark made by a workman, that Mr. Hussey did not
wish us to see the tears in his eyes."
The story of Mr. Hussey's efforts at that time is also told by a brother
of the little granddaughter:
"Chicago, Nov. 25, 1893.
"Clark Lane, Esq.,
"Elkhart, Ind.
"My Dear Sir:--
"I notice in this morning's 'Inter Ocean' your letter of 22nd in
regard to the First Reaper and Obed Hussey; now I can say that the
name of Obed Hussey called to my mind the best friend of my
boyhood days, as he was in the habit of keeping me supplied with
pennies when I was short, and taught me how to put iron on a wood
sled, and helped me to make my first wagon as he turned the wheel
for me. You are right with regard to the date of the fingers and
shaped cutters for Reapers, as I saw and handled it, to my sorrow
in 1833 or '34 before the machine was finished and nearly cut my
fingers off. I have the whole thing photographed in my mind and
can show the spot or within 10 feet of it where I lay on the
floor. It was not possible to try it in Maryland, owing to the
hilly nature of the ground, and was afterwards taken to Ohio for
trial and was rebuilt there, or at least a part of it, but of that
part (the rebuilding) I do not know for a certainty, but the bars,
fingers and knives I do most positively remember, as I was a lad
of some eight or nine years old with a mechanical turn of mind and
was looking into what seemed strange to me, hence I cut my finger
so bad that I carried the scar for a number of years. I very
distinctly remember the incomplete reaper made by my old friend,
Obed Hussey, as it was made in my grandfather's shop in Baltimore,
Maryland, who was at that time the leading plow-maker of the U. S.
and that it was made either in 1833 or '34, as I would not have
had a chance to see it if later than '34 as I was not at home
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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