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
"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 competitor 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.]
[9] McCormick's agents.
"Mr. Parrington, having read the award, announced that a second trial of
McCormick's and Hussey's reaping machines would be made, if the weather
were favorable, on the following morning (Saturday), at 9 o'clock, at Mr.
Fawcitt's farm. The jury, appointed by the committee, would give no
opinion on the trial of the previous day (Thursday). That would go for
nothing. They would devote the whole of next day, if necessary, to a
full, fair, and satisfactory trial of the two machines. (Applause.)
"On Saturday morning, the weather was so far favorable that there was no
rain. The trial, therefore, took place. There was a numerous gathering of
land-owners, farmers, laborers, etc., but not so crowded a muster as to
obstruct the experiment.
"The foreman of the jury, Mr. Thompson, being unavoidably absent, his
place was supplied by the Rev. W. F. Wharton, of Birmingham. Messrs.
Lister, Outhwaite, (J. and T. P.) Booth, Wetherell, Phillips, and Dobson,
were also absent. Their places were filled by Mr. William Morley,
Dishforth; Mr. Thomas Parrington, Marton; Mr. J. T. Wharton, Shelton
Castle; Mr. Wm. Hill, Staunton; Mr. Joseph Coulson, Sexhow; Mr. Joseph
Harrison, White House; Mr. John Mason Hopper, Marton.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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