A project of Volunteers in Asia

. . . The Homemade Win-k by: Erwin Hinckley

of Nebrasb

Barbour

Published by: Farallones Institute 15290 Coleman Valley Road CA 95465 USA Occidental, Paper copies are $ 3.50.

Available from: Farallones Institute 15290 Coleman Valley Road Occidental, CA 95465 USA Reproduced Institute. by permission of the Farallones

Reproduction of this microfiche document form is subject to the same restrictions of the original document.

in any as those

This book was reprinted by the Farallones lnstitute from the Agicultural Experiment Station Bulletin of 1899, Copies are available from the Farallones Institute, 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, California, 95465

CONTENTS
Page 5 ................... *Fe.. ..

INTRODUCTION

............................................

CLASAIPICATION OF ~~OMEMADE ~~~~l,arrcLs JLMLUO~~~IND~UILLS ................................. BABY JUMBOS ......................................... BIEDIUM JWBOS ...................................... GIANT JUAIBOS ........................................

10 12
13 18

SCILIWJCIMBOS .......................................
CONSTRLXWON OP JUMBO WINDMILLS ................... MERRY-GO-ROUND WINDWLLS ............................... ........... CoNSTRUcTtON OP ,&ZRRY-GO-ROIJND WINDYILLS TURBINE ~~'IND~IT.LS ...................................... ................................. B~LTTLE-~x~TIND~~ILLS &JTcR ~~INDMILLS IN NEl-HtASKA ........................ TOWERLXSS TURRINES ................................. STATIONARY TUKBT~ES ................................ VANELESS AUTOMATE TURIHNES ........................ TURBINE 31~2~ TURBINI~S ............................. RE~oNSTIXJCT~:D TURBINIW ............................ SJlOPbfaDE .hRBINES .................................. .................. &EIGINAL USICS FOR SIIOI'MADE ~Vr~n~rr.~s.
GIANT
...................................

24 27
28 34

36 38

39,
53
56

58
64
66

..i

....

67 70 75 'iG ?G

S~0R~c3Rop
lRANsbfIsHION

1Vl,vDa;ILLEwmcY
OIZ WINIIIIrIIAT,

............................

I~olvILI~.

........................

77
78

OTIW t. WATER

f,iwRI~s

....................................

;r/,c Ila~mmrthz

Wtdmtls

of Ncbmska
1Zn12130u1r

13~ ERWIN

ITINWLICY

A l~l~itf.lMiNAttY

lC1510KT

While engaged upon the preparation of a paper treating of the relations of the homemade windmills of our State to its agricuiture, the writer finds such great and increasing demand for some short and immediate report on the subject, that he is led at the request of correspondents to publish the following brief preiiminary paper, awaiting the time when a systematic and formal report may be possible. It is not the writers object or intention to offer our citizens advice-for he is the oije who is under instruction-but rather to bring together views of a number of mills, and to compile facts about their uses, construction, cost, and durability, which mr\y be of possible use to prospective builders, :md by which tlley may be enabled to select the design which seems to them least faulty, or best suited to their individuill wants. In the judgment of the writer, whose seven years of residence has enabled him to visit nearly every corner of the SMte, this is an import:lnt agricuitur;\i movement, and is worthy of much fuller treatment than is possible within the scope of this paper. The importance of this movement, inaugurated by our inventive farmers, is mzde manifest in that many acres of garden truck, fruit land, and even farm land are irrigated; that stock is supplied with water; that rnnchmen and sheep herders are benefited; that dairy products are increased and improved; and-that the comfort of the village and the rural home is often enhanced. The merit of homemade mills has enjoyed such prompt recognition that they are going up daily. Not to the detriment, we are happy to say, of those important adjuncts to the f;lrm, the shopmade mills, but in addition 10 them. In a given community, the mPn who puts up the lirst mill generaily furnishes the model for the rest of the community.
IJULL. 59 AGR. EXP. STATION OF NEDR. VOL. XX. ART. V.

Hence it seems the more desirable that good models should be at hand, The better models are often of quite a?seasy construction and no more expensive than the poorer, and their efficiency considerably gren;trr. It is advantageous to have good models to copy, and the nest best thin&r to the actual model is a good simple drnLving. This is the first object of this paper on our homemade windmills; it aims-to supply cuts illustrating a11sorts of ivindmills, as found in this State. These in a certain way will serve as models, and may guide citizens to this extent, that they mny benefit by the experiences of others without necessarily They compromising thejr own individuality and personality. can build the mill which they have conceived of, and do it in their own way, and yet they may benefit someivhat by what others have done before in the same line. The present paper will mnke little ;\ttempt to do more than sketch in pen and ink our most typical mills, accompanying the This will be followed at once with same with brief descriptions. a paper similar in chnr;Wer, but containing in addition drawings to show the construction of each mill; to be followed as soon as means and spruce will allow with a much larger paper, illustrated by half tone engravings from nctu:il photographs, with constructional plans, and with data as to efliciency, etc. Those who have had little chance to observe for themselves cnn scarcely be brought to rcaIize th;e great number of homemade mills, and the wide territory which they cover. Eut to the writers knowledge they extend in almost unbroken succession from Omaha to Denver, and from South Dakota through Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma; our own State being plainly the center of the movement, The writer has gone by rail over the various roads; hns driven by ream; has employed--at his own expense-. students to drive seyernl times across the State in various directions. In this way as will be very plainly seen, a large number of: places have been visited, and a very fair survey of the windmill has been made, and from the knowledge obtained it may be said that the Platte v&y from Omaha to Denver seems to bc the very backbone of the homemade mill, its i-lbs cxtcndi~g out on rill sides along the lessor river courses of the

State, They are found in valleys rather than on table L~nrls, for the rwson perh;~ps th;lt there the, water is ~il~~liowcr and more easily raised by mills of low elliciency. The towns in the llatte valley arc .cach of them oflentimi23 windmill centers about which at-e often clustcrecl twenty to thirty or more mills oE homemxic clcsign. Columbus, Grand I.YliltlCI, Kearney, Overton, Cozad, Lexington, Gothenburg, Ogalitlla, and intermediate and adjacent towns are, in a way, e:lch a center for homemade mills as well as other forms of wa\~t lifters. Those at Grand Island i\re especially numerous as may be better appreciated from the fact that we were unable to see them all after having driven for four days among the excellent mills designed and buiit by the German farmers living around this growing city. As said before, the first mill sets the style in mi!is for a community. Accordingly in certain German settlemttnts me find the old-fashioned Holland mills, more or less modified, until they little resemble the original or mother mill. In other communities especially in eastern Nebraska, the Jumbo or <go- devil mill is the prevailing form, In central Nebraska, and well to the west, the type of homemade mill known as the I3attle-ax is plainly the prevailing type, and it is a first rate form of mill. Besides there are a variety of other designs to be described later in a more specific m;mner. As to the usefulness, cheapness, and durability of such homemade productions it may be said that a good basis for. a fair judgment in this matter is found in the fact that the designers and projectors speak in high praise of their mills. This would be otherwise if the mills were not satisfactory in each of the above resj;ects. Some are so hearty in their praise of the homemade mill that the author by contact comes naturally to speak with equal confidence of these mills as important agricultural aids. Some have looked tqon them with distrust, believing that any citizens too poor to put up the regular shopmndct mill, were on the face of it shiftless, unreliable, and undesirable citizens. As a fact it turns out that just the reverse of this holds true. The builders of homemade mills in IVebraska are generally the wealthier and more progressive among the older and better

established farmers; or else younger n;en, jtzst making :1 st;zrt, but with good credit and as fair promise as their oidcr brothax; or else market gardeners, zxnclzmen, cattlemen, sheep l~~rclersor others. This much is certain, that they are put up by our best citizens, ad z1ot by the \vorst, and by a stal)le, and not by a roving, unsettled, or shiftless class. In s,tbstnntiation of this the writer will occasionally insert views to show the general surroundings of the men who design and build their own windmills. Later this will be more fully shown by better cuts. The very fact that a farmer is disposed! or is able to design azld construct, is evidence of good citizenship.. Such men are the ones whose g&es, fences, outbuildings, farm< mxhinery, and in fact the whole place, are each and all in good The writer believes this to !)e R fair, and not an exagrqxtir. ger:!ted estimate of these znen. And here he must znqke haste to correct 2 statement of his. own, publi~llecl befort investig:ntion had progressed far enouglt tb make judgment whuily reliable. It was n mistake, .as tile. writer h.73 since learnedi to 2!!:-ibute to the past few years of stringency and drought the remarkable growth of homemade windmills in Sehrabki~. It is true that many market garcleners during thnt trying time, did build mills, and thus save their crops, but it turns out that znost of our homumatle mills are not buift out of ntxessity, br*t rather iis luxuries or coziveniences by men. who have meFins enough to own regular mills, and ia additiozj a few homemade zniCs to do certain duties in certain places, say in, pumping stock \vnte; in this pasture or that. Some large ranches repart five or six such mills in operation pumpizrg watrzfor their stock. Smaller enterprises dtimazA fewer mills, While sozne beginners use the homemade mill for the irrigation of the garden a4 for supplying the house, others make luxuries. of them rather tlz;rri necessities in this sense, that they put them to work in various ways to sxve hand labor, such as running the grindstone, the C;hurn, the feed grin&r, corn sheller, the wood saw, and other fxm machinery. As to the cost of such mills it may be stated in a general way

that they are inexpensive, and that their cost is not as great a~ their usefulness. In dollars ;!nd cents the average mill will not fall far from four to five dollars, not including labor. Litbor, it is found, is contributed freely to such work, at times when moreWat: it otherwise important work is practically at a standstill. the undertaking would be of doubtful merit. Unless such mills can be put up at odd times, and made out of material at hand, by which is meant old lumber, poles, and hardware common to every farm, they are better left unbuilt, for they defeat the very ends for which such mills exist. Let them be built cheaply, or not at all. Some builders, by z1 display of superior management, erect excellent mills, sometimes without cost, at other times at a merely nomin;d espense of one or two dollars for extra lumber and hardware. We have seen mills doing good service on market gardens which cost but one tlolI:1r iind a half; we 11avt!seen them on i;ll-ge fill-ills 15llt!lettCiiCll mill \VilS pumping \VilttTr fOl* tilt? cattle on each quarter section, :lnd ~et suc11 mills did not cost more than ii dollar and sevt3ltj.-five cents. This i< getting good service at a very ~m;ill cost. Frown ttlis up tllcf-c is every grad:+ ilnd fifty dOllill-S, with tion in price to mills costing one ~llllldl~Cl an e!FiCittncy of eight horst! power, and caphle of g:!*ir~tling food for the stock at the rate of twc) hundred to thr-CC l~unclred bushels Of grain per (lilj*, according to Llic wind. This t;isit is tlltt most expensive mill known as J*ttt in the State. I-Io\vtfv~l- the work it performs seems to be commensur;\Le with its cost, Similar milk costing Gfty clol~l;~rsgi-ound one IIUIY~I-ttd busl~els per
&lY.

The owi~e13 of thcst2 mills w~~x fiii-incus ol nleallh, and h;ltl it been possible to get a ~hopm;~dr mill ht!ilvy C~IUU~II to do \he same work they would have preferred 10 buy, and thus avoid the care of plnrining, and designing, and building their own. This offers ilftOtht!r jUstiliCiltiOI1 for the homemade mill, Many farmers turn old farm machinery to xlmir;lble account in windmill construcCon; in this way thq secure tht: best of turned bearing!:, without cost, find, at i\ smi\ll outl;\y of ci\pitnl 01~ time, procure n good, cht%p, and li\sting mill.

7. ~Shopmadc Turbines SIX page $5 6. .lXeconstru;- t cd Turbinca See pag. YO

I Revolving Turbines. . With rudder Fig. 11 I Without rudder Fig. 10

6. >Iock Turbl!ies. See page ti7 Set Turbines
i~ Giant Turbines

Fig. 9

4.

With eight f;ins r Holland mills. . . . j With six fans I Sce (With four fang Fig. 8 ( CXant Battle-ax Eight-fan mills Fig. 7 mills mills mills mills Fig. 6

Battle-ax

3.

Rattle-ax mills . . See page 39

Six-fan Battle-ax Four-fan Eattle-ax I Two-fan Battle-ax Unmounted

Fig. 5 Fig. 4 ,... With With With . . .With screw fans Fig. 3 eight fans six fans four fang Fig . 2

2.

Merry-go-rounds See page 34

Mounted

Giant Jumbos.. * Jurnbog* * * see page I.2 *.

l l l l

Medium

Jumbos,,

I+Baby Jumbo8

Fig. 1

11

No. No. No. No. No. No.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Jkby Jumbo Windmill. Ordinary Jumbo. Screw Jumbo. Merry-go-round, mounted. Giant Merry-go-round. Ulrttlc-trw Wlnlllntll.

No. No. No. No. No.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Glunt l%tttlc-ax. Holland hIllI. Giant Turbine Windmill. Mock Turbine (rudderless). Mock Turbine (with rudder).

Beginning with the lowest and least eflkient mills, and running up the scale to those of higher eflickncy atid increasing specialization, we have first the Jumbo family, including Baby Jumbos, Medium and Giant Jumbos, and Screw Jumbos; second, Merry-go-round mills, including the mounted and unmounted forms; third, Battle-ax mills, including two-fat], four-fan, sisfan and eight-fnn Battle-ases, aud Giant Bnttle-as mills; fourth,

Ilollitl~d or DULC~ mills, small and large; fifth, Mock Turbines, which closely rcscmblc the shopmade miIls, including those with four, sis, eight, and many fans, .md the Giant Turbines; sixth, At the IWld rcconstructcd Turbinq with rmd without rurlclcr. of this series should come a seventh group, the regular shopXklikdC tniii.

THE

JUMBO

WINDMILL

The Jumbo mill, or Go-devil as some call it, is very like an It is simply a sort of overold-fashioned overshot waterwheel. shot windwheel. ?Ve have titken the liberty of putting it in the lowest group of mills, where it prolxlbly belongs, although in talking with their owners, it is plain that they defend these mills, and would put them in a higher class. All of which speaks well for this simple and useful mill. However as a matter of fact, they are probably the least efficient tqx. JYhismuch must be said, that tlw? lend themselves readily to, construction, being very simple in design.. Furthermore almost any kind of mnteri;rl may enter into their make-up, so the? are economical. We have seen old lumber, lath, shingles, split rails, old packing boxes, barrel staves, cofftie sacks, and even the tin from old tin rdofs pressed into service in the construction of these mills. We even found the tin can doing service in this capacity, for one farmer living near a small town found hundreds of old tomato cans in the dump near his place. Raking these into a heap, and covering the same wiLh straw which waslxx-:xd so as to unsolder the tcps, bottoms, and sides of the cans, this farmer found himself with several hundred pieces of tin which he nailed to the loose sides of his Jumbo box. This was counted an interesting case, and others might be cited, but this is quite enough to verify the statement that these mills can be constructed largely of old or even of waste material such as is common to almost any farm. If the Jumbo cannot be built cheaply, and by ones own labor, it were better not built at all. This is not literally true, for any mill is better than no mill, but. some other form of mill could beschosen to advantage.

The Jumbo can b-e used ~~tlv;~nt~~gcous)y, is illu~tratccl by as its praclicnl operation all over the State, to pump water for the house, or for the stock, or. for the irrigation of small patches of orchard cr p-den. For the irrigation of large tracts it may not amount to inuch, but touching this point it may be well to remember theft if one smali Jumbo can irrigate a small Ilatch, several large jumbos could irrigate a much larger one. We have cwn the Jumbos vgr;-Ing in size and strength from those at work pumping water for the irrigation of the garden of a town lot up to those which were irrigating ten acres oE orchard. If this much is already possible, more is to be espected. Several Jumoos, if well. built, would do not a little service in field irrigation, especially if the water was first pumped into a storage reservoir, and thence into the furrows. And its usefulness might be still further enhanced by using it steadily during the fall and winter in order to get the ground well soaked. Some irrigntionists in the !tate purchase their water rights in the fall and winter for the reasons; first, that there arc fewer using water at that season atsd it is che;tper; stx~nd, by !I iishing the fields, fall plowing is made easy; third, by wutting the ground tl>oroughly at thiu season, it is considered by many to virtually insure the crop. II the best use is made of the Jumbo the results are not to be despised. This is not to be construed as a statement that much of aglicultural importance is to be espected in this direction, although a great deal seems possible. In point of price our Jumbos range from the baby Jumbos which cost nothing, or at most but a dollar or two, to the medium Jumbo costing four or five dollars, even to the giant Jumbo which costs one hundred dollars and irrigates ten acres of orchard. The baby Jumbo as the name implies is a very small mill, so small that they at first passed for playthings, but the author finds that they are put to very good account. They are generally m-ounted upon abandoned towers, or upon buildings, while the large Jumbos are set upon the ground, and securely anchored there; all being so set as to catch to best advantage

t!le prevailing Nebraska.

wind of the place, which is north and south in

111IT GOODRICH JUlW30

The baby Jumbo on the Goodrich farm at Bethany, Nebr., was built in play by &fr. Goodrichs boys and without cost, yet it was put to work to pump water for the stock. It stands upon the nbandonecl frame work of an old water tower, so its small fans are more exposed to the impact of the wind. Then it is geared back by means of old sprocket wheels and chains taken from a self-bindet-, in the ratio of two to one, which gives the smA1 mill a mechanical advantage. Its arms are two and one-half feet long and ench of the four board fans is about four feet long by ttvo feet wide, thus exposing but about eight square feet to the wind, This is 21 showy little mill, and one which has been figured in agricultural pulpers, and it does its work well enough, considing that it is a toy which cost nothing. However, it is introduced here to show what is possible, rather than to advocate the introduction of this make or this size. It seems to the writer to contain a rather suggestive and instructive lesson. If boys can add such important helps to the farm in ploy, what may not be done in earnest, especially if the boys have parental encouragement, and a model to ivork from. This matter of models is a strong incentive with the writer, who believes that many a boy on the farm can follow out the hints which are here compiled from various builders over the State, and thus add that mrlch to the usefulness and comfort of the* parental horne. Even tile district. school, which is so dear to the American heart that we woulc1 fight for it ils qnickly as for any of our institutions, thou$~ often placecl in-the barest, bleak&t spot, might be brought that much closer to every patriotic heart by having ii little shade, and possil)ly a few vines. All of which is rendered possible by the Jumbo or other homemnrte mills which the boys could build. If WC arc so tlcvotcd to our great public school system, which WC r:tnk in itrlportancc tibove tile college ;lncl the university,

because it is the foundation of learning to every home, not to the favored few, then why not show appreciation by giving this ~college of the great masses a liltlc better setting? In the liore humid portions of the State it is UI easy matter to start tree13in thit country schoo1 yard. In the more nricl portions they must have a little fostering care until well rooted. If no bcttcr mill is to be had, one might lx built by tllo older pupils. We have seen many creditable n-.ills built by boys ranging from fourteen to twenty years, and feel that there are great possib%ties here. For a time the Goodrich Jutnbo was described as the smallest in the State, and it did not seem possible or practicable to attempt

FIG. 12. The baby Jumbo drsi,u:wd nud built by W. X7\-. Iler. II:tvcloclr. Nebrnsira. It has four frrns each three fact long with arms two and one-half feet low ;~ltnclwl to nn iron axis. It is nttnckd by IL sistcon ink.11crank dirwtly to the pump Ilantilr~. It. is mountCd on fl, sirrltwi foot t.owcr. ll~ls litAIr illill. whirl1 cost but K1.70. lninip~ w:bl~*r [ur rhc stock, anti for a boirrdiny IIOUSUwilh lliirt . gllCSlS, IifLlilc LhC Wil.lCr fIYIl11 I1 SiXlg iOOt \VCll. Y

anything smaller. However, in a neighboring town, Havelock, we subsequently found 11 baby Jumbo buiit by \V. 1V. Iler, which 11,~ fans but three tcel long, with ;\1tllS t\\-0 illttl OIlC-llalf feet iong; so the fans are a foot shortsjr t!lnn the foregoing. For

all thitt it clots cor~sitlcr;tblc work, a.:[1 WC 11;bve;I pr;rctic;ll mcasuw of its eficiency in that it pumps the water for the st.ock, anti fcr a boarding house, or sort of private hotel having thirty rep ular guests. What more is to be asked of a mill which cost its owner and builder but three dollars ;\ncl seventy cents? It has this advagtage, that it is set upon II tower sisteen feet high, so catches the wincl. In a strong wincl this little mill has pumped as much as three or four hundred gallons in forty minutes, lifting it sisty feet, as measured in barrels by the owner. Whether accurately or .approximately measured, it is plain that the little mill is doing a big work. Its real usefulness to the household is borne in the more forcibly when the wind shifts to the east or west, :111d they are ~om~~e11~cl pump by hand t!le water neccss;lry far so large a to house. Later the true ellicirtrcy of this mill will be mea~ur~cl and reported. Other Jurnhos in other parts of the State arc almost -as small, but as fxr as is now known, this must be repor.tccl as the baby of all. Nest in size comes the rcm~~~kablc Jumbo designed and built N urscries by J. L. 13rown, ownc1 ilrld proprietor of the hIill\Vily near Kearney, Nebr. It cost but one dollitr and cl, half, spent for its gaspipe axis, yet it pumped water enough for the successful irrigation of the girden, str;twlxrry patch, and smali fruit ,during the most trying season of drought ever esperienced in the State. Without it everything woulcl iwe been a failure. The fans and Jumbo box were built :\lmost wholly of the sides and ends of old grocery boxes, thus securing a maximum of usefulness at a minimum of cost. This mill reverser the ordinary proportions, in that it is narrow .and tall. Its proportions are, height ten feet, width three feet. 120x three feet wide, nine feet long, sis feet high. The primp -stood about five or six feet from the mill and was connected with it by a lever in the ratio of five or six to one, which gave it an advantage. When visited, a fair wind-probably a ten mile wind-was blowing, and it was pumping vigorously, and continued to work with undiminished force after an additional load of one hundred

llia. 13. A rcmi~rltablc llttlo Jumbo, dcsl~nc~~l nnd built by Mr. J. I,. Brown, proprktor uf the Midwry Nurscrlcs, at Kwrncy, Ntibr;tslr;b. It Cost l,ut $l.rNb,yet lt p11mpcL! su1tlclcnt rinll silve the g;irtlcn truck, the st.lxw1wrry patcli, and tha l nliLll fruit wntcr to irrig:.btc during the most trying brawn tit clrouU~ ever rccord~~rl iu the State. 130x three feet witlc 3 nine Ccet long, six ;CCL high Kiglit fans, thtw Ccat wide by four ;Inll one-b;rlC feet long, -supportccl on iL gsspipo unis.

and fifty pounds was added to the pump rod. It wxi not overlondecl by more than two 1~iinclrecl pounds or more. frItxns were not at hand for the measurement of its true elliciency, which Mr. Brown estimated for us by saying that the prolits from that small mill, during tl?e three distressing seasons of drought probabljr exceedecl that of the place. Many others have made similar statements. This is not meant as a great claim for such mills, but this much holds, that when these small sums&e the total of the balance sheet for the -year, they are apprecinbly large, The mill is an importnut aid at $1 times, sometimes the mainstay of the place. Many such mills are found in the outskirts of small towns. For the farm and for the stock a larger size is desirable; which + brings us to the ordinary or medium sized mills, iI good example of which is that of Dr. 13oardman in the edge of Ovcrton.
2 Y

L-4

.A . ..
. -.

m.. / /

-.

1*30. 1-I. The Jumbo winc:mill ol Dr. K. 0. Iloarrlman, Ovcrton. Nchrwdco. Built by o cnrprtrtcr ;tnd bierlrsnaith out ol IICW m:llW;li at LI cost of sR.00. Iron nxle. ICwa flvo by six fwc. Jumbo box eight by tmelvc. by six feet high. Mounted on posts. Pumps wratw for uw hnnllred heard of cattle from an ekhtccn foot well.

This mill servt~ our purposes doubly, in that it furnishes esact figures respecting a mill built by carpenter and blacksmith, and out of new lumber. This mill with a Jumbo box six fzet by eight feet by twelve feet, supporting four fans on i.:t iron axis, cost just eight dollars. The four fans were each six feet square, boarded up solidly. Had there been six or eight fans with but two or three boards, instead of five or six, the results would l-Ioweve~-, have been far better, and it would serve as a modrl. as it is, it serves its owner well, and helps to pump water for one hundred head of cattle. This new mill was built to replace an old one put up three years before and kept in constant use. The bwner expects the present mill to pump the water needed by his herd, and expects its term of usefulness to be fully five years. If so, he will be paying for his water service,at the rate of about one dollar and a half a year, and the lumber will be in such preservation that by a very little rejuvenatiorr the mili may be

made USC again. of

Many are convinced that the Jumbo mill is the preferable type, and for all such it ought to be esplained that, where there are but four fans, it often happens that they are in such a position, as they revolve, that but a single fan is struck by the wind at a time, whereas in the case oE sis fans and eight fans, !-JO, three, or four, may catch the wind at a time, thus giving the mill just that much additional strength.

There are mechanical reasons for pulting one, two, or .sometimes three hoards wcil to the cxtrcmity of the nrms, not to
cover them solidly, but rather so as to cover about one-third oE the arms. It is ncccssary to get rid of the dead air--that is the air which has struck the fans ;tnd lost its energy-and it is probahle that two bo;irds 41 scrvc ones ~u~~pos~ bcttcr ihan four, A mill with and at the same time save just that much outlay. versions as above, but with sis fans, and with two or at most c one-boot boards, will do good service pumping for stock, A mill of about this size, but much more carefully built, was found doing good service in watering a six acre patch -of

FIG. 15. A six fan Jumbo wlndmill on the iorm of IV. IV. Goodrich. Dcthanp, Ncbmskn, uQ3.l in matctlng ib SIX acw p-l tch of egpplatlts for the Lincoln mnrkct. The f:ins nrc rnch , nine feet Inn:: with wms flvc nod one-half feet long. Jumbo box nine by ricvcn by six feet high. wilh door bvlaw for the cscapc of dead ntr. IXttiL WC11 built. hXki Of DMlllH3l~
SreCL To?&
cost.

zr al.

eggplants
was

This was on the farm of W. W. Goodrich, oE Bcthntiy. In one respect this mill unnecessarily well built. All mills ought to be equally ~41 built, bolted together, anchored, and braced; but as the builder

grown

for the Lincoln

markets.

himself SAYS,it is not nectSsary to have a Damascus steel axis with turned bearings, oil cups, etc. A gaspipe axis, he srrys, would h;\vt~ starved the purpose iIs well, and would have reduced the cost of his mill from eight dOllill 10 three. This is a six fan Jumbo, each fan being nine feet long, with a r;tdius or x-m, five and one-half long, the whole mounted upon a box nine wide by eleven long, by sis feet high. As the fans of rz Jumbo revolve rapidly within the Jumbo bos, it is believed that tlxre is so little room in a ~11 made bos for the escape of the compressed air, that it forms ;I sort of air cushion, which to a crrtnin extent checks and retards the fans. To ovcxome this i~~~u~~y~Air. Goodrich has resorted to the simple clevice of ihr ;vIwml clE the Jumbo box consist of two doors, in the tnicldle, so that one cm be IONWccl when the wind is from the south, the other when from the north. This mill furnishes v~y reliable d,it:l as to the cost of mills of this size whe;r put up by home labor. Mr. Goodrich says that the this mill could be built at iI cost of five dollars-omitting Cm-a gGOd steel asis -and it is an uncommonly well-built mill, and made of good lumber, much of it new. The writer takes this 3s a fair xx? correct statement of what the average mill of this six :\nd quality ought to cost, although it is a dollx and a fraction more thanthat of the estimated average, as figured from Hocvevcr, it is 1x:rfcctly ;kpparthe rqorts of \rilrious builders. ent that everyone who 11:~ a mill ol his own make in succt!ssful operation is often led unconsciously to put it in as presentable a light as possible, ilnd SO minimize the cost. And, on the other hxnd, he tinds the mill SO useful and satisfactory, and the whole f;imily stand in sur$ friendly relations to the new Iabor-saving acquisition, that they very naturally and honestly exaggerate its efficiency, some even believing and insisting that their medium-, sized Jumhs pump more water tlliln the steel mill. Judging from ;L number of mills seen in actual operation irrigilting gin-den truck, the above excellent mill is a little too small. The two 01 thr3.32which foIloW are more neikt-ly ihe average size advocated by market gardttncrs. At Coz:ld WCfonncl a nnmher of homemade mills of various pat-

high, carried six fans having a radius of six feet ad a length of eight feet, mounted upon a one inch iron asis, which l?ln in metal This axis w;ls bexings, with oil cups from old machinery. turned at one end into a crank twelve inches long, giving n stroke of two feet, and this was connected to the pump rod by a The ~31 braced walking beam some fifteen feet in length. + samson post was so se. as to divide this lever in a way that gave the crank a slight . advantage; the longer arm being nine feet long, and the shorter, sis. In such an arrangement it is necessary to Iet the crank play in a slot in the walking beam, a roller being attached to the crank to reduce friction, The ttvs mills of the Travis Brothers, Lincoln market gardeners, were observed in practical operation for severai months. Their size, rough construction, and numercius- crudiries, render them nearly typical Jumbos. The two mills watered not far from eight acres, but it must be remembrred that the demand for water in the most humid part of the State is less than would be the case farther west. Thus the mills make just that much In eastern Ntzbraska, as is so well known, it better showing.

rains at that most propitious time-the growing season--continuing through April, May, June, ant1 July. Accordirlgly the mill is pressed into service irregularly, to tide the garden truck over a dry week. And indeed, this is the function and the hope of the windmill as related to agriculture. It is not cspcctcd that the mill can do the work of irrigation all the time, but rntiler n.t the critical time. Let the miil run all the time if need bc, but iet ttie water run frOi0 the storage reservoir only at the trj ing time. Managed thus, good returns are to be espectcBd of the windmill in agriculture as well as gardening, out of COUI-se in a limited way. These two mills cost respectively eigllt and eleven dollars, and if there had been a demand commensurate with the large crop resulting from the use of the two mills, the oivners say that nothing more could have been desired. Mill No. I, which irrigated about five acres, had a has nine feet wide, thirteen feet long, and eight feet high. Eac!l of the four fans were of burlap or coffee sacking, nine feet by four feet. This was stretched upon arms sis ad one-haif feet long. The mill kept the reservoir, which was a unique one, well tilled. The peculiar or original feature of the reservoir lay in the fact that being built where land was valuable and space must be econotnized, it was built long, slim, and relati\*clydtxp. It was one hundred nml fifty feet long, four feet wide, and two feet deep, skirting the edge along the highest part of the patch.

MlPl No. I of the Tr;avik I:rothcr~. mnrkct p~rdcncr., I.i!icaol~l, Nc1xask.r. <!lOWon<-half feet restTvoir. one hundrccl am1 Ilfly fcrt louy. four fcrt wit. two 31111 deep. The ~iPc are made of old coifcc sack*. T!IC cut-offs or wind ptlards may be seen on ci,.&r side. Thr~ arc misrd and lowrrcd hi pullt~g and rope. Dimf%sions nice fccc wide. thirteen feet Ion=. thirtcon feet high. Cost t8.OU. Succc\sfully irrigates n ti\--r: arre pa-den. St-x Fig. 17. mill No. I.
inp edge of

FIG. I&

There was enough grade so that the furrows were quickly flooded, and the water cut off and turned into successive rows. In this mill, for the first time thus far, we see an attempt a! a regulator for the JUIN~JO. Inspection of the cut (Fig. IS) will show an upright support at each of the four corners of the Jumbo bos, each support carryinfi a pullet and cleat; below one can make out a sliding door, which may be raised and lowered so as to cut off more or less, as need be, the force of the wind f~o:a t!le fans, thus regulating the mill to winds of \,,i~d,i:1g velocities. This increases very materially the labor and espense of such a mill, for it is equivalent to doubling the lumber on both of the sides. I3esides it is of qucstiorn;~l& utility anyway, for most Jumbos nre built without any wind guard or cut-off. If such rln nrrangcment is desired it is cheaper and simpler to have the two sides I3y raising: the Side nest to the of the bos itself adjustable. wind the speed of the mill can easily be rcgulnted, or the mill See Fig. xg. Or a still simpler can be stopped altogether.

PK. 19. A model btillt by the writer showinu how the wind puxrd or rut-olT may be the It would bo oaslcr sldr or the Jumbo box Itwll. Welch rakes or lowers on the ufriphts. still to hlngc lt SCrls to Ile flat upuu the cround, lhus stopplug the mill.

method would be to let the sides have hinges at the bottom so that they could easily be let down upon the ground; which would stop the mill. A much more powerful mili than any of the foregoing was found at the Cushman Park Gardens near Lincoln, owned and built by Mr. C. I-1. Cushman. It may with propriety be call&-a giant Jumbo, for its Icngth was nineteen feet, height thirteen feet, breadth thirteen feet. The arrangement of the wind guards

FIG. 261 A large J&nbo mill desfrrncd and built by Mr. E. If. Cuahman of the Cushmnn Park G:rtdcns. Size of mill. nlnctocn lcct lot&y. thlrtccn feet high. thirteen feet broad. Drivrc two tarpe pumps. Capnrlty In :t modcratc wtnrl about on+half barrel D mlnuta . Gist for new nmmia1s, I0.00. The cl)untcrbi~lnnced cut-otTs. or wind guards, shown in the cut. make it posGblu to regulate the mU1 according to the wind.

or cut-offs is not wholly unlike that of the forcgoing save that they are larger, heavier, and in all respects more unwieldy. Accordingly as the cut will show, they are countcrhalanced by heavy weights, which make it possible for one rn;in without mechanical aid to raise and lower them. The mill easily drives two four-in& pumps orw at each end of the axis. It is a four filn mill with eight l~o~~rctsto each fan; accordingly the wooden axis must be subject at all times to heavy strain, thus impnirmg the strength of thg axis, fvhich is still further weakened by being mortised through and through twice at each end for the insertion of the heavy arms. As a rejult the asis soon breaks at these wtxtk~necl points, and a good mill is rendwcd useless. I-Iowever, it is not necessary to attach the arms in this way, nor is it necessilr>v to have one unsupported axis span ninctt.en feet, all of which will be discussed in its place. This powerful mill cost but six dolhrs. 3Ir. Cusliman being a man 0E considt:r,ll,le rne;lns and progressive ideas, has a number of regular mills to pump for his house, stock, and garden, and the result of an experiment with one of these ought to be mentioned. A three-quarter inch stream of water was turned upon the cucumber patch, and during the month of September netted just one hundred dollars in small Without the artificial watering pickles marketed in Lincoln. this crop wouid have been a total loss. Almost any well-built, homemade mill, though of moderate size ought to eiisily furnish as much water, and under similar conditions net its owner as fair returns. Though the Cushman Jumbo was a large and powerful mill, we find a much larger and more powerful one at Columbus, Nebraska. This is truly a giant Jumbo, probably the best known homemade miil in the State; a pioneer miI1 and one altogether In many ways it may lx called a worthy of its reputation. model Jumbo, one to btt copied by others. It is well planned and well built, being securely anchored, bolted and srossbraccd. It drives two sis inch pumps, and irrigates about -ten acres of orchard. Like all structures built for strength and permanence,

it cost tionsideral)le money, but the ON hundred dollars does not stem dis~)l~oporliotl;\te to the work done.

FIG. 21. The giant Jumbo windmill designed and built by Mr. John Tannahill, nurseryrnan. Columbus. Nebraska. Arma nine feet long, inns sixteen feet by four wide: box sixteen by eighteen by fourteen feet. Drives two six-inch pumps. Used in irrigating ten acres of crclhard. Cost %iW.

BIr. John Tannahill, its owner and projector, found that in his nursery the apple trees, which seemed to be healthy and strong, lost their fruit prematurely, and it is said that he was led to build an esperimental mill to see if this was not because of insufficient moisture. It is said that the trees on the ten acres watered by this Jumbo, hold and mature their fruit, and Mr. Tannahill counts the experiment a success, in one way at least. Touching this same point, it may be well to add that as far west as Dawson county, where many claim that fruit culture is impossible, we have seen an orchard of fifteen acres, including apples, pears, peaches, small fruit, and grape vines in flourishing condition, due to irrigation by homemade mills. The fans of this mill are six in number; are sixteen feet long; ;md mounted upon arms nine feet long, thus making the diameter of the mill eighteen feet. The accompanying cut will show that care has been taken to leave ample room for the escape oE Mills of this kind are close to the dead air already mentioned. the limit beyond which it will hardly pay to increase their size. However the writer has hit upon a plan*of arranging Jumbos together in gangs, as described below, see Figs. 3x, 32, which

he hopes will make it possible to construct Jumbos oE almost unlimited size, so *that this limitation to the usefulness of this type of mill may yet be removed. There will then remain yet another important limit, nnmcly, the Jumbo is set permnncntly to face the north and south, thnt is, in the direction oE the ordinary or prevailing wind; accordingly it is literally thrown out of gc;tr when the wind is from the cast or west. Some have overcome even this difficulty, and have built universal Jumbos; Jumbos, which though set in a fixed north and south position, run almost equally well from whatever quarter the wind blows. These are the screw Jumbos of which but two examples are known in the State, one at Trenton, Hitchcock. county, built by Mr. C. R. Powers; the other at Ainsworth, Brown county, built The fans of such mills iare of independently by Mr. Baldwin. duck stretched along diagonnll}. opposite arms in such a way as to make a veritable screw, whence the name.

FXG. 2% The Screw Jnmbu. This is iL rare form. but. two ex:~mples bcinK known in the State. Theso mills WC nlmost 3% cltlcicnt in crrst nnd west winclr 11sin north and south bOX itself. ahicli is WiSCd until air is winds. The wind pU:trd Is t?~ side of t,lx.* i~iiidll~lI~ admlttrd below i&s wull as nlrnsc thr f:rns. thus rhcrlrln~ or sl~qqiiuy Phc mill nrcoriling to the position of the gunrd. LJrrrwn from IL model built by 111~ tvtiLcr.

The Screw Jumbo RIr. Powers built kas been sold to a neighbor, and a new steel mill set up in its place. lie says that the rapid growth of trees around the mill was beginning to cut

off the wind to such an estent that the mill was disqualifictl for ,use. But previously it was n successful and satisfactory mill. The wheel was eight feet long and ten feet in diameter. The sails were made ol heavy muslin, tacked above to a strip of board, below to rope, so they could be furled. The cost of this mill which liftil-d -waicr from a Irinety-sis foot well 110th for house use and for irrigation; was ten doilars. The Jumbo box was entirely open on the ends. Mr. Powers says that the Screw Jumbo runs more steadily than the ordinary type. 130th tile Ixlilclers of these mills speak in praise of their action.

FIG. 2.1. Sometimes Jumbo windmill.+ urC built in pairs. me standin!: uortll and south. the #her east and west. so as to insure service whnterer the direction of the wind.

A model built by the writer shows that the screw Jumbos do indeed run as well as is claimed. Sometimes Jumbos are built in pairs, one standing east and west, the other north and south, thus insuring service whatever the direction of the wind. Fig 23.

might be set in the coru~r of ~~rr:~l% OP WhCrC high board Zi'rr;. bi JU~~I-J wiudmills -I. ;ignlnst ntxl conwutrxted iences meet. Thus the wind would he that u1uc.h b2lteL' c\irWtctf upon the fans.

FIG. 26. Plan for the wotlrlnp parts of the Baby Jumbo. Arms three to five feet long; ark four to six feet, to he made of wood or gaspipc as preferred. Fans to be three to five feet long. and two to three broad according to the length of the arms. The fans should corer about one-third of the arms. Six fans are preferable to four.

FIG. 2?* A Ilmre

IL

LO ahov how the arms may be attached to the axis without The fens m&F 1~ glvcn great ;igtdfty by cross-bracing with twistcd wire. Drawn from ik modei built by the: writer.

wQak9nlng

Fici. !22. A method of ntt~nchina arms which is Rt The w.vhn\e is ticA togcthcr and cross-braced struction. Druwn from a modci built by the witer.

owe chwp. strong, and of easy conby tWisted fCnCe ~irC. .

of n six-Inn Jumbo to twelve w~oh.Y~ dinmetcr. ml:. m. The CO~S~~UCL~OU ten with R fcrt in imis, cross-bmccd b3 twist4 wire. Size twelve to faurtcen feet long; Drawn from a model built by the wrilw.

FIG. 33. A skcbch lo show Lhnt an Indefinite numhcr of JUmhO:, may bc nrrar1,nc.d in a gang, and that corn cribs and sheds may he used for their support. thus rrt?lucinp the cost merely to the lumber In the inns, arms and axis. Powerlul Jumbos may bc built in this way nt smnll expeusc. Diamctcr twelve to fourteen feet. length of oxis twenty-tight to thirty feet, supported at five points. The inns nrc slow-cd down by LL brake, and nrc then tied as is a common practice. Cut-of& or wind guards arc omiLtt?d, it being assumed that Lhc mill is built well c;nough to hrcnst storms and wind. Drawn from B model built by the wrfter.

THE

MEIXRY-GO-ROUND

MlLLS

In the Mcrry- go-round mill is found another nttemptlnt the: construction of mills of utilimited size. However, some of these mills have natural limitations, especially those mounted : upon. towers. Such mills iire of rather complex construction, and are not put up by the farmer, but bjl a carpenter, and at considernbleespense. Mounted as they are upon towers, like the Turbine. mill of the shop, they can soon reach a size where the wind cant upset them, howeve!* well anchored. This has led to the tow-rless Turbines, which stand low upon the ground, hence are capable of a greater circumference. In the smaller ones which< we class with the Merry-go-rounds, the shutter-like fans form a sort of revolving cylinder, which revolves about a central axis. The shutters close on one side and so exclude the air, and open* upon the other So as to catch the air, and even the amount is. easily regulated by nn encircling rope, which ;tllows them to ope11 much Or little, nccoi-ding to the velocity of the wind. This form of mill though useful once, is now anticluated, and; has been replaced by cheaper ancj better forms, so it needs no.

further mention here. Several are still to be seen in the vicinity of L:ncoln, at Gr:mcl Islnnd, Grceley Center, and elsewhere.. They often escape notice from the fact that they ,are mistaken, for water tanks mounted upon high towers.

3t

FKL BS. A sketch of the Wynn Merry-go-round windmill. Bcrmyn. Ncbrsslrn, showing revolving hood which is guided by D rudder so USto protect half of the tuna nnd to cxpo.cc the other half.

The mounted Merry-go-round, as designed by W, Wsnn, of Custer County, consists of a number of fans revolving about a central axis. About the same asis also revolves a semi-circular hood, as the cut will show; thus esposing half of the fans, and shielding the other half. The revolving hood, which seems to be an original as well as a good idea, is easily guided by a large vane, Its construction is simple, its cost small, and it is well adapted to go on the tops of sheds, cribs, and outbuildings, thus The shield might be lightened somedoing away with towers. what, for it does not seem necessary that it should be a full semi-circle; a quadrant or a quarter circle would do just as well, and will weigh less and cost less time and money. Mr. Wynns shield runs upon friction rollers. When the mill is to be thrown out of gear, the guard is simply revolved until it covers all the fans on the windward side. Small and medium sized mills might be constructed in this way. For medium and. large Merry-gorounds the writer would propose a design such as is shown in Fig, 36. Here the fans, which may be large or small, as desired,

I{

Frc;. 36. Orouild l)l:~i of Jr form ol Marry- g..bro~mtl propowd by the wrltnr. IJir\mctcv twenty to Lwcntg-Ilvc rrct or more. K;wh of icur posts c~~rrlcs a g:rLc wl~tch tnny ijc opcncd nud closet1 to (rtlmtt or shut, out the wind. lkwh pate is to be so arranged ILSto turn buckward through tin uucrlo of X0*, DRfrom posltion A, to position 13.

are exposed to the wind on one side, and shielded on the other, by means of gates, as is apparent in the figure. In case of high wind the gates can be partly closed, thus checking the rate of the mill, or they may be closed altogether, thus stopping the mill. A model built by the writer, on this plan, worked admirably, and later a test will be made by erecting upon the University farm a trial mill, and a report of success or failure will be made in a subsequent paper. - A singular Merry-go-round is reported by Mr. IL E. Blackman, which according to his account, does excellent work. & It irrigates ten acres near the Colorado line, where semi-arid conditions prevail, and where the test is all the more severe, This Merry-go-round is twenty-foul feet in diameter, and at the estremity of the long arms, swin$ng doors of light wood, four feet wide and six feet high, are SO attached that they swing like a flag, edge to the wind when traveling against it, but broadside lvhen traveling wi;h it. This mill cost the surprisingly small sum of four dollars ancl seventy-five cents, exclusive of labor. The swinging doors, it should be stated, are apt to cause a *rent deal of resistance to the wind, and consequently retard it D to just that degree.

FE. 37. A hferrg-go-round rlcsiyncd nnd built by Mr. S. S. Vitlutto. Lincoln. Scl!rrrsko. This is i&n at.tempt to cledgn a mill of unlimited size and power. Diiimcter of mill fort:; to liftjy fee:. height twelve to fourteen feet.. Runs on D circular strcl trwk. Kxpvrimeutal mill.

A similar, though larger, and much more t.labot.;~te JIrrr~*-goround is that of S. S. Videtto, on a ridge near Lincoln. This miil has a diameter of about forty feet, and the fans are twcl1.e to fourteen feet high. The whole structure is carefully designed and well made, solidly braced, and runs upon a circular steel rail. This is an experimental mill, and it is to be hoped that this, or some equally powerful mill, may yet be perfected, In matiy of our river valleys INater is to be had in unlimited amounts within ten feet of the surface. It is only a question of raising it so that it will flow upon the land. A powerful mill, if such. is possible, will aid materially in irrigating in many places where ditdhes are impossible. However impracticable and useless many in\lentions of our farmers may appear to be -zt times, yet at all times it is apparent that this inventive movement is an attempt to meet a demand, and who dares to say that the sum total of these inventions ma} not yet lead to the solution of some of our irrigiition problems. Individual work along these diverse lines seems to be worthy of encouragement, rather than discourageme:lt, and when the matter is worked out by practical men it will doubtless be possible to write with still more enthusiasm concerning the sudcess of

the homemade mill. The cost may be still

further

lessen4 *by learning to arrange

cribs, cnrriagC houses, and outbuildings with rcspcct to the constructiou of the Merry-go-round, or other types of mills. Thus
by lowering their cost, and by raising their efliciency, according ils old models are improved upon, we may with reason expect of these mills still greater usefulness,

TURBINES

OR OPEN

FACED

MILLS

In the open faced or Turbine mill we realize cpform which is considered to be much in advance of the preceding. Here there nre gre:lt and varied possibilities, and one can certainly find the mill sriitcrl to his neccls. T!x writer would clnssify the Turbine mills about as follows: arranging them in the supposed ascending order of their importance : First, Holland miils; second, Battte-ax mills, including those with two, four, six:, eight fans, and the Giant Battle-axes; third, hEock Turbines, which so closely resemble the shopmade product as to be scarcely distinguishable at times, and which include tht: fixed Turbines, the revolving Turbines, with and without rudders, and the giant Turbines; fourth, the reconstructed Turbines, that is, the secondhand or f&n Turbines bought and fixecl over. The Iilst and most elficittnt of all is a fifth division, the shopmade mills, not discussed iti this report, which considers instead the homemade mill. The Turbine represents what is beiieved to be the highest order of windmills, and other things being equal it is the one to be recommended. They seem to lx as easily built as the Jumbo itself, rind they require less material, and are capable of a greater variety of modifications. The simpler, forms, at least, are easily and cheaply built, and are plainly to be preferred, according to the writers belief.

TIIE

II;ATlL15-AX

MILL

The ossentinl part of tllc U;~Ctle-ax mill is iLs ;tsis, to which :arms are attached, and upon the arms are the blr,dcs, The whole is mount-ccl upon a tower mxlc of lumber or of poles cut .from the place; or it may be mount&i directly upon some crib or aoutbuilding,,thus still further simplifying it. The name I3nttlc.ax is not inappropriate, for there is. a possible restlmblance in *the arms and in the idade to the handle and blade wf its pre~cursor. The resemblance is still closer when one sees the mill -in rapid motion. Then the blades seem to be chopping the air -in opposite dirrctions, and the name Enttle-as seems the more ap$icabie. There is one objection to the %lttle-ax, but not a serious *one; it is set in a fiscd position with its axis north and south, and is ineflicient when the wind blo\vs from the east or \\cst. I-Iowever that objection is a trifing one, when it is rem~3nberecl that bc ECWdays \vIlen our winds are ntriirly constant. There would the wind would render the miii inoperative. Tile asis, which 11~s i\lreatly been tlescriixd :\s the Eunci;\nlt3t1tal part, may be of wood? gas pipe, shafting, or NE iron rod as suits the caprice of the buiider, We have seen the asis made of -a six 01 eight foot section cut from i\ good straight pole, say se!en or eight inches in diameter. This was trued up at the ends -by a drawing kniEe, so as to fit and turn easily in its wooden bearings. WC have seen eight-inch pieces from the lumber )*ard .trentecl in the same way, Again we find them with round iron journals set into the ends aof the axes, which doubtless run more smoothiy iu the wooden bearings. Others are :lliIdk? of iron throughout, In many iil.stanccs cliscarded farm machinery with its bearings, cog wheeis, #etc., are adapted to this purpose. The most ingenious ases which we found were built by taking the aslc, hub aad all, of an xdd wagon or buggy, and fastening these to the crude tower. Thus it was an easy mattet: to secure escellent journals and bearings, for the axle continued to run in the thimble turned to fit it. These were true bearings, and when properly oiled n-ere prac-

ticnlly frictionless. The arms were then bolted firmly to the axis? and if necttssxy were further strengthened by tying tllem togethel I with twisted fencing wire. These mills, which seem to be preferable in most cases to, either the Jumbo or the Nerry- go-round, vary in size up to thosexvhich ;\re a full sixteen feet in diameter. They art2 subject to ii limitation in size, and eighteen to twenty feet npproxhes the limit, for ordinary purposes at least. Accordingly if still larger mills are desired, one may have to choose the Jumbo or the hlerry-go-round. The ordinriry size as seen in daily use raising water for the house, stock, or for irrigation of a small patch, is about eight or ten feet in diameter. The simpler and earlier forms are the more typical, :\nd are well represented by :my one of the many Uattlr-as mills built by the German farmers around Grand. Island. That of Jacob G&s is quite representative. It is a twelve foot wheel, with a henvy wood& asis eight feet long, carrying four fans, eacll three by three feet. The whole is mounted upon

a well built and sightly tower, and pumps water from a shallow well for OP~ hundred and twenty-five head of cattle. Siich milk need not cost a farmer anything beyond labor, but this particular one, which is especin!ly well built, cost ten to twelve dollars, The Battle-ax is the prevailing form of homemade mill in central Nebraska. West of Grand Island, at Overton, we found other similar examples oE which we choose the mill of hlathew Wilson as being particularly suggestive and instructive. The Wilson estate covers sixteen hundred acres, accordingly several shopmadc miiis as well as several homemade mills are necessary. There

Fla. 40. A Uuttlc-ex

on cottonwood polcr, near Ovurton, Nubrasktj.

FIti. 41. The B;r:tk-ax \rindn;iil anrl tank built by .T. A. Cnrrell, near Ovcrton, NW bmska. Co-t of wiwhnill, inciuding a thirty-barrel tank and all inciduutals, %%.oO. Depth xo water taentf-three feet. In uue aitm IS!6

hut&4 htsad of cattle, besicltls other stock, all of thcnr dammding n supplly of water. To assist the regular mills two 13attltsas mills were built, each upon n quarter section of pasture land, and each pumped for fifty cattle, and in addition one watered the garden patch, which is a good rccortl for a mill costing but one dollilr and 11 half. l%e towers were built of poles cut from the timber claim, the lumber WM odds ancl ends from the place, while the axis--;r very ingenious affair-was an old buggy ask. The thimbles were taken out of the hub and fitted to the tower, and the spindles ran in the thimbles. One nut was removed, and a crank screwed on in its plxiz, 2nd the mill was all but done; it onl!~ remained to bolt the arms to the axis, and to nail on the blntlus. .The tower, a verse rigici one, poles, set in tlcep holes was a tripotl of three I~cavy c:c~ttonwooti with the exth tamped ;rrotmd them, thus anchoring them securely. The six, eight, or m;lny-fan Uattle-axes clif%x in no cssentinl respect from the foregoing, saw that the blades become paddles oftentimes, otherwise they are identicrrl. Fig. 4.3 sho\~s the eight
wwc severid

PIG.41.

Itttirr \ICIY CJ~ LitJoVe. tht:

fan l3ilttlt?-;lS of Diucltrich I-I\lt:nnocke, near Grand Island. Tllis. mill is a tine csample of the daptatior. uE waste 1~1m\)er an d waste machinery in windmill construction, In this mill we found incorporated old lumber, boxes, rails, wire, parts of the frame and gearing of an old thresher, and even the brake of an old wagon. These i~ntiquatd pieces of machinery were so f;tt rejuvenated tllat they wtzre doing duty once again for their owner, The whole mill, including a large water tank, cast fourteen dollars. 7%~ mill alone cost from six to eight cloiiars. It was a sightly, ingenious, and strong mill, and seemed to be doing the work of mills that cost many times as much. The brake was an ingenious ilncl cheap l aff;lir and altogether as eflicient as simple. In adapting the framework, and certain mechanical parts of an old threshing machine to use in his windmill 11e c;imply took advantage of a lx~:ley attached to the main driving rod. Two rails were so fixed as to cramp this pulley when a lever below was l~ulicd; the lever bcitlg that from the brake of The construction of this mill and ail its parts an old wagon. will be shown at another time.

At Co& we fount1 a bttlc-ax mill owned a~;! built by Jfr. E. Folker, which was especially well made and nicely painted, the fans Venetian red, t!:e to;~tlr white. It furnishes a good key to the probable outiay for such a mill when made of new material put together with extra care, and even decorated with paint.

TllC

totill

COSt

Wi;1S fiftCc!ll

CiOllil~S~

It

1IUlYl1W

for li\WIl,

IAOUSC,

The toggle-joint bake could sc;u*ccly have worked better. 13~ it the xnill could be checked or stopped by rl touch, Ilrougl~ not the simplest kind of n brake it is a good one, and it will bc figured in a subsequeut paper.
and biu~n.

The Fchroc?der barrel-strive. FIG. li. Br:ttle-nx mili four miles north of Grand f~land. fntroduccd to show t.h:rt :Ilmost aug wMe rnntorirrl may be used in the conhlrurtltrll of LIw htrnr?m;rtlr miii. Tbc wftcr hnw sncn new lumbrr, old lumber. wcathcr bonrcliw. lnlbr :1w1shi~r~i~w. rrowry IMIXCI(,burrcl r;tlrvcs. tin from old roofs, rolloo MckH, and aid b;lwlrw. canvas, elc., turned to good accolmt in making homcmndc mills. Old barrels urc I;rorural>le ercrpvhere. and the barrel stnvcs fur&h lumber nt once light aad strong cnourh f-x tbc fans of Jumbos, Untlle-nxes, and olhor inexpcnsivc~ills.

The Bb~~~cmi~i?e 71i)rdmiNs

!I ATcbrcrsktr

41

The average Battle-ax mill has a diameter of about nine or ten feet, some a little less, some more; :mcl from this tllcy 17.mup to the giant Uattle-itxes, sixteen feet in diameter.

Flu. 48. The Battle-ax wlndmlll of Mr. A. G. Tin&y, Verdon, Nebraska, ing rbthirty-inch log. Diameter of wheel t,cn SCCL. The wooden drum and This ml11 saws the wood for the family, and rcquirus but littlc cxpfaoatory. faux?. To the left is seen a plan of the Irrolco. The hillkdlt? A CritIIIpS tIllOIl the I3. It is a cheap, simple, and satlsfnctory dovicc.

as secn:sawbrake Is SOW
supertatcnd-

woodon:drunL

ihc bcxt csntnplcs of such wcrc found on the farm of J. S. Icckham, and on that of his son, IX=.L. Pcckham, some five milts soutliwcst of Gothenburg, in Dawson county. These are \Vind engines which must surprise arlyone who may he at all skeptical as to what may be done with homemade mills.

FIG. 49. Twin Usttlr-ax windmills on the thousand-ncrr! farm of Mr. J. S. Pcckhnm, Towers are made of four-by-fours. cros+bruccs of tm-o-bynew Gothcnburg, Nebrwkn. fours: stand twenty feet high. Diameter of wheei sixteen feet; fans Iive und one-half feet long, five feet wide ot the top tapering to two and one-half to three feet nt the bottom. Used in irrigating n fifteen-acre orchnrd. Capacity of each wili averegc nearly one thouhand gallons an hour in t&Steen mile wind. Cost IS5 each.

As WC approached this fine farm of one thousand acres, we saw the commodious house, the barns, and outbuildings, the timber xlnim, the young orchard, and a row of six stately windmills which gave a decidedly favorable impression. Four of the mills were shopmade, of various makes, and two were Battle-ax mills *of the proprietors own make. The two Uattle-ax mills stodd side by side near the fifteenHere were -acre orchard, which they were built to irrigate. growing, apples, plums, peaches, small fruits, and grape vines, .and yet this is the very region where they say fruit cannot be Had the twin &attic-axes pumped the water into storgrown, age reservoirs instead of applying it directly, it would have insured a tncrc even distribution of the water, and even better results. This was the only orchard we saw for miles around.

These twin. 13attIc-axes were made of new lumber, and excqAion;llly WC11boltcxl and 111xccd. The towers wet-c tcvcnty feet high and spread to sistccn feet at the I~vx~, tJrt2corner posts being four by four ~ollow pinc1, the cross-lmces tivo by four ycliow pine. The axis was eight inches square and sixteen feet arid the tliametcr 0F the mill sistct:n feet. lhdl iOIl& of the eight arms carried a heavj wooden fan, live and one li;tlf feet long, and five feet at the top, tapering to two and one half to three feet at the bottom. Thus each of eight fans aposed . nearly t\Wtlty-five SClUiitC fleet Of surface t0 the wind. The usercise oE econom) was not necessary iti this case, so a close account of expenses was noL kept, hit the probable expense was reported at about twenty-five dollars each. The rate of the wind and the amount of water was measured, giving the following results : Mill NO. I with two three-inch cylinders and a ten-inch stroke, with one vnlve in bad ordet., ~ximped water from a forty-two foot well at the measured rate of about fifteen thousand gallons in twenty-four hours, in a thirteen and a half mile wind; mill No. 2 had four-inch cylinders nncl was in better repair, and under the same conditions as No. I This amount pumped nearly one thousand gallons per hour. was greatly esceeded when the wind rose later to fifteen miles an hour. If possible, the discharge of both mills will be measured for different wind velocities, and will be reported in a succeeding paper for the benefit of those who may be interested. About a mile distant on the farm. of the son, Mr. I2 L. Peckilam, was a similar Battle-as mill, save that it was built with even greater care, and was used similarly to irrigate a garden and a young orchard set: out a year or so before], This mill cost seventy-five doll~s, including new lumber, two pumps, and all other incidentals. By striking an average of the cost of these three mills we may judge that the probable cost of such iln undertaking will not fall much below forty or fifty dollars where new material is used. In case of stricter economy the cost may fall beluw twenty-five dollars, There is no reason why the tower should not be built oE poles cut from the place, and the asis and arms too for that mat-

ter. Then old luml~er and boses make about as good fans as new, and if these items of esyense are eliminated the cost is recked to the mount necessary for hardware. This is a commendable pattern of mill, and one which ma7 cost much or little, according to the builders means,

--... .

FIG. !iO. The two-fan Bnttle-nx wIntlmil1 of Mr. Elmer Jnspcrson, Ashland, Nebraska, moantcd on the wagon shed nnd Corn crib. The shed stunda north and south. The mill In its prcscnt position stands with Its two Ianq brought together, forming n circle with edgeto the wind, hence out of gunr. See Big. 61.

The remarkable two-fzn mill of Elmer Jasperson near AshIt is a sort of adjustaland we must class with the Battle-axes. ble &Me-as, the fans turning upon the short arms to throw it in and out of pm-. When thrown out of gear the twd great semi-circular fans make a ten-foot circle with the edge to the

1Iowcvcr when the wind; accordingly it remains stationary. two fans arc slightly oblique, then the force of the wind is felt, and the mill starts. This seems to be an original mill, only one like it being known The cost was exactly eleven dollars, and the mill in elsewhere.

Ftc. 51. The two-fan Battle-ax Ashland, Ncbrnaka. It is mounted direction of the prevailing wind. sheller and feed grinder by means feet. Cost of mill $11.

mill designed and buiit b;v Mr. Elmer Jnsperson. near on a shed which sti\nds north and south, that is. in the The power is transmitted from the fans to the corn of sprocket wheels and chain. Diomctcr of wheel ten

return runs a two hole corn sheller, a feed grinder, and the grindstone, This is its practical efticiency ; its true eficiency will be measured and reported at another time. This is the mill to which the Lincoln State Journal, in pursuing the inquiry into the homemade mills of the state, recently awarded a prize for originality and ingenuity.

FIG. 52. The homemade wtndmill of Dr. Edward Johnson, near Fullerton, Nebraska. This ml11 was built for Dr. Johnson, on his farm, by a csrpenkr at a cost of $22. It runs Tower twenty feet high; diameter of fans as well in D light wind as any ordinary mill. wien feet.

TI-II.3 WILLAND

MILL

The llutch or Holland mill is an old-fastlioneti form better known perhaps than any othw mill, and nwds no clescription. However our farmers have modified them in such ;I variety of ways that their likcwss to the mother mill is obscured. Sometimes they are mounted upon tall, slcndcr towers, or upon milk hours, sheds or barns. For the four fans, covered with duck, are often substituted six fans of thin lumber. The smallest af them are ten to twelve feet in diameter, the lxrpst thirtysix feet.

A small Holland mill built by Wheeler & Bennett ncai- Grand Island, proved very interesting because of the use to which it was put. People living in the smaller cities and towns find it convenient to own their cows, Accordingly the town herd and herder, generally a boy on horseback, is a fixed institution. In the morning the cows are assembled and driven to pasture, and lvatered and cared for during the day, and returned at night. By putting up this simple mill the owners of a neighboring pasture were able to accommodate a large town herd to advantage. Similar mills are to be found near Beatrice, Omaha, and elsewhere, but the best escmple is to be found on the farm of August Prinz near Chalco. It is a fine, stately structure, and a

Frc. 54. The Inrgo Dutch mill built by Mr. August Print, Ch:rlco, Nebraska. Diameter of wheel thIrty4x feet; capacity two hundred to three hundred bush& of ground feed a duy, clght horrienccording LOthe wind; elllcicncp between SIX WIT elyht horse power. Runs 1111 powur Cced grlndcr. Cost $150. The designer prepared his own models, and hnd them cast In Omaha.

sort of landmark. Its cost, one hundred and fifty dollars, is large, but not out of proportion to the work performed, for it runs an eight horse power feed grinder, and turns out a grist of two hundred and even three hundred bushels of ground feed per day, in the ordinary winds of winter, when it is in use grinding feed

for stock, We had no means at hand for measuring its true cflicicncy, and assume that its working cffZency is at Icast eight horse power, as measured by the grinder which it runs, Furthermore it grinds away wi\.hout supcrintendcncc, for it clcvatcs &he grain, and discharges the grist into ~hc proper bins automaticaily. In il good wind four sails give tdo much strcngtll, so two are generally furled. The mill is so well built that its term of usefulness must continue for ten to fifteen years to come. Many cannot afford so expensive a mill, nor is it nuccss;~ry; but in cases where big work is to be done, then big machinery must of necessity be employed.

A good average size is realized in the mill of Henry Borman, near Par.tal. This mill, like the Prinz mill, its direct progenitor, is a No!lancl mill, but with six arn~s instead of four. It is about instt!ad of thirty-six, and runs n sis horse twenty feet in diilrneter, power feed grin&r, and its owner believes this to represent its Doublless it may be pronounced n four or five horse efficiency. power mill. Even t!i33 it is not run full rigged, sometimes four sails, sometitilcs but three being used. The cloth sails lravc now ~been displaced by woo~1, because it is founki to be easier and

more espcditious to put up It bin bOWd sail, which Cilll instantly be shovctl into place, tllilrl it is to tlnfiil~l and tie into pixe i1 cluck sail, The capacity of the mill varies from sevcnt+ive to one hundred bushels per day, according to the velocity of the wind. Its parts are partly those purchnsed from an abandoned elevator, and l~rily those modeled by mti cast cxpresaly for tl1e The cost of this mill was fifty dollars, This, like the owner. Print mill, could be gexed to run large pumps if necessary. At lx-esent both simply grind feed for the stock,

Fxc;. 5% Sketch of B Turbine windmill twenty miles south of Gothenburg, Urrwson County. which has neither tower nor ordinary worlrine parts. The nxle of an ok1 wheel was bolted to the burn untl bla~les were nttnc.hed LO the spokes and felly. A lnrnc spike in one edge of the hub scrvvcs as the crank. Set face to the south. Cost nothing and pumps water for the barn.

T!w simplest Turbine found thus far is one south of the Platte some twenty miles from Gothenhurg, in Dawson county. This paradox of ;i mill consisted simply of the whrel, without tower, ask, crank, C-OK, sprocket wheel, or other working parts, yet or the line it worked and cost nothilig, and defies compeli~ion &fig The farmer simply bolter1 an old wagon axle to a of simpliciiy.

Seam on the south side of the barn, put some axle grease upon the apincllc, put on the wheel as of old, to which he had prcvia%:::; gailed slats or blaclcs, screwed on the nut, attached tht: punill rod, and Ilnd the satisfaction of swing il: go, and at last accounts it was still running. The crank was simply a heavy spike driven into onu edge of the wooden hub.

F-11;.5;. Front :UNI side virww of It consists simply of n rnkc IV~CO~. or fixed firmly by Its axle Lo the tower. two or three inches from the ccntrc. Drown from R motlcl built by the

a stnt.ionnry Turbine mill as proposc~i by the writer. This is WL~OII wheel. to which blades arc :ltti~cllett. The crank is made by setting a metal pin il.1 the hub. Dirrmctcr of wherl eight to ten or twelve icrt. writer.

It was begun and C~Olll~ in 11 few hours, cost nothing, and pumps water. Where is its equal for simplicity ? Of course it is a low grilde mili, and runs only when the wind is from the south - Its prevailing direction - and yet one must not demand too much of that which cost neither time nor money. From this point one goes up the scale rapidly, and the mock Turbines begin to have towers; then ihey are made to revolve upon their lowws, SO ;\s to face ;lny wind; then they begin to have rudders to guide tllemsulws automatically, and so on to the last degree of refnemon t.

As the nest simplest mill of this type we may select out of a Iong list that of Fred Mathiesen, near Grand Island. It is full of Some Iocust poles cut snggcstioos, though rougll and chq. from the l~lace were well anchored and roughly braced. Upon this tower was bolted tlx driving parts of an old .scif-binder, with journals, bearings, and crank in place. To the crank of the sickle driver was attached a slender pole which was boltt:d to the pmnp rod, ;Ind to the other enA of the shaft was attached six rough board fans, and the mill was done, and cost but a dollar 01 two at most, and pumped water for the stock in a large pasture.

Yrt;. 68. The stationary SIX-fan Turbine mill designed and built by Frcdcrlck MInthiesen ne2.r G17~nclI:Jnnd, giving front and side views. PIInclc of parts from an old mower: twelve Koot tower; nine foot wheel. Wet.ers flfLy head of cnttlc. Cost between $4 and $5.

The brake was the cmbcdiment of. simplicity. To stop the xnill a rail was pushed forward between the fans, and nothing more need be saicl about this simple brake. To start the mill, tj,e obstruction was removed. These are mills of great number and vnricty, and only occasionally one admits of mention, the .ground \31All Of all being cssentinliy the same, They are made in a set or fixed position upon the tower, and

are consequently inefficient in winds from the east or west, but work well in those from the north and south.

FIG. 59. The laland, Nebruska.

iltrec~ly t0 the

four-inn

Turbine on

Windmill
:rumcwork of

Of un

Bir. Frierlerich
old mower. the

Ernstmeyer
frame or which

ncilr
wos

Gr;lnd
balLed

Built

the
Lower.

cottonwood

A
Of (for

brirltc (worltd

the cu]tiv:llor
,of whp(*] eight

wheel seen just b;lck

Wet,. cost >I:! CClltS

by' thC Will?, to the lelc) rubbed ;igibinht the fnns, ho ils to chcrlc or stop the mill. D[;imetcr II S~XtfXIl fOOL hmd iOr th.3 fans). lu!npr the ivater

for the sto-k of the pla,ca.

A sllort distance IleJOnd we EOUlld the Sot Turhintt of F&&r.. :t simple foul' f;ln IllOCk Turbine, whi& interick Ernstmcyer,

wid UFJ ~hxuse the miil was well built, and nmtly mounted upQn 11 cottonwood tower; the \yliole structure being attractive, if not even wtistic, and yet the cost was but thirty-two cents {the price of a sixteen-foot board out of which the fans were built). This, like the foregoing, used the frames and working parts of an old reaper, SO it ran upon fait-ly frictionless be;irillgs, ,qnc\ responded to light winds, and pumped the water needed for
his stock.

The brake was rather simple and ingenious. It consisted Of (1 cu]tivhtor wheel, wedged ~e~u~ly t0 the axis; against this ml&d ;I beam guided by C? lever at thr ground. It was a small matter

to &tb,er check tile speed of the mill or to stop it outright.

FIti.

60. FJ*OIlt ViCW Of thf? six fan set lllrbinc

Whimill

of Fred

firsthiesen

near

Grand

Island. Nebraska.

Diamct.er eight feet.

FIG. Gl. Sldr? t Icw of LhC nbovc.

The Uliil i.U stOpp(vI bg Lying iL to the

LOWP~

by a rope.

Thcsc m;ly bc taken as fit rcllrcsenl~~tiv(!~ of t!~c four fan, six fan, and eight fan Turbines, and WC] come to those having many fans. They are still stationary or !ixccl Turbines; that is, set for north and south winds only; aside from this they wsemblc the ordinary mills. A good example is found in the mill built by the Janak Ijrothera at Sarpy Mills, near Omaha.

~FIG. 62 Stationary Turbine windmill of the Jnnuk Brothers, Sarpy Mills, ruebrnskn. The wheel. ten fret In diameter, made of weatherboarding, stands facing the south. and accordingly is etficient in north and south winds only. This mill pumps rrzter for thirty head of cattle, hes been in service three years, and cost 83 to $4 including the t.oWer. COmpare this first attempt with the sixteeu foot steel mill shown in Fig. 63.

The o:der brother, who had arrived from sohernia about three years before, found a neighbor in need of a mill for pumping stock water for about thirty head of cattle. Accordingly at a cost of three or four dollars he put up the ten-foot set Turbine shown in Fig. 62, and it has been in operation ever since. Its working parts are very simple, and are perfectly obvious from the sketch. The wheel was painted red and white, which gave it a finished look. The first attempt often inspires a second; accordingly when the younger brother arrived they at once put up a very

FIG. 63. A steel Turbine windmill designed tind built by the Jantrlr Brolhcrs. Sarpy ,r-,, ..1:..s. :Ceb~iiska it runs the bellows, pump, nrindstone, drill, emery wheel, lut.he and other At present it is without ;L rudder. nnd it is necessary to set it face to the wind marhinery. bg means of n lever. Diameter of mill sixteen feet.

presentable and powerful steel mill, Kg. 63. And here we part company with the fixed Turbine, aiid .corne to a crude attempt at those which revolve on the tower to face any and This is not done automatevery wind from whatever quarter. ically, as in the case of the shopmade mill, hut was accomplished by climbing the tower, and forcing the great footwheel around so as to face the wind, there to stand until it was necessary to shift it again, which was not frequently. The important lesson in this mill is that one can get along (with a little inconvenience of course) without all the various attachments which we come to think indispensible, and yet secure good results. The mill, when visited, was running as truly and noiselessly as . any steel mill, and was running the pump, bellows, drill, polishing wheel, and grindstone, for the Janak Brothers blacksmith shop. This enables them to do a great deal of work and to do it well, and their patronage showed the success which the mill wx largely instrumental in bringing to them. Later they propose to attach a rudder to guide it automatically.

In making the homcmacle windmills a good many lose sight of the fact that their mills may be built in such a way that they will naturally swing around and stand in the wind with the intervention of a rudder, and this brings us to the var;eless Turbines,

FIG. 64. A plan for the construction of simple voneless Turbines as proposed by the* writer. Tower of poles. A. plntform; B, stationary axis of three-inch gas pipe around which turns the p)etform C, which Rupports the mill. The arrows show the direction~of the: wind.

FIG. Gi. The homemade steel windmill designed and built by Mr. IV. F. Baldwin, Aiusworth, Nebraska, made Inrgclg of old machinery. Tower made of straight cottonwood poles. The rudderlike regulator to the left sets the iron fans in or out of the wind, thus Cost, $5. For construction of fans see regu!ating the mill to winds of varying velocities. Fig. G6.

VANELESS

TURBINES

Almost any steel mill, in case of the loss of its rudder will yet swing around with its back to tile wind instead of its face, and -yet continue to run about as well as before, though backwards. This fact is taken advantage of, and thus one mechanical part is easily dispensed with, and greater simplicity secured, which is the highest attainment in the art of inventing. The vaneless mill of W. F. Baldwin, of Ainsworth, Brown Co., when visited in the fall made a fine showing, as good as could be expected of any first model. Eight similar models built for neighbors were giving entire satislaction and were better built. If this same mill were built at the shop, and with the same care which is bestowed on the steel mill, it would scarcely find a SUperior. Its arrangement for adjusting itself instantly to every varying wind, whether a gust or zephyr, seemed iery sensitive, and hardly to be improved upon.

Fro. 60.

The idea which led to the invention is this; in the ordinary steel mill the fan is struck by the full force of a sudden gust before its mechanism begins to turn it out of the wind and so to adjust it. In the meantime It sustains the shock oE the full wind. This led Mr. Baldwin to devise a method whereby the rcgulating le ver should be struck by the blast first, and so throw the He has attained this fans as to escape the full fury of the wind. end in a very clever way. In Fig. 65 may be seen a regulator or rudder-like lever, in front of the fans. The slightest motion of the lever is instantly conveyed to the fans, which are turned edgewise more or less, according to the velocity of the wind, thus adjusting it with nicety. A little further examination will show a weight suspended to this lever which tends to keep the blades always in action. When the weight is removed the fans are esactly edge to the wind, so the mill is completely out of gear. Detailed drawings and the working parts will be shown at another time, and photographs of the mill and surroundings will be furnished as soon as space and means will allowr. It has been in use pumping water for the house and stock for three years past, and is good for several years of service yet, and the whole mill cost but five dollars, which shows what a stnall water tax the man with the windmill has to pay, as compared with many a man in the city,
6

In regions subject to high winds there is risk of mills on high towers being ova-thrown, especially w!~en t!~r diameter of t!:e wheel is increased above ten or twelve feet; so in order to g:et breadth of base and corresponding stability, we find a mill which is built inside of its tower instead of upon it. This is the remarkable giant Turbine of J. W. Warner, four and one half miles southeast of Overton.

Fi(;. 67. Giant Turbine windmill rksiwcd nnd buill hy Mr. J. W. Wwwr, ncnr Ovcrton, Ncbmskn. l~inmctcr tW3lLy fcnl: runs 2 four horst! power Iced ~rindcr, and olhcr mnchincry, trnrl drircn t.wo pun~ps, OIWwlLl1 R Iivc-in&. thu olhw wilh a four-inch ~ylindcr; fourtorn iwh strulw; cighL foot lift. IrrignLcs ten ucrw of itlfnlfn, and six to right ncrcs olcorn. Cost, WO.

This giant Turbine with its twenty foot wheel is the largest known as yet, and while its true efliciency could not at the time be measured, yet it runs a four horse power fecdgrindcr,lwhich is a practical measure of its strcnl>rth. I-Iowevcr it runs the grinder with less speed than the four horses. It isiprobably a two or three horse power mill. It also runs the grindstone-and other machinery by means of overhexl shafting with pulleys and belts, It is also connected to a walking beam and drives two large pumps with a thirteen-inch stroke; one pump having a four-inch, and the other a five-inch cylinder. The owner says they should have been six-inch cylinders, As it stands it has irrigated eight to ten acres of alfalfa and six or eight acres of corn by pumping directly into the furrows. Mr. Warner believes that when a proper storage reservoir shall have been built, he can irrigate twenty acres sufficiently for that region, where good yields are assured without irrigation. The expenses of this mill -an especially well built and painted one- amount to nearly one hundred dollars, But now that the o~ners or-i@4 ideas are put into material form, he could build the same mill in less time and at half the cost. It is a splendid looking structure and has no equal in its class, although two other similar mills, built upon a somewhat sit-n&ubut smaller plan, are known filrther ~vest, near Lesington. See Fig. 67.

MOCK

TURBINES

Our Mock Turbines so closely resemble the shopmade mills that they pass for them, and this is why they are so seldom noticed. As an example we will select the mill of W. F. McComb, of Grand Island. The fans are of metal, the rudder of light wood, ea%ly thrown in nncl out of gear. It lifts water forty-four feet and irrigates ~arclen and lawn, and costs a possible twenty dollars, and has been in service since the spring of 1897.

FIG. 6%
W. I. McComb. Grand Tslnnd. Nebraska.

FIG. 611.

Frt;o. ilR and 69. Showin:: the construction of the homcm:~do Turbine mill built by Mr. This is often mistaken for D regular shopmade mlll. lhmetcr ten feet. Cost. about $20.

Some of our Mock Turbines arc made with less care, and some with grcaterF but all are quite like the shoptnade article. If anyone contemplates building so elaborate a mill, OIIC:which must consunx time and tnoney, and which colnes dangerou:jly close to the price of a regular one, he is advised to consider the practicnbility of patronizing his nearest windnlill aput, or else to buy and rcynir souse damaged mill.

2..

--

._

. . ._-.

..^ _.

._ .

mirrlo 1)~ attnoliin~ FIG. 71. I\ honwmulc Turhinc windmill (lylvlng wJ1wl :l.ad crlrnk of IHI old rt!;qGnr: mlchiw. Ihc stvlvcl
lvo~on. COhl L%. lUI111)H t\VClVC llUnllWt1 ~i~llOllS

ronzh

board flrnq LO the

lliinli>lc of nn old

is Llic
winds.

iL dl.Ly,

ill

Oldllllt~~

THE RI3COOSTT<UCTION OF WININVHLLS These mills rank in importance next to the regular mill, and offer possibilities which many may avail themseives ol to good There is scarcely a community without several advantage. damaged and fallen mills, sometimes new, or but little worn. Sometimes good mills and towers are overturned by a heavy wind storm --we have found as many as fifty in the path of a single storm- and there they lie to be grown over with weeds. At the busy season when such storms are most frequent, men cannot afford to abandon the larger and more important work of tending the growing crops, to put up a mill. For the man of moderate means it is often better policy to send for the windmill agent and order a new mill put up. But for the man of less He can now buy the means, the falleri mill opens opportunities. fallen mill of his neighbor at his own price. The essential parts

Judiciously managed, the cost oE such reconstruction will not ew.xd that oE a Jutnho or 13attlc- ;I\ and with better results. ,-, Then again there is the mill which stands in disuse because of some ncciclcnt to the fans, rudder, or other uncsscntinl and easily restored parts. Such mills may be purchased at small cost, and after a little repair, may be reinstated upon their towers, not quite as good as new, but almost as serviceable. It is no new idea, but one put in practice in almost every town. We have traced them from Ognllaln and intermediate points nearly to Omaha. At Ogallnla, within the radius of a few blocks wc found five reconstructed mills, all of them in use in some cnpacity ; either pumping fol the house, or watering the garden, trees and lawn, or the stock. At the Ogallala li\*ery barn an old mill was rejuvenated without cost, and at the expenditure of but little labor, and when visited was doing good service pumping water for twenty-li1.e horses.

thc original fans had been broken off in a storm, likewise the rudder, but the six arms stood in position, and it only remained. to fi\Stctl to them some sort 0i tlew f;m,s. This was ~Icconlplisllctl I,y n;rilirig upon tI1e hare il1llIS si.u ordinary bo;lrds, set at an :\yyltr cllrtl Irorlltd lq+cr lly strmi;!; ih:ing wire, 8s way Ix sctw in l:ig. 72. Across the street and three blocks beyond was another rnillp rrZthcfl*:tn elaborate affair as it stood upon its substantial tower, which formerly had supported a fine shopmade mill. After this mill had become n skeleton, with little left but bare arms, it was. restored to life and usefulness by nailing on a few paddle shaped boards for fans. The original mill was used for watering n large garden and lawn, and fol starting trees about the plxe. Tlic rejuvcuatcd mill was doing ;~tnioit as much, and cost noshing:. At the edge of the town we s;1w a minature mill, a veritable toy, and yet when examined, it turned out to be the best of

FIG. 3. The rcconcil rucf,cd Acrmotor--a vcritnhlc water for the houw, four hCiL[l nf horses. luwn, wrdcn, pwn~~ctl, In II It>;-milt \vlrd. 270 p:rllom in nn hour. or four hours; that is $I worth of watar in a dsy wcording UYchnryarl in Lincoln. Whcrsl eight feet in dtamctcr. of A. CL Wulltcr, civil cnyincer.

toy-whfrh cost nothing yyt!t.pumped ;Lnd !;tnull fruit. 13~ ~ICI~SII~~~IIICII~ it rbL11~ rate of GM0 c;riIuns in Lwcntylo the r:lLc of .UJl.i cents a Mellon, Depth of well twclvc feet. Property

them all. It stood upon a tall, slender tower made of steel, and seemed but a plaything. It was an excellent LIermo+or, which

had twice lost rudder and fans in destructive galt5, by throwing the rudder into the revolving fans. However, the working parts wcrc not clamagcd, and the sis steel arms stood in position. I-Ialf inch lumlxr from the side4 of pice Eoxe~ ~:rln.~li!x;e~I the c fm, wired sccurcly to the steel arms. iIav& no rudder the mill stood back, instead uf f;lct, to the wind, and of course ran in a reversed dir~clior~s But wh;lt did that matter? It pumped for the house, for four hex1 of horses, and for the irrigation of the lil\vn and trees, and the garden, and grape vines, and small fruit. We measured the wind veiocity with an ;lncbz &.:;I t-J. -,,;~,:C~~ -~, L; ~-1--. L IL ~~~r :r__~. LL, _-i, . . . -. . . :: ;il11:.:,

momctar, and measured the water pumped from a shallow well, (Lwclvc fcot tlccp), The wind was Mowing at the rate ot allout fifteen and one-half milts per hour, and the pump was discharging a trifle more llran two hunc11-cd and seventy gallons per hour, This too was built without cost. At Kenrncy, We found a reconstructed mill and il StOrii$! rescrvoir, filled wit11 water as in its better days. The arms had been lengthened a trifle, and at the extremities of each, three thin boards from the sides of hoses had been nailed. It was a crude affair, but that matters little when we know that it did its work well, Omitting numerous others, we must not fail to mention particularly the reconstructed mill of Elmer Jasperson, near Ashland, Sxunders county. There are o&r examples just as creditable, but this is the last piece of work that has come under

FIG. 75. lhc rcconslructctl windmill of Mr. Elmer Jnpxson, hslhnd, IWlcn steel nllil pt~rchrscd for M; new tower built for $7; knifE~*~in?;tatcd as al a tot31 cost of lt10.

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our personal observation. You couId not distinguish this admirably constructed mill from a new, shopmade, steel mill, and yet upon climbing its tower, you could find where dents in the steel

blades had been pounckd out, and where bent and twistccl rods ad braces had btxn straightenccl. On learning its history we found that a nearly new mill had been overturned and its steel tqwer rather helplessly wrecked. This was purchased as it lay for three dollars, and was hauled to the Jasperson place and set upon ~1 ne\v wooden tower which cost seven dollars. At a total outlay then of ten dollars, an eight foot wheel was secured, which brooked as well and worked as well as a new mill costing several times that sum. The first windmill erected in Stromsburg (an old style Stover) was blown down after three or four years of service, It was purchased for $5.00 as it lay, by the Hon. Charles H. Blorrill, of Lincoln, repaired and set up on his model fxm at Stromshurg, where it did constimt duty for fifteen years. The matter of reconstructing and recl;liming abandoned, damaged and fallen mill? offers many possibilities and the writer would call the especial attention of farmers and Bothers to the advantages which may be secured in this way.

The sho@aade mill is not the honremadc wt,tiZ?, is tsue, and yet it they grade so insensibly into one another as to be all but insrparable, and they are such prominent features of every landscape that it is germane to the subject perhaps to introduce them in this connection. In the great plains the windmill has come to be an essential feature of every landscape. One may easily count twenty-five to thirty mills from a single point of view, and in almost any town there will be forty or fifty in sight. Small towns have their water tanks, hydrants, and water systems, and it is the windmill which m:tkes it possible for the resident of the town, or the farm and ranch to I:njoy one of the luxuries and conveniences of the city home. Such water service is cheap and satisfactory. Where the town is small, and a standpipe cannot be built they simply put up a very large tank, and a large mill. Above this

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they often crcct a scconrl tank in order to get increased pressure ia the emergency of tire. Often the mill is augmented by ;L steam or gi\SOlitlt! cllginc for use in case of a dead calm. 13ut if on: can turn the wnstc energy of the wind to account it is wiser and more economic. The first cost of a mill is not great and ilfter its installation the COSl- its maintenance is triiling. of Our t\*atcr troughs, our rural cemeteries, homes, and asylums oEten dqxnd upon the mill. The wind should be looked upon as a tmtural resource just as worthy of development as other If we can derive our energy from the wind, nn turn1 resources. why is it not as good as to get it from coal ? a It is possible to store the wind in various ways, and here is a fruitful and promising field. This may be done by allowing the mill to run an air coinpressor. Aircady tanks filled with cornl~r~ssecl i\ir are used in a variety of ways in Europe and America, and much is to be made of it in the near future. Some use the, mill by day to charge a storage battery, and then draw off the stored up energy in the form of electricity to be used for lighting the house, or for running light machinery. There are possibilities here which are to be reported upon at some future time. Sometimes a stream of compyessed air if admitted at the bottom of a weak artesian well which comes close to the surface but dots not flow, will produce a gushing artesian flow. Under its influence it tul)ular well often acts like an aCtesian well. It is scienAs it now stnncls the wirxlmill is an achievement. tifically planned and well made mechanically, and future esperimental tests are sure to deveIop fresh uses and applications of its power, and through its medium, the wind which is going to waste, may minister to our comfort in a great variety of ways.

Sometimes our farmers find the well so situated that the windmill and tower cannot bc set up without interfering with the porch, kitchen, and milkhouse; in which event, a walking beam, or rocker shaft often connects the mill and pump. Jf too distant, recourse is hcl ROthe -;\nglc block mcl connecting wires, In this way the mill at the house can be geared to run the pump at the barn, or even in a neighboring field. The better way is to purchase such things ol the man whose business it is to make them, and so have undivided time for ones own business, But when one wishes to make his own angles it is a simple matter, and several sketches are appended to suggest what may be done in transmitting the energy of the mill by means of two oscillating wires and a coupic of quadrants cut out of a board.

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