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The Steam Potato-digger

The Steam Potato-digger image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
November
Year
1874
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In the Franklin Institute Fair, in Philadelphia, they have ou exhibition a " steani potato-digger," which is " war ranted to do the work of 60 men." It interested me very much, beoause, only a few days before I heard Cooley teil of nis experienoes with one of these machines. He put it into his potato fiuld, and for a time it turned out the potatoes in magnificent style, and he begon to think he had obtained a prize. B ut af ter a while somethiug occurred to the throttle-valve, and the digger begantojump about in the most extraordinary nianner, rearing, and pitching, and snorting, without paying any attention to the potatoes. Cooley managed to get upon it for the purpose of shutting off steam, but he must have pulled the bar the wrong way, for no socner had he reached the ground than the digger gave a couple of preliminary Rhrieks and started on a base line across the field. It burst through the fence, ran over two cows, and smashed a Southdown ram out as flut as the contenta of a Patent Office report. Then it dashed into the barn-yard, through two stacks of hay, and through the stables, emerging close by the sraoke-house, from which it wreuched the open door. Then it plunged over the flower bed, leaving a furrow three f eet wide and two feet deep ; tore down four dwarf pear trees, hurried into the kitchen, upset the stove, and from there whirled into the parlor, suiashed the looking-glass, overturned the centertable and the family Bible, and finally brought up on thn top of the piano, which it set afirf. They got it out at last, just in time to prevent a general conflagration. And now Cooley digs potatoes with a shovel. His views are not found among the recommendations of the machine printed in the circulara which are distributed at the fair. The Printing Department of the tiniversity of California has attained considerable ivnportancé. It is managed exolusively by tho studente. The Rogents are not interosted in it further than owning the material, a part of whioh was a gift to them tor the üse of the students. Forty-seven etudents, of whom nine are youug ladies, are on the working list in the printing office, and about twenty of these have become comparatively proficient compositors froin instrucción given the last two terms. The workiug corps is to be divided into threb sections, the ürbt coming düring the hours before scholastic exeroises comrnonce in the morning, the second after they close in the afternoon, and the third will consist of those special course students who can receive instruction during the middle of the day. Each student will be allowed to work from one to two hours a áay in one of these soctions. The office 13 furnished with material enough to give employment to twenty students, each with a stand and a pair of cases containing type. Apprentices will receive no pay until a certain degroo of proficiency is attained (which is uot generally before a few weeks hare elapsed), when they will be allowed rates according to excellence of workmanship. All the uioney paid for wages goes to students, except in the oase of one general workman.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus