[SEL] Independant Harvester

[Dave Merchant]

Here is a 100 year old history mentioning the Independent Harvester Co of 
Plano IK.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilkendal/TownHistories/Plano/HarvesterStory1908.htm

Plano provided one of the components of International Harvester,
but later Independent Harvester co was formed in Plano.

Over fifty percent of the component parts of the International Harvester 
Corporation had its origin in Plano. The Marsh Harvester, the original of 
all present-day self-binders was born and perfected in Plano. C. W. and W. 
W. Marsh of DeKalb, Illinois conceived the idea in 1857. A dozen machines 
were built in 1860. The machines proved to be too frail for the harvest of 
that year and the Marsh Brothers were on the point of giving up, when they 
prevailed upon Lewis Steward, of Plano to come to DeKalb and inspect the 
machines.

"The machine was operating in heavy grain," said C. W. Marsh, when 
interviewed recently for the Prospectus at his home in DeKalb. "It was 
behaving rather worse than usual. It only ran a few rods and broke down. 
However, it did good work as far as it went. One man, W. W. Marsh, was 
doing the binding and turning off good bundles, as the grain came to him 
from the elevator. We were in despair and wanted Mr. Steward to wait until 
we could fix the machine. 'Boys,' said he, 'you are all right. I see that 
the binding can be done and the machine cuts and delivers well. If it can 
be made to run ten rods, it can be made to run ten miles, and there is a 
man in Plano that can do it. Come down there with your machine, and I will 
guarantee that you will get one made that will stand up to its work,' This 
was a turning point in harvester history."

In the winter of 1860-61 W. W. Marsh and Uncle John Hollister (the man) 
built at Plano a harvester that, beginning with the harvest of 1861, cut 
more grain than any other machine of its class ever did. Arrangements were 
made with Mr. Steward for manufacturing at Plano. Steward and Henning 
advanced the necessary money, and George Steward and C. W. Marsh were hired 
to run the shop.

For many years Marsh Harvesters were manufactured and sold all over the 
world. The twine binder, the knotter and every important revolution in 
harvesting machinery took place in Plano. When in the early seventies the 
Harvester Company passed into the hands of E. H. Gammon and William 
Deering, it was the Marsh Harvester that was turned out by the thousands, 
the same machine that had its birth in this city. In 1880 William Deering 
moved to North Chicago and many of the Plano mechanics moved with him and 
entered the huge shops at Deering. However, the people of Plano revived the 
old plant and organized the Plano Steam Power Company. The company turned 
over the old Marsh Harvester buildings to the Plano Manufacturing Company. 
Mr. W. H. Jones took charge, and for eleven years, until 1902, the Plano 
Manufacturing Company led the world in harvesting machinery. How the Plano 
Manufacturing Company moved to West Pullman in 1902 is a matter of history. 
Even at this, the city of Plano did not flinch. They again took up the task 
of manufacturing and sold part of the factory buildings to the Plano 
Implement Company, manufactures of potato planters. This institution ran 
two years. The buildings, plant and machinery were then sold to A. H. 
Sears, and are now known as the Sears Manufacturing Works. Then the Earl 
Manufacturing Company was started. The organization of the great 
Independent Harvester Co. a year or two later virtually gave back to Plano 
all its ancient glories. It once more looms up as the greatest 
manufacturing city of its size in the United States.

Another...

http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33758

Dave Merchant


At 01:44 AM 9/24/2008, you wrote:
>On 23/09/2008, craig morrison <benzengines at tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >          Is there anyone who has or knows of any information or dating 
> lists
> > for independent harvester engines.
> >
> >     Thanks , Craig in Scotland
>
>Do you mean International Harvester ?
>
>http://www.stationary-engine.co.uk/EngineDating/IHC.htm
>http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/EngineDating/IHC.htm
>
>The whole dating menu page is at:
>
>http://www.stationary-engine.co.uk/EngineDating/Techdata.htm
>http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel/EngineDating/Techdata.htm
>
>Peter
>--
>Peter A Forbes
>Email: listerdiesel at gmail.com
>http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
>http://stationary-engine.co.uk
>http://www.oldengine.co.uk
>_______________________________________________
>SEL mailing list
>SEL at lists.stationary-engine.com
>http://www.stationary-engine.com/mailman/listinfo/sel

Dave Merchant
kosh at nesys.com
nesys_com at ameritech.net
dmerchant at layerzero.com

http://www.nesys.com
http://www.nesys.org
YouTube: SteamCrane