HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-09-04, Page 30rw.
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bailie while the older boys, who were trained
mechanics; established a small carriage
factory in the village
In this shop John learned the trade of car-
riage maker and he soon became an ex-
cellent workman. While working in the Mac-
Pherson factory in Fingal, Ontario, be
became interested in threshing machinery
and, noting the problems facing the
manufacturers , of the new type vibrating
machines thatwere replacing the older
apron or canvas separators, he thought out
a plan of balancing the motion of the straw
deck and the grain shoe by means of a dou-
ble throw cranks and constructed a working
model which proved that he had discovered
a solution to the problem of balance.
John McCloskey had his invention
patented in 1881 and the London firm of
Stevens, Turner and Burns began building
the new machines for him and marketed
them' as the "CANADIAN THRESHER".
Four years later the royalty rights were ac-
quired by David Darvil & Company of Lon-
don, Ontario, who manufactured them as
the "McCLOSKEY THRESHER". Later
still the Waterloo Manufacturing Co. built
them for a short time as the "COUNTER-
BALANCE THRESHER".
While John McCloskey was busy in Lon-
don supervising the building of the Mc-
Closkey separators and improving thepi
with additional patents another threshing
machine company was developing at Sar-
nia. Here the Council of the fast growing
border town were looking around fdr in-
dustries and, in 1881, induced J.F. Craig,
who had been endeavouring to establish an
agricultural implement factory in
Strathroy, to,' ixlave his works to Sarnia.
Known as the Sarnia Agricultural. Imple-
ment Association the new firm made
. reapers, mowers, ploughs, corn shellers etc.
Its products were favourably received and
for a few years the firm propsered. Ill-
advised expansion in 1884 and an attempt to
build and market binders forced the corn:
pany into liquidation in 1886. The following
year John Goodison, who had been general
agent for the company, together with Geo.
H. Samis purchased the interests and fac-
tory of the insolvent company and operated
for a year, but under adverse cir-
cumstances, and were glad to enter into
negotiations with the Sawyer and Massey
Company, of Hamilton, Ontario, for the sale
of their interests. 'Operations were con-
tinued as usual and John Goodison was re-
tained as manager by the Hamilton firm.
John Goodison was not satisfied with the
new arrangement and late in 1889 acquired
sole ownership of the concern. The days of
Sawyer and Massey control convinced him
of the future of the threshing machine in-
dustry and he wisely abandoned the
manufacture of reapersand ploughs and
concentrated -on threshing machinery. For a
while he called his factory the Tunnel City
Thresher Works but soon changed it to the
John Goodison Thresher Company. Mean-
while, the fame of the McCloskey thresher
was spreading and in 1892 Mr. Goodison ac-
quired the right to build these machines and
persuaded John McCloskey to move to Sar-
nia and work in his factory. The years that
followed saw the firmrospering and soon
the Goodison "NEW McCLOSKBY"'
threshers were favourably known
throughout both Eastern and Western
Canada,
As the years passed .the New McCloskey
machines were fitted with the latest at-
tachments. The Goodison firm was one of
the earliest, of Canadian manufacturers to
build wind stackers. At the turn of the cen-
tury they were fitting to their own and other
makes of separators the Russel gear driven.
stacker. This was replaced about 1904 with
the ~standard "Farmer's Friend" type of
gearless, direct belted side acker. In 1902
double decks replaced the tailrakes. Early
self feeders were the Parsons; followed by
the Goodison-Rich, the Ruth and finally the
Goodison-Heineke. The Stewart patent rear
cutting attachment • was supplied for
Eastern customers. In the early 1920's steel
for frame was experimented with and by
1926 had completely replaced wood. The
next improvement was the gradual adoption
of self aligning, dust proof, ball bearings un-
til the whole machine was so equipped.
Mounted an euhhee the late Sa"ao1GX
on rubber the late Goodsons look-
ed
ooked much different to their early machines
but inside doing the job of actual separation
was the counterbalance motion invented by
John McCloskey. _
The Goodison firm built no engines in the
early days but supplied customers for com-
plete outfits with the Waterous 17 hp "ON-
TARIO STANDARD" single cylinder
engines for the East and the heavier double
cylinder models for Western Canada. In 1902
they began to build a few portable engines in
their own factory and two years later
entered theraction field. By this time the
experiment.. stage was over and the firm
settled on the open bottom locomotive type
boiler with high dome. Solid stub axles and
heavy counter shaft bracket were bolted to
the firebox and a side crank engine was
mounted with the cylinder towards the
smokebox. The Woolf single eccentric
reverse gear was adopted and a lever con-
trolled brake acted on a large drum cast on
the inside 'of the intermediate gear. The
clutch was internal expanding with two
Turn to page 6
Welcome Visitors
to the
Threshermen's Reunion
in Blyth
iSINCE 1894n
OLD MILL
IN DOWNTOWN BLYTH
In days gone by, the farmer put the grain through the thresher by hand. Modern automa-
tion has made life a little easier.
lat fiaieuva/tawrd Safe
To show our appreciation to our many
customers in Blyth and area. We are giving
20O/OO
"FF All
CARDS and
GIFTWRAP
September 6-7.8
STOCK UP NOW
The Saga
Gifts i Handicrafts
BLYTH, ONTARIO
Hours: 9 am to 8:30 pm
Monday to Saturday
When you care
enough to send
the very best.
1894 BAINTON 1985
THRESHERMEN'S SPECIALS
..............
Lambskin
TRACTOR and
TRUCK SEATS
Leather Roper
GLOVES
Unlined
Lined
$8.00
$9 00.
One finger Leather
GAUNTLET
$� 50
•
Unlined
WORKSOCKS
80% Wool
20% Nylon
25 • ooa dozen
Store Hours: Monday to Saturday 9 am - 9 pm
Sunday l pm - 9 pm