HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-09-04, Page 3341 / l
rage 5
Threshing machines give wway automation"'
who had been endeavouring to establish an followed saw the firm prospering and soon Mounted on rubber the late Goodisons look -
agricultural implement factory in the Goodison "NEW McCLOSKEY" ed much different to their early machines
Strathroy, to move his works to Sarnia.
Known as the Sarnia Agricultural Imple-
ment Association the new firm made
reapers, mowers, ploughs, corn shelters etc.
Its products were favourably received and
for a few years the firm propsered. I11 -
advised expansion in 1884 and an attempt to
build and market binders forced the com-
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 interest -s. 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 reapers and 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
machine company was developing at Sar7 was spreading and in 1892 Mr.•Goodison ac-
nia. Here the Council of the fast growing quired the right to build these machines and
border town were looking around for in- persuaded John McCloskey to move to Sar-
dustries and, in 1881, induced J.F. Craig, nia and Work in his factory. The years that
from page 4
home,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, he
became interested in threshing machinery
and, noting ,the problems facing the
manufacturers of the new type vibrating
machines that were 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 laalance.
John McCloskey had his • invention
patented in 1881 and the London firrn 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 them
with additional patents another threshing
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
bund 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 stacker. In 1902
double decks replaced the tail rakes. 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.
but inside doing the job of aptual,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 the fraction field. By this time the
experimental 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
•
1/aton
SINCE 1894
OLD MILL
IN DOWNTOWN RLYTH
1894 BAINTON 1985
In days gone by, the farmer put the grain through the thresher by hand. Modern automa-
THRE HE-Rtion has made life a little easier.
EN'S SPECIALS
tat r%riwz
To show our appreciation to our many
customers in Blyth and area. We are giving
OFF ALL
/�. CARDS and
September 6-7-8 GIFTWRAP
STOCK UP NOW
The Saga
Cif is 6 Handicrafts
BLYTH, ONTARIO''
Hours: 9 am tar8:30 pm
Monday to Saturday.
r,
When you care
onough to send
the very best.
Lambskin
TRACTOR and
TRUCK SEATS
One finger Leather
GAUNTLET
Unlined $550
•d
Leather Roper
GLOVES
Unlined
Lined
$g 00 .
•
$9.00
WORKSOCKS
80% Wool
20% Nylon
$25• 00a dozen
Store Hours: Monday to Saturday 9 am - 9 pm
Sunday 1 pm - 9 'pm