Cox, John (Agent) and William S. Jack (Manufacturer) & William C. Van Hosen (Inventor). Improved Patent Lever Railway Press. This Press excels all other now in use for Pressing Hay, Cotton, Wool, Hops, Rags, &c., &c. . . and will do double the work that any other press can with the same number of hands. . .(Caption title).
[Portland, Maine]: John Cox, Mountfort's Wharf, [1843]. 8vo. 220 x 200 mm. (9 7/8 x 8 inches). 4 pp. Advertisement and image of the press on page 1; page 2 blank; page 3 with manuscript about sale and delivery of the press; page 4 addressed to Franklin Spofford of Bucksport, ME, with postage mark. Folded into letter form. Very good copy.
Handsome document that describes in detail the invention of a new press used to compress agricultural products for storage or shipment, in less time and with fewer employees.
Called a railway press because the mechanical movement of the machine takes place on a track of rail which adds structure and stability to its operation. The machine was invented by William C. Van Hosen of Catskill, New York. In a letter to the editor, which appeared in the Southern Planter in 1842, there is a description and image of the machine and a detailed explanation of its mechanics. It was written by William S. Jack and it is very similar in image and content to the information that appears in this document.
This document was distributed by John Cox the prominent merchant and ship owner from Portland, who acted as sales agent and promoter for William Jack and his prize winning "lever railway press". Using the testimonial of the Agricultural Society of New York where Jack received a prize, Cox submitted a model of the lever railway press to the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanical Association where it was examined and won a Diploma of Merit. The award from the Association, one of 296 out of nearly 1500 entries in the category of "Machinery and New Inventions" reads in part, "This model exhibits much ingenuity, and bids fair to answer the purpose proposed."
The advertisement reads in part, “A bale of Hay can be pressed in less than one minute at ordinary all day work: seven or eight bales can be pressed per hour. Bales of Hay can be pressed weighing over 400 lbs., measuring 2 feet square and four feet long. . . The construction is so simple that any man can make a press or keep it in order”
On page 3 of this copy there is manuscript letter from Cox to Franklin Spofford of Bucksport, Maine dated September 28, 1843, acknowledging the receipt of an order from E. Barnard on behalf of Spofford. Spofford, an owner of a lumber mill and wealthy merchant whose estate was worth over $ 66,000.00 in 1869, ordered the purchase of the press. Cox writes that the cost of the press is $ 65.00 and the rights to use it will cost and additional $ 25.00. He adds that it will take two weeks to build the press. Cox asks Spofford if he knows a vessel that will take the press to Bucksport and if so, that the master of the ship should "call on me."
Southern Planter, Richmond, 1842. Vol. II, pp. 138-39. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 25, July 1871, p. 314. Cox, Henry, The Cox Family in America, New York, 1909, p. 74. Fourth Exhibition and Fairs of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, Boston, 1844, p. 14, No 622. Maine Wills and Probate Records, Franklin Spofford (1799-1869). (364). Item #364
Price: $475.00