From the June 12, 1908 Lakin Investigator
A Marvelous Demonstration.
We, the undersigned, witnessed a marvelous demonstration on our streets on May 23rd, 1908. A.S. Nelson & Son, assisted by H.S. Darr, exhibited a Spiral Bearing Wagon that was fitted with shafts. The wagon was loaded with 5,000 pounds of chop and driven on to the streets and six boys and two dogs put on top the load.
Making a load of 5,700 pounds, besides the weight of the wagon. To this heavy load a burrow owned by Mr. Wilkinson was hitched to the wagon and this little animal drew this load (equal to 95 bushels of wheat) besides the weight of the wagon, down the streets between the banks where a picture was taken. Weight of the burrow was only 452 pounds. Then a small horse belonging to D.O. McColm, a farmer who lives near by, was hitched to the wagon and more than twenty men and boys climbed onto the load, and were driven onto the scales, and the load weighed 8,870 pounds, and after deducting the weight of the wagon, it left a net load of 7,605 pounds, heavier than 126 bushels of wheat. A picture of this load was also taken.
And when we take into consideration that this bearing runs without lubrication, it seems the more marvelous, but the inventor seems to have combined a perfect rolling action without static friction, and its saving to the “wheel world” is almost beyond comprehension.
E.O. McDowell, county treasurer; F.L. Pierce, county clerk; C.E. Warthen, register of deeds; E.S. Snow, coal dealer, weighed the burrow; R.Sewell, clerk, weighed wagon load; Dr. S.W. Downing, H.G. Stocking, George Eyeman, J.L. Hilyard, M.A. Mosher, J.M. Judd, cashier; C.B. Campbell, assistant cashier; G.W. Thornbrough, photographer; T.N. Thorpe, H.S. Darr, grain and seed; C.F. Bastion, Mrs. H.S. Darr, J.E. Shinkle, L.G. Eyman, L.P Kimball, justice of the peace.
The above testimonial in connection with various other evidence we have, should convince any one of the great merits of this extremely valuable invention.
Remember that “One truly good investment is worth a life time of hard labor.”
Now, while you have the opportunity is the time to secure some of this valuable stock. You can buy on the installment plan if desired. See A.S. Nelson & Son, or call on H.S. Darr, local representative, Lakin, Kansas.
Since the demonstration referred to above, I have talked with quite a number of people who are acquainted with Mr. Nelson, and have had numerous letters from stockholders in this company, and they all speak with entire confidence of the merits of the invention and the integrity of the officers, and predict that within two years this company will pay its stockholders more than 100 per cent in dividends annually. The saving in power, when applied to the street cars of one large city along (New York) will amount to over $20,000,000 annually, and this company should receive half of this saving, which would make over two hundred per cent on the entire capital stock. I will take your orders for any amount of stock you want, from $10 to $10,000, on the same terms as Mr. Nelson or the secretary of the company at Hannibal, Mo.
H.S. DARR
Wagons leveraging the Timken Tapered Roller Bearing or a variant of a self-oiling, continuous-angle assembly (often referred to by farmers as a “spiral” pattern due to how the rollers wrapped the axle cone) were heavily marketed for their mechanical advantage. Merchants and grocery firms across the Midwest frequently upgraded their heavy-duty delivery wagons to these new bearing axles because it drastically reduced the physical strain on the horses pulling heavy loads of cargo or groceries through muddy roads. According to the May 29, 1908 Advocate, sugar beet growers were greatly interested in the wagons. “for it would mean 50 per cent or more in the delivery of their beets to the railroad or sugar mill. These wagons are never oiled. The bearing having spiral grooves running its entire length, turns on steel rollers and its cost is but little more than the ordinary bearing.”