The Great Windmill War

(Page 4 of 4)

April 2004
Ronald S. Barlow 
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The newly formed Aermotor Co. catalog made this exaggerated claim:

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Our 12-foot model will, in a fair wind, easily do the work of two horses, and will satisfactorily drive any machine that can be operated by two horses. It pumps water, grinds grain, cuts feed, shells corn, saws wood and drives shop machinery of all kinds.

Electricity generation for farm lighting was added to that list at the turn of the 20th century.

With so many brands on the market, a consumer guide to windmill performance was sorely needed. In 1901, E.C. Murphy published a book that quickly ended exaggerated claims and put a number of windmill makers out of business.

Some of the performance data Murphy published included these revelations: Halladay's 30-foot diameter mill, with 144 thin, wooden sails, produced 1.07 hp in winds blowing between 12 and 25 miles per hour. Walsh's 22-foot "Eclipse" windmill only mustered 0.18 hp. The ubiquitous "Aermotor," with a 16-foot diameter metal blade-span, developed 1.53 hp in a 20-mile an hour wind and could pump water at more than 100 gallons an hour.

The U.S. Government Printing Office was happy to foot the printing bill for Murphy's survey. Armed with the detailed information, enlightened consumers soon brought the "War of Windmills" to a close. FC

Ronald S. Barlow has written about antiques and the tools of early trades since 1979. This article is condensed from his book, 300 Years of Farm Implements and Machinery, 1630-1930.


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