Messrs. Nordyke, Marmon & Co.:—
Gentlemen:—Yours of 23d inst. came to hand this date and contents noted. Our mill gives perfect satisfaction, and must say we don’ think its equal can be found in the State, of its size. Our smut mill can’ be beat. We would cheerfully recommend your mills to any one that contemplates building or refitting, in preference to any other mill. Our old mill was burned on the night of July 3. We commenced cutting timber for the new mill July 17, and the building was ready for the machinery August 7; machinery set up and running October 12, and during the time of setting up machinery one week was lost by the sickness of your mill-wright. The machinery of our other mill was made in Cincinnati, but it does not at all compare in finish and usefulness to our present mills. We now run three pair of stones, and grind faster on each of them, with less fuel, than we did on two pair before. We have two pair of 36 inch wheat burrs and one pair of 30 inch corn burrs in one of your Combined Mill Husks with long spindles; all three are under-runner cockhead mills. They are driven by eight inch belts, with tightner pulleys. This way of driving is so convenient for stopping and starting the burrs, that we would now use no other arrangement. Our two Bolts are single reel, 22 feet long. We have ground fifteen bushels per hour on each of the wheat mills, and twenty bushels per hour on the corn stone. When the wheat mills are in moderate order we consider ten to twelve bushels per hour a fair speed for grinding and bolting, and making a good yield. Our customers often get 40 and 41 pounds of flour to the bushel after tolling. Our Engine is 10½ inch cylinder and 20 inch stroke; it runs 110 revolutions per minute. Eighty pounds of steam will drive all three run with ease. It requires about four cords of wood to convert five hundred bushels of wheat into prime flour. We can say but little more in relation to our mill, other than this, that any one contemplating building a mill would do well to see our mill before building; would be pleased to have you come out and see our mills run, and should you have occasion at any time to refer people to us, would be happy to show them our mill and give them what information we are able to.
Yours, with respect,
Wood & Co.
On Feb. 14, 1870, Mr. Wood stated to us in person that on Feb. 12, they ground twenty bushels of corn into nice family meal in forty-three minutes, or at the rate of nearly thirty bushels per hour.
N., M. & Co.
Another Letter Near Three Years Afterwards.
Greenfield, Hancock Co., Ind., May 18th, 1872.
Messrs. Nordyke, Marmon & Co.,
Gentlemen:—Yours of 10th inst. came duly to hand; have been so very busy have not found time to answer sooner. We can only repeat what has already been said in relation to our mill; it gives perfect satisfaction. We would not like to be considered vain, but we do think we have the best mill in the State. Our mill has stood the test of near three years constant and hard labor, with no perceptible wear.