Forest Devil. WITH PICTURES

"Thoroughly efficacious" outback road clearing monster of 1892.

Dubbo Dispatch, Friday, November 4, 1892

     COBAR

     (From the Herald)

A COUPLE of weeks ago we were intimated that the

contractors for the clearing of the Mount Boppy-

Nymagee-road, Messrs. Ferguson and O'Dea, were

using in their work a machine obtained from

Orange, and known as the "Forrest Devil", but as

it was only new to the men working it a thorough

test of its capabilities bad not then been made.

Since that time, however, some five miles of road

has been cleared with this machine, and this

extensive test has proved that it is thoroughly

efficacious and entirely satisfactorily. On Saturday

last, from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m., twenty-two large trees

varying in size from 4ft to 10ft 4in in circumference,

were pulled out by the roots. Two men of ordinary

strength can work the machine comfortably, and

with it pull down any tree in the Cobar district.

It weighs without the extra gear which Is supplied

by the maker, about 60wt., and is easily shifted

from one tree to another without the aid of a horse,

a hand cart being sufficient to hold all the

apparatus. Tho machine is worked on the lever

principle, and is fastened close to the butt of any

ordinary tree within 60 yards of the tree being

operated upon, to which a chain is attached about

10ft from the ground. The lever Is worked on a

steel plate 9ft long by about 8in wide and 2in thick,

with diagonally placed holes, into which are placed

small iron pins. As the lever shifts backwards

and forwards one of tho men shifts the pins so as

to maintain the leverage. The only tiling that Is

done to help tho machine is to cut one or two roots

on the side the tree is being hauled to. For

simplicity and cheapness this machine is by far the

best extractor we have ever seen, and we feel con-

fident that as soon as its capabilities are known it

will be generally used for clearing scrub lands.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226758915

The following photos are not the Forest Devil spoken of here, but I thought a couple of images might give you an idea of this creature:

 http://eheritage.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/resources/fullimagee125.html?ID=GSM_00024&ImageNum=2

http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/11/167