1800's Whirlwind Vacuum On eBay

[huskyvacs]

This popped up on eBay recently and I seen it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-le...772844?hash=item3660f3036c:g:Bf8AAOSwZsdekFwy

It's very cool, but nothing I can afford! The seller also has a reserve price on it, so they likely think its worth double or triple that amount.

"The next step was made by Yves McCaffee from Chicago. He was the one who invented the “Whirlwind” machine in 1869. In accordance with the layout scheme, the “Whirlwind” was very similar to the modern “tower” type vacuum cleaner, which is still popular in America. The air was driven by a fan with a belt drive from the handle at the top of the device, which had to be turned by hand. Unfortunately, McCaffee’s attempts to adapt the electromotor to his instrument were not successful."

 

[lesinutah]

Wow

How the heck are you going to ship that.
Thanks for sharing it's a nice piece of history albeit a large piece.
Les

 

[dysonman1]

I had the opportunity to try one of those a long time ago. Back when the old VCCC was still around. Hard to push and heavy, it picked up almost none of the rice crispy cereal that Mike threw on the rug. We all laughed at it, and he put it back against the wall in the basement. No one touched it for the rest of the convention.

 

[caligula]

This is NOT a Whilwind, it's a leasure.

The Whirlwind was an upright, hand crank vacuum cleaner. It was made in Chicago, in the summer of 1869. Patent date was June 8, 1869. The leisure was made in Bradford, Pennsylvania around 1900. How do I know? because I have a Whirlwind which is pictured here.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Thanks for sharing that, Alex.

You have a great "array" of "vintage, almost ancient" specimens.
Perhaps you can bring a small sampling of them to the one and only VCCC convention when it's held in Scranton, PA. I'm sure lots of member will be happy to see them in person.

 

[huskyvacs]

Wow that is crazy! And huge!

Also blame the website I got that from - they called it the Whirlwind.

https://technofaq.org/posts/2018/01/how-was-the-first-vacuum-cleaner-made/

 

[caligula]

The Whirlwind of 1869.

Hi huskyvacs:

There were several reasons the Whirlwind didn't catch on, and not just the $25.00 price tag. To begin with it was hard to crank and push at the same time, in fact I found it better to pull backwards while cranking. The biggest hassle was the drive belt which kept slipping. Also the user couldn't crank fast enough to create any real suction. But forget all that, there were well over 100 of them made, and yes, the number was engraved in each one, mine is 146, so this was not why I claim it was a dismal faller, that was mentioned above. The reason there are so few of them is the timing, and the location. Chicago, Illinois, June 1969. In October of 1871 was the Great Chicago fire, and as the Whirlwind was made of light wood, most burned like matchsticks. According to my research the Whirlwind was manufactured in Boston in 1869-1870, but there is no record of this, in fact, I can't even find data on Ives W. McGaffy, though I do have a copy of the patent. However, like Chicago in 1871, Boston had a massive fire in 1872. A double whammy for McGaffy! As for mine, it was in Claremont, New Hampshire and was bought at auction in the mid 1980's by an antique dealer who had no idea what it was. He, in turn told my mother about it. Lucky me!

The only other known Whirlwind is at the Hover Historical Center in North Canton, Ohio. And that was where I first saw one in 1980, so I instantly knew what a goldmine I had.

Interestingly, I also had a Leisure, but it was a beast and it is now in a private collection.

 

[hoover300]

Cool

There was one in a scene of the old Addams family movie.

 

[caligula]

The Leasre.

I've taken a good look at this and interesting as it seems, I think it was originally mine. Anybody who attended the early meetings of the Vacuum Cleaner Collector's Club when it was headquartered in Naperville, Illinois will remember it.

When I was giving up my house in La Mesa, California, a suburb of San Diego, I gave it to a neighbor who collected rare antiques. That was in 2006, this one is in a suburb of Sacramento, so who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Alex Taber. [this post was last edited: 4/19/2020-00:31]

 

[caligula]

The Leisure.

Here is another look.

 

[caligula]

A closer look.

 

[huskyvacs]

I love the old polaroids! Thanks for the story, that's sad they all got burned up. I'm sure the ones that didn't broke apart and rotted. I have a 1800's farm plow in my garage as decoration and it's separating itself from the wall and breaking apart.

Also Auburn is only 580 something miles from La Mesa, it's possible it could be the same one if it traveled through a lot of hands and being tossed about getting more dirty and tarnished in the process.

 

[caligula]

Most likely was mine.

All three pictures were at the second headquarters in Illinois, the original was in Chesterton, Indiana from January of 83 to August of 85. As to the Leisure, There were only 6 made. I got mine as a swap with a fellow club member from Switzerland that attended our meeting in 1993. This had very little suction and yes there were attachments but they were awkward to use. The thing on the front of the main nozzle was where you attached a hose, then you lay the machine on it's side and manually turned one of the wheels. Yes, it took two people to operate it. Obviously this machine was a beast and I have no desire to get it back, just found it interesting that it showed up on eBay.