Iowa Old Press
Sioux County Herald, Orange City, (Sioux), Iowa, May 10, 1899, Page 5,
Column 4:
Roel De Young, the Middleburgh merchant, was in town yesterday afternoon,
and that he is the owner of the worst mule to put shoes on in Sioux county
is no secret to the blacksmiths in this community. He came to Orange City
to have this animal shod, and took it to Smit Van Olst's shop for that
purpose. The last time the mule was shod Old Smit did the job, but it was
one he did not care to repeat. The mule climbed into the forges and on top
of all the work benches in the shop and fanned the blacksmiths around at
will. One fellow told the writer that he actually ran up the stair and
jumped out of the second story window, but he don't belong to our church,
and we at once formed grave doubts of his veracity. However that may be, by
the time his muleship's feet were ornamented by four bright, new shoes, half
a dozen men were pretty well worried out. Old Smit began to think there
surely could be some means devised whereby vicious animals could be shod
without so much danger and labor to the blacksmith, and he set his ingenuity
to work. He wasn't long in forming a plan. He went to work and built a
heavy and well-braced frame work in the upper part of the shop to which he
attached blocks and tackles, which are operated by a windlass. He then had
a harness made of heavy straps of leather and canvas which can be adjusted
to fit any sized animal, and his invention was ready for a trial. While Mr.
Van Olst was waiting for an ugly animal to try his new invention upon, he
hardly hoped to be favored with the very animal that had brought the idea of
such an arrangement to his mind. But somebody has said that "everything
comes to those who wait", and Roel De Young led the identical mule into the
shop. As the harness was being adjusted on him his eyes shone with
mischief, playfully rolling one ear forward and the other back as if
anticipating a whole lot of fun with the smithies, but before he had time to
open up the performance, he was gently hoisted into the air. He seemed to
take in the situation at once and submitted to the inevitable with all the
grace that could be expected from one of his kind, and was shod without a
struggle. The invention is a new and ingenious one and is not only useful
in the shoeing of ugly animals, but is very convenient in lifting heavy
machinery, such as horsepowers, etc., which it becomes necessary to raise in
repairing them. This animal was shod in the presence of perhaps twenty-five
men, and all were surprised with the perfect working of the invention, and
the ease with which the animal seemed to rest in the swing while the work
was being done.
Page 5, Column 5:
Orange City's First Blacksmith.
Some may think that Smit Van Olst has retired from blacksmithing, but such
is not the case. Old Smit is still at work at the old stand with his two
sons, where they do all classes of work in their line in a satisfactory and
workmanlike manner, making fine horseshoeing a specialty. Mr. Van Olst is
the inventor of an arrangement by which vicious animals can be suspended in
the air and shod without the least injury to them. While Mr. Van Olst is
always pleased to see his old friends and do work for them, his is compelled
to remind some of them that their accounts are pretty old, and that he needs
money very much, and would consider it a favor if they would come in and pay
up. Mr. Van Olst is in his shop all the time and superintends all work,
which is a sufficient guarantee that it is done in a first class manner. He
desires to thank his old friends for their patronage in the past and hopes,
by a continuation of superior work and fair dealing, to retain all his old
customers and gain many new ones.