Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects The 'Madegood Family' Harry Harney Brown

"The Fairfield Daily Ledger"
Fairfield, Iowa
Thursday, April 23, 1925
Front Page and Page 5

HARRY HARNEY BROWN

Some time ago the Ledger announced its intention of bringing to your attention various members of the Madegood Family living in Fairfield, and to acquaint its readers with some of the outstanding deeds and misdeeds, achievements and frailties, of these useful citizens, as well as to give you a more or less true history of their lives.

Today the Ledger introduces with pride the first of these useful citizens and would have you make the acquaintance of one Harry Harney Brown, a junior partner of Henry Ford, of Detroit, and one who has succeeded by his activities here in getting that gentleman's name somewhat know to the people of Jefferson county.

"Yes," you say, "I know it's Brownie all right, but what the dickens is that contraption pictured with him?"

A very natural question, because you have never seen anything like it. Fact is, nobody has--yet. For the machine which Harry Harney is so glibly explaining is a Fordair truck which has not yet been put on the market, and which exists only, thus far, in the dome of the handsome chap who is explaining its mechanism.

You see, this Ford air service is a dream of Brownie's. "I'm getting ready for it now," he says. 'Because 'twill be only a few years until we have it and I want to be in on the-- well, not hardly the ground flood in this case, but you know what I mean. Yezzir, day's coming when Ford trucks will be as thick in the air as catfish are about Fred Spielman's bait in the water works pond when he's fishing for bass. Trucks will come along and pick up pigs, calves, grain or anything else a farmer wants to send to market. Woman calls for calf's liver at ten oclock in the morning and finds butcher has none. Butcher simply sends an air truck out to the country and has a calf brought in; two hours later Friend Husband dines on liver and onions. Great thing, eh?"

Harry Harney Brown happens to be a graduate civil engineer, so it is from plans drawn by him that we are enabled to give you an idea of what these air trucks are going to be like. The principle of the thing is astonishingly simple, according to Brownie. There are two large gas bags, as shown in the picture, and folding wings on either side of the truck. The driver starts his engine and this causes certain chemicals to flow together which immediately form a gas which inflates the gas bags and renders the whole machine lighter than air. The driver pulls a lever and the wings unfold and work just like a bird's thus controlling elevation and direction. Strange, according to Brownie, that no one has ever thought of it before. Course, he admits, he hasn't a working model of the machine and there are some parts that he hasn't perfected yet. But he says the big part of the job of inventing the thing is done, now that he has discovered the principle. He proposes to let Henry Ford share in the benefits of the invention with him but is determined to sell no foreign country rights. "American inventions and industries for Americans!" he patriotically told us as he gazed at the flag flying from the courthouse tower.

Harry Harney is a native of Elgin, Ill., and at one time had certain ambitions with membership on the famous Elgin Board of Trade, because various members of his family found such a position lucrative. But after Judge Landis had made certain caustic remarks in his courtroom about that organization Harry lost interest and went to selling auto tires, judging it to be a safer even though a less lucrative business. His Irish fighting blood was roused when the war came on so he enlisted in the navy, doubtless feeling the call of salt water from a paternal ancestor who sailed before the mast in the gladsome days of Captain Kidd. The war ended before Brownie really got into action, so he returned to Burlington and tire selling.

One day he chanced to visit Fairfield. "This is the town for me." says Brownie. And he's been here ever since. And during the years he's been here he has been something of a benefactor to the community. Think of the miles and miles he has spared the people of this county from walking by reason of having supplied them with transportation--at so much per trans! If it wasn't for advertising his business we might inform you that Harry Harney Brown sells Ford cars; but most everybody round here knows that anyway. And Harry Harney isn't just a Ford dealer--he is what you might call a Ford seller. "A Ford a day will keep my creditors away," he told his sales force some time ago, and then told them to get busy. They did. The result has been that the creditors have been kept away.

Brownie accepts his due civic, fraternal and social responsibilities by serving on the band auxiliary, attending various lodge meetings and emitting his expected roar at the weekly Lions club, and in otherwise taking part in the affairs of his community. But his greatest recreation is selling Ford cars. Sometimes, when he's feeling a bit tough, he goes out and sells two or three Fords just to stretch himself a bit. And he likes to sell cars so well that when he can't sell a Ford he sells the prospect some other kind of car, just for practice, you know.. Harry Harney is sure an accommodating sort of chap.