History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

254 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
The fatlier was an invalid iolluwiug liis service in the Civil war
and the mother died when her son, R. Iv. Ortt, was but nine years
old. He then started out in the world on his own account. Kis
advantages and opportunities were limited, but when he found it
possible he attended school, early recognizing the value of an
education. All through his youth his time was largely occupied
with farm work and indeed he was busy in the lields until he
attained his majority.
R. K. Ortt early displayed mechanical ingenuity and as he
worked he gave much thought to the farm machinery then in
use, believing that it might be greatly unproved. He took up ac-
tive tasks along that line in the improvement of binders and for
four years he was superintendent of the assembling and testing
department of the Hibbard Gleaner & Binder Company. He was
likewise their general agent at Norristown, Pennsylvania. On
leaving that firm he became connected with Hebner & Sons of
Landsvale, Pennsylvania, developing a cutter and crusher for
corn ensilage. His inventive ingenuity at length developed this
machine, after which he established a shop in Norristown, for
cairyiug on his experiments. He has taken out fourteen different
patents, many of which are of a most valuable character and are
now in general use. He had only forty-five dollars when he obtained
his patent on his lawn mower which he called the Clipper
mower. He began manufacturing, but developed the business
slowly, his sale for the first year amounting to but twelve; the
second year he put upon the market sixty-two mowers; the third
year two hundred and seventy-one; the fourth year six hundred
and eighty-two and the fifth year one thousand. Thus gradually
the business grew and developed along healthful, substantial lines
until there is no longer a struggle to maintain a place in the busi-
ness world. On the contrary his industry is an extensive and a
pi-ofitable one.
Mr. Ortt came to Dixon in 1904 and the following year organ-
ized the Clipper Lawn Mower Company, which was formed in
July, 1905. For a year he leased the factory and in 1906 erected
his present ]ilant. The factory today has eighteen thousand
square feet of floor space, in addition to which there is a warehouse
of four thousand square feet. He employs from ten to
twenty-five people, according to the season and in connection with
the manufacture of the lawn mower he is engaged in building the
Clipper marine and stationary gasoline engines. The mowers are
today sold all over the world, the various points of the machine