Evans, Oliver

While working at the store, Evans met wheat farmers and millers, and he became interested in the process of milling grain. He inspected several mills and was struck by how the series of unconnected machines and processes made the job inefficient and labor intensive. He then designed a method for connecting the machines through the use of bucket elevators, conveyors, and a “hopper boy,” a mechanical device that cooled and dried the meal before feeding it into the bolting cylinder. With these enhancements, wheat could be taken directly from a wagon or boat, cleaned, ground, dried, cooled, sifted, and packed without requiring a human operator, except to make adjustments to the machinery. The new design would consistently produce a cleaner, finer flour that could be sold for less than traditionally milled flour.