Eben Ernest Hayes
Encyclopedia
Eben Ernest Hayes (1851–1933), was a New Zealand
engineer and inventor who founded the Hayes Engineering works in Oturehua
, Central Otago. He developed a wind turbine
and manufactured wind pumps and agricultural tools for farms.
, England, on 4 February 1851, the first of 10 children of Ebenezer Hayes and Hannah Jones. Ernest was educated locally, then apprenticed as a millwright
, learning fitting and turning, remodelling machinery and dressing millstone
s. Hayes married Hannah Eleanora Pearson at Whitington, Norfolk
, on 15 February 1881 and emigrated to New Zealand at Port Chalmers
on 14 November 1882.
Hayes settled in Central Otago, running flour mills and developing a 150 acre (0.607029 km²) farm with a small workshop, where he began to invent tools to help his farm work.
in 1927. Apart from windpumps, developed in 1912, Hayes' principal inventions are various types of wire strainer, used for applying tension to wire fences.
Pouhere Taonga in 1975 and is maintained in a semi-working condition open to the public as an example of 19th century building and engineering.
Hayes' farming products are now marketed by Tru-Test Ltd and include wire strainers, wire dispensers, fence post tools, crimping tools, crimping sleeves and farm gates.
in 1952.
; memorabilia from Southland inventor and motorcyclist Burt Munro
(depicted in The World's Fastest Indian
) is displayed in the store's museum.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
engineer and inventor who founded the Hayes Engineering works in Oturehua
Oturehua
The township of Oturehua is in the Ida Valley of the Maniototo, in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand.Known as Rough Ridge until 1907, the settlement stands at 500 metres above sea level, some 25 kilometres from Ranfurly, to which it is connected by both road and the Otago Central...
, Central Otago. He developed a wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
and manufactured wind pumps and agricultural tools for farms.
Early life
Eben Ernest Hayes was born at Monks KirbyMonks Kirby
Monks Kirby is a village and civil parish in north-eastern Warwickshire, England. The population of the parish is 434 .Monks Kirby is located around one mile east of the old Fosse Way, around 8 miles north-west of Rugby, seven miles north-east of Coventry and six miles west of Lutterworth....
, England, on 4 February 1851, the first of 10 children of Ebenezer Hayes and Hannah Jones. Ernest was educated locally, then apprenticed as a millwright
Millwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
, learning fitting and turning, remodelling machinery and dressing millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s. Hayes married Hannah Eleanora Pearson at Whitington, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, on 15 February 1881 and emigrated to New Zealand at Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
on 14 November 1882.
Hayes settled in Central Otago, running flour mills and developing a 150 acre (0.607029 km²) farm with a small workshop, where he began to invent tools to help his farm work.
Inventor
In 1895, Hayes began to manufacture tools and agricultural equipment, establishing a workshop that became his engineering works. In 1910 Hayes built his first wind turbine to power the workshop; he replaced this with a Pelton wheelPelton wheel
The Pelton wheel is an impulse turbine which is among the most efficient types of water turbines. It was invented by Lester Allan Pelton in the 1870s. The Pelton wheel extracts energy from the impulse of moving water, as opposed to its weight like traditional overshot water wheel...
in 1927. Apart from windpumps, developed in 1912, Hayes' principal inventions are various types of wire strainer, used for applying tension to wire fences.
Hayes Engineering
The original Hayes Engineering works in Oturehua was powered by a series of mechanical shafts, pulleys and belts. The works was purchased by the New Zealand Historic Places TrustNew Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...
Pouhere Taonga in 1975 and is maintained in a semi-working condition open to the public as an example of 19th century building and engineering.
Hayes' farming products are now marketed by Tru-Test Ltd and include wire strainers, wire dispensers, fence post tools, crimping tools, crimping sleeves and farm gates.
Later life
Hayes achieved a national reputation for his products and an export market, then retired in ill health in 1926. The works were at the peak of production when he died at his home on 27 June 1933. Hayes' wife Hannah Hayes died on 2 June 1946 and the business shifted to ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
in 1952.
E Hayes and Sons
The family firm's Invercargill branch, founded by Hayes' son Irving Hayes in 1934, still exists as a hardware storeHardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
; memorabilia from Southland inventor and motorcyclist Burt Munro
Burt Munro
Herbert James "Burt" Munro was a New Zealand motorcycle racer, famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville, 26 August 1967. This record still stands today...
(depicted in The World's Fastest Indian
The World's Fastest Indian
The World's Fastest Indian is a 2005 New Zealand biographical film based on the Invercargill, New Zealand speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified Indian Scout motorcycle...
) is displayed in the store's museum.
External links
- Hayes Engineering Works historic tourist attraction
- Hayes Fencing Tools fencing tool manufacturer
- E Hayes and Sons hardware store