HULETT, GEORGE H.

HULETT, GEORGE H. (26 Sept. 1846-17 Jan. 1923), inventor of ore-unloading machinery, was born in Conneaut, Ohio, to Erastus and Amanda Norton Hulett. Hulett came to Cleveland at age 12 and graduated from HUMISTON INSTITUTE in 1864. He conducted a general store in Unionville, Ohio, until 1881, returning to Cleveland in the produce and commission business until 1890 when he began manufacturing coal- and ore-handling machinery. In 1898 he was construction engineer with Variety Iron Works of Cleveland, moving to McMyler Mfg. Co. in 1903. In 1907 he was associated with Webster Camp & Lane in Akron, which merged in 1909 with Wellman Seaver & Morgan of Cleveland (see DRAVO WELLMAN CO.). Hulett was vice-president of the company until 1917 and a director until 1918. Hulett invented the Hulett car dumper machine and the HULETT UNLOADER, a device with a cantilevered arm and bucket for unloading iron ore and coal from lake vessels. Whereas formerly 100 men worked 12 hours to unload 5,000 tons of ore, 4 Hulett unloaders could unload 10,000 tons in less than 5 hours, requiring only 25 men. The unloader became universally used. The car dumper unloaded entire cars of materials at ports and blast furnaces. Hulett also invented the Hulett conveyor bridge for handling coal, iron ore, and limestone. Hulett married Addie Hutchings in 1871 and had 2 children, Frank E. and Mrs. H. J. Doolittle. Hulett died in Daytona Beach, Fla., and was buried in LAKE VIEW CEMETERY.


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