I got this thing a while back and soon after, this likely scenario popped into my head.
The Date: Some time in 1872
The Place: Likely the local tavern
Cyrus H Hardy: (drunk) "We should make a plane with a sole that is covered with holes."
John Sully: (also drunk) "Agreed."
The birth of the Boston Metallic Plane Company
[2 months later]
John Sully: (sober, examining the fruit of their labors) "This thing is worthless."
Cyrus H. Hardy: (his every dime invested in a dead end) "My wife is going to kill me."
On a side note I wonder if anyone has every been stupid enough to drill a hang hole in this plane? Hey if they bought the thing, methinks they were capable of far more...