Ryder North Dakota, 58779
This same engine is pictured in the October 1964 Engineers and
Engines Magazine. The picture shows the ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen
on the engine with Henry Torske standing alongside. Mr. Bergen
intended to buy this engine steamer to Edgar Bergen of
Holly-Cutbank newspaper reporting on a threshing show at Four
German’s engines. The article states, ‘Torske, a real steam
engine buff from Conrad is famous because he sold a steamer to
Edgar Bergen of Hollywood fame, and we asked Torske if he did and
he confirmed it, only he said ‘Bergen never came to pick it up
and he never paid for it either’ . . . so he’s still got it
in Conrad.’
This very same engine is now in the Makoti Museum. Dorance and
Elmer have cleaned off a few pounds of good old Montana soil from
the governor and in the boiler among other places. Other cleaning
and repair work has been done.
The first year the engine was used, the nut came off the
governor so the engine went wild. It looked funny to see a steamer
going about five miles an hour across the field. Taking the nut
from the other Nichols and Shepard engine for a pattern, Leland
Patten, Newtown blacksmith, made another one.
This engine was bought by the Torske Brothers out of a sawmill
in Kallespell, Montana. It is worn real bad so it must have seen
long hard usage. The cut-off valves are out of adjustment but O. R.
Allakson, New Rockford, has written to Dorance explaining how to
set them again to make the engine work like it should. Conrad
Torske, Henry, 72, died at his farm home east of Conrad. Born at
McIntosh Minnesota, he came to the Prospect community near Conrad
in 1919. He married Anna E. Kanikeberg, June 2, 1920, at Great
Falls. They lived in the Prospect community until 1934 when the
family moved into Conrad. He was a steam engineer most of his life
and took part in many old time threshing bees in the area.
The picture of equipment on display on page 24 of the
March-April 1970 Gas Engine Magazine includes the following
tractors in case anyone is wondering. 1917 Gray 18-36 #24935, 1918
Heider a12-20 C #35932, 1920 Titan 10-20 #TV47842, 1926 Minneapolis
17-30 B #8908, 1924 John Deere D 15-27 #32026, 1920 Twin City
20-35, 1922 Rumely H 16-30 #9012.
