Route 2, Mocksville, North Carolina 27028
June 28, 1916, dawned bright and clear and the wheat was ready
to thresh in North Carolina. So we checked over the No. 4 Geiser
Machine and fired up the Aultman-Taylor engine and pulled out on
our regular run. We threshed in two counties and stayed out till
about September first.
Back then, we stayed out all week and slept in barns or under
shade trees. We each one carried a quilt, an overall jacket and
homegrown twist tobacco in a tow sack. We did not shave all week.
We worked long, hard hours but the farmers wives fed us good and
everyone was our friends. We enjoyed it.
That was the flood year when most of the bridges washed out on
the rivers and creeks. I broke a bridge and the engine dropped in
but we piled logs in front of it and ran it out and pulled the
machine across with a cable and went on our way.
The Geiser was a hand feeder so it took quite a crowd to operate
it. Here are the names of the crew: Heck Jordan, feeder; Marsh
Eaton, band cutter; Wilt Danner, band cutter; Esau Danner, measure
man; Nat Stanley, water boy; Jesse Hutchens, engineer and owner of
the outfit and the only living member of that crew. I am now 76
years old and still have a nice Frick engine which I steam up and
play with and have a lot of fun. (That was my wife and I in the
ALBUM, January-February 1969 issue with the little Frick
portable.)