May I express my own thanks to those of you who helped us so
much this summer and fall by selling our magazine at the various
shows across the country. We hope to have representatives at nearly
all the shows next year. Anyone interested, drop us a line.
Earl, my husband, and I have certainly enjoyed meeting you folks
who have dropped by or stopped to talk at the shows. I hope we can
make it to more events next summer.
Mr. J. Lee Land is trying to find out makers of small steam gas
fired boilers. Anyone who can help him write to, Brownsville,
Oregon 97327.
A letter from James Stone, 504 North Fifth Street, Gallup, New
Mexico. He wants to find information concerning the first oil
drillers on the Navajo Reservation, namely William Henry, Harrison
Cranmer and Sam Arnold. They operated a steam driven rig in various
parts of Northern New Mexico and Arizona a-round 1921-23. According
to the information available the rig was horse drawn to a location,
then set up and operated to a depth of 1,400 feet or so. Naturally,
the wells were too shallow to find the major oil supplies. It is
interesting to note that except in two places, they were drilling
toward the world’s richest oil and gas supplies. It is too bad
that their rig was so limited. What he would like to know is if
there are available any photographs of their old rigs around or any
other information that ‘us’ old timers might remember?
Frank Samson, Box 601 Tolono, Illinois is looking for an
operators manual or instruction book for a Monitor Engine made by
Baker Manufacturing Co., Evansville, Wis. He needs any available
information to get the machine running. The engine number is 3819
and perhaps someone would know how old the engine would be.
C. L. Shobe, 1819 Monroe St., Great Bend, Kansas writes
concerning Mr. Howard’s article in the July-August Issue about
the engine running the wrong direction. Mr. Shobe is sure that Mr.
Howard knows the reason for this, but thought perhaps some of our
readers didn’t. If his spool valve had been of the inside
admission type, it would have taken the regular setting. Most steam
locomotives were of this type as it retrieves the pressure of steam
in the chest on the rod packing which operates the valves. Mr.
Shobe’s experience was on an Endbergh Stationary with outside
admission (steam admitted to the cylinder trough parts at the
outside ends of the valve) and the eccentric had to be set, as he
stated, 90 degrees ahead of the crank ordinarily but in this
incident a setting of 90 degrees behind the crank was required.
Norman C. Morgan, R.D., Grampian, Pennsylvania is looking for a
plan for converting a couple of Briggs & Stratton Gas Engines
to Steam.
Ray DeMent, Clinton, Illinois has found a supplier of parts. He
went to Illiopolis, Illinois to the Illiopolis Canvas Co. to get a
set of teeth for his Keck separator. They bought the stock of
the
Hudson Machine Co. of Decatur, Illinois years ago and they have
teeth for most any make of machine plus obsolete sprocket chain and
attachment links of all kinds, grease cups, belt hooks packing,
water glass and a lot of other hard to get items. Thanks, Ray.
Jacob Tiessen, Abbotsford, British Columbia has written to
confirm the story in the November-December Issue about the boy
tossed into a threshing machine. It is exactly the same as his Dad
told him happened in the U.S.A. Mr. Tiessen also had a nice visit
to Vancouver where he met Mr. P.P. Striemer from Winkler. Mr.
Striemer told him that some of the men were going to take in two
days of oats threshing with the old steamers and six bundle teams
with horses. Mr. Tiessen is sorry he missed that. I imagine there
are many of us who would like to see that. Perhaps Mr. Striemer
will let us know when it will be going on next year.
J. M. Johnson, 3236 Garfield, South Minneapolis, Minnesota would
like to hear from someone who knows some-thins about the Ames Steam
Traction Engine (return flue).
Earl Holje, Sheridan County Historical Assoc, Plentywood,
Montana is looking for information on a Model 25-50 Aultman Taylor
Tractor, Serial no. 1016 and supposedly a 1916 model. He has been
unable to find this information anywhere can any of you readers
help him?
Nelson Howard, 1402 South 19th St., New Castle, Indiana writes
about the picture at the top of page 21 of the November Issue. It
is listed as the Water Works & Light Plant at New Castle,
Indiana. He feels it should be Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana.
Says he worked there a long time.
From Howard Camp, 18 West Washington, Newnan, Georgia. Howard
has lost his Uncle Marcus Leonard and has no-one to go to for
information about the Advance. He needs to know what pressure
setting on pop valves the factory recommended on 12 HP lap boilers
around 1910. Serila number 13831. He would also like to know what
most users popped at when they worked the engines to their limit.
Some of the catalogs show the working pressures at 150 PSI on the
boilers.
From G.C. Dixon, Route 1, Box 32, Gormania, West Virginia, a
word of praise for Raymond Lancaster and the other Lancasters. They
have a scale Geiser saw mill that really works. It is
‘precision personified’. Of all the models they have built,
this is the best in Mr. Dixon’s book.
This from Frank J. Burris, 35640 Avenue F, Yucaipa, California.
‘The Biography of Cornelius Aultman is a splendid piece of work
covering a matter of much benign interest to our hearts. I missed
only one additive to the fien old drawing illustrations, and this
was of the old return-flue undermounted engines which were made by
the C. Aultman company. I saw one of these old timers at Wall or
Quinn, South Dakota, in 1917, and wonder whether any of the
old-timer subscribers of the Album can tell us what may have
happened to this particular wonderful old fellow? Could it be
possible that it may still be in that vicinity? A very long-shot
hopeful wish, of course. Dear friend and Album subscriber Mr. Ben
Fisher of Bowesmont, North Dakota has just written me that he is
unearthing a fine archeological discovery near home that consists
of a Canton Monitor, presumably, that has lain buried in the soil
for 74 years after a boiler explosion which killed several people.
I have asked Ben to try to get some pictures before and after
disentombing this prize relic, and to give us a story for the
Album. Ben is a great relic hunter-and finder! Very
sincerely.’
May I suggest that you look through our Christmas Shopping List
and give ‘Steam’ or ‘Gas’ for Christmas.
To our friends across the country. Christmas in lands of the fir
tree and pine, Christmas in lands of the palm tree and vine,
Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white, Christmas where
corn fields lie sunny and white. Everywhere, Everywhere, Christmas
tonight. May yours be most blessed.
