Sec. Treas. Coulee Antique Engines, Inc. R. #3, Box 274 Westby,
WI 54667
On April 9, 1988 an antique steam engine changed hands and
became the property of the Coulee Antique Engine Club. The day was
bright and sunny, just right to get everyone energetic and going.
Fourteen members appeared on the scene and, with a lot of muscle
p.m.
The members present were: Pres. Willie Bakkestuen, Vice-Pres.
Forrest Jensen, Sec.-Treas. & photographer Wilmer Homstad,
Director Jim Ziegler and these members: Gerald Johnson, Ellsworth
Olson, John Wangen and his young son, Anthony, Roy Torgerson,
Harold Hohmann, Riches Hohmann, Robert Jothen, Al Petrazoli, and
the generous owner and donor of the engine, Mr. Dave Pertzsch of
Onalaska.
The engine is a Franklin Pierce horizontal with a six-foot
diameter flywheel. It was located in Onalaska, WI in a former
pickle factory, originally a brewery. At this time we haven’t
been able to determine when the engine was installed but it
probably was put in at the time the brewery building was
constructed (about 1902). It ran a lengthy jack shaft two floors up
by a 12′ wide flat belt. The engine was on the ground level
floor so that made it easier to get to. Actually, the engine had
been dismounted and moved to another part of the building. The
first task of the crew was to get the flywheel, shaft, and
eccentric, which were still mounted in the original position, the
flywheel on one side of a stone dividing wall, the shaft extending
through the wall to the eccentric.
Our master mechanic, Gerald Johnson, had provided us with all
the necessary tools and with his good advice we proceeded to shine
up the stub of the shaft, grind off a bit of the upset end and
start the proceedings. We had a good stout hydraulic and a good
chain, so that once we put pressure on the end of the shaft,
presto! it moved. Not fast, but slow and sure we were able to
‘punch’ the shaft out of the flywheel. Lucky for us we had
a handy large ‘A’ frame that we moved into position,
carried the shaft and eccentric and very easily loaded it into our
waiting pick-up.
Moving the flywheel very carefully with come-along both fore and
aft we got it out of its location onto the floor, through a door
and supported by the ‘A’ frame. We then moved it with a
large end loader, donated for our use by Domke Cons. Co. and were
able to take it to a convenient scale and weigh it. It tipped the
scales at 1,960 pounds.
It all sounds so easy when one sits down to account for the work
done, but all of you know that heavy iron is no joke and takes
planning, good management and a measure of luck. We had all of
these ingredients, no one got hurt and no one overworked, all in
all it was a very successful day.
From this point on things went easy. We loaded the engine into a
pick-up and laid the 6′ flywheel flat on a trailer and so were
able to transport them both with our own equipment. We moved them
about 6 miles for temporary storage, along with 2 Worthington and 1
Fairbanks Morse steam water pumps which later will be installed in
a Club building.
The club would like to hear from anyone who has information on a
Franklin Pierce horizontal steam engine.
