My wife’s visit to Norway last summer with a stop-over in
New York City enhanced some of her remote relations from that
‘big jerk’ to visit Wisconsin, or more correctly
calculated, put foot on a farm for a first time. I braced myself,
with 4 metropolitan youngsters all with an objective to milk a cow.
They concluded once you have the cow all you need is a milk stool
Ranging in age from 3 to 14 they raised some very impromptu
questions like ‘Is this a daily farm?’ (Elmer, now I’ve
found a Brooklyn brogue). Being the only ones left in Alice’s
relation who strive for a living, bovinely speaking, I could rig my
own answers. Certainly our set-up is a far cry from the modern
milking parlors of today. Well none of our cows jumped over the
moon, but noted I did fall a bit short on poundage of milk. So
what: Climbing trees, picking toad stools and 4 leafed clovers were
some more ‘first timers’ for them. With some persistance
their vague apprehensions of rural-life were now to be answered in
reality. Its always amusing to sort a delve into ‘how the other
half lives’. Here was a scrumptious trailer house owned by a
New York building contractor parked on our 80 acre patch of ground.
Well anyhow my conclusions to the whole thing, I think all girls
are nice.
Planted some corn in late June to meet compliance on feed grain
program and also ’cause Alice likes to drive the M-H, 4 WD
pulling the planter, I think. Speaking of corn, I just finished
shredding last years crop using 7 different power units namely Rock
Island, John Deere D, John Deere G-P, McDeering 10-20, M-H 4 WD,
Waterloo Boy and Case 50 steamer, what would my old tractors do
without a shredder?
At this writing haying and corn cultivating are winding up. In
our locality I note a large percentage of farmers who still use
John Deere B’s to do their cultivating. Being prompted to know
why, came up with several answers, economy and simplicity,
fly-wheel cranking poses no threat to broken arms, that uneven
exhaust reduces fatigue, and the steering gear ratio eliminates
excess effort in conforming to do good close work. Enough said?
Sometime ago DENNIS ANDRES from Duluth, prompted me to a trip to
that city in search of stationary steam power, including some units
that are booked for ‘unemployment’. Such was the one in the
DM and IR power house in Proctor. This twin cylinder horizontal
INGERSOL-HAND with slide valves and chain drive governor has run an
air compressor for nigh unto 60 years and still runs like new.
Piped to the same boilers were two AMERICAN BALL engines, automatic
slide valve cut-off, with 115 KW generators direct drive. EDWARD F.
BENTZ is the engineer in charge and was very gracious, except to
having his picture taken. Pictured by one of the American Ball
engines is DAVE RITCHIE and his brother WILLIE who steered us to
this power plant in-as-much as Bentz is an uncle of theirs.
At Central High School we met PETER A. HEGLE the engineer of its
power plant. Here we saw a 100 HP Corliss Chuse pulling a
generator. This unit was installed in 1905 and still doing the job;
goes to prove the longlivety of simple steam power. Standing by is
an automatic 240 HP RIDGEWAY with Ridgeway Dynamo. Hegle tells us
this engine is not nearly as efficient, but since the exhaust is
used for steam heating it still merits its maintenance. At Fitgers
we found an 85 HP VILTER Engine with fly ball governor and slide
valve, driving an ammonia pump for refrigeration. Stopping at
Dennis’ home place at 4384 LaVaque Rd. we enjoyed a nice lunch
and looked in on his brothers 2′ scale 65 Case about half
completed, this model displays precision work indeed.
DAVE RITCHIE is a member of ‘The Lake Head Threshing
Bee’ and has several collectors items including a rare 15 HP
F-M Diesel, two flywheel engine in nice shape, and a 7 HP
Fuller-Johnson. Their show for ’63 promises to exceed their
very good show of last year.
EARL RUSSELL from LaMotte, Iowa stopped in. He came up to
Frederic for his grand-daughter’s graduation. He is a saw-mill
and steam man with many years experience and employed at JUSTIN
HINGTEN Mill.
I had the privilege and pleasure to have a steam ride on ARVID
ANDERSON’s minature railroad installed at Bambi-Land Amusement
Park, 2 miles east of St. Croix Falls, Wis. Here 1300 feet of track
winds through the wood. The engineer WAYNE LUNDEEN was very
accommodating for us to take movies. A visit to this recreation
area should include Bambi-Land. This train was featured in a recent
issue of Polk-Burnett Electric Co-op News.
Stopped in at Lunde Tire Shop in St. Croix Falls. WILLARD LUNDE
has recently restored a 2 HP Domestic pump engine complete with
pump and has done a fine job of restoration.
We had a little ‘shindig’ here July 4. A nice group of
steam fans and ‘flywheel’ friends turned out those that
couldn’t think of something better to do. I had harbored a load
of corn that we shredded. HARRY SCHACHT from Eau Claire feeding the
McDeering shredder, WARREN DOAN from St. Paul unloading bundles,
and DENNIS ANDRES at the throttle of the 50 Case. We then went
after a load of hay and run it thru the old stationary IHC baler
belted to the Titan tractor. These were genuine 2 man bales, the
real McCoy, the kind that don’t sag. Alice and I wish to thank
all who came for the occasion, you all come again. With my limited
education I am convinced, all work and no play is staking too far
into the future.
Seems somehow in my last column some ‘bug’ didn’t
get put in. A second line in column 2 on page 20 should read
‘low grade fuel and sawing’.
Thats it for now.
