Have been working very hard lately repairing my 10 hp. Sunflower
Wooden Wheels Aultman & Taylor Steam Engine, built sometime
before 1880. One just like it I had given to the Ford Museum.
Tonight had put on the differential gear all alone and it weighs
about 500 pounds. But I built a tram out of boards and rolled it
into the rear axle. This gear is really New with the bevel pinion
more. Never was put on the engine when it was bought.
Worked on the engine all day July 4thput on the incline shaft,
bevel gear drive.
Sunday, July 5th we were to 7:15 Mass and then son Leonard and I
flew to Watertown, S. D., and as we entered South Dakota, there
were two storms, one to the south, and the other to the north of
our path. The one in the north was in our flight pattern and we had
to go south a little to dodge the lightning and rain. There was
only about 8 miles between the two storms. Upon our return to
Faribault, the southern storm had passed Faribault. The Evening
News told how three people lost their lives in Iowa by the same
storm. The storm in the south was sure black as we traveled along
it. The rain just quit as we landed at Watertown. We caught up to
it again as it moved across the state and it just quit raining at
Faribault, where it had rained from 1 to 4 p. m. We were between
the two storms all day.
We were certainly sick coming back. We were to look at an old
engine, and it was not the junk man’s fault this time, but the
owner who did not use his brain. It was a 10 hp. side mounted Case,
serial No. 1782, stripped by the owner for cast iron. That is,
everything was knocked off above the wheels except the steam dome.
It is a fire box direct flue boiler with crown sheet supported by
‘T’ irons. Likely an iron boiler.
Steam dome on side of boiler so that cylinder, which was in the
rear, could be mounted on a feed water heater. Boiler likely
wrought iron as it looked like new. Gearing in drivers not worn or
even rusty. So we had a sad trip back and two threatening storms
going up, one on each side of our path.
