1309 E. 26th Hutchinson, Kansas 67502 As told by her father,
Harlie Bolton
In the early days of Case steam engines and separators for
threshing the small grains in South Dakota, one of the farmers
purchased a threshing outfit. As it was delivered by train to a
town twenty miles from home, he loaded his wagon with dried
home.
That night, ten miles from home, as he and the factory
representative camped for the night, the clouds came up threatening
rain. The farmer, not wanting to get the new belts wet on his new
machine, and as there was no other cover, put them in the firebox
of the new engine.
The factory man, not knowing what the farmer had done, arose
early to get the fire going in the boiler so they could get an
early start.
Pretty soon the odor changed but the city man not knowing all
the smells of the country, did not realize more was burning than
cow chips. The farmer awoke to find his new machine belts were
burned. The result was a delay while more belts were ordered from
the factory to run the steam engine before the trip home could be
completed.
This machine was purchased from Case Company co-owner Bert Case,
uncle of my father, Harlie Bolton.
