LETTERS

Mr. Blaker compared a traction engine with a locomotive. I see
no point in having a ‘hook up’ on a traction engine. The
governor was installed to control the speed. Who ever saw a
governor on a locomotive? I do agree with him that a choked nozzle
smothers the exhaust sound.

I believe he must have put his Case beside a sick Advance Rumely
plowing. If I recall correctly the Case Company set their 22-65
engines to carry 160 lbs. pressure. Anyone that carries more
pressure than the company recommends should have their head
examined.

I cannot see how a valve seat on any engine with a hook up will
wear even. There is one other thing I wonder about, how long LeRoy
can keep his water up and a full head of steam with a Case under a
full load?

I believe I have read LeRoy is a personal friend of yours, Mr
Ritzman, but it makes me angry to have someone run down what I
personally think is one of the best valve gears put on an
engine.

I am sure you will not publish this, but since my pop valve has
reseated itself, I have a picture of a 20-65 Jumbo engine No. 2280,
that I worked on for a year. i showed it this year at the Missouri
Antique Threshers & Settlers Show. The stack, high drive
wheels, head tank and clutch amazed the spectators most.

EDWARD HUTSEL, 1124 Adams Street, R. D. 5, Mexico, Missouri

MR. REED TAKE NOTICE

CLAIR H. DUNHAM, St. Clair, Michigan

In your March-April issue of 1939 is the picture of a Case on a
‘Dutch Oven’. On page 19 Mr. Reed relates his experience in
saw mill firing a 30 Case.

I should like to state that he should have been at Jim
Whitby’s shows in 1956, ’58 and the little Case 30 (old 9
hp.) run a big saw on the mill there and hold 150 psi and pop off.
It made her snort but she did it to the amusement of hundreds of
spectators every time it was belted up. They fired with slabs that
were buzzed up by a rig near by. Much larger engines were also
worked on the mill.

Mr. Reed must have had poor fuel and could not keep up the fog,
as thousands of engines all over the country burn the mill slabs
and edgings.

I worked on a mill in Oregon in 1920 that had a set of bricked
in boilers and the saw dust was blown in and it practically burned
in suspension. These boilers furnished steam for 125 hp. engine
that run the main saw and other engines for machinery around the
mill.

McPHAIL GREETS & CORRECTS

I had to write of the engine on page 19 in the May-June issue,
Lady, you have the caboose ahead of the tender. The name of that
engine was Sawyer-Massey, in fact was first, L. D. Sawyer. Dad had
a 17 compound and the snap I sent you was Swayer-Massey 20hp. They
were a good engine. Am feeling fine, no complaints, no use, they
are not listening to me anyway.

Regards to all, I sure get a kick out of reading the ALBUM and
also Engines and Engineers. Regards to Rev. Elmer, Friend Hubby and
the rest.

FRED McPHAIL, Westminster Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada

THE TOWNSEND TRACTOR

I enjoy your magazine so much. I am enclosing a print picture of
my Townsend tractor as we pulled home from a threshing in 1938. My
son, Herbert, ran the tractor. We had a 28 inch Case separator and
did a large amount of threshing those years on shock routes. Later
on everybody went into combining, so I sold the old outfit, but I
wish I still had it as I liked the old time threshing. I am 75
years old and still farming, and enjoy old-time threshing with
steam engines.

In 1893 my father owned a horse power threshing machine. I
remember cutting bands on a hand feeding machine. Well, that is
something out of date altogether. Then 10 years later I ran a steam
engine for our neighbor. I have two sons and one daughter, all
active in farming.

HENRY MATZ & SON, Walters, Minnesota

OWNERS OF THE O. S. KELLY CO.

The following is part of a letter we received as a response to
the article on Mr. O. S. Kelly and the O. S. Kelly Engine and
Thresher Company which appeared in the March-April issue of the
ALBUM. It is so interesting and informative that we reproduce it
here to add to the article Elmer

The writer and his son are the owners of the O. S. Kelly
Company, manufacturers of piano plates since 1890. Mrs. Ultes is
the daughter of O. Warren Kelly, deceased, the granddaughter of
Oliver S. Kelly and Mr. Fassler, both of whom were associated with
William Whitely (1851) in the manufacture of Harvesting Machines
and Mowers, as Whitely, Fassler and Kelly. I am a son-in-law of
Oliver Warren Kelly, one of the inventors, along with A. C. Grant,
of the hard tire and wire core, also of the Kelly-Springfield
tire.

The Kelly’s were also owners of the Rinehart, Ballard &
Co., and afterwards the Springfield Engine & Thresher
Company.

My son, Carl Ultes, Junior, the 4th generation, is now
successfully the O. S. Kelly Company here in Springfield, Ohio, at
present making a majority of the piano plates used in the United
States.

MR. CARL ULTES, SR., 16 Dover Road, Springfield, Ohio

THE GRANDSON

Thanks for your article and picture of Meinard Rumely.
Grandfather would be proud of your continuing recognition. In the
article, mention is made, that he died about a year short of his
50th wedding anniversary. It might be of interest to note that last
survivor of his children, A. J. Rumely, age 83, still living in
LaPorte at 1410 Indiana Avenue, will celebrate his 50th wedding
anniversary on June 9th of this year.

We wrote Mr. Rumely for some information and in replying he
added 1 have been to the Reunion at Pontiac twice and at Mt.
Pleasant, Iowa once. Both shows were very interesting and I have a
nice collection of 35mm color slides from them. I particularly
liked the Pontiac Show because Elmer Gould of Elburn, Illinois was
there with his engine, the last one built by the Illinois Thresher
Co. Illinois Thresher was my father’s (W. N. Rumely) last
effort in this type of enterprise.

RICHARD L. RUMELY, 212 No. Garfield Street, Lombard,
Illinois

SPENT MANY DAYS RIDING

I have never owned an engine but I spent many days riding with
the road working engines when I was a boy. I have never given up
the desire to own one. I operate a saw mill at the present time
with gasoline power. I am hoping that sometime I might feel able to
buy a steam engine for it.

I bought a threshing machine this summer and threshed 800bu. of
oats for myself.

I also have a 10 horse sweep power which I intend to put in
working order this winter. My uncle threshed 21 years with it.

I saw a 4 horse sweep power at Kinzers Show this year. They told
me they never saw a 10 horse machine.

(The 4 horse sweep power you saw at Kinzers is really an 8 horse
power but they just had four horses on it. Each arm accommodates
two horses. Your ten horse power has five arms or
sweeps.-Elmer)

SEWART BERRY, Burdett, New York