STEAM THRESHING BEE STAGES OLD-TIME HARVEST
By EARL T. WORTHINGTON
R. D. 1, Box 618, Battle Creek, Michigan
For the third time in three years, I devoted my vacation time to
an Old-time threshing project.
Part of the grain had been hauled into the barn and three wagon
loads Stood in the barnyard on Saturday morning, July 28, waiting
for the crew to appear and start the days activities
At 8 A. M., the 22 horse power Advance Rumely Steam Engine and
Case separator swung into action and by three o’clock in the
afternoon the newly separated wheat was in the granary. The
threshing was started in the barnyard but after a tall stack of
straw had been built up under the reconditioned Case
separator’s blower, the engine and separator were moved into an
open field.
Lloyd Smith moved in his baler and kept the mounting straw pared
down by baling it up as it came from his separator.
There were several old-time threshers on the scene, including
Bert Chi-chester and son of Pine Creek, Michigan. Many people
stopped by to enjoy watching and to take pictures.
Crew members consisted of: William, Kenneth, and Elton Burpee,
bundle pitchers; Fred Stiles of Battle Creek, bundle pitcher; Tony
Tungate, straw stacker and bundle pitcher: Lloyd Smith, grain
handler; Harry North, separator man; Earl Worthington, engineer;
Fred Brown, assistant engineer.
TO BUY SOME COAL
I am sending a check for $2.00 to buy some coal to keep up the
steam for another year. I get great pleasure from reading the
ALBUM. It is getting better every issue. Some of the old timers get
their machinery mixed up quite a little sometimes, but that’s
all right. We are not buying or selling so let them write what the
can remember.
SIMON ECKHOFF, Meservey, Iowa
FROM E. P. NELSON-
To say ‘I enjoy the ALBUM’ is putting it mildly.
Especially do I enjoy the letters from those old thresher-men as I
have put in most of my better years as a thresherman and still
belong to the Antique Threshers here at Bird City and Wichita. I
have two engines that I have restored to al-most normal health, one
a 21hp. Advance No. 13218, the other a Case 15-45 No. 23937. I will
send you a picture of the Case and myself standing by it. I ;:till
love to play with it. I started to thresh in early years and in
1907 my brother and I bought a 30 TC Minnesota engine and a 36×56
Minneapolis separator. We only used the separator three years then
traded it on a Rumley Ideal. The last outfit I owned was a Case 65
and 36×56 separator and sold it in 1934. I have owned a couple
small gas outfits since then but never got very excited about them.
I had always been on the engine so never learned too much about
separator, except to help repair them. At present I have a Twin
City separator.
Just read a little article in the ALBUM that amused me. It was
the white mule braying when the water whistle was blown. We were
threshing one day south of Bladen, Nebraska and we had a brown mare
and a mule hitched to the water wagon. The water boy had just put
the siphon hose on and I was starting the injector hose in the tank
when for some unknown reason the water tank team took off. The
water boy took after them with no success so I yelled for him to
let them go and they were soon to the northeast corner of r fenced
field. I could see them turning so I blew the whistle for water and
the team came right back to the engine and not a man on the job
knew it was the fence that turned them all thought it was the water
whistle that brought them back and you can be sure I never told
them. If I were good at writing letters, I could send you many
exciting experiences, but for now I will wish the ALBUM and all its
staff the best of everything and keep up the good work.
E. P. NELSON, Box 237, Bird City, Kansas
THE ALBUM REALLY IS ‘IT’
Well friends, the ALBUM really is ‘IT’. You know I have
wanted something like it for 20 years. When I saw the write up
about Charley Harrison in Popular Science and wrote him, that was
my good move for 1951 as now I look forward to the ALBUM.
We were at one time in Glenburn, North Dakota section, the
busiest place in North Dakota, I believe. I have stood on my engine
in early morning and counted 21 smokes beside mine. The largest rig
I ever saw was owned by H. H. Merion of Glen-burn. A Double tandem
Gaar Scott 40 and a G. S. 44-72 separator. Fourteen teams, wing
feeder, 3 spike pitchers and in all about 23 or 24 men all the
time. Have been at machine running all my life, fifteen seasons
moving dirt, 5 years machine operator for city of Minot. Am 54
years old, 240 lbs., 5′ 11′ and busy every day. I put in
one fall on a 25 cross compound Reeves pulling a 30-60 Case
separator. One fall on 30 double Minneapolis and part of another
but had to leave to repair the Aultman Taylor 30-60 you see torn
down in photo 859. Put in 38 1/2 days on same
after leaving a steamer pulling a 36-60 Illinois separator. The
large picture (me standing in wheel) is a 30-60 A. T. also a 36-60
A. T, thresher. Taken in Plaze, North Dakota, 1921, Otto Benzston,
owner. I believe I marked on back in case you want more information
just write me. The Westinghouse is owned by Lee Carter, Gobies,
Michigan. If you print this please mail him a copy and I am sure he
will subscribe.
Can some readers tell me where I can get a few copies of
American Thresherman and Threshermen’s Review? I have no
catalogs and lost a few of my good pictures in a fire where they
were stored.
My father L. W. Myers, came to North Dakota in the fall of 1901
and filed on a claim. He came up from Gobies, Michigan to run a
return flue Minneapolis, he had previously owned an 18hp. Advance.
Lee Carter and my dad threshed together when young.
I would like so much to get to Pontiac to meet some of you
people but guess I will have to be content to just read about it.
Am more than pleased with the ALBUM and wish it came every month.
So good luck to all and keep the crown sheet covered, don’t
nozzle it too tight on straw at least. Give it plenty of oil and
the old boy will do the rest.
HOBART MYERS, Box 55, Surrey, North Dakota
