LETTERS

engine of my own. This wish came true when I subscribed to the
ALBUM An ad placed in the ALBUM described a return flue five horse
engine on skids. I contacted the owner and the results were that I
took a trip to Alton, Illinois and got the engine.

My son, who knew nothing about steam was very much interested.
He learned the care and operation of same and is capable of
operating on his own. We saw cord wood with it and has ample power
to make it practical for this purpose.

Am enclosing a picture of my Peerless return flue engine with my
hound Ginger in attendance which will give a good idea of the size.
I also have a Buffalo steam roller, ten ton, which is in operating
condition and we use it whenever the occasion arises.

EUGENE A. HAKE Stage Road R. D. 2, Akron, New York

THE PRAIRIES OF ALBERTA

I threshed and plowed the Priaries of Alberta, Canada, for many
years. I was able to make a trip back two years ago and contacted
Mr. Ross who wrote the excellent ‘Exhaust Echoes’ in the
ALBUM some time ago.

I visit the Mt. Pleasant Reunion every year and enjoy it very
much. I ran an old 1902 Case at our Centennial Parade last summer
and sure got a kick out of it.

S. K. STILLINGS Madelia, Minesota

WELL HERE IT IS

Mr. Leo Huston of Watertown, South Dakota, had a proposition in
the March-April issue of buying a Railroad Engine. We just had word
from Mr. Harold Anderson, Washington, Iowa, that the Midwest Old
Settlers & Threshers Association, Inc., have a saddle back
locomotive and plan a track, cars and depot. They say that
acquiring: the locomotive is the small part of the project. They
are financing this undertaking by the sale of stock in the M.O.S.
& T. A. Railroad at $10.00 per share.

This is a project we are certainly enthusiastic about. The track
will be placed in the McMillan Park, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where
the Annual Reunion is held. Maybe you and I can he the engineer for
one trip. I know there will be lots of folks who will gladly buy
one or many more shares of stock in this delightful and pleasurable
project. Send your contributions to Mr. Harold Anderson, R. D. 5,
Washington, Iowa, and you will receive a certificate with a gold
border and with your name written on it. It also has a picture of
this dream locomotive.

We surely wish this Committee well in this work. Elmer.

FROM PAUL R. WOODRUFF

Mr. Paul R. Woodruff of Ponca City, Oklahoma, among other
things, had this to say in a recent letter:

‘One of my uncles owned a Stevens Under mount in Illinois
when I was a boy. I went with him one season and handled the wind
stacker.

‘One of my good friends, Mr. H. A. Gustin, passed away in
August of this year. He was 74 years old and was well known in this
country, having threshed around here since 1902.

‘His picture is in the Fall issue of the ALBUM, 1947, along
with me and another friend. The picture was taken when I was
pulling one of his big N&S separators around with my 36 hp.
Case. Mr. Gustin was known as a good thresher man. He had owned a
number of machines. One was the largest the N&S built. A 35 hp.
Double engine and 44×64 separator. He ran this machine 21 years.
Mr. Gustin had been a subscriber to the ALBUM for many
years.’

A GAS ENGINE MAN

I have been interested in and have been collecting gas engines
of the fly wheel type for about 15 years. I now have 11 fly wheel
gas engines from 1 to 6hp.

Last August (1957) I showed some of my flywheel engines at the
Miami County Fair and at two Steam Thresher Reunions. I had a
couple flywheel gas engines at Homer Holp’s Steam Engine and
Thresher Show at Brookville, Ohio. I also had three of my engines
at the Drake County Threshers Association at Greenville, Ohio.

The flywheel gas engine drew considerable attention at the Shows
and some of the fellows said they might bring a flywheel gas engine
to, the Show next year.

So far as I know I am the first to show flywheel gas engines at
a Threshers Reunion.

I was very sorry to hear of Karl’s passing. He wrote me a
very nice letter while I was in Korea.

Keep up the good work you are doing with the ALBUM. It is a very
good magazine. We have been taking it since 1948 and we would not
want to miss a single issue. We also enjoy the steam engine
pictures and the news very much.

DONALD E. ROBBING R. D. 1, Troy, Ohio

DURING WORLD WAR I

I like the ALBUM fine for it is as near the old American
Thresher man as can be. I was in the threshing game for thirty
years and have run several different makes of engines and road
rollers. I operated two different makes of rollers in France while
in World War I. One was a Weling and Porter, and the other a French
make. I have also operated the following engines Rumely,
Gaar-Scott, Advance, Frick, Scheidler, McNamar, Port Huron, Huber
and Nichols & Shepard.

The first fire I built in a traction engine was in a 10hp.
Nichols & Shepard owned by T. W. Broomhall. That is where I
started and stayed with it until gas run us out.

I owned three threshing rigs myself. One was a 16hp. Gaar-Scott
No. 10248 and a 24×36 Huber thresher. The second was a 16hp.
Nichols & Shepard and a 22×36 Red River separator, and the
other rig was a Case Model K 15-30 tractor and a Case 22×36
separator. I have owned two different makes of sawmills, No. 2
Scheidler and No. 2 American. The American I ran for 10 years after
I quit threshing. I finally sold the mill and quit for good. The
last sawing I did was on a No. 2 Frick mill powered by a 20hp.
Frick portable. I still like steam for power.

Let me tell you of some of my threshing experiences. We have a
lot of hilly country and at times it was hard earned money. We got
along OK except for a few minor accidents, like threshing hardware
such as open rings, forks, etc. That is about all the trouble we
had except going through three bridges. We put the Gaar-Scott
through two but did very little damage to the engine. The Nichols
& Shepard was the last. It dropped about 8 feet and turned
upside down. I got out OK except getting wet. When we got the
engine out we found it would take $250.00 to repair it. So I just
put the necessary repairs on it to run it home. As the steam rig
was going out I thought I would quit the game.

I stayed out for one year and then went back in with the Case
and stayed until the combine run us out. I always wanted one more
run with steam as that was always the dream of my life.

I am sending you two pictures of the Nichols & Shepard. One
the beginning and the other the end of the season, 1924. We were on
our way home when the accident occurred.

There is only one of my threshing crew living. He and I get
together and talk of the good old days. The others have gone to the
Great Beyond.

RAYMOND CLARY R. D. 3, Quaker City, Ohio

WITH A BIG FOUR

I have not done any threshing since 1925 when I threshed with a
Big Four. Threshed with steam in 1915 near Minot, North Dakota,
with a 30 hp. Gaar Scott.

Ran a 40 hp. Gaar Scott owned by H. H. Menan at Glenbun, North
Dakota. It was shipped to Canada about 1915. They set it down to
120 lbs. pressure. You know what it would do as a compound. When
the straw was tough it would not have any power to spare. The owner
ran it one year and traded it on a Rumely.

I have been to two Western Minnesota Reunions at Rollag. It was
better than going to a show.

HENRY GUNDERSON Box 652, Fargo, North Dakota