LETTERS

‘I am a personal friend of Elmer and am one of his charter
subscribers. I have all the IRON-MEN ALBUM as well as all the
Engineers and Engines and also all the Steam Engine
magazines.’

AND STILL A THIRD ONE

Concerning the picture on page 26 of the Sept.-Oct. issue of the
ALBUM, 1958, I will make a guess it is a Buffalo Pitts. The picture
is dim and as there has been lots of smoke and dust in my eyes they
are dim too. My reason for calling it a Buffalo Pitts is the smoke
stack base, also the assembling of the master gear in the drive
wheel. However, I would not swear to it.

The water tank on the front end is gone. It has a rebuilt cab,
as I never saw a Buffalo Pitts cab extend beyond the stack. I
don’t know any more statements to prove my guess.

CLARENCE MAGAN, R. D. 6, Memphis, Missouri

THIS SETTLES IT!

Regarding the picture published in the Sept.-Oct. issue of an
engine that crashed through a bridge. It was a Buffalo Pitts engine
belonging to the Horn Brothers, one of whom was killed in the
accident. They had recently bought the rig from a Mr. Repp of near
Harlan, Indiana, and were moving it to their home north of Antwerp,
Ohio. This happened in 1904, and occurred within a mile of the old
house in which the picture was found. Thanking you for your past
kindnesses.

JOHN HARPER, R. R. 1, New Haven, Indiana

AN EXPLANATION

By ARCH BARTELMAY, Morton, Illinois

Being a subscriber to your IRON-MEN ALBUM, I found in your
September-October issue of Volume 13, No. 1, on page 20, a picture
on the top of the page of a threshing crew taken north of Deere
Creek, Illinois.

I am the young man on the engine platform who ran that 16 horse
engine. The rig belonged to August Bolliger of Deer Creek,
Illinois, now deceased.

I was just twenty years old at that time and had run engine for
four years prior to that date. Most of the men in the picture have
passed away now.

In 1904 I bought a threshing rig of my own, and by 1920 I had
four rigs, couple of shellers and a saw mill, and a couple of
clover hullers. I threshed until about 1945 when the combines took
over.

The picture was taken in July of 1902 northwest of Deer Creek,
Illinois. I will probably send you some of my pictures later on
with another letter explaining in detail the exact date of the
pictures and some of my threshing experiences.

I certainly like your magazine and hope to see you at some of
the future conventions that will be held.

THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED

Henry F. Bredlow, Ontano, Wisconsin, Aged 74 years. Thresher and
saw mill man for more than 50 years. His Reeves engine appeared in
the ALBUM the past year.

William Peterson, Henderson, Knox County, Illinois.

Mr. D. M. Humphrey of 337 S. Lincoln Ave., Barnesville, Ohio,
died instantly with a heart attack. He enjoyed the ALBUM and was a
regular attendant at the Montpelier Reunion.

HAVE INTENDED TO WRITE

Have intended to write you for a long time to thank you for your
untiring effort and devotion to the IRON-MEN ALBUM and its
readers.

Many of the boys have written their stories and experiences,
each of which I enjoy very much and look forward to each new issue.
I think I might qualify as an ‘Old Timer’ in the steam
field. I started my steam career in the year 1901 as water monkey
at the age of 13 years; two falls at that and then was engineer on
a 14 hp. Advance engine. No clutch, just a pin in the hub of the
fly wheel, pulling or rather pulling at a 36×60 Avery separator
with weigher, self-feeder and Satley stacker a real load. Threshed
with steam until the combine took over, then continued with steam
on my saw mill until July of 1954 when I put in a 160 hp. diesel
motor and sold the steamer. This was a 22 hp. Wood Bros, engine and
is owned by Job Anderson of Washington, Iowa, and is pictured in
the ALBUM for March-April of this year. Those were the days of long
hours and hot hard work.

The longest time I put in without sleep was 72 hours. That was
back in the horse and buggy days, 1912. A competitor was moving his
machine one Sunday afternoon. Going down a steep hill the tank
between the engine and separator broke loose from the tank, missed
the engine, took a circle down the hill in the pasture and turned
over on its side. We drove a team and took what tools we had that
we thought might be needed and drove over about 4 miles. Arrived
about 7 in the evening. A big crowd came and with the aid of some
bonfires and lanterns, and the use of a stump puller, we got the
job done and arrived home about 4 the next morning. I fired my
engine up, an old 16 hp. Huber return flue, fly wheel on the left
side steering wheel on right, had about 75 lbs of steam when it
started to leak inside the boiler in front of and above the flues.
This took all day and a trip to the closest large town which was 15
miles with a team that night. They had a night man at the shop so
we arrived back about 4 that morning and after several more hours
we had the boiler patched and was ready to thresh again.

I could relate many more experiences that I would hate to go
through again but they were wonderful days. I don’t think many
of us will ever forget or regret. Hope you see fit to print this
some time.

I will soon be 70 and still operate my own saw mill, doing my
own sawing with the help of two employees.

Am enclosing a picture of one of the fellows who hauled logs to
my mill in 1936. This was large virgin white oak timber.

Best wishes to you and yours,

MILO RICHMOND, 1263 E. Brooks Street, Galesburg, Illinois

SPEAKING OF THE ALBUM

‘Although I see all of my Dad’s copies, I want to have
my own copies at my house. I especially like to look at them during
the winter when it is cold outside and cozy inside by the big grate
fire.

‘I am a young steam fan brought up in the gas and diesel
age. We had steam in our 20-60 Rumely today, giving it a work out
on the Baker fan. We didn’t check to see what it pulled.

Hope to see you at another show this year, Rev. Mr. Ritzman. If
not, I hope to see you again at Montpelier next June, if the Lord
is willing and sees fit for us to have a good time and renew old
friendships.

W. M. JONES, R. D. 7, Coveland Farm, Lexington, Kentucky

I CAN REMEMBER

Mr. Wm. H. Plump, 2921 New Harmony Road, Rushville 12, Indiana,
sending in his renewal says, ‘I am just 49 years old but I
worked for my Dad firing and running the Keck-Gonnerman engine when
I was 12 years old. From 1921 to 1932 and again m 1936.

We threshed wheat and hulled clover seed. Threshed beans and
shredded can fodder and saw milled. So I can remember many good
experiences’.