The Pioneer Engineer Club of Indiana held their annual business
meeting at the Rushville Country Conservation Club grounds on State
Road 44 east of Rushville, Indiana on Saturday evening October 1,
1966.
At 6:00 we had a pitch-in dinner. We think we have a good bunch
of cooks and good workers in our Club.
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by our President,
Ray Jones and officers for the coming year was elected, which
are:
President, Ray Jones, Sunman, Ind. Vice-President, Lawrence
Porter, Rushville
Secretary, Eldon Myers, Indianapolis Treasurer, Anthoney
Moorman, Greensburg
With four new Directors appointed: Ralph W. Shelburne,
Zionsville, Ind. Larry Eubanks, Acton, Indiana Russell Holmes,
Louisville, Ky. Roily Draut, Lawrenceburg, Indiana
The meeting was closed by Ray Jones with everyone having a good
time. Our next show date is August 4, 5, 6, 1967.
AN INTEREST IN STEAM..
By Scott McCormick, Princeton, Wisconsin
If some of the readers want to know how I happened to be
interested in steam tractors and threshing machinery, I’ll tell
them.
My father ran a creamery in a rural neighborhood near Stevens
Point. My brothers and I had threshing machinery put in front of us
from the time we were big enough to see anything.
Our first experience with a steam engine was in the creamery. It
was a fifteen horse Erie engine. We started and stopped that engine
quite a few times.
Father took farm separated cream when a hauler would arrive at
the creamery. He and the hauler would dump the cream from octagonal
cans into a cream ripener. When the cream was in the ripener, one
of us would start the engine. This would run the coil in the
ripener. Ice water was circulated through the coil. This took close
to an hour and we learned that when we went to start the engine, we
knew that we had to turn the flywheel to get it off dead center and
open the petcocks to let off the condensed water.
I would like to know if anybody was interested in the old
engines that ran creameries and skimming stations. They were Victor
Erie, Frost, Water-town, Richards Iron Works, Gem, Jewell, Frick,
Clark and Creapaco. I have tried to get catalogs of those old
engines. I have been a little successful so far. I can’t locate
Watertown or Richards Iron Works. I got one of Erie. Frost and
Leffel engines.
Pro: ‘Can you tell me anything about the great chemists of
the 17th century?’
Con: ‘They are all dead, sir.’
MEETING REPORT
By John E. Logan, Secretary 635 So. Main St., Urbana, Ohio
43078
A few weeks ago we had a complete report on last year’s show
with a membership meeting, a potluck dinner and film of parade and
other activities of the reunion. Our audit report showed that we
were able to pay all expenses for the year which made everyone very
happy.
Officers for the coming year will be George Edinger, President;
Chester King, Vice President; John E. Logan, Secretary; E. L.
Wilkins, Treasurer; and Robert E. Price, Chaplain. It was voted to
increase single gate admission from 750 to $1.00 for next year. Our
membership dues are also being increased from $2.50 to $3.00
The 1967 show will be held here in Urbana, Ohio, Champaign
County Fairgrounds, and the dates will be July 21, 22 and 23. There
will also be evening shows on Friday and Saturday of the show in
the amphitheatre at no extra charge.
If you wish you may use this letter to notify all your readers
of our show dates for the coming year. Please carry these, too, in
all issues up to show time. Your support and interest in the past
in all our activities has been appreciated and we hope you write us
saying you and your friends can attend our reunion this next year.
The Miami Valley Steam Threshers Association, Inc.
