Lawrence Fellenz of West Bend and Charles Woizala of Milwaukee
were standing on a small steel platform attached to hydraulic arms
and were about 75 feet in the air where they were taking pictures
of the parade. Suddenly, without warning, the main support arm
broke on the Fellenz truck and they were plunged to the ground.
Fortunately almost everyone was away from their machine at the time
was seriously hurt and both men were taken to the Fond Du Lac
Hospital in an ambulance.
After the parade all the units were put to work in the infield
and the spectators were shown how they worked. Reckelberger has his
1912 Peerless operating a shingle mill demonstrating how these were
made before the days of composition roofing. Kienow had his big
Minneapolis operating a portable sawmill cutting lumber.
Oeschner’s Baker was hooked onto a Massey thresher, and Ray
Klinger had his smooth running Keck-Gonnerman actually threshing
bundle grain hand pitched into an old Belle City separator. Ahner
had his rig hooked to a 40 year old No.8 Birdsall clover huller.
These demonstrations went on all afternoon and drew large crowds
who marveled at the efficiency of the old machines. In one of the
tents a large display of hand-made scale models were in operation.
Tony Stadtmueller of Oshkosh had a 3′ scale model of a Case
steamer with tanker attached, and Leon Vandervort of Tomah had a
4’scale operating model of a Case with a saw rig running. This
one was made entirely by hand by electro welding parts together.
These engines were complete down to the smallest detail and got
lots of attention. C. E. Carlton of Eau Claire had 4 engines and a
threshing machine there too. A complete Soo Line train with a big
compound engine, 3 cars and caboose, made by Charlie Goldberg of
North Fond Du Lac, drew a lot of praise from big and small fry
alike. Another thing that pleased everyone was a working model of
an old 1900 steam-driven merry-go-round made by C. R. Dickenson of
Richfield. Elmer Kranz of Beaver Dam had 2 J. I. Case steamers
there also in perfect operating condition.
Next to this tent was a large display of stationary gasoline
engines operating everything from generators to water pumps, corn
shellers, feed grinders, and blowers. The loud putt-putt-putt,
shush, shush, shush of these power plants of the past was sweet
music to many an old timer’s ears. There were Eagles, Puller
& Johnsons, Fairbanks Morse, John Deere, Economy, Witte,
Lausons, Stovers, Simplicity, IHC, and Davies working side by side.
Rich Garaty of Sullivan had one operating a steam coffee grinder.
Another was working a 1900 Voss washer. One of the most interesting
units here was an old 1850 that Al Siefeld, the owner, said had
been operated by goat power. This was the oldest power plant on the
grounds.
