12498 14th Avenue North, Haney, B. C, Canada.
This July I went to the Pion-era in Saskatoon and on arrival at
the Museum, I saw a line-up of old farm machinery which included a
1910 Holt self propelled 20 ft. combine and an Australian self
propelled combine 8 ft. cut, made about 1930-40 under patent by
Waterloo Mfg. Co. in Ontario. There were not many of these machines
wheels. The rear one was the steering wheel, the right was an idler
and the left was the driver.
There were also plows, old time horse rakes and mowers and 2 I.
H. C. portable engines.
The best line-up was a 1910 traction Keystone well drilling
outfit, a return flue Minneapolis steam tractor – very few of this
type were built; next a 1910 single cylinder 15-30 Oilpull tractor;
an 1896 center crank, left hand flywheel Case steam tractor; a
Waterloo single cylinder steam tractor and last in line, an 1885
Waterous portable steam engine. It had a verticle boiler with water
bath spark arrester, horizontal single cylinder engine, and is
mounted on wooden wheels and still works.
The highlight of the line-up is the 1910 Hovland harvester. It
is a combination of header which takes a 20 ft. cut, which has the
conveyor canvasses driven by shaft drive from the front wheels of
the tractor. The knife and reel are driven from the main 4 cylinder
engine. There are two engines on the tractor. After the grain is
cut it is chopped on the ground and is picked up by a raddle
between the drive wheels of the tractor and the front of the
thresher. The thresher is driven by a two cylinder engine on the
tractor platform. The tractor is power steered by the main 4
cylinder engine. A spreader at the back spreads the straw.
The thresher can be unhooked from the tractor. The header can be
taken off the front and the tractor used for hauling wagons or
doing field work.
Inside the grounds, a line-up of old portable steam engines were
being shown, including Sawyer-Massey, L. S. Sawyer return flue,
Geo. White & Waterloo. Alongside these were gas tractors, 4
cylinder Avery, Rock Island, Grey drum drive, Bales Steel Mule,
Chase 4 cylinder – a very rare tractor. The engine is cross-mounted
and under-slung on the frame. Next to this was an English Landerson
three wheel drive. The two front ones steered. The engine was at
the front and the belt pulley was crosswise on the frame at the
front. There was a very nice little 10-18 Case tractor and 20 x 28
Case thresher; next was a 20 Hp. Reeves compound steam tractor
hooked to an 8 bottom Reeves steam lift plow.
A small 18 Hp. Case portable steam engine was running a buzz
saw, sawing fuel wood for the many steam engines. A 15 Hp. Case
steamer was climbing a ramp most of the day, also a double cylinder
Nichols and Shephard steam engine was running a portable stone
crusher and a 40 Hp. Case portable was running a shingle mill.
In the plowing, horses were used. Also, they had a team of very
good oxen. These were four years old and were crossbred, Holstein
and Aberdeen Angus. They did their work very well. The main
attraction was the big 32-110 Hp. Reeves compound steam tractor
pulling a 20 bottom plow. The weather at that time was too cloudy
to take a good picture.
A sawmill was in operation run by a 120 Hp. Peerless steam
tractor and the planer mill was run by an undermounted Avery steam
engine. A steam log hauler with a double cylinder engine at each
side connected to caterpillar tracks hauled logs. This engine was
used to haul
Threshing was done by two men with flails, two men turning the
crank on a ground hog thresher, a hand feed straw carrier, I. H. C.
sterling thresher and eight horses on a sweep power. Two horses
drove a small hand feed thresher by means of a tread mill. A 10-20
Hp. Titan tractor was running on I. H. C. thresher and a double
cylinder Rumely steam tractor was driving a 48 x 72 Buffalo Pitts
separator – the biggest thresher built.
A parade past the grand stand every afternoon, chariot races,
pony chuck wagon races and fireworks at night as well as a good
band and the usual midway lent to the festivities.
Inside the museum were Indian relics, gas, steam and electric
cars; wagon plow, binders and mowers: as well as old time household
furniture including a Stein-way table grand piano of 1860.
In addition, there were all the famous steam engines, 15-45 Hp.,
20-60 and 25-75 Case; Reeves; Aultman-Taylor; Rumely, Gaar-Scott,
North West return flue, as well as direct flue. Huber return flue,
Avery undermounted. There were Canadian makes as Sawyer-Massey,
American Abell, Robert Bell, Geo. White, and a rear mounted
Waterloo. Very few of these were made as the company always made
side mounted engines.
The tractors were I. H. C, a 24-45 Zoyl Mogul, 10-20 hopper
cooled Mogul and three very good 10-20 Titans, a 1910 single
cylinder Titan which I had the pleasure of running. Also a 1910
single cylinder Mogul, 10-18 Case and 20-40 Case, 30-60 Reeves,
several Oil-pulls, Eagle, John Deere D, Waterloo Boy, a 1927
Fordson. All these were in first class order.
The weather was not too good. I enjoyed myself and wish to thank
Mr. Geo. Shepherd and all his staff and especially the engineers
who let me run their engines and I hope to return at a future
date.
