This well drilling: outfit was owned and operated by Mr. Edward
D. Everly, living- five miles south of Ash Grove, Missouri, in the
Sycamore district, this photograph was taken about 1897 drilling
this well for Mr. W. T. Chandler, at his residence in Ash Grove,
Missouri. Drilled night and day, the well is 330 feet deep. The six
horse power Nichols & Shepard Steam Traction Engine, and Saint
Kansas City, Missouri, where he purchased the engine new from
Nichols & Shepard Company. The new engine was used by the
Company to unload machinery from the freight cars, to the docks,
then to the warehouse. This was a real nice efficient drilling
outfit. The writer of this description personally saw the rig.
Charles L. Leeper, Ash Grove, Missouri
Rowland Williams (Boly), brother of F. L. Williams, at age 11
operating his first real mechanical adventure. The boiler could be
steamed from cold in 3 to 5 minutes. It was used quite
advantageously, pulling a garden plow, pumping water up a 40 foot
bank from the river for irrigating purposes. It maintained a 2 inch
stream in this work. It was also used for sawing down trees and
also sawing trees up into stove wood lengths. This picture was
taking in 1917. Rowland is now in the Air Force serving in England.
The engine was built by the father on a foot powered lathe and the
boys still have it.