Martin Martinson, present owner of this 1913 Rumely Oil Pull and
new Racine thresher. Restored by Herbert Reese and Martinson after
it being idle for over 45 years. This rig was purchased new in 1913
by the late John & Joe Reese at Korstad, Minnesota, who used it
until 1917 when Reese bought it. He sold it to Martinson in 1930.
Reese and Martinson started to restore it in May, 1976. After a lot
county fair on July 29, 1976. Got first prize. Submitted by Billy
M. Byrd, 369 South Harrig Street, Madisonville, Kentucky 42431.
A Milwaukee Bi-Polar locomotive leads the Olynpian west from
Othello, Washington. Ahead lies the Columbia River, the Saddle
Mountains, the Ellensburg Valley, the Cascade Mountains and the
Puget Sound cities of Tacoma and Seattle. Five bi-polar gearless
motors were built in 1919 for passenger service on the electrified
sections of the Milwaukee Road. These 76′ long, 265 ton
locomotives were capable of pulling trains weighing over 1000 tons
over any grade on the line. Quiet, efficient, powerful and fast,
these locomotives operated into the 1960s for a life of some forty
years. Today the Olympian is gone, only one Bi-Polar survives in a
museum, the overhead electrification has been scrapped, and the
railroad is freight only and powered by diesel-electric
locomotives. Submitted by Dale Martin, Bellevue, Washington
98801.
This is a picture of a steam engine that was blown up. This
happened November 29, 1913, south of my home. The rig belonged to
my uncle, Orvil Trobaugh. The engineer was Tom Essary. No one was
hurt in the accident. My dad and brother went to the scene after
the explosion and they asked Tom if he had plenty of water in the
boiler and he said that he had plenty of water, but it was old,
muddy water. Dad said that Tom had just stepped up on the platform
and had just turned on the injector when it happened. It was a Case
engine. Don’t know what make the sawmill was. Maybe some of the
readers of the magazine might know. Courtesy of Herman Hutchison,
R. R. 5, McLeansboro, Illinois 62859.
This picture was taken in Yorkvillc, Illinois in the year of
1910. The picture shows a 60 HP J.I. Case engine and a 36 x 58
threshing machine, brand new shipped from Racine, Wisconsin to
Yorkville, Illinois. This shows right after unloading from
Burlington Railroad flat car and ready to go to Herman
Bieritz’s farm, 5 miles south of town for the first job. Some
of the men in the picture are standing on the ground by the
thresher, from left to right: Herman Bieritz, the third man is John
Neusiis, man by drive wheel of engine is Case Company set up man
and the man on the engine nearest band wheel is Mr. Fred Hardicopf,
engineer. The year previous to this, in 1909, a committee of three
men, Herman Bieritz, William Leifbeit and Charlie Coleman, went to
the J.I. Case Showroom in Chicago on Michigan Avenue to look at a
machine and so this is what they bought for a price of $2,500.00. I
recently saw a copy of the freight bill payment on this outfit from
Racine, Wisconsin to Yorkville, Illinois it was under $38.00.
Herman Bieritz was my father. Courtesy of Walter C. Bieritz, Route
2, Box 215, Yorkville, Illinois 60560.
