Brrrrrr! It’s cold and beautiful out and if I get caught up
enough in my work the next few days, I just might get out the ice
skates and give them a whirl and later I might put them on and try
skating. I surely wouldn’t be a candidate for the Ice Follies,
but I betcha maybe I could stay up for five minutes, and then a
couple minutes more I got persistence. But even that long is fun,
so I’m hoping the freeze will stay awhile.
And now onto a few other subjects of more enjoyment to you
HARRY E. YOUNG II, 485 S. Hillside Drive, Canfield, Ohio 44406
is interested in any information on the history of steam shovels.
Anyone else with this line of interest Harry will be glad to hear
from you.
From A. L. RENNEWANZ, 1025 4th Avenue N. No. 10, New Rockford,
North Dakota 58356 comes this helpful and amusing note. ‘The
question you had concerning the picture on page 14 of Jan-Feb.
issue the one on the right is a Case with rubber wheels. The one on
the left is a Frick. The engine in the center with the E. B.
nameplate stands for Emerson-Brantingham Co. This company built the
Peerless engine at one time. I’m not sure of the years, but no
doubt it was about the time of the great shuffles when you never
knew who was on which side of the fence from one day to the
next.
And I’m at a loss to prescribe a balm for the lashes laid on
by censors of pictures with improper captions.’ (That comes
from me commenting sometimes that I’ll take so many lashes
whenever a caption is wrong under a picture).
From The Pioneer Engine Bugle newsletter of Jan-Feb. 1972
I’m borrowing the following as I’m sure you will enjoy it
and thank our friends for sending along these newsletters.
‘Dear Son, Since you went to the army, your pa got himself a
job. His bring-home pay is $52 after them taxes is took out. We
sent to Sears Roebuck for one of them new fangled gadgets they call
bathrooms. They sent a feller called Plummer to set it up. On one
side of the room, they’s a long thing like a pig trough, only
its for humans to wash in with their clothes off. On the other
side, they’s a sink to dunk your face and hands in. In the
corner they’s a real funny contraption. You wash your foot in
it, then pull a chain and get fresh water for the other foot. They
was two lids for the danged thing, but we couldn’t find any use
for them, so I’m using one in the kitchen for a bread board.
The other one wouldn’t have been much use anyway, it had a big
hole right through the middle, but Pa used it to frame our wedding
picture. Them Sears Roebuck folks is sure nice people to deal with.
They even sent along a free roll of writing paper with the outfit.
Take care of yourself and keep an eye peeled for the enemy. Love,
Mama.’ (Sent in by Clarence LeRoy of Fairville).
A lady decided she wanted a concrete floor in her garage. She
called up the local ready-mix dealer and a load was sent out. The
truck driver asked her where she wanted it and she said, ‘Just
dump it there in the garage, my son-in-law is coming over tomorrow
afternoon and I’ll get him to trowel it down’. (Thanks to
Lewis H. Cline, 1102 West River Road, Battle Creek, Michigan 49017
for that one).
An interesting letter from J. REX HAVER, 643 Bellefonte Ave.,
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania 17745 goes like this: ‘I have a
collection of toy steam engines that were made 50 to 75 years ago.
Most of them have single acting oscillating cylinders. Two years
ago, I attended the Morrison Cove show at Martinsburg,
Pennsylvania. They had an old steam diamond drill that had been
used to test the depth and thickness of coal in Cambria County. It
was operated by a two cylinder and I believe, double acting,
oscillating cylinder engine. They got it started just before I had
to start for home and believe me, I got a kick out of it. I think
this is the only time I ever saw such an engine used for commercial
purpose.
I have been told that oscillating cylinder engines were used on
some of the old steam boats that towed coal barges on the
Monongahela River but have no proof. Maybe if you send this out we
can get some good articles on the oscillating cylinder engine and
some pictures.
(This article would be for our Gas Engine Magazine, but Mr.
Haver is a subscriber to Iron-Men Album also, and I thought the
letter would not go amiss for this purpose).
Please Folks when sending in newspaper articles and pictures
send along written permission from the editor or we cannot use
them.
By the time you get this magazine you’ll be leafing through
all the garden magazines and ordering seeds for spring planting and
planning for the steam reunions also. Won’t be too long till
pussy willows make their appearance in the farmers’ markets and
then you just know whats around the corner and this really gives
you spirit to use the elbow grease and get the machinery shining
and in A-1 shape for the forthcoming season.
‘Nuff said by yours truly except like I mentioned we are
looking forward to Spring and remember Spring hasn’t really
reached the suburbs until you are awakened by the first lawn mower.
And in the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns from
thoughts of work! And in the Spring a young girl’s fancy turns
to thoughts of love the same ones she has been thinking about all
winter. (And by the way, take a lesson from Spring and give someone
some flowers, or pick a few, give ’em to your Honey works
wonders -she might even encourage you with your steam hobby and you
don’t have to wait until Spring to do that either. Folks
appreciate flowers most any time they’re part of God.)
