SOOT IN THE FLUES

‘Recently, my antique steam gauge collecting (Bourdon-Spring
type) has taken on a different twist. I’ve started to research
the possibility that the serial numbers used on these gauges were
sequential. Only a couple of makers used serial numbers
consistently in the early years (1850-1920). The Ashcroft Mfg.
Company and Crosby Steam Gauge & Valve Company both used serial
numbers.

‘I’ve written to all the surviving old time gauge makers
and have discovered that no records remain from those times.

‘The only source left to determine the dates when certain
gauge serial numbers were used is to tie the gauge to a machine
that has an established date. For this purpose I would like to
engage the readers of IMA.

‘If anyone has an engine or boiler with the original gauge
that was sold with the machine, I would love to know about it. It
would be very beneficial to my search to have a close-up photograph
of the gauge and another of the engine or boiler. Also, if they
could write the serial number of the gauge and the year of
manufacture of the engine or boiler on the pictures, this would
help tremendously.

‘Eventually, the information may benefit all those who are
searching for an authentic year of gauge for their future projects.
Perhaps I can make this information available in a future
article.’

(Please do, Barry, as I’m sure many would appreciate
your contribution).

‘I hope there are those out there who can help me with this
search.’

GEORGE IRVING, Virginia Indonesia Company, P.O. Box 1551,
Houston, Texas 77251-1551 writes: ‘I’m responding to
questions posed by Carl Lathrop of Madison, New Jersey, in the
May-June 1993 issue about the device shown on page 16. I think that
I can make a few meaningful comments, because while growing up on a
farm in North Idaho in the 1940s and 1950s we had what I remember
as the identical device. It was moved in a shed and no longer in
general use, but I am familiar with its operation.

‘Mr. Lathrop is correct in guessing that there should be a
rod connecting the small gear and the angle attached to the shaker
box. The machine was hand-driven with a crank on the large
gear.

‘My understanding is that the machine was used mainly for
cleaning grain for seed. The grain was put in the hopper at the top
and flowed onto a screen in the shaker box. The cleaning action was
from a strong flow of air from the fan attached to the small gear
to remove chaff, and the shaking action of the screen to remove
dirt and weed seeds. I believe that the machine was called a
fanning mill.’

‘Having not been a subscriber to your magazine for quite
awhile, I hope I have not gotten too far out of touch. I wish to
make a reference to Vol. 21, No. 2, November-December, 1966.

‘In the section called ‘Iron Man of the Month,’ they
talk about Cecil (Kilowatt) Klopfer engine and ‘Queenie’
the dog ‘fireman.’ I like the article and everything to go
with it, However, on page 8, bottom, where Cecil has belted up to a
baler of about 2′ – 3′ scaleI need drawings, pictures,
measurements, etc., of a baler of this size. Would someone please
help me?”

This letter comes from ANDREW WIGHTMAN, 4854 Hernandez Drive,
Guadalupe, California 93434. I feel sure that you will get a reply
on this topic, Andrew. And by the way, the magazine is still being
published, but founder Elmer Ritzman died in 1971. His second wife,
Earlene Ritzman just died this past March. Also, I hope you know of
our Gas Engine Magazine which has been doing well since the first
issue of January-February 1966.

RAYMOND W. KORN, R.R. 2, Cashton, Wisconsin 54619 sends this
communication and tells us: ‘I never figured I would be writing
to you, but here goes. In the May-June issue of IMA, page 10,
picture sent in by Carl Lathrop of Madison, New Jersey. I know what
it is, as we use one just like it every year. We use it to clean
the oats from the combine or thresher that we are going to use for
seed in the spring to seed oats.

‘Yes, the crank is missing; also the rod that goes from the
small gear to the angle attachment to make a shaking action. The
small gear is also on a shaft, with a fan on it to make wind blow
out the chaff and small pieces of straw and the light oats out of
the grain. It is called a fanning mill. The one I have is in real
good shape as it has always been in the shed. It has the original
paint and rare mauling on it yet. This is printed on the fan
housing ‘Great Western Grain Fan Improved Feb. 12, 1874, Hart
& Norton Manufactured La Crosse, Wisconsin.’ With different
sieves it can be used to clean barley, oats and wheat. We have them
all.

‘I believe it was bought new by my great-grandfather. In
1974 he homesteaded this farm that I live on now. We live just 20
miles from LaCrosse, Wisconsin.’

I received this information from DEAN ALLING, Box 10264,
Bur-bank, California 91510. ‘I recently picked up a Lippincott
Steam and Supply Company indicator for a steam engine. This model
has a 1900 patent date and I need some information on how it goes
together. There appears to be two or three pull strings used and I
need their routing and such. Would anyone have an owner’s
manual or other information?’

(Please help Dean, fellow subscribers. I’m sure he will
be looking for an answer.)

‘Greetings from the far North. You said in your last issue
that your stack of letters is getting short, so we thought that
we’d put one on the pile.’ (Thank you!)

‘I have been lax in writing because my handwriting is
difficult to read, but I recently bought a computer that makes
things a lot easier.

‘I am the secretary of a club that is currently restoring an
1898 vintage Porter steam locomotive. In the research we have done
on the railroad that used this little engine, my group has
discovered all sorts of old steam power equipment. Evidently, the
cost of bringing this equipment out of the woods to scrap it during
the war was too much, so it was left there. We have found many
boilers and steam hoists that were used by the early miners. The
hoists are primarily American Hoist and Derrick horizontal, and
Little Giant vertical. If anybody in the Iron-Men family has
information on these companies, I would appreciate hearing from
them.

‘While I’m asking for help, I need to find out just how
to get a Pioneer Power Association started. Here in Alaska, there
are many restoration projects waiting for someone to find them, and
every once in a while I find another steam bug, but I need help in
getting an organization started.’ (Now, Fellas, here is a
great thing you could do for one of your buddies and all the IMA
subscribers who want to know more. It seems to me this could become
quite an advancement for this hobby PLEASE LET HIM HEAR FROM
YOU!)

He continues: ‘To the old-timers, there are more and more
young folks like me who are being infected with the steam and oil
bug, but we need your input. Please, if you see a youngster like me
(35) at a show, scratching his head and wondering what that thing
is and what it is for, let him know. (And Anna Mae, don’t stop
writing, as I learn something new every month reading ‘Soot in
the Flues).’ (Also, Rich did you know we publish Gas Engine
Magazine which deals more with the OIL hobby?)

‘We’ll let you know in the fall what we find this
summer. If any of the Iron-Men Family are coming up this way, look
me up. I’d love to have some coffee and swap some tales.’
I’ll bet many of you are interested, but there may be a
drawback, as this writer’s address is RICH BARLOW, 3833 LISMORE
CIRCLE, NORTH POLE, ALASKA 99705! So, I’m hoping some of you
might make it up there. You might even get to visit with SANTA
CLAUS! I’ll be anxious also to hear what letters and ideas you
may receive from this notice, Rich.

‘PLEASE HELP!!’ This cry comes from BUD WALTERS, Route
1, Box 186, Gravois Mills, Missouri 65037. ‘I have just
finished a #8 Stuart engine and now have to build a boiler, But
need a flue roller for inch copper tubing.

‘I did see one once at an engine show, but forgot what it
looks like. Is there anyone in Engine Land who can tell me how to
build a flue roller, or may have prints I can copy, or who can tell
me where I may purchase same? I would be very grateful for any
help. Thanks a lot!’

This letter comes to us from JOSEPH W. MOTT, 42 Trafford Road,
Binghamton, New York 13901: ‘My primary reason for subscribing
to your fine magazine is a long time love of steam engines and a
particular interest in a machine made here in New York state the
Wood, Taber & Morse. In this case the Morse was my maternal
grandfather. The family home was in Eaton and was sold by my
brothers and I just a few years ago to the first non-family since
it was built in 1802 by my great grandfather.

‘At this point in time I am very interested in finding out
what is known about this company and its machines. Some years back,
I did take my family to Dearborn Village and looked over the two
machines that they have on display. I also understand that the
majority of the machines were sold in the Midwest to be used in
those large farms in that area.

‘In looking through your magazine, I see that there are many
books written about various manufacturers. Do you happen to know of
any that were written about this company? And, have you had any
feature stories in any issue of IMA? And last but not least, do you
happen to know of any working models in this up-state of New York
or northern Pennsylvania that I might see?’ (There is an
article in January-February 1991 IMA, page 4, titled ‘History
of Wood, Taber & Morse Steam Engine Works, Eaton, Madison
Company, New York’ submitted by Ken Morse, P.O. Box 163, South
Otselic, New York 13155).

My next communication comes from LARRY S. ENGLE, 121 E. Chestnut
Street, Ephrata, Pennsylvania 17522, and he wants to tell us how he
became interested in steam. ‘I’m hooked!’ says
Larry’I can by no means boast of having lived during the
‘thrashing’ machine era. My dad, Clair, and Uncle Dean, on
the other hand, were born right at the end of the steam era and so
are familiar with using both thrashing machines and combines for
grain harvesting. I grew up knowing about my dad’s combine, but
really knew nothing about steam, except that Uncle Dean had a
tractor with big wheels and a big pipe on the front end, this
tractor being a steam engine. I was about nine years old at that
time.

‘As my brother Terry and I got older, we started going to
the Antique Tractor Show in Gratz, Pennsylvania. Uncle Dean had his
engines there and so did another fellow, Sam. Since Terry was more
of a ‘rutch’ (he was always in the tractor seat) than I
was, he learned about the engine and got hooked earlier than I did.
I’m not saying that I wasn’t impressed by the machine or
that I wasn’t curious about the mechanicals of the engines, but
I wasn’t hooked yet. I would ask Terry questions and that would
satisfy me.

‘Then at the Gratz Show in the summer of ’90, it
happened! Terry was helping Sam with his Baker 23-90 and had
permission to take it for a ride around the show. So, we started
around and after a little while, we were stopping to talk to
friends or answer questions or something. When we were done
talking, Terry asked me if I wanted to drive it. Sure, why not?? I
drained the cylinder, put it in gear and cracked the throttle. As
that Baker barked to life, the steam bug came and bit me! I was
hooked! Terry might as well have thrown his gloves in the firebox
right then. That’s how much he needed them for the rest of the
show.

‘Now, Terry and I have our own engine, and whenever I hear
it or another engine start to bark, I think back to that first
time, and for some reason, that same grin creeps back onto my
face.

‘P. S. I’d like to hear from the old-timers. I want to
know how the threshing was done in your part of the country. Was
the thresher in a barn or a field? Was the straw baled or blown in
the mow loose, etc??’

This letter comes from ANDREW MICHELS, 302 Highland Avenue,
Plentywood, Montana 59254.

‘I hear a lot about the efficiencies of various engines, the
merit of different valve gears, etc. When I was 11 years old, the
only engine to consider was a Nichols & Shepard 16 HP, rear
double-mounted. We had a 20 HP Case, that was the engine. Then I
saw a new Advance that was great! Then I restored a 25 HP Russell.
Man, what a responsive, heart warming machine!

‘When people talk about an engine using 500 lbs. of coal
less than another a day, let’s see: quality of coal, boiler
pressure, valve setting, lubrication, grate condition, grate area,
draft condition of boiler, (clean jacketed) load. Some threshers
run much harder than others. And some operators are better than
others some get cockeyed ideas.

‘I never liked a Minneapolis, but some of my friends love
them to the point of getting mad. A point in mindI once told a
fellow I crawled over a half dozen Minneapolis engines to get to a
good engine. That doesn’t mean they are not good engines. In
fact, I used a 17-30 gas (1923) for many years. I loved it. It was
junked in 1940.

‘I got sidetracked! One of the most popular Reeves was the
worst. A fellow who ran both 110 Case and 32 Reeves said Reeves was
a lot more engine. At least, it cost a lot more. One of the fine
engines in our community was a 20 HP Case and also a 69 HP Reeves.
They walked them from Culbertson, 50 miles, as they steamed one and
pulled the other. Then, they changed about the next day. I
don’t see how there could be any economy in that!

‘A fellow was pulling a 25’ with a 25 HP Case. They were
trying to run on 100 lbs. Trouble was they didn’t know how to
fire with straw, so the Case was a poor engine. Another bought a
Wencheck in Minnesota that had been cut to 100 lbs. He tried to
plow with 150 lbs. and wound up with 175 lbs. Lots of power and
less water.

‘We ran a 20 HP Case with a broken clutch, and leaky
throttle; that sharpens your skill! Many engineers thought it was
poor engineering to use the clutch, called the friction by
Canadians. What the heck did they put it in there for??

‘That reminds me. My grandfather had a 9 HP Stillwater
Giant; you turned the eccentric by hand to reverse. It would
malfunction backing into the belt, so they pulled it into the belt
with horses.’

I know many of you people have a painting of Sallman’s Head
of Christ, or have seen it. More than a hundred million
reproductions of this artist’s portrait of Jesus have been made
and distributed throughout the world. A healing is part of the
picture’s creation. The following is called ‘The Story
Behind My Painting of Christ,’ by Warner Sallman. I feel this
is a tremendous story for Christmas.

‘Many times I have been asked how I happened to paint the
Head of Christ that has received much wide circulation since it
appeared as a painting in 1940.

‘Did you have a vision beforehand?’ they ask.

‘Did you feel Christ’s presence?’

‘Did you have some kind of religious experience?’

‘The answer is yes to all these questions, but the real
story behind the picture begins with a change that took place in my
life shortly after my wedding.

‘When I married Ruth Anderson, an attractive and dedicated
choir member and organist, back in May 1916, I was 24 years old,
was employed as an artist in the field of men’s fashions and
was prospering financially. In all, it seemed like a cloudless sky,
but storm clouds already were forming below the horizon.

‘Years before, I had had a tumor in my shoulder but a
surgeon had removed it and it apparently was healed. Then came a
major complication in the same area. By the following spring, 1917,
the pain was acute. I went to several doctors and took various
treatments, but the affliction grew worse. Finally, I consulted a
specialist who made extensive tests.

‘You’re pretty sick, my boy,’ he said kindly.

Tell me the whole truth, Doctor,’ I replied. ‘I ought to
know what’s wrong with me.’

‘You have tuberculosis of the lymph glands,’ he
continued. ‘I recommend surgery.’ He hesitated a moment,
took my arm, then continued. ‘Otherwise, I cannot give you much
hope beyond three months.’

‘The physician’s words jolted me severely. I left his
office in a daze, and with uncertain steps made my way to a
streetcar. On the car I moved up until I was close to the motorman,
feeling some protection in his presence. It gave me an opportunity
to do a little thinking . . .

‘What shall I do?’ I asked myself. ‘Shall I tell
Ruth the whole truth, or conceal what the doctor said until after
the baby is born?’ It was July, and our first little one was
due in September. I feared the revelation would so upset her that
serious complications might develop.

‘I prayed for guidance, and I believed God was directly
speaking to me when the conviction suddenly came over me that
‘Ruth is brave, has a deep faith, and can take it. I’ll
tell her all.’

‘This I did, not minimizing the ‘three months to
live.’ Ruth received my words with utmost calm. A feeling came
over me that she was like a rock and that through her the Lord
would guide us aright.

‘Let God’s peace come into your heart, Warner’ she
told me, putting her arms around my neck and looking squarely into
my face, her eyes aglow with love. ‘We’ll pray, and
whatever is God’s will for us, we gladly will do it. In three
months we can do a lot for Him; and if it be His will to spare our
life together for a longer period, we will thank Him for it and go
ahead serving Him.’

‘I do not remember the words we used in our prayer together,
but I do know we did not ask for a longer life span. We only asked
God to guide and bless us and use us. The heart of our prayer was a
plea reminiscent of our Saviour’s in Gethsemane: ‘Dear
Lord, we pray that Thy will be our will, and that in all ways Thy
will be done.’

‘In no manner did we forego medical or surgical help, but we
felt that if the latter was to be for me, God would make it known.
We continued the medical treatments as before, but no revelation
came regarding the proposed surgery.

‘However, something else did happen: by the alchemy of
nature or in the Providence of God, the pain gradually grew less,
and there were signs of amelioration of the disease. It took
months, but complete healing finally took place. We did not
minimize the powerful influence of mind over matter. We implicitly
believe the Lord can and does heal.

‘What better proof can there be than that the predicted
three months have stretched into over 44 busy, fruitful and happy
years with the added blessing of three sons born to our union and
that now, past the 70 year mark, I feel almost as vigorous as ever,
am well occupied with my work, and have the joy of Ruth’s
unfailing companionship?

‘Yet the important part of this experience is not that I was
healed, but that I learned an exciting and dynamic principle: when
we turn our lives over to God, without reservation, He can and will
do remarkable things through us.

‘It was this personal philosophy that made it possible for
me to do the Head of Christ. It began as an assignment from a small
Christian youth publication in January 1924, for a cover design. I
thought to do the face of Christ. My first attempts were all wrong.
Finally there were only 24 hours until delivery date. I tried again
and again the preceding evening, but the impressions that came to
my mind were futile. I felt disturbed and frustrated.

‘I went to bed at midnight, restless in spirit but did ask
God once more to give me the vision I needed. Suddenly, about two
o’clock, I came out of my fitful attempts at sleep with a
clear, beautiful image of the Head of Christ startlingly vivid in
my mind. I hastened to my attic studio to record it. I made a
thumb-nail sketch, working as fast as I could in order that the
details of the dream might be captured before fading out of my
mind. Next morning I made a charcoal drawing from it.

‘The Head of Christ hardly caused a ripple of comment when
it first appeared. But years later I made an oil painting of the
‘Head’ and, since that time, its distribution has attained
phenomenal proportions. Yet I always think of the portrayal as
something God did through me.

‘For Ruth and I believe that as disciples of Christ our task
is primarily seed-sowing of good deeds, good thoughts and good
purposes.

‘Yet we are human enough to enjoy hearing or knowing of
results often strange and unpredictable accompanying our labors.
For instance, there was an incident in Los Angeles. A robber rang
the doorbell to an apartment. When the lady opened the door he
thrust a revolver in her face and snapped, ‘This is a holdup.
Give me your money and jewelry!’

‘Just then he looked up and saw behind the woman a large
picture on the wall. It was the Head of Christ. For a moment he
seemed to freeze. Slowly he lowered his gun.

‘I can’t do it, lady,’ he gasped, ‘not in front
of that picture.’ And he turned and ran down the
stairs.’

I wanted to have more for the column, but this is most of what I
have. I do have a few letters that are handwritten and I’m
doing my best to translate and decipher the handwriting.
Understand, I am glad for them! And I realize it is quite an effort
for many to write. Maybe one of the relatives or friends who has
good penmanship or a typewriter could help get these out for you. I
know, even for me it is hard to do too much handwriting at once.
And another thing, I believe this is the first time for years that
I have had no pictures sent in for my column. Maybe next time! I am
really out of material again, so get writing!

I didn’t get my Christmas picture yet from Billy Byrd of
Madisonville, Kentucky, but I have several as he usually sends me
one every year. So I’m going to send this along from one of the
years. And while looking, I came across this picture that was sent
to me one time when Elmer Ritzman was out attending the shows. It
has a stamp on it, but no date or where it came from. Maybe some of
you will recognize it. He wrote on the back ‘Rain and cold. Two
hot spots. Business good. Mrs. Sheaffer and Ritzman, my slavesthey
do fine.’ Well, we have two pictures anyway! And here is
something to remember for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Advice to the
thin: Don’t eat fast! And advice for the heavy: Don’t
eatFast! Some Christmas quotes Christmas is the season when a wife
gives her husband all the credit she can get. When Christmas is
over, Father usually has more ties than bonds. The ideal Christmas
gift is money, but the trouble is you can’t charge it. (Bill
Vaughn) If you want to celebrate Christmas in some way you never
had before, you might try going to church.

That’s it for this time and remember, I love each and every
one of you, and hope you have a wonderful, fun-loving, blessed
Christmas.

STEAMCERELY,