Since we believe that steam traction engine collectors are
interested in the way steam was used for purposes other than
threshing or power takeoff, we think this old ad for a steam well
drill would draw attention.
The ad is about 80 years old, from a catalog for the
agricultural fair in Lancaster, PA, the hometown of IMA. It is
‘dealer in hardware and farming implements of every
description.’
Rather than tell you what the ad says, we’ll let you read it
yourself. It harks back to the time before public water systems
sent their lines extending in all directions. It was meant for the
farmer who had to rely on water from under the soil surface to meet
the needs of his family, his livestock, and his equipment. Those
days are so far back in the past that some of today’s young
folk might not believe all this was necessary. It was.
