STEAM THRESHERMEN ASSOCIATION

people religious freedom He sent Martin Luther into Germany, John
Knox into Scotland; John Wesley into England. When He wanted to
lighten the burden of toil from the backs of the heavy-laden, He
sent into the world the philosophers Demonstenes, Socrates, Plato;
physicists like Sir Isaac Newton, Boyle, Lavoisseur, Einstein. And
inventors like James Watt, Stephenson, and Thomas A. Edison, to put
the physical laws into practical use.

Within this panorama of mechanical excellence and achievement
arose to the highest pinnacle of development and subsequent decline
and obsolescence, instruments, implements that produced the
greatest romantic era ever to exist upon earth. Steam power,
through men like Jerome J. Case, Nichols & Shepard, Wood,
Baker, Taylor, Avery, Rumley, Reeves and a host of others developed
skills which gave men a great sense of pride and accomplishment.
After two or more decades it doesn’t seem right that these
machines, and skills should perish from earth. It is catastrophic,
astounding, and stupifying that civilization should set aside as
useless these great accomplishments that were developed around the
steam powered thresher, to the extent that it is impractical to
manufacture new engines and threshers after old patterns, even with
addition of high efficiency economizers, etc.

Nevertheless, it is good to see that there are many strong
groups organized throughout the country to perpetuate the memory,
and extend the life and usefulness of the steam power thresher
unit. One of these groups is the Steam Threshermen Association, P.
O. Box 2031, Kansas City, Missouri, whose milling division is
sponsoring a contest in cooperation with the milling industry to
produce a minimum of 20,000,000 bushels from steam powered
threshers next season. Threshers will be classed according to the
capacity of the machine. Ranging from A-plus, A, B, C, D, and D
minus (six classes) and steam powered, with a ten day minium actual
running time and output according to size ranging from 30,000 to
100,000 bushels minimum for the season. Anyone seriously
considering entering the contest may write for details to Steam
Threshermen Association, Milling Wheat Division, P. O. Box 2031,
Kansas City, Missouri, to the attention of Mr. Clay Johnson,
Vice-President, so as to get the matters of Registration,
Classification, Qualifications, etc., out of the way so that plenty
of time for ‘firming up’ your threshing run, or territory,
making ready the machinery, and other details, would be available.
There is a lot to be done and so short is the time in which to do
it, the 1955 threshing season is closer than you think, that is if
you are getting ready for it. The undersigned is busy with his 18
hp. Minneapolis steamer and 28’x50′ Case thresher.

In closing I would like to say that the IRON-MEN ALBUM fills and
satisfies a vacant space within the inner man as cooling rain to
parched earth. Good health and prosperity to the Editor, my good
friend Elmer Ritzman.