CLARENCE MILLER, 73, of Belle-fountaine, Ohio, passed away
February 19, 1971. He is survived by his wife, Helen. Mr. Miller
was a native of Union County, Ohio, where he spent his earlier
years on a farm and helped his father operate a steam threshing
machine. He had three steam engines at the time of his death. He
will be missed at the steam reunions as he was a regular
Sent in by Arthur L. Heiland, R.R. 1, Anna, Ohio 45302.
HARRY MOOMAW; 80, of Dover, Ohio, R.D. 1, died Sunday, April 25,
1971, in Onion Hospital, Dover, after a brief illness. He was born
near Sugar-creek. He was a retired thresher and sawmill operator.
He was Past President of Tuscarawas Pioneer Power Ass’n. He is
survived by his wife and five nieces.
Sent in by Ralph A. Weidman, Route 2, Wooster, Ohio 44691.
WILLIAM C. ROTH, 88, of Gap, Rt. 2, Pennsylvania, died April
2,1971, after being thrown out of his car on Route 30. Ruth was an
inventor and owner of the Ruth Machine Company at Gap. He was the
holder of more than eight patents of his own development, including
a farm hay baler and seeder, of which his Gap shop sold more than
5,000 before the equipment became obsolete. He also developed a
cinder spreader which was used for many years by the State Highway
Department.
Sent in by Elias S. Beiler, Musser School Road, Route 1, Leola,
Pennsylvania 17540.
LETTER from Wm. S. Strayer, R. D. 1, Dillsburg, Pennsylvania
‘I recently received a letter from a friend, Elias S. Beiler
asking me to write a few lines concerning the passing of our mutual
friend, William Ruth.
In the early 30’s I first met Mr. Ruth when he arrived at my
place to mount a self feeder on my Case boiler. The feeder was
bought from the late Mr. Arthur S. Young to be mounted by Mr. Ruth
whom I had never met. The feeder was very successful for bating
straw as it came from a thresher and greatly increased the capacity
of the baler, but required repairs and yours truly would visit Mr.
Ruth’s shop each year for parts. Having heard a rumor that Mr.
Ruth had perfected a self tying baler, the writer asked if this was
true and was shown a wire tying device which put a very nice joint
on two wires.
About ten years later, the writer bought a New Holland wire
tying baler and it had almost an exact duplicate of the tying
device I was shown in Mr. Ruth’s shop years ago when a self
tying baler was just a dream.
It is fairly well known that the pick up baler started the New
Holland Company on the road to its place in die agricultural
machinery field it holds today after their popular engine became
obsolete.
It is rewarding to have had two good friends among the few men
which saw the possibilities of our modern harvesting machinery,
namely Mr. William C. Ruth and Mr. Arthur S. Young.
PAUL R. WEARSTLER, 77, of 6497 Waterloo Road, Atwater, Ohio,
died suddenly of a heart attack on April 6, 1971. He was a retired
fanner, thresher-man and machinist and an excellent mechanic. His
first rig was a 19-65 hp. Port Huron Engine and N & S
Separator. Also a 25-45 Oil Pull and Avery thresher. He attended
many of the steam shows and had taken the Album for many years. He
is survived by his wife, Verna and one daughter.
Sent in by Ernest F. Hill, 752 Hartshorn St., Alliance, Ohio
44601.
PAUL RICHARD TUSTIN, age 56, of 766 Gilbert St., Lancaster,
Ohio, died March 17, 1971. He was a truck driver for Gaffney Motor
Freight Company. He was a member of the Miami Valley Steam
Threshers Association.
Sent in by Don Root, See ‘y of the Hocking Valley Steam and
Antique Power Club, Inc.