621 N. Grove, Wichita, Kansas
This picture was taken the summer of 1912, on the John Roth
farm, about 10 miles east of Clay Center, Clay County. Kansas. It
was taken by John Roth’s son William, who is presently cashier
in The Union State Bank, Clay Center, Kansas.
This engine was built by Gieser Peerless Co., date unknown. The
threshed in Clay and Riley Counties. It was in a shed that burned.
Herman and his brother Charley rebabbited the bearings, and put a
new jacket on the boiler. Herman sold it to Tom House-holder, a
threshing machine dealer.
Tom corresponded with the Peerless Co. in regard to steam
pressure and the possibility of the fire damaging the boiler etc.
The Peerless Co. told him they built only four of these engines. It
had a piston type valve, and a slotted eccentric type reverse gear;
possibly a C. O. Heggem; also a spur type differential.
The boiler was made of very heavy plate. The flue-sheets were
in. Note the rectangular water tank at the top front; and the
terrific steam dome, which is directly behind it and higher than
the tank, and almost as wide as the boiler. In 1912 I pulled a 32
in. Rumely Separator with it. I ran the engine and Alvis Conrad ran
the separator. I threshed 9 days in 1913; on the 10th day, which
was the 4th of July, while threshing on the Walter Slingsby farm,
the separator burned up. It was a very hot dry day and several
others in Clay Co. burned that same day.
I sold the engine to Charley Halbedel, who lived near
Miltonvale, Kansas. Recently I contacted him and he informed me
that the engine had been cut up for scrap. If any readers of this
magazine have seen one like it, or know when it was built, I should
like to hear from them or through this magazine.