R.R., Pickrell, Nebraska 68422
This eight-horse Dempster was found in a pasture south of
Humbolt, Nebraska. The front wheels were missing and a swarm of
bees had taken residence in the seat.
George Dorn and I asked Clarence Zimmerman (a bee man) to help
us. Clarence donned his gear and using a bolt cutter freed the seat
and carried it 30 feet. But some of the bees, very enranged by now,
stayed near the engine. We asked a nearby farmer with a tractor cab
to help us. Clarence attached a chain to the engine and thus it was
pulled to a safer area. We loaded and took it home minus the seat.
The engine was complete except for the trucks and the gas tank was
rusted.
George had a cedar tree cut into boards at a saw mill and I took
some to Schoettler’s in Beatrice to have them sanded. Dale
Haecker, a Pickrell cabinet maker, made the box seat.
Originally this engine was purchased from Dempster’s in
Beatrice. It was used to shell corn. When I got it all ready, we
hooked it up to Dwayne Parde’s four-hole International
Harvester spring sheller and shelled 200 bushels.