May-June issue means the snow is away and the Shows are really
underway across the land — anybody sorry — NO! Everybody ready
for the good times, gassing-up, gabbing, good pals — all to make
glorious memories — seems I hear a lot of affirmatives on this
sentence. And so, in between your packing and putting the final
touch on the displays I’ll send along a few letters of
interest.
HOWARD WAGENBLAST, R. D. 4, Box 158, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
15601 writes: ‘I have a De Laval engine (type V W, number
75018) which was used to power a milker. I am wondering if any
readers of GEM would estimate the age. Also, I would appreciate any
technical information — particularly on the magneto. What type was
the original magneto and where can I get one?’
Answers, Fellas — that’s what the man wants!
From RICHARD D. HAMP, 1772 Conrad Avenue, San Jose, California
95124, arrives this information and we thank him.
‘I have some information on a couple of engines pictures in
the March-April 1971 issue of G.E.M.
The little engine in the upper left hand corner on page 7 is a ?
hp. ‘Franklin Gas Engine.’ I have a 1903 booklet from the
Parsell and Weed Company of New York City who sold a kit of parts
and semi-finished castings to build the ‘Franklin Gas
Engine.’ The price of a complete set of castings and materials
to build the engine was $16.50.
The engine in the lower right corner of page 7 is a
‘Bean’ engine, not a ‘Beam’ as stated in the
caption under the picture. These engines were designed by Mr.
Cushman of the Cushman Motor Company, and built by the John Bean
Spray Pump Company of San Jose, California and Cleveland, Ohio. If
any readers of G.E.M. are interested in more information on these
Bean engines, please have them write me as I have instruction and
parts manuals for these engines.
I am now in my third year of subscribing to your fine magazine.
I enjoy it very much, and I wish it came out every month. So long
for now.’
HAROLD E. STUMP, 116 West Street, Souderton, Pennsylvania 18964,
sends along this nice letter and would like some information.
‘I enjoy reading your column in GEM very much. The way you
mix both humor and information is so amusing that even my wife, a
devout ‘Engine Widow,’ enjoys it.
My father recently gave me a small cast model gasoline engine
for my collection. I wrote the manufacturer, Mr. Gray, who informed
me that although he used no specific make, the model does resemble
the APPLETON, of Appleton Mfg. Co., Batavia, Illinois.
I would like to thank Roy Krpoun of Drake, North Dakota, for the
specifications I needed to convert this no-name model into an
Appleton.
I am now in need of repainting information, and wonder if any
fellow readers could help. If anyone knows the original color, and
striping scheme (if any), a letter and/or color snap-shot would be
greatly appreciated.
I am also restoring a 3? S hp. Jaeger, Size No. 5L, Serial No.
49,479, made by Jaeger Machine Co., Columbus, Ohio. If anyone out
there knows the color formulas, please write.
Have Brush – Will Paint?’
Had a letter from ED DEIS, Ranger, CHAPIN FOREST, 10373 Hobart
Road, Kirtland, Ohio 44094, recently and it seems he and Bill
Hatchel got the ball rolling for another club that is forming in
the Kirtland, Ohio, area which is in Northeastern Ohio 20 miles
east of Cleveland. It will be a gas and steam club but is yet
unnamed — plenty of interest though and as of this writing they
had over thirty names on the roster. They have decided to meet
every second Thursday of the month. I don’t know how other
clubs do, but they plan to have one member at each meeting that
will bring an engine, model or otherwise and everyone will have a
workshop on it. I know the fellas are going to have a good time
although Ed says he and Bill are thinking of setting up cots in the
service garage for when their wives kick them out due to their
weekend junkets.
But like Ed says all you men interested, ‘Come to the
meetings, bring something interesting, even if it’s only a
story or a good lie.’
Best of luck to this new group and may their group grow in
number and happiness.
DAVID REED, 1306 Kirkwood Hwy., Elamere, Wilmington, Delaware
19805, sends this thought: ‘I just realized that most of the
threshing at the Gas Engine Shows is done by steam traction engine,
and occasionally, if not rarely, done by gas tractors. Does anyone
remember threshing wheat with a stationary gas engine?
Many small farm threshing rigs, especially in the east were
powered by 6-15 horsepower, if not larger gas engines. I’m not
saying we should do away with steam threshing, but I think that the
large shows have the facilities and machinery to thresh with large
gas engines and should represent both methods. I believe that using
both gas and steam threshing will make bigger, better and more
interesting shows.’
Sounds like a good idea to me — what about you veterans of
threshing — is there a reason there aren’t more large gas
engines used in this?
JOHN W. SNYDER, 137 Prospect Ave., Franklin, Pennsylvania 16323,
gives us an answer on a former WHAT IS IT? picture.
‘Mr. Martin’s engine pictured under ‘What Is
It?’ in the March-April G.E.M. is a Home hobby project. We have
an old hardback book called GAS ENGINE CONSTRUCTION or DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION OF A HALF HORSE POWER GAS ENGINE. The authors are
Henry V. A. Parsell, Mem. A. I. Elec. Eng., and Arthur J. Weed, M.
E. This book goes into the details of the castings patterns
building, the casting finishing, and the final assembly of the
engine. All machine work is done using an eight inch lathe. Also in
the book is an advertisement announcing that ‘complete sets of
castings can be procured from the Franklin Model Shop, Parsell and
Weed, 129-131 West 31st Street, New York City.’ (This volume is
copyrighted 1900 by Norman W. Henley & Co. Our copy is dated
1906 and is the ‘third edition, revised and
enlarged’.’
GENE DRUMMOND, Rt. 1, Orient, Ohio 43146 sends us some more
information on a story that was in the last issue of G.E.M. ‘I
just read the article in the March-April of GEM on the Wallis Bear
tractor owned by Bluffton Farm Equipment Company. The article
states that the tractor was in a junk yard and that it would soon
be cut up for scrap. This is not so. The tractor was bought new by
a farmer from Plum Wood, Ohio, and sold to J. B. Anderson of
Kiousville, Ohio, who was a Massey-Ferguson dealer. I first saw
this tractor when on our way to the NTA steam show in 1952 and a
number of times at Kiousville. To say that it was about to be cut
up is not so, as J. B. Anderson knew what the tractor was and what
it was worth. In fact, the Massey-Ferguson Company wanted him to
fix it up for them to show at the State Fair. I can’t see why
this part of the story has been left out on this tractor. I hope
this brings the history of this tractor up to date.’
Glad to hear it — we hate to see these historical items hit the
junk pile. Perhaps this part of the story was not known — so we
are glad you wrote me.
WM. W. WILLOCK, JR., R. R. No. 1, Box 196-A, Chestertown, Md.
21620, we get this cheery complaint. ‘Just a line regarding the
picture of the Rider Hot Air Engine on the back cover of the
March-April issue. There are two minor errors in the caption; it is
a four inch engine, the smallest Rider made and was listed in their
very early catalogs.
Also, it was never made coal burning in this size; it was
originally an oil burner, but we converted it to gas for
convenience. They were furnished new, either oil or gas.
And incidentally, I am not drooling in the picture — must be a
mark on the negative.’
It is just a beautiful day out as I finish this column — the
day after Easter — and looking out at the world, don’t you
think Easter comes at a most appropriate time? The land looks
washed with the sunlight and everything is about to begin anew. The
shoots are out on the bushes, the trees are in bud; everything is
aglow with the newness of life. What a beautiful way for us to
remember the Ressurrection! Bless each and everyone of you and
enjoy the summer, but better yet — enjoy each day.