The Claude Cornell farm and its farm field gas engine.
I am enclosing two pictures taken of a 12 hp farm field gas engine
which has been in use on this farm since 1914 and is still going
strong. In my work on the farm program I often drive by the Claude
Cornell farm on the outskirts of Centuria, Wis. and on several
occasions he was busy grinding feed for his cattle. Claude’s
father, who died in 1944, purchased this engine new from a dealer
in Milltown by the name of Christ Johnson for $550. The clutch
pulley included was opional at $45. It was hauled home on a wagon
by a team of horses and placed on this same spot where it sets to
this day. Here it is shown operating a Stover burr mill size 40 and
of the same vintage. By running the drive belt to the rear of the
engine it was belted to a 2 roll Appleton corn shredder, the
shreddings blown into the hay mow and the cob corn elevated into a
crib. Claude shredded his corn up until about 1950 when he quit
because the ‘town kids’ kept tipping his corn shocks. He
still has this shredder. This gas engine is run about once every
two weeks during the winter months for grinding cob corn and oats.
It still starts easy, when Claude does it. It is type W Serial
#8097, speed 300 rpm, built by Field Brundage Co. Jackson, Michigan. I
think this is something of a record and worthy of mention in our
Gas Engine Magazine.
