Dayton Daily News & Radio’s ‘Joe’s
Journal’
Spark Plugs, that noble gentry lately arrived on the scene with
an eye to the preservation of Agricultural Americana, sometimes
gather in groups their august purpose to pursue. Like, for
instance, the great Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor conclave which
drew antique gas engine and tractor devotees from throughout the
midwest to the well-shaded Jay County fairgrounds in Portland,
Indiana, during the month of August.
Spark Plugs here, Spark Plugs there, Spark Plugs everywhere –
all frantically fidgeting with feeler-gages for spark gaps, goosing
carburetors and yanking on heavy iron fly-wheels by way of the
‘Armstrong Method’ – each trying to outdo the other in
getting their engines to out-pop and out-perform whatever else had
been trucked onto the grounds.
It was only their second time to gather, the first of which was
but a two day stand at the Fort Recovery village park, in western
Ohio, the summer of ’66. But unlike the long-standing conclaves
of steam threshing brethren, who have grown steadily over the
years, the Tri-Staters suddenly burst forth in a grand extravaganza
this year that bodes second-fiddle to none. Heretofore the
gas-engine segment of the annual threshermen’s reunion
appeared, at best, only the tail-end fighting for its rights to
exhibit a very important and significant era of American farm life
at the perimeter outside the main arena of mightier smoke-belching
monsters which hogged the center of the grounds. But no more, for
Tri-Staters, having come of age all of a sudden, could well be the
‘tail that wags the dog’.
‘Altogether we’ve got around some 130 stationary gas
engines, and over 25 or 30 antique gas tractors on the
grounds,’ summed up President of Tri-State, Woody Turner, in a
rare moment of relaxation from his busy schedule of directing the
numerous operations all the way from threshing with old-time farm
tractors to tractor-pulling contests and every conceivable
stationary engine performance.
And, to sort of let the ‘other side’ know who was boss
at the big Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor reunion, there was a
solitary steam traction engine which was permitted to ‘sneak
through the gates and allowed to chuff at will over the lovely,
shaded fairgrounds – just to remind folks that gas engine and
tractor historians have a warm spot in their hearts for ‘those
things’ too. And when it came time for cigar-chewing ‘Uncle
Charlie’ Ditmer and Hugh Hartzell to exhibit the brewing of
apple butter in copper kettles, the old-fashioned farm way, well,
the old steam engine came in mighty handy, the steam from its big
boiler being just the stuff to keep the big ‘kittles
a-b’ilin”.
Too, the Tri-State reunion was the perfect haven for me, popping
and chugging around over the grounds astride my mighty ‘Joe
Dear’ one-lung Delco light-plant garden tractor which I’d
made years ago to cultivate the good earth but which has been
serving more as a conversation piece at engine meets and vantage
seat for yours truly, cameras and recorder strapped to shoulder, in
quest of those noble souls known better as ‘Spark Plugs of the
Month’.
For here it was, from my balcony seat atop the old ‘Joe
Dear’ which starts and runs like an old John Deere, that I
ferreted out some of the interesting exhibits and operations
whenever and wherever my single 2? inch Delco piston would shuttle
my baggage and me. Like the solemn-visaged Ray Stall who was
bending over a truck-load of stationary gas engines parked in a
prominent place on the gay gas-engine midway at Tri-State.
There were eleven engines bolted onto the bed of his ancient
1930 model -A Ford truck.
TRI-STATERS ATTRACTED EVERY KIND AND VINTAGE OF GAS TRACTOR –
Everett R. (Pete) Peters (on far end) drove monster, like
primordial creature over the grounds. Says Pete, ‘A fellow
really needs a seat-belt on this thing. If he didn’t know how
to hold on, he could wind up being tossed over into his
neighbor’s cornfield’.
At Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association reunion,
Portland, Indiana, Ray Stall looks over his exhibit of early gas
engines. Stall, with two other men, owns altogether some eight
tractors and 80 odd gas engines.
TRI-STATERS THRESHED NUMEROUS JAGS OF WHEAT – Ancient Huber
Super 4 belts up with Spark Plug, Ralph Horstman, helping line up
the belt (‘neath that cap). Young lady at throttle does her
stuff at putting the old Huber through her paces.
‘Three of us fellows from Findlay, Ohio, have fetched along
some of our engines and antique tractors,’ explained Stall,
flicking the ashes from his drooping fag – ‘We have a 1905 2
H.P. Perkins Engine, a 1927 11/2 H.P. John
Deere, a 1917 1 H.P. Wittle, and 1898 Arro bearing serial number
one with no horsepower rating, a 1928 Economy rating8 H.P., a 1924
Sattley, 1905 International Famous and a 1912 Woodpecker
Engine,’ continued Ray, who, in the next breath between cigaret
puffs added, ‘We also have such old-timers as a 1915 Nova, a
1912 Bluffton and a 2-Horse-power engine we’re a-wishin’a
name for. We were all three raised on farms and never got it out of
us. Together we own about eight old-time tractors and some eighty
gas engines of all makes and vintages.’
One of the most impressive gas engine exhibits at Tri-State was
the big outlay astride the long, historic 1911 La France fire
engine, owned by President Woody Turner who was too busy directing
the daily programs to have his ‘pitcher took’.
Too, the sights and sounds of the old pump-jack engine, lured
the old ‘Joe Dear’ garden tractor to turn its nose in the
direction of Calvin Berry’s quaint Tri-State. exhibit, as if
the old Delco light-plant engine seemed to recall the good old days
out on Uncle John’s farm when Delco ran the farm lights, and
gas engines pumped the water for the thirsty cows and horses, come
evening.
‘I purchased this old McCormack Deering kerosene burner and
pump-jack back in 1960-paid only fifty cents for the engine,’
explained Berry who had fetched it from over Berne, Indiana-way,
‘I rebuilt the pump-jack, cleaned up the engine, built me a
water tank to hold the water – and here I am pumping water at
Tri-State all day.’
Morris Titus, secretary of Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor
Association, Pendleton Indiana, out of the some fifty engines he
owns, brought his Tom Thumb International Air-Cooled engine,
Associated Air-Cooled Engine and an old International of uncertain
vintage. Altogether Titus includes among his stationary menagerie,
two old Ford-sons, a couple of John Deeres and (believe it or not
for a gas engine man) a real-for-sure Baker 23-90 Steam Traction
Engine.
One of the most unusual and eye catching sights at Tri-State
this year was the long, bug-like contraption caught by the
camera’s eye ambulating beneath the shade trees of the county
fairgrounds, like some primordial creature.
‘This outfit surely needs a scat-belt,’ yelled Everett
R. (Pete) Peters of his sprawling three-wheeled 1922 Avery 9-18
11.P. tractor, with him desperately hanging onto the seat
projection at the far end. ‘If a fellow doesn’t know how to
hold on, he could easily be tossed over into his neighbor’s
cornfield.’
‘There are only five of these old tractors in the state of
Ohio,’ explained Peters. ‘It sold a little high – carried a
price of $915 when new. Made to plow corn – guess a fellow could
have bought a good team of horses for that.’
And that weather lined but very benign lace peering from the cab
of Earl Sottong’s old Hart Parr gas tractor which the ‘Joe
Dear’ puttered up ‘longside for me to interview:’
‘Meet Eli Puterbaugh – he’s 92, the oldest thresherman
here,’ yelled Earl Sottong from Tipton, Indiana. ‘Eli’s
getting an engineer’s cab-side view of our Tri-State meeting.
Wants to watch the old-time hand-fed threshing. Gets a bang out of
feeling the straw to see if the separator’s missed any
beards.’
In the melee at the big Tri-Slate meeting, the ‘Joe
Dear’ seemed to gel lost among the numerous concession stands
of the flea market – one of the largest such markets at any midwest
reunion. From my vantage point, atop the ‘Joe Dear’ seat, I
could better see over the heads of the crowd at the objects being
sold below. (Not so good for the pocketbook – carting back to the
camp several old railroad lanterns of questionable vintage, a high,
ladder-back rockin’ chair, a few railroad books and what have
you.)
And not to be outdone by any steam threshermen’s reunion,
the Tri-State old-timers prided themselves in threshing numerous
jags of wheat – belting up variously their numerous Oil-Pulls,
Hart-Parrs, anything that could turn a wheel and yank a belt to the
ancient separator, including the 11 ton Avery and a very
‘auld’ Huber Super 4. (It tried Hard!)
Oldest thresherman,92 year old Eli Puterbaugh, gets cab-side
view of Tri-State meet, perched on right-hand side of Earl
Sottong’s old Hart-Parr tractor.
‘Looks like he’s belted up before,’ snapped one
old-timer as he watched Spark Plug, Ralph Horstman, line up his big
Rumely Oil-Pull. ‘He drove it right up in place – didn’t
have to try a second time.’
‘This is a great place to have fun,’ yelled Spark Plug,
Russ Flora, belting up his large 1917 Case Gas Tractor, after
Horstman had finished with his jag.
To the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association must go the
credit for preserving much that has endeared itself on the American
farm scene, during the transition period from Old Dobbin to
mechanization. Those old Delco light-plant engines a-thumping, that
old pump-jack a-popping, those tractors a-grinding and old cars
still in prime locomotion – what an endearing tribute to
Tri-Staters who’ve labored into the wee hours while others
slept – that Americana might live!
New Way 8 Hp., owner unknown. Powered a small Sterling separator
at the Toledo, Washington Threshing Bee in August, 1967. (Fan belts
off).
