Secretary, Hamilton, Missouri 64644
The 12th Annual North Missouri Steam and Gas Engine Antique Show
and Demonstration was held August 15, 16, and 17 at Hamilton,
Missouri, with many new exhibitors taking part in the show.
Sixteen year old Stanley May-berry of Dawn, Missouri brought his
22 HP Advance Rumely steam engine. Stanley purchased the engine in
the fall of 1974 and did practically all of the restoring himself.
His steam engine was used most of the time to power a large sawmill
owned and restored by Paul Bryant, Braymer, Missouri.
A 16 HP Nichols and Shepard steam engine was brought by the
Maxwell Brothers of Ridgeway, Missouri. The Shahan Brothers,
Brashear, Missouri came with their 50 HP Case Steam Engine and
20-35 Rumely Oil Pull Tractor and tested the power on Paul
Bryant’s Baker Fan. Frankie Van-Dusen, Dawn, Missouri exhibited
his 16 HP Advance engine and Shingle Mill. His 1912 Maxwell Touring
car was exhibited with many other cars in the antique car contest.
Among the cars in the contest were a 1931 Rolls Royce in very good
condition, owned by Mrs. Woodson of Polo, Missouri, and a 1930
Marmon Roosevelt owned and restored by Glen Streeter, Hamilton,
Missouri. An unusual exhibit of a horse-drawn Rockfall Funeral
coach, purchased new in 1901 by the Bram family, was shown and is
now in the possession of the Bram Funeral Home, Hamilton, Mo.
Howard Younger of Overland Park, Kansas came and operated our 20
HP Russell Steam Engine as he has done for the past 12 years. Other
steam engines include a 20 HP Advance Rumely owned by T. R. Swartz
of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, a 25 Minneapolis owned by Paul Bryant,
a 65 HP Case Steam Engine owned by Virgil Rains, Kingston,
Missouri. Twelve model steam engines were brought in from as far
away as Dubois, Nebraska. Mr. Ralph Levings, Madison, Missouri and
his son-in-law brought their two model steam engines and a model
sawmill which they operated during the show. Other model engines
and tractors were trucked in from Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas and
Kansas. There were approximately 300 gas engines and antique and
model tractors in the show. Of 6 known to be left in existence, was
a 1906 Fuller-Johnson gas engine owned by C. T. Henderson of
Waukee, Iowa.
The show started with setting up of exhibits on Friday and a
Draft Horse Pull that evening. An uptown parade was held Saturday
morning where the stores had window displays and sidewalk
sales.
On the show grounds, the action was about the usual, with the
threshing of wheat, clover hulling, sawmilling and shingle saw
demonstrations, baker fans in use, and various other exhibits and
demonstrations. A horse shoe pitching contest, flea markets, and
antique car contest, old fiddler’s contest and other music were
available to the crowd on the grounds.
The Association wishes to thank all of the exhibitors and is
looking forward to another good show the third weekend in August,
1976.
Submitted by Mrs. Wendell Moss, Sec., Hamilton, MO
Wallis tractor purchased in the late 1920s. It set outdoors for
24 years and was in very sad condition, rims and tires rotted out,
had to be replaced – motor stuck. I spent two days repairing
magneto and gave it a paint job. Tractor was purchased first by Joe
Hamlet then E. Lynn Hamlet of Hamilton, now owned by my
daughter-in-law, Mrs. Robert Moss of Nesho, Missouri and she came
and drove it in parades at the North Missouri Steam & Gas
Engine Show in 1975.
Collection of Bruce Dougan, Bettendorf, Iowa. Left to right:
1922 Fordson, 1927 McCormick-Deering 10-20, 1931 John Deere
‘GP’, 1925 John Deere ‘D’, 1938 John Deere
‘G’, 1937 John Deere ‘A’, 1936 John Deere
‘B’, 1939 John Deere ‘H’.
The ‘Stairstep’ set of John Deeres. Owner, Bruce Dougan,
Bettendorf, Iowa. Right to left – 1939 ‘H’, 1936
‘B’, 1937 ‘A’, 1938 ‘G’.
As a matter of possible interest, this pictured John Deere Model
‘D’ 15-27 is shown on the 1972 John Deere calendar. On the
calendar it is shown in striking color with lugs and guide bands
installed. Professionally photographed, the scene includes white
board fence, a horse, a church steeple, and eye-filling summer
cloud formations. That particular calendar showed a different
historic tractor each month, and has attracted considerable
collector interest.
The little engine, which I display as ‘The World’s
Rarest Engine’, is a genuine Salesman’s Sample of the Hot
Air Engine manufactured by the Thermo Engine Co. of Chicago, HI.
before the turn of the century. We all know that there are many hot
air engines left, but after much research, I’m convinced that
this is the only Brand Spanking New model left in existence. And,
old as it is, the carrying-case is still with it.
In the old days, the ‘Drummers’ used to ride the trains
and stage coaches to the remote regions and needed something to
show in order to sell their large heavy uncarryable products, and
so was born the original salesman’s sample. I had the good
fortune to find this one in an old store building in Prescott,
Arizona, and spent two months in friendly negotiations in securing
it for display. I feel that the effort was well invested, tho’,
since I was very gratified to note that over a hundred pictures
would be taken of it on a single week-end show.
The old frontier adventurers enjoyed considerable daytime
adventure, plus a night-life somewhat livelier than that of our
law-abiding folk of today, so it’s interesting to ponder the
reasons why this drummer never returned for his sample. And, since
it’s still brand new, it appears that another intriguing secret
will remain a part of the romance of the Old West.
This was my choice for ‘THE’ tractor of the Show. It is
I.H.C. Mogul, 1915. It has 8-1/2′ bore and 12′ stroke,
burns gasoline, kerosene and distillate. It develops 8 drawbar
horsepower and 16 on the belt. Shown is Donald Armstron, owner, of
Cooksville, Illinois. At right: Frank Sampson of Tolona, Illinois
stands justly proud beside his 6 HP Monitor gas engine. Frank is a
friendly and knowledgeable person.
War Memorial Drive, Peoria, Illinois
This rare 6 HP tank colled, hit and miss, side shaft ignitor
type gasoline Geiser engine was the only one I have ever seen. The
proud owner shown with his engine is David Allison, R.R. 1, Alvin,
Illinois. At right is another real show piece, a friction drive
tractor, 1917, 12-20 Heider built by Rock Island Plow Company. The
motor slides forward and back to change drive ratios. Owned by
William Bragg of Atwood, Illinois St., Merrillville, Indiana.
These pictures were all taken at the 1975 Pontaic, Illinois
Show.
This is a 1906 Model N Ford Runabout, owned and shown by Willard
Cashmer, Streater, Illinois;
A 1909 modified Studebaker, which belongs to Ernie Gerdes,
Benson, Illinois. [A fine specimen!].
These pictures represent only a small segment of the
approximately 80 to 100 antique cars which were at the Pontiac,
Illinois 1975 Show.