Box 156, Cumberland, Iowa 50843
10 HP Kline engine at Central Hawkeye Show. Jerry Kleinbeck,
Murry, Iowa, is the owner.
1895 inverted Pierce engine – 3/4 HP. Ernest Schmidt, Fremont,
Nebraska, is the owner.
The Central Hawkeye Club held its third annual show at the new
showgrounds, Hawkeye Antique Acres, July 22 and 23, 1978. We
arrived at the grounds Friday night and had to have our camper
pulled up on the leveling blocks due to the soft ground. It had
been raining over an inch and a half every night for four days
prior. There were quite a few campers and exhibits already there
and the show grounds were beautiful. The electric power line was
just finished, giving us street lights in the campgrounds and
everything was mowed and trimmed around the big oak trees. Large
planters of flowers were placed all around and a hitching rail was
put around one of the large oak trees for the horse teams. A nice
foot bridge had been built across the ravine between the camping
and exhibit areas and a sand box and swing installed for small
fry.
It rained most of Friday night. About four in the morning the
rain stopped, but I had given up on anyone ever getting in to show.
My husband was up early and I heard the roar of tractors. I stepped
out of the camper to a regular beehive of activity. More and more
exhibitors were arriving and getting a pull when they needed it.
Gravel trucks were in action spreading more gravel.
I walked up to the engine display and looked in disbelief as
about 175 engines were popping and banging in the shade of the old
oaks. Indeed it was shade as the sun was beginning to come out. We
had brought our 5 HP Crabb engine made at West Union, Iowa,
thinking it would be a nice rare one to show. The other rare
engines that sat under the trees, were some of those, ‘I never
saw one like that,’ engines. They included: a 3 HP Charles A.
Stickney vertical engine owned by E.E. Williamson of Corydon, Iowa;
a Southern engine owned by Dana Davis, Unionville, Missouri; an
1895 inverted Pierce 3/4 HP owned by Ernest Schmidt of Fremont,
Nebraska. Ernest also brought a 6 HP Corn Belt engine. Norman Davis
brought a vertical R & V; Mike Sanderson of Albion, Iowa had
his 4 HP McVicker there and G. Pilkington of Fiatt, Illinois had a
neat looking Eli engine. Dwayne Ellison of Unionville, Iowa had his
little 1/2 HP Globe engine right where it could look up at Marvin
Maitre’s giant old 20 HP Mogul
Marve’s Mogul is in beautiful original shape and still
carries its original paint and striping. About 100 model steam, gas
and hot air engines were scattered around among the big engines. E.
Paul Johnson of Des Moines, Iowa had a table with about 40 small
engines. It was a popular place with a large crowd around watching
Paul operate the little ones. All the engines were nicely cleaned
and polished and many were at work at various jobs from generating
lights to grinding feed.
Tractors were beginning to arrive in large numbers, and I
realized the tractor pullers had hopes of being able to pull. About
50 tractors showed up including those for display and the tractor
pull. Lawrence Myers of Dallas Center, Iowa brought his 1918 Massey
Harris, and Dennis Powers of Ogden, Iowa brought two nicely
restored Hart Parrs, a 28-50 and a 12-24. Some of the other
tractors in the line up included LI, GP, G, D, and A John Deeres, a
10-20 Titan, and IHC 22-36.
I didn’t believe any tractors would be able to pull as the
tractor pull spot was a mass of mud. Pretty soon I heard announced
that the pull was going on, so I walked over. The tractors and sled
were put on our entry road and 31 pulls were completed there.
Everyone involved is to be commended for their patience and
cooperation, as spectator and exhibitor vehicles had to be let in
and out between pulls. I couldn’t get a list of class winners,
but there were a couple of real nice runs made by a G John Deere.
Tractor pull winners were given a nice trophy consisting of a model
of a Bob Gray antique tractor mounted on a wood base.
We picked up a couple of old car exhibitors this year and they
are surely welcome. A 1928 model T-touring, a 1929 A Huckster
pickup, 1935 Ford truck, and a 1929 A Ford were seen in the power
parade and running about the grounds.
Engines, tractors and cars were not the only items exhibited.
George Preston of Belle Plaine, Iowa had a nice display of some of
his antique toys, and Kathy Thompson of Aledo, Illinois brought 19
cases of antique purses. Kathy’s purse collection runs into the
hundreds and she can usually be seen scouting the flea markets for
something new and different. Some of the other displays included
wrenches, cast iron seats, and pewter.
The usual pot luck supper was held Saturday night and some new
dishes made appearances as well as old stand-bys. Nothing lasted
long and all was gobbled up by hungry exhibitors in short order.
After a club meeting several fires were built to ward off the
chilly night air. They burned pretty late with much story telling
and engine talk passed out around them.
Sunday was a beautiful day with church services held in the
morning. It was sunny but cool and more spectators began to come
in. Sunday afternoon Dean Vannoy of Altoona hooked his 1910, 16 HP
Advance steam engine up to Thayne Henderson’s John Deere
threshing machine and the bundle teams went out and got a load of
oats that had been scattered to dry. A small threshing
demonstration was held. A black powder rifle shoot and a power
parade was held both days.
About 4:00 Sunday exhibitors started to load up. Several engines
went home with new owners, and many people were already making
plans on exhibits for 1979. Several nice engines were rumored to be
making it out to the 1979 show for the first time. A large 60 HP
National will eventually be making the grounds its permanent home.
Most of the engine is already there and the rest has to make its
way from Canada.
The National Cast Iron Seat Collectors Association will be
having its show and trade meet in conjunction with the Central
Hawkeye Show in 1979. The show promises to be fresh and better and
we’ll sure be there as will lots of others with some new
surprises.
ORIGIN OF BABBITT
Babbitt metal, a white antifriction alloy, is named in honor of
the man who started it, Isaac Babbitt, 1799-1862, American inventor
and manufacturer. Born at Taunton, Massachusetts, he became a
goldsmith, and was the first in the U.S. to manufacture products in
Britannia metal. The alloy, which consists primarily of copper,
antimony and tin, was suggested for use by him as lining for the
bearing surface of a journal box he invented and patented in 1839.
The term ‘babbitt’ is today used for a number of white
metals.
FIRST DIESEL TRACTOR
The first diesel tractor in the United States was built in 1931
by the Caterpillar Tractor Company, Peoria, Illinois. It was of the
track-type powered with a 4 cylinder diesel engine and made use of
a 2 cylinder gas engine for starting. The Agricultural Tractor,
1855-1950
