306 W. Anthony, Corydon, Iowa 50060
Courtesy of Art Dickey, 306 W. Anthony, Corydon, Iowa 50060
Murray, Iowa with his Dick Williams of Runnels, Iowa,
Fuller & Johnson and James Thorpe of Lomoni, Iowa with
his Scott Bros, engine. Kenny Shoff of Murray and his group
of musicians; Paul Spearing of Baxter, Iowa with his etc. All these
pictures are from the Murray, Iowa Show.
It was a pleasure to be able to attend a Gas-Up at Murray, Ia.
on June 1st of this year. This was a two day show put on by
‘The Central Hawkeye Gas Engine and Tractor Association’.
On Sunday afternoon, when I was there, I took a quick count and
counted 69 engines. I like to go to shows sponsored by this club as
I always get to see some old friends and meet some new ones. This
show was held in a nice shady grove which was ideal for an event
like this, but no good for pictures as my old instamatic and I
found out.
I ran across Jerry Kleinbeck of Murray, Ia. as soon as I got
there. It was easy because I think he had the biggest gas engine
there, a 10 HP Fairbanks Morse that he went way down to New Mexico
after. Any day I expect to hear that one of these members has gone
to some foreign country after an engine. I think Jerry was also the
one that had the lawnmower powered by a twin cylinder Maytag
engine; the second such machine I had ever seen. Next to Jerry was
another Murray club member I had never met, Gilbert Leeps. Gilbert
had a Delco light plant running in full swing, also met Jerry Lamp
from Murray but got mixed up on whose engine was whose.
While eating lunch, I met Dick Williams and wife from Runnells,
la. I learned Dick has a couple of steam engines and lots of other
goodies, and his wife also has a nice collection of antiques. Dick
brought a nice Fuller and Johnson 4 HP engine to the show.
Doug Lunna of Stockbridge, Vermont inspired this meet and with
the help of his better half did all the organizing and sent out
flyers to other gas engine owners. The weather was so bad that day
that the photos didn’t turn out so well. But let’s hope for
better weather next year, better photos and more engines.
The above photo enclosed is of Jack Kennedy’s Sandwich
engines in the foreground and of Doug Lunna’s 12 H.P. Hercules
in the background. Jack Kennedy lives in Chelsea, Vermont and Doug
Lunna lives in Stock-bridge, Vermont.
Courtesy of Hale Mattoon, Chelsea, Vermont 05038.
Another member I met for the first time was Ernest Andes of
Brooklyn, Ia. Ernest unloaded a 2-1/2 HP Gade engine that had never
been restored. I really enjoyed seeing this engine as it probably
looked just like the day it was last used and it was running like
it could carry on for quite a few more years. Ernest also had a
1-1/2 HP Gade in his pickup truck that he said he had just got from
an old shed on a farm. This one was going to take some work before
it was ready to run. I think Ernest said he had around 140 engines.
Paul Spearing of Baxter, Ia. brought a collection of iron items,
planter lids, oil can holder, etc., from old farm machinery. He had
also brought a Moniter 5 HP and a Moniter 3 HP. These were of the
horizontal type. Paul said he had around 14 engines. When I met
Paul he was still clutching in his hand an exhaust whistle which he
had just bought from one of theFlea Market dealers. I think there
were five Flea Market dealers who set up tables. A good Flea Market
helps out any show. Duane Parson found some more padlocks for his
collection at one of the tables. Duane who is the editor, reporter,
typesetter, and general flunky of the Clubs’ newspaper ‘The
Gas-ser’, will soon go to Kansas City on his new job. He had
just graduated from college and showed me his graduation present, a
nice little Ideal Gas Engine. Of course, Duane’s dad and
mother, Richard and Pat were on hand keeping everything going
smooth. This was the show where they were giving out the club
membership books and coffee. I wonder how many pots of coffee Pat
made. She sure didn’t need any help from Mrs. Olson as there
sure were no complaints.
An Eaglesfield garden tractor which was made in the late 1940s
in Indianapolis, Indiana – the two-wheel model. They started with
the Unitractor, a one wheel tractor as shown in the snapshot, then
went to the two wheel tractor. It was a very good machine at that
time. I sold these in the late 40s.
Lloyd Shier of Cumberland, Ia. brought a 1916 Toledo engine to
the show. I think the Schiers have over 200 engines.
A family from Denmark, Ia. came to this show bringing the new
buttons for their show at Denmark. I don’t know how many
buttons they brought, but they were soon sold out. These buttons
had a picture of a Scott Bros, engine on them. Richard Parsons owns
one of these engines and I thought he was going to set fire to his
pants getting his money out of his pocket so fast to buy of these
buttons.
James Thorpe and family of Lamoni were at this show with this
Scott Bros, engine. This engine was designed at Lamoni, and
it’s sure there were a few assembled there before the plant was
moved to Kansas City. I have threatened to break Thorpe’s arm
if he doesn’t give the ‘Gas Engine Magazine’, an
article on this engine, as he has lots of original paperwork on it
he obtained from a survivor of the original inventors.
Wayne Holder of Leon was at the Gas-Up with a trailer load of
engines. One of the goodies he had on his trailer was an old 6×6
Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. air compressor.
I find it hard to write up anything fitting on a show like this.
Everything and everybody is so interesting and I find the notes I
hurriedly write down in my notebook become a jumble of nothing when
I get home. Kenny Shaff and his group of Murray furnished some good
old time music in the afternoon. I learned that Kenny had been the
State Champion fiddler of Iowa several times. Wilbur Ries of Murray
brought his little model steam merry-go-round. I saw Leland Ries of
Murray for a short time, but he had to go to Des Moines to see a
grandson graduate. Anyway, it kept the record straight as I have
never been to a show that there wasn’t at least one Ries
present. I think I can sum up this show by saying anyone who
didn’t like this show would cry if their ice cream was
sold.
This of my forty year old It is in good running
order and is used every year for farm work. Bottom shot is a scene
of threshing rye on my farm, with a 21 inch Woods Bros, separator
in August 1974.
