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Out of retirement

Started by Bro. Noble, November 14, 2002, 10:46:14 AM

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Bro. Noble

My great grandad's old Atlas engine came out of retirement today.

The engine is a 50 hp stationary steamer.  My great grandad bought it in 1920 (second hand) at Joplin Mo.  He brought it to a site joining our farm to run a planing mill.  The family had a large mill, planer, and dry kiln there.  They sent the finished lumber to their lumber yard in Mtn. Grove Mo., about 30 miles north.

By the late 1920's all of the pine was cut out of this area so the planing operation was moved to Mtn. Grove and the sawmills moved to various sites in adjoining counties.  Planing was done in Mountain Grove (powered by the old Atlas engine until 1955 when a fire destroyed part of the operation.  Although the lumber yard continued and is still in operation today,  the old engine was retired.  It was taken to Uncle Amos' farm at the edge of town, set up on blocks and a building put up around it.  Dad has owned the engine for the past twenty years or so and goes by once in a while to clean and oil it.  He recently loaned it as well as an old Corley mill and D-13000 Cat power unit to the local Old Iron club.  They have built a new building for it where it will power the Corley mill.  They are moving the old Atlas today.

Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Noble_Ma

Hey Noble,

That's  great that you have so much family history.  We lost track of my dad's because he was from down south.  I'll bet your great grandfather would be real proud.

OneWithWood

Noble,
Your family has a heritage to be proud of.  Working and living in a forest environment unfortunately skipped a number of generations and a continent or two in my family.  I hope I can start it up again.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Bibbyman

We'd like to see some pictures of the "man and machine".  Is that possible?
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Corley5

I'd like to see some pics too.  Especially that old Corley.  It's a #5 isn't it?
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Bro. Noble

Greg,
Yes , the mill is a #5.  It's a left hand mill with a 20 ft carriage and 60 in saw.  It was made for the blocksetter to ride the carriage.  Right now it's is dissasembled with parts in four different places.  Hopefully everything will be in place by showtime next summer.


Bibb,
The outfit is being set up at Cabool Mo.  Maybe when you're down this way you would like to see it.  I will get some pictures when it's all set up.

I've got some old pictures of family mills and sawmill machinery.  I'll see Rick and Perry Thanksgiving, maybe one of them can put them on the forum for me if we don't get incarcerated.  

Rick,
You got any idea how we're gonna load that thing?

Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Rick Schmalzried

Loading has never been my problem,  It is the unloading part that always gives me fits :D :D
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Corley5

Noble,
  It sounds like it is exactly like mine right down to also being left-handed 8)  I do look forward to pics of it.  I've never seen another #5 in person or pics.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Bro. Noble

Thanks to Rick S for scanning some old pictures for me.
From about 1900 to 1930 my family cut virgin pine timber south in the area that I presently live and hauled it about 25 miles north over a rough dirt road (the T road) to their lumber yard in Mtn. Grove Mo.  They had good logs to saw and used steam for some of the purposed that air and hydrolycs are used in mills now.  They produced 20 to 30,000 bdft per day.  Hauling the dried and dressed lumber was more of a problem than producing it.  At first teams were used.  It was a two day trip one way.  They had a livery barn half way where they changed teams.  Next came Ford and Republic trucks which could haul a little bigger load and make the trip in half a day if they didn't get stuck or break down.  All of the lumber was handled by hand.  This is my grandad hauling, his name was Noble also.

milking and logging and sawing and milking

Bro. Noble

By 1924, they had started using Internationals.  It was one of these that Rufus Tetrick was boomed down on when he got 'drunk and unmanagable'.  The Tractor trailer has 2971 bdft of logs that were selected for making gigging boats.  The boats were made from three boards and were usually 28 to 32 ft long.


Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Bro. Noble

This is my Great grandad, Charlie Barker, in a stand of virgin pine.  I still think 'Old Maid Timber' would be a more accurate term. This is across Bryant Creek from where I live.  They cut off the pine and then sold most of the land to a company that cut the white oak for staves.  Some of the land with some bottom fields were sold to individuals for farming.  The selling price ranged from 2 to 4 dollars per acre.  The picture was in 1925,  the land was all sold by 1929.

milking and logging and sawing and milking

ADfields

I will take ALL the 2 to 4 dollars per acre land you can find!   WOW, what do you think it's worth now?   Even land around Yuma Arizona was $5 or $6 an acre in the 20's and 30's and thats nothing but sand down there.
Andy

Bro. Noble

Andy,

We bought some of the same land about 30 years ago for 60-100 an acre.  Now it's 500 to 1000 and more.  Wages back then were $1.00 to $2.00 per day.  You could buy an acre with a day or two of work----can't do that now on my pay.

Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Noble_Ma

Land in my town sells for about 20 to 30K an acre.  That's down from a few years ago when it was about 40K/acre.  The minimum lot size is two acres.  I wish I could see those kind of prices for large parcels.  Selling any land Noble???

Bro. Noble

Noble,

At 40K / acre I would sure think about it.  We sold some about 10 miles North of where we live about 5 years ago for around $500/acre.  

Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Noble_Ma

Noble,

I was upset that I had to pay 20K for my lot of 2.5 acres about 18 years ago.  I had just sold 4 acres for 6.5K that I had paid 4K just two years prior.  The housing market in my area controls the land prices too.  You know what they say about supply and demand. People pay the prices :-/

Bro. Noble

After they were discharged from the army at the end of WWI, Grandad and Uncle Amos went to see some big mills in the Northwest.  They came home with some new ideas that they used in their mills.  Steam turners and steam feed for example.  The 'shotgun' feed required that they strap their little brother Delbert to the carriage----he was their blocksetter.  Here is one of the mills in 1922.  There were two engines, one on the headsaw and one for everything else.



Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Bro. Noble

Here's my G-grandad with a load of logs about 1910.  Wasn't much of a load,  but it had to go up and down some steep slopes.  Going down really steep banks,  they would put a pole through the spokes of the wheels.  The wagons had brakes but they weren't very good.

Notice the sawmill shed roof made from cull lumber.



Noble
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Fla._Deadheader

All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Bro. Noble

On some of the longer hauls, logs were pulled by steam traction engines if the roads permitted.  Here's Uncle amos on a 20 hp Case in 1912 pulling two wagonloads.  That's all my pictures till I can get some of the old atlas and the #5 Corley.  Thanks for lookin.

Noble

milking and logging and sawing and milking

Corley5

 8) 8) 8)  Thanks for the show.  I'm waiting patiently for the Corley pics ;D
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

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