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DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANAOpen house Thursday for area graduated seniorsiors according to Jack O'Rourke, president.. is an international organization with more than 100 schools in the United States, Haw-HERMAN BLEEKE IS SHOWN as he operates this 1918 Case steam traction engine at the old-timers convention last week. The machine is owned by a California man and stored in Indiana. The California owner was in attendance at the exhibition held on the James Whitby farm.1921 GREYHOUND STEAM TRACTION ENGINE shown above is owned by Harold Gay and John Brite of Decatur. The machine was built in Toledo, Ohio and was originally purchased by a Decatur farmer, and since then, owned by several area residents. Gay and Brite exhibited their machine at the convention.First practical elevator using the basic hydraulicprinciple was developed in Europe in the 1800s, according to the Encyclopaedia Bri-tannica.Three local men participated in old-threshers convention. Herman Bleeke, Harold Gay and JohnBrite, all Decatur residents took part in the old-timers threshers convention held last week at the James Whitby farm.The convention was the 19thannual affair held at the Fort Wayne area farm, ten miles north of Fort Wayne.Gay acted as emcee of the five-day show, while Brite assisted in several exhibitions. Bleeke operated a 1918 Case steam traction engine which is owned by Ralph Lindsay of Beverly Hills, California. Lindsey stores the machine here in Indiana and uses it for show purposes with Bleeke operating the machine.Spectators came from all over the states for the show withstates like California, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia being represented.The machines were used for log sawing, plowing, threshing and parade exhibitions. Convention Judges set the steam pres-sue at 120 pounds on machines capable of 160 pounds for safety reasons due to age of the machines, but this didn*t hurt the show at all as some nine bottom plows were used.There were between twenty and twenty-five steam engines at the convention with operators entertaining huge crowds.The three Decatur men put on a fine show and are already looking forward to next year’s edition of the convention which is expected to be held at the samelocation.
Newspaper Details
Decatur Daily Democrat
Decatur, Indiana, US
Wed, Aug 20, 1969
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
IN, USA 04 May 2020
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